Getting Started with Curriculum Mapping with Dr' Heidi Hayes Jacobs

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Getting Started with Curriculum MappingwithDr.
Heidi Hayes Jacobs
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Essential questions

• How can curriculum mapping improve student
  performance?
• What will be the targets for each building in
  Pelham 2004-2005
• How can we structure the school setting to
  conduct mapping?

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Pelham High School

• Identify purposes and procedures for CM
• Employ CM to
• Integrate standards into each subject area
• Integrate literacy into all curriculum areas
• Monitor student assessment data and infuse into
  subject area maps
• Build on ongoing projects
• New courses/programs
• Improved existing courses

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Pelham Middle School

• Focus on CM
• Engage technology in the curriculum
• Identify characteristics of quality CM
• Integrate literacy in every classroom map
• Monitor student performance data with an emphasis
  on literacy

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Pelham Elementary Schools

• Refine and build on CM data base
• Revise entries on maps for better quality
• Focus on math language based approach targeted
  terms natural sequence that matches
  developmental levels of learners
• Focus on science balance between life,
  physical, and earth/space sciences more language
  experiences active terminology
• Begin vertical reviews within buildings

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What is mapping?

• Calendar based curriculum mapping is a procedure
  for collecting a data base of the operational
  curriculum in a school and/or district.
• It provides the basis for authentic examination
  of that data base.

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All discussion, debate, and decisions will based
on

• what is in the best interest of our specific
  clients... the students in our setting
• their age
• their stage of development
• their learning characteristics
• their communities
• their aspirations
• their needs

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What information do we collect on the map?

• CONTENT
• ASSESSMENT
• SKILLS

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Editing, auditing, validating, and creative
development tasks

• Gain information
• Avoid repetition
• Identify gaps
• Identify potential areas for integration

• Match with learner standards
• Examine for timeliness
• Edit for coherence

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Gain information

• Underline every place in the map where you
  learned something new about the operational
  curriculum.
• This expands the teachers understanding of
  his/her students experience.

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Edit for Repetitions

• Recognize the difference between repetitions and
  redundancy.
• Spiraling as a goal

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Edit for Gaps

• Examine maps for gaps in
• content
• thinking processes skills
• assessments

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Locate potential areas for integration

• Peruse the map and circle areas for integration
  of content, skills, and assessment.
• These can serve as the springboard for curriculum
  planning.

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Validate standards

• Search the maps for places where students are
  completing performance tasks that match your
  standards.
• Identify gaps.

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Applying your standards

• National
• State
• District
• Site

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Edit for timeliness

• Review the maps for timely issues, breakthroughs,
  methods, materials, and new types of assessment.
• Be vigilant about technology.

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Edit for Coherence

• Scrutinize maps for a solid match between the
  choice of content, the featured skills
  processes, and the type of assessment.

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Procedures

• PHASE 1 collecting the data
• PHASE 2 first read-through
• PHASE 3 small mixed group review
• PHASE 4 large group comparisons
• PHASE 5 determine immediate revision points
• PHASE 6 determine points requiring some research
  and planning
• PHASE 7 plan for next review cycle

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phase l Collecting the Data

• Each teacher in the building completes a map
• The format is consistent for each teacher but
  reflects the individual nature of each classroom
• Technology simplifies data collection

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Collecting Content Data

• type of focus
• Topics
• Issues
• Works
• Problems
• Themes

• configuration
• Discipline Field based
• Interdisciplinary
• Student-Centered

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Collecting Skill and Assessment Data

• Enter the skills and assessments FOREGROUNDED for
  each unit of study or course
• Precision is the key

• Enter the skills and assessments that are ongoing
  through the course of a year
• Portfolio checks
• Early Childhood assessments

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phase 2 First Read-Through

• Each teacher reads the entire school map as an
  editor and carried out the tasks.
• Places where new information was gained are
  underlined.
• Places requiring potential revision are circled.

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phase 3Mixed Small Group Review

• Groups of 5 to 8 faculty members are formed.
• Groups should be from diverse configurations
  (i.e... different grade levels and departments)
• The goal is to simply share individual findings
• No revisions are suggested

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phase 4 Large Group Review

• All faculty members come together and examine the
  compilation of findings from the smaller groups
• Session is facilitated by principal and/or
  teacher leader

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phase 5Determine areas for immediate revision

• The faculty identifies those areas that can be
  handled by the site with relative ease.
• The specific faculty members involved in those
  revisions determine a timetable for action.

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phase 6Determine those areas requiring long term
planning

• Faculty members identify those areas that have
  implications beyond the site with other sites.
• Faculty members identify those areas where
  research is needed.

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phase 7 The Cycle Continues

• The district cabinet meets 3 times annually for
  review.
• Task forces report on their timetables.
• The site based council continues its review of
  the maps through the course of the year and into
  the next.

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Why mapping?
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Mapping is a Communication Tool

• Between teachers in a building
• Between teachers in feeding and receiving sites
• For parents
• For students

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Mapping is a planning tool

• For curriculum reform
• For meeting state standards
• For ordering materials, software, etc....
• For coordinating events
• For assessment reform

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Mapping is a pedagogical tool

• For the new teacher
• For the special education teacher
• For the new student
• For seeing the operational program
• For designing staff development

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Mapping needs to be tailored to your locale

• The school and district culture
• The decision making process
• A deliberate timetable
• Available time
• Leadership at each site

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Structuring the Decision Making Process

• A Case for the Elimination of Curriculum
  Committees

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Technology is creating a new type of educational
planning
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table 1 School Curriculum Councils
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Building Curriculum Council

• Meets regularly with maps
• Focus on school based curriculum, assessment, and
  instruction
• Open to all members of school faculty
• Representatives selected with a job description
• Focus for staff development

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table 2 Relationship Between School Councils
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Receiving and Feeder Sites

• Critical to focus on the actual pattern of
  students.
• Larger districts should keep communication
  regularly channeled with feeder pattern.
• In school districts set up in short grade spans,
  feeder pattern also is critical (i.e.. K-2 3-5
  grade levels in one building.)

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table 3 At the District Level
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District Cabinet

• Meets three to four times per year
• Representatives from site councils
• Focus on district level curriculum, assessment,
  and instruction
• When more R D is needed sets up task force.

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table 4 The Task Force
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Task Force

• For specific purposes with action plan
• Time frame is followed
• When work is complete task force is dismantled.
• Shares info with all building councils

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Next steps action planning issues

• Tasks
• Time frames
• Resources
• 2 to 3 year plans
• Momentum
• Media specialist
• Leadership-school
• Leadership-boards

• Reluctant staff
• Reluctant administrators
• Technology access
• Staff development -understanding of assessment
• Clarity of standards

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Heidi Hayes Jacobs, Ed.D.Kathy Scoli,
administrative assistant

• Curriculum Designers, Inc.
• ph/fax [phone]
• CurricDES_at_aol.com
• www.curriculumdesigners.com