CLINICAL FIELD EXPERIENCE D: CURRICULUM ACTION PLAN 1

Clinical Field Experience D: Curriculum Action Plan

Lekisha Morris

Grand Canyon University-EAD-520

1/26/2021
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Curriculum Action Plan

I had the opportunity to reach out to the 7th grade math team and my husband’s school. I

was also able to review their curriculum map and have a virtual meeting with an administrator

there as well. “Curriculum mapping is the process indexing or diagramming a curriculum to

identify and address academic gaps, redundancies and misalignments for purposes of improving

the overall coherence of a course of study and, by extension, it’s effectiveness” (2013). I asked

everyone if they saw any areas that need improvement and they all agreed that each year during

the 4th quarter, they lose time that they could be using to continue to implement the curriculum

map due to switching the focus on preparing the students for state testing. Then when they begin

the new school year, they lose time because they have to re-teach end of the year standards at the

beginning of the new school year before they can move on and this delays the next curriculum

map for the current year.

Map Differentiation

There are accommodations and interventions that are built into some of the standards that

are being taught. Some teachers must create the accommodations that their students may need.

Administration takes into consideration the various learning styles, interests, and abilities of all

students. They also divide into knowledge, ideas, and skills that the students will learn using the

curriculum map.

Instructional Strategies, Curriculum Materials, Technology

When I asked the teachers about instructional strategies, this is what was shared with me:

“Currently, there aren’t many options for differentiating instructional strategies because many of

the strategies that are used are student driven. Sometimes just taking the time to prompt the
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students with questions can lead to a variety of discussions that vary from class to class. Many

of the materials that are being used are objects that can be found daily. Previously, technology

didn’t play a major role in instruction, but now since most of instruction is virtual, it is relied on

a lot. Prior to COVID, most of the curriculum focused on shared experiences and collaboration

amongst students”.

Strengths & Gaps

Some of the strengths that are evident due to the curriculum are that the skills and

knowledge that is taught to the students align with the state standards and the data research by

different states have practiced the curriculum and they have seen more mastery and results.

Some of the gaps that are seen in the curriculum are that due to the curriculum being pre-

planned, many of the units build upon each other. This requires prior knowledge from previous

units by the students. Some of the grades in the school have yet to transition to the new program

and this has led to many comprehensive gaps. This is a new process that students must learn as

well as the teachers. More professional development opportunities must be given for teachers to

grasp the concept as well.

Instructional Resources

The IB curriculum is used and the student’s have workbooks where they work on “bell-

work”. Google classroom is utilized now for virtual instruction and EngageNY and Great minds

are other resources that are being used. The platforms were chosen by administration because

they felt as though these additional programs would be more effective in helping the students

learn during the pandemic.

Vision & Mission

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Administration shared that the curriculum map is reflected on the IB units and lessons the

teachers provide align with the curriculum. When aligning the curriculum map with the school’s

vision and mission, reports are created that align with the standards as well as the overall picture

and the overall knowledge that is presented is transferred between the two areas. The student’s

achievement is beyond their test scores and they can apply their knowledge in real life situations.

Refinement Areas

There are a few areas that staff feel that need to be refined. One teacher feels that a

contingency plan should be created for unexpected delays such as the pandemic. The

administrator feels that aligning the curriculum maps to the IB values and rubrics need to be

strengthened. Also, the curriculum maps should be more performance based in which they are

not accurately depicted in the current maps. “It is vital that teachers continuously monitor

students’ progress to make sure the concepts and skills are mastered” (Marzano, 2010). There

are time where providing moments where students can be “re-taught” some concepts may help

with minimizing the gap.

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References
(2013). Curriculum Mapping Definition. The Glossary of Education Reform. Retrieved from:

https://www.edglossary.org/curriculum-mapping/

Marzano, R. J. (2010). Reviving Re-Teaching. Educational Leadership 82(2).