challenges met lessons learned
DESCRIPTION
Challenges Met Lessons Learned. Shaler Area School District Shannon Howard, Assistant High School Principal Anne Frazier, Department Co-Chair Kate Elder , Department Co-Chair Heather Tomko, Teacher. Shaler Area High School. Background information. Shaler Area School District. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Challenges MetLessons LearnedShaler Area School DistrictShannon Howard, Assistant High School PrincipalAnne Frazier, Department Co-ChairKate Elder , Department Co-ChairHeather Tomko, Teacher
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Shaler Area High School
Shaler Area School District• Shaler Area School District is a
suburban public school district serving students from Etna, Millvale, Reserve, and Shaler
• 5 Primary Buildings (K-3)• 1 Elementary School (4-6)• 1 Middle School (7-8)• 1 High School (9-12)
• 5027 students in district
Challenges
• Horizontal and Vertical Alignment, especially between buildings
• Merging the curriculum document (as it was) with the format used with the Curriculum Mapper
• The “blank page”• Time
OUR SOLUTIONShaler Area High School
Unit Template
Why a Template?
• Wanted a graphic organizer to help with information gathering (visual learner, linear process spiral thinker)
• Only certain members of the department were working on the mapping process
• Everyone’s input needed for building units in courses
• We needed a way to have all information for input in hand for each meeting
• Includes major components of each course unit in EdInsight:
Design
How We Used It
• Gave a copy of the template to each member of the department
• Each individual teacher outlined major units taught in each course
• Grade level teams collaborated on changes to common units
• Input team used completed templates to map courses
Benefits of Using the Template
• Forced conversation about course structure– Common units = horizontal alignment– Essential skills to be taught v. unessential =
helped grade level teams see where we were focusing instruction and time
– Complete revision of CP 10 World Literature– Assessments formative v. summative
• Helped input team work more efficiently
Our Experience with Curriculum Mapping
• Used already established baseline curriculum, so it was an easier process for our group and a logical starting point for the high school. – Common mid-term & Final– Common novel units
• Forced us to standardize grammar concepts which we weren’t previously doing– Subject/Verb agreement– Apostrophes
• Used the template to guide us through the process.
Lessons Learned• Establish a common departmental
vocabulary for mapping process (i.e., EdInsight input categories).
• Establish common goals for department and grade levels (i.e., horizontal and vertical alignment).
• Spend more time in the early stages making department-wide decisions and gathering information – input doesn’t take as long if process and goals
are clear.
• Realize this may not be a quick process, but it is extremely valuable!
NEXT STEPSShaler Area High School
Questions?