Curriculum Development and

Alignment Plan
Michael Miller
 GOAL of Curriculum Development and
Alignment
Curriculum refers to the content students are expected to learn and how that content is going to be taught
(Aligning Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Based on Content Standards, n.d.).

Our goal is to develop and align curriculum in order to improve student learning and prepare students for
their postsecondary aspirations.

By aligning standards,
curriculum, instruction and
assessment we are able to best
ensure our students learn and
are able to do what we expect
of them.
 Rationale: Why do we do curriculum planning?
As a district, we curriculum plan to determine how we will teach students what they need to
know and be able to do (determined by state standards and Common Core) in the limited amount
of instructional time we have. Good curriculum planning can help maximize instructional time
and this is important because it will improve our students learning.

According to Aligning Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Based on Content Standards (n.d.),
Alignment is necessary for the following reasons: a) to assure that all students understand what they should
know and be able to do, b) to assure that assessments and the learning experiences are fair to all students, and
c) to help teachers be more effective when working with students to achieve a high level of competency
relative to the standards (p. 41).

Curriculum planning and alignment is also necessary when state standards change.
DiSC Classic - Profile Patterns
Achiever Pattern Objective Thinker Pattern
Agent Pattern Perfectionist Pattern
Appraiser Pattern Persuader Pattern
Counselor Pattern Practitioner Pattern
Creative Pattern Promoter Pattern
Developer Pattern Results-Oriented Pattern
Inspirational Pattern Specialist Pattern
Investigator Pattern

Your profile can help you better understand what is most important to you in curriculum planning/alignment.
Five Major Educational Philosophies
There are also five Educational
Philosophies that will influence your While it doesnt matter what
philosophy each member in your
work: groups has, it is important to
understand that we bring different
1. Perennialism philosophies of curriculum
2. Idealism development, which may cause
conflict and disagreements within
3. Realism your groups throughout the
4. Experimentalism curriculum development process!
5. Existentialism Wiles, J. W., & Bondi, J. C. (2015). Curriculum & Development A Guide to Practice
 Core Standards/Strands
The main Strands are found in the second box
1. Citizenship and from the left on the state standards. The
Government Standards are located in the middle box (fourth
from the left, third from the right).
2. Economics
3. Geography Strand Standard

4. History
 How will you use the Standards
State by grouping the Standards together to make cohesive units with essential unit questions
that students will be able to answer at the end of the unit. You will then develop learning targets
to go along with each standard. Learning targets should be written in I can statements that will
tell students what they need to know and be able to do. According to Dean, Hubbell, Pitler and
Stone (2012), Clearly stating the learning objectives in student-friendly language helps students
focus on what you want them the learn (p. 7).

Standards
Who will be involved in the process?
Teachers, Experts, Community Members & Families
Teams of 3-4 individuals will be created after an application and interview process
Teams will include teachers, parents and community members (that are approved as
experts)
District Content Leads and Teaching and Learning Department
Community Partners - colleges, universities, local business, NGOs and Government
Organizations
Experts - college and university professors/instructors
Teachers - all district teachers will be able to view the curriculum and make suggestions
for changes
All families and community members will be invited to learn about the curriculum
This implementation process will occur in five stages and will involve ALL stakeholders.
Who will be involved in the process?
STAGE 1: Team Development (3-4 members per team)
Application for people who would like to be involved (staff, parents and
community members)
Must have a post-secondary degree in the subject area in which you desire
to work on curriculum or significant working/field experience in this
subject area.
For example you could hold a Bachelors Degree in History or work
for the Minnesota Historical Society
Must interview with the Teaching and Learning department and the
District Content Lead in the desired subject area
[Stage 1 will occur in year 1 of the curriculum development/alignment process]
Who will be involved in the process?
STAGE 2: Enrichment
Develop community partnerships with local businesses, colleges and the
University of Minnesota to offer our students more enriching learning
opportunities.
For example, in Economics the Minnesota Council for Economics
Education and the Minneapolis Rotary will be contact and Medtronic will
be contacted to set up enriched learning opportunities within Science.
Community Partnership will be set up by the Teaching and Learning and
Community Outreach Departments, but planning teams will have an opportunity
for input and will be able to meet with community partners.
[Stage 2 will start in year 2 of the curriculum development/alignment process and be
continuous from that point forward.]
Who will be involved in the process?
STAGE 3: Expert Review
The Teaching and Learning Department will review all of the
curriculum work to ensure that all components (learning targets,
standards, resources, authentic assessment, etc.) are included.
Outside experts at local colleges and universities will be consulted to
review select pieces of the curriculum.
For example, 1-2 standards from 1-2 strands within each grade
level will be sent to experts for review.
[Stage 3 will occur in years 2 - 4 of the curriculum development/alignment process]
Who will be involved in the process?
STAGE 4: Family & Community Involvement
Content will be made available online and information on how to
access the curriculum will be disseminated to teachers, parents and
communities members via the district website, social media and
personal communication.
Town Hall Meetings will be set up to give families and community
members a forum to register concerns and have questions answered.
Local businesses and community partners will also be invited to the
Town Hall Meetings
[Stage 4 will occur in year 2 of the curriculum development/alignment process]
Who will be involved in the process?
STAGE 5: Professional Development
Those involved in curriculum writing will work with the Teaching and
Learning department to develop professional development for teachers who will
be teaching the new curriculum.
Professional Development will be offered at both the beginning and end of the
summer to prepare teachers to teach the new curriculum in the upcoming year.
Professional Development will be scheduled throughout the year to address any
concerns/needs and to offer teachers an opportunity to reflect on the new
curriculum and give suggestions for improvement
[Stage 5 will occur in the end of year 2 and throughout year 3 of the curriculum
development/alignment process and be continuous after that time.]
 What will the whole process look like?
Now that we have looked at the implementation process in detail, lets take a
look at the rest of the process.

