The Curriculum Department works with teachers, administrators and the community to support student learning through the coordination of best practices in instruction, assessment and curriculum development. This includes work in following areas:
A Multi-Tiered System of Support
The Curriculum Department has established a system to ensure teacher teams meet systematically to review student data to assess student achievement and progress in meeting the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. Data is used to determine curriculum and instructional and assessment supports for all students. Title I and Special Education supports are provided within all tiers to support students in need of specialized instruction. Our district is implementing Research for Better Teaching‘s Formative Assessments for Results (FAR) Cycle. This is a constant cycle of planning and communicating learning expectations to students, monitoring student progress towards outcomes, determining strengths/needs and adjusting practice to support all students.
- What should students know or be able to do?
- How will we know if they’ve learned it?
- What will we do if they haven’t learned it yet?
Tier I Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment for All students
All students receive high-quality core curriculum and instruction in the general ed classroom that is aligned to the state standards. The teacher assists all students.
Tier II Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment for Supplemental Intervention
Tier II supplemental interventions are provided in addition to core programing and instruction to students identified as needing more support. This level of intervention is often referred to as a “double doses.” Supplemental interventions are a review or reteach of the concepts, skills and strategies. Small group intervention are often provided in a push-in model. Student progress is monitored and interventions are adjusted as needed.
Tier III Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment for Intensive Intervention
Tier III intensive instructional support is provided to the students identified as the greatest need. This individualized instruction is provided in addition to the core programming and instruction. This level of instruction is often delivered by a teacher trained in specialized interventions in a push-in or pull-out model. Student progress is monitored and interventions are adjusted as needed.
Curriculum
The Curriculum Department oversees the review of curriculum following the ARRSD Curriculum Review Guide. This includes evaluating existing program, to designing an improved program, to implementing a new program and back to evaluating the revised program to ensure alignment to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.
Professional Development
The curriculum department coordinates professional development that supports the implementation of research-based best practices. The field of education is constantly evolving. Research provides new information about how and when children learn, technology offers opportunities to deliver instructional and assessment practices, and new understandings of our world transform the work of teaching. Click here to view the 2021-2022 ARRSD Professional Development Plan.