Curriculum: The Big Picture
Throughout our KESD learning community, we believe that curriculum is a living document. Considering a curriculum “done” is really an indicator that it is time to revisit the curriculum again.
Although many factors affect learning, one that we have control over and responsibility to ensure is the use of a high quality curriculum to create a purposefully aligned, engaging, and meaningful learning experience for our students.
A quality curriculum provides the information that teachers require to make purposeful decisions to meet student needs and provide the appropriate pathway for meeting the expectations outlined in the curriculum without dictating a one-way-suits-all approach. Authentic and differentiated learning opportunities based on knowing our students’ strengths and needs is the key to true learning.
It is our responsibility to ensure that students have the opportunity to learn and demonstrate the content, skills, processes, and dispositions embedded within the standards, and this responsibility, in turn, generates the need for a curriculum to ensure equitable learning experiences for all students.
Our curriculum work focuses on what to teach through engaging and responsive teaching practices based on what students demonstrate they already know and are ready to learn next. This is why our curriculum is rooted in strong formative assessment practices.