The full process will be five years in length with continued reflection and
evaluation after the initial five years.

Curriculum Development will occur in waves:

Wave 1: K-1, 6 and 9 grades (First Year)
Wave 2: 2-3, 7 and 10 grades (Second Year)
Wave 3: 4-5, 8 and 11-12 grades (Third Year)
 Curriculum Review and Development Cycle
Year 1 - Research
Year 2 - Materials and Instruction
Year 3 - Implementation *Adopted from the Minnesota River Valley
Education District Curriculum Review and
Year 4 - Monitor & Adjust Development Cycle
Year 5 - Evaluation
Beyond Year 5 - Continued Reflection
 Year 1 - Research
Tasks:
1. Needs based assessment whole district and individual schools
2. Review all data: Achievement Data, Program Data, ACT Data, Student Retention Data,
Staff Retention Data, Perception Data, and Demographic Data
3. Examine current resources and practices
4. Identify strengths and areas of improvement of K-12 programs based on data and
current research.
5. Evaluate Technology Integration (Read Chapter 6 of Wiles & Bondi)
6. Evaluate Assessment Methods (Read Fair Isnt Always Equal & A Guide to Authentic Instruction and
Assessment: Vision, Standards and Scoring)
7. Update curriculum maps review sequencing in high schools
8. Application process and interviews to develop Curriculum Development Teams
 Year 2 - Materials and Instruction
Tasks:
1. Curriculum Development Team training
2. Curriculum Development Teams review state standards and develop learning targets
3. Curriculum Development Teams read Newmann, Secada, & Wehlage on Authentic Instruction and
develop authentic assessments for each learning target.
4. Curriculum Development Teams consider technology use, determine academic vocabulary and
gather resources.
5. Complete SMART Goals: include technology, professional development, address deficits and gaps
and focus on areas in instruction and teaching strategies
6. Curriculum Development Team creates resources for teachers
7. Community Partnerships developed and Expert Reviews
8. Town Hall Meetings
 Year 3 - Implementation
Tasks:
1. Professional Development for teachers
2. Review any new data: Achievement Data, Program Data, ACT Data, Student Retention
Data, Staff Retention Data, Perception Data, and Demographic Data
3. Start teaching new curriculum; complete activities on SMART goal plan
4. Collect data on the implementation process included assessment results and technology
implementation
5. Teacher reflection and discussion on new curriculum
6. Survey for students, teachers, parents and community members involved with curriculum
7. Update curriculum maps
 Year 4 - Monitor & Adjust
Tasks:
1. Review state standards and address any gaps between the standards and the curriculum.
2. Review any new data: Achievement Data, Program Data, ACT Data, Student Retention Data,
Staff Retention Data, Perception Data and Demographic Data
3. Make modifications to the curriculum based on teacher, parent and community feedback
4. Professional development for teachers based on modifications; also discuss technology
5. Teach with any new modifications; complete activities on SMART goal plan.
6. Review student assessments and collect data on common assessments.
7. Collect data on student, teacher, parent and community member survey
8. Update curriculum maps
 Year 5 - Evaluation
Tasks:
1. Review state standards and address any gaps between the standards and the curriculum.
2. Review any new data: Achievement Data, Program Data, ACT Data, Student Retention Data, Staff
Retention Data and Demographic Data
3. Teacher professional development to discuss curriculum, technology and other resources
4. Complete activities on SMART goal plan.
5. Continue work on common, authentic assessments
6. Review student assessments and collect data on common assessments
7. Teachers complete reflection survey on curriculum, technology, common assessment and SMART
goal
8. Update Curriculum maps
9. Evaluation teams make classroom observations, review common assessment and survey results
Beyond Year 5 - Continued Reflection
Tasks:
1. Continued professional development every year on technology
implementation/uses and authentic assessment
2. Review any new data: Achievement Data, Program Data, ACT Data, Student
Retention Data, Staff Retention Data and Demographic Data
3. Complete activities on SMART goal plan.
4. Continue work on common, authentic assessments
5. Evaluation teams will review each grade level every 2 years to insure that
curriculum alignment is maintained.
6. Review K-12 curriculum maps for gaps and overlaps.
Curriculum Review and Development Cycle
 How do we align curriculum?
PROCESS
1. First you will review the state
standards and start to organize
what students need to know and
be able to do into units.
2. Next you will develop authentic
assessments.
3. Curriculum will be review by the
Teaching and Learning
department.
4. Teachers will implement the
curriculum and collect data.
5. Data will be analyzed and the
curriculum will be reviewed and
reflected upon

