Curriculum Professional Development Council (CPDC)

Organization of specific content, understandings, and skills in relation to relevant standards

• Curriculum is developed utilizing discipline-specific standards (state or national)
• Grade level and/or course curriculum is purposefully designed to achieve vertical (PK-12) and horizontal (grade level) alignment
• Unit development ensures alignment between content, assessments, and learning experiences 
• Common language is utilized and calibrated with clearly defined terms (e.g., ELA: what is “precise”, what does “assertion” mean, what do we mean when we say “implications”)

The foundation of a rigorous and relevant curriculum that represents what students will know and be able to do

• Clearly defines what students are expected to know, understand, and be able to do across the grade levels
• Integrates discipline-specific standards (state or national) are used to determine what students should know, understand, and be able to do 
• Uses common language and clearly defines expectations for student learning outcomes 
• Incorporates problem solving, critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, innovation, imagination, and leadership
• Is a living document that changes to reflect new understandings informed by data and stakeholder feedback

Measures and evaluates learning while informing instruction

• Student performance is used to assess student learning
• Include a variety of assessments that are aligned with discipline-specific standards and are common across grade level and/or course
• Incorporate formative and summative assessments in addition to student choice to demonstrate acquired knowledge
• Require students to show learning in a variety of ways
• Provide opportunities for teacher feedback, student reflection, and student revisions based on clearly stated criteria 
• Inform instruction through clear, coordinated teacher reflection

Varied opportunities designed to help students develop enduring understandings to meet challenges in a constantly changing world

• Lessons and activities build upon prior knowledge and support the transfer of learning with authentic, real world application
• Instruction considers different modes of learning (e.g., visual, auditory, verbal, kinesthetic)
• Utilizes a variety of instructional practices and resources to differentiate content, product, or process to meet the needs of all students
• Promotes high levels of student engagement, discourse, and higher order thinking
• Establishes a learning environment that is conducive to the academic growth and social emotional well-being of all student