Never done

One of the comments we received in our State of the School follow-up survey was related to a lack of clarity around why we change curriculum that was described as cutting edge just a few years ago. The answer depends, first of all, on our understanding of the term "curriculum."   As used in a professional context, curriculum refers to a locally-designed plan for alignment of instruction, learning experiences, and assessment to achieve articulated outcomes.  It's essentially a plan for where we're going and how we'll get there.  Many people - even teachers - sometimes use the word curriculum to refer more narrowly to the resources used to support that plan.

Math is a great example.  In 2009 we adopted Pearson's Investigations resources to teach elementary math.  The lab-model approach these resources enabled facilitated the development of number sense and quantitative thinking, the ability to defend that thinking with language, and the ability to solve authentic problems in a collaborative process in which knowledge is constructed by testing hypotheses and building shared understanding.  This approach gradually transformed the math culture of our school from one where "When will I ever use this?"  and "I'm not good at math" were common mantras to one where math class is engaging, understanding is deep, and consecutive years have brought us top placement in the prestigious Thomas More Math Competition.

Then, along came a revised set of national standards, which the Archdiocese embraced for their rigor and relevance.  By design, they address math practices and scaffold deep understanding through applied thinking; in other words, precisely what we had already been doing.  We were thrilled!  Our teachers were ahead of the curve in their proficiency to design instruction for these outcomes.  On the down side, however, we also found ourselves with a set of fabulous resources that were, unfortunately, quite misaligned with the new instructional sequence, which essentially covers fewer topics each year, but studies them more deeply.  (For example, where we used to teach a little bit about fractions in each grade level, we now teach fractions deeply and completely by the end of grade five.)

For the first two years after the new standards were launched in the Archdiocese, we used our Investigations resources as a component of teacher-designed curriculum.  This was labor-intensive work that led us on a search for published resources that would allow our teachers to redirect their energies toward the art of teaching.  Along the way, we learned about the work that had been done by the Center for Teaching and Learning in the State of New Jersey.  Part of a broader Progressive Teaching Initiative that reimagines education, their Progressive Math Initiative has designed contemporary curriculum complete with resources fully aligned to the new Standards.  Moreover, because the Project is designed to utilize technology to foster continuous improvement by capturing the collective wisdom of practitioners in the field, they published the entire curriculum online for anyone to use - at no cost.  This represents a savings of over $4,000 annually in consumable Investigations Student Activity Books.

We piloted the New Jersey PMI curriculum in grades one to five last year strictly as designed (much as you follow a recipe as written the first time you make a new dish).  This year, we are reintegrating the rich resources from Investigations where they fit to further enhance what the New Jersey teachers have designed.

We are not teaching differently as much as we are teaching in a different sequence with pacing calendars and resources designed and published by different authors.  We made this shift to align with the requirements of the new standards, of course, but also to improve; because the interactive Web launched an unstoppable collective intelligence and we are not only paying attention, but contributing to the conversation.

Knowledge evolves and you should expect nothing less than continuous improvement from your children's school.  A good school is never done.

For those interested in a more academic treatment of this topic, see this article on the paradigm shift  in education brought about by the Progressive Teaching Initiative.