Aligning Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Based on Content Standards (p. 46).
 Standards,
Curriculum,
Instruction and
Assessment are
all essential
pieces of
education. But
they dont
always align
and work
together.
Student learning is best when standards, curriculum, instruction
and assessment all align!
 How do you align everything?
1. Start by taking the state standards and creating learning targets (what
students are expected to know or be able to do).
2. Next create an authentic assessment (how you will know students learned
what you expected them to learn).
3. Determine how technology will be used (in an authentic way).
4. Determine what academic vocabulary is needed to meet the learning
target.
5. Put together a list of resources for teachers to use (this will be best for new
teachers or teachers with less expertise).
6. The Special Education Department and ELL (or EL) Department will put
together the instructional considerations
 Example #1 from Economics

Standards, Learning Targets, Assessments, Technology Use and Academic

Language are all aligned, which helps the curriculum best support student learning.
 Backwards Design
One way to align the standards, curriculum, instruction and assessment
is to do Backwards Design. Here you will take the state
standard/learning target (what students are expected to know or be able
to do) and you will develop an assessment that will tell you if student
learned what you expected them too. Starting with the end in mind and
working backwards to help you ensure that youve aligned everything
in order to accomplish your objective. Then you can start developing
the curriculum and preparing the instruction to help the other teachers
stay focused what they need to each in order to ensure students meet the
learning target.
 Assessment for Example #1
1. What do households supply to the resource market in a market economy?
a. Factors of Production
b. Financial Compensation
c. Goods and Services
d. Stocks and Bonds
2. Which of the following is an example of what businesses (firms) supply to the product market?
a. Target paying its employees an hourly wage
b. Workers completing their duties in a normal work day
c. Wealthy investors selling stocks in the New York Stock Exchange
d. Best Buy offering goods and services for customers to buy
Example #2 from Economics
Assessment for Example #2
Complete the PACED Decision-Making Model
Graphic Organizer comparing four vacation
spots across four different criteria and then
answer the question below in a brief essay.

Analyze the data on four different vacation

locations and determine which is the best for
you. Be sure to compare your best selection to
the other options in your essay.
How can we use the results of aligned assessments
to improve instruction?
Data from assessments may be used to carry out the following tasks if the
assessments were aligned to standards, the curriculum, and instruction:
1. Judge the progress of a class and of each student with regard to specific performance criteria for
each objective and/or standard.

2. Plan corrective types of instruction in the current unit or in subsequent units to bolster student
learning (i.e., content and thinking skills) in those areas where student performance is weak.

3. Help students assess their own progress toward mastery of objectives and standards and identify
ways in which they could improve their own performances and learning.

4. Make decisions about fundamental changes in the course or instructional program.

The Comprehensive Social Studies Assessment Project (CSSAP) Professional Development Manual.
 Recommended Readings for Better
Understanding
Source #1: A Guide to Authentic Instruction and Assessment: Vision, Standards and
Scoring

Newmann, F. M., Secada, W. G., & Wehlage, G. G. (1995). A guide to authentic instruction
and assessment: Vision, standards, and scoring. Madison, WI: Wisconsin Center for
Education Research.

Source #2: Chapters 4 and 5

Wiles, J. W., & Bondi, J. C. (2015). Curriculum Development A Guide to Practice (9th ed.).
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.