Developing High School Curriculum

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Developing High School Curriculum

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Challenges Solutions

• How does MU High maintain an accredited high
  school program? Our challenges, concerns and
  solutions?
• What are your challenges? Your solutions?
• The future what do we need to be thinking
  about, planning for and doing?

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MU High School A Brief History

• 1997 First online high school course
• 1999 Accredited by the North Central
  Association
• 2001 Online diploma available
• Students primarily from Missouri, but
  throughout the US and other countries

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MU High School Accreditation

• North Central Association Commission on
  Accreditation and School Improvement
• Classified by NCA as a Special Purpose School
• Most core courses are NCAA-approved

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MU High Curriculum

• Over 200 courses (1/2 Carnegie unit each)
• 45 Language Arts
• 27 Math
• 11 Personal Development
• 24 Science
• 29 Social Studies

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More courses

• 2 AP Literature Composition
• 39 Practical Arts
• 4 Fine Arts
• 23 Foreign Language
• 4 Health Physical Education
• 30 gifted courses

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High School and Curriculum Team

• HS Principal
• Instructors
• Student Services Team
• High School Counselor
• Curriculum Coordinator
• Course Development Team

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Challenges

• Employing effective and qualified instructors
• Maintaining high course standards
• Developing an authors guide
• Attaining accreditation
• Dealing with constant change
• Buzz words Communication, consistency, standard
  policies, change

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Instructors Course Development

• Qualified work well with non-traditional
  students and instructional delivery
• Organized and prompt
• Comfortable with technology
• Communicate clearly
• Selecting courses of interest to students.

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Maintaining High Quality Courses

• Updating courses (lesson material and textbooks)
• Structuring courses for student success
• Taking advantage of technology and meaningful
  interactivity
• Reviewing assessment to insure they follow good
  assessment practices

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More Factors Affecting Quality

• Providing instructors/course authors with
  guidance
• Determining appropriate assessment measures.
• Align lessons to state and national standards

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Authors Manual

• General Information
• Who are we?
• Who are our authors?
• What do we mean by . . . ?
• What are our students like?
• What types of courses do we offer?

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Developing a Course

• What is included in a course?
• How do I organize and develop a course?
• How do I incorporate multimedia elements into a
  course?
• How do I assess learning in an independent study
  course?

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Assessments

• Guidelines for writing objective tests
• question design
• questions linked to lesson objectives
• distracters
• test blue print

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Instructor-Evaluated Assignments

• Extended Essayseffective for measuring complex
  learning outcomes, such as synthesis and
  evaluation.
• Restricted Responseset limits on both content
  and length of response and are used primarily to
  assess knowledge, comprehension, or application.
• Performance Tasks (e.g. presentations, projects,
  mathematical proofs, and art portfolios)

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NCA Accreditation School Improvement Plan

• Target Area Goals
• All students will increase their level of
  interaction with MU High Schools human and
  technological resources.
• All students will progress toward successful
  completion of the course(s) in which they are
  enrolled.

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Target Area Goal 1

• Revise evaluations ask students to rate ease and
  timeliness of enrolling process, clarity of
  policies and procedures, quality of course
  content and faculty feedback, as well as online
  delivery.
• Refine course materials add exam announcement
  page code lesson assessments to objectives
  include scoring rubrics for written assignments
  review exams.

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Other Communications

• Phone calls quickly connect to appropriate
  persons added study hints for students
  encourage online contact
• Mail welcome postcard listing course materials
  and instructor welcome letter.
• Web site add Whats New section post school
  policies.

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Student Study Hints

• Set Goals Develop a Study Plan
• Organize Your Study Materials Manage Your Time
  Wisely
• Focus on the Lesson Purpose and Objectives
• Preparing for your examinations should be a daily
  activity.
• Ask Questions Use online Help Features
• Share Your Thoughts and Opinions

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NCA Target Area Goal 2

• 2. All students will progress toward successful
  completion of the course(s) in which they are
  enrolled.

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Target Area Goal 2

• Revise course descriptions to reflect content and
  prerequisites.
• Student communications Welcome letter with
  planning sheet, two weeks later.
• Inform students about their options if they fail
  a course (retakes).
• Send a reminder lesson after 6 weeks if students
  havent submitted a lesson yet. Provide
  suggestions about getting started or how to
  transfer to another.

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Student Services

• Communication
• Clearly assign responsibilities (student
  questions, policies, content, scheduling exams)
• Consistent policies and record keeping
• Training new personnel
• Willing to listen to student concerns

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Communications

• CDIS Staff, students, and schools
• E-mail toll-free phone line
• Newsletters (counselors and diploma students)
• Monthly updates for schools
• Course Evaluations
• Online access to records
• Web site

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Beyond Accreditation

• Constant evaluation and reevaluation
• Continually reassessing lesson content,
  assessments and looking for what can be better.
• Taking advantage of technology
• Matching technology and expectations with
  students abilities

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Contact Information

• Bev Fox
• Curriculum Coordinator
• 136 Clark Hall
• Columbia, MO 65211
• foxby_at_missouri.edu