Rigorous Curriculum Design

Rigorous Curriculum Design
Presented by
Larry Ainsworth
The Leadership and Learning Center
Englewood, Colorado
www.LeadandLearn.com
Toll--Free 1
Toll 1--866
866--399
399--6019
The Common Core State Standards–

Insufficient By Themselves
“To be effective in improving education

and getting all students ready for
college workforce training,
college, training and life
life, the
Common Core State Standards must be
partnered with a content-rich
curriculum and robust assessments,
both aligned to the Standards.”
CCSSI Webinar, 2010
How to Create Curricular Units of

Studyy that Align
g Standards,,
Instruction, and Assessment
Book and Seminar Published 2010

Lead + Learn Press
Englewood, Colorado
© 2011 Rigorous Curriculum Design Keynote

All rights reserved. April, 2011
Copy only with permission. Page P-1
A Curriculum Model That Provides
The What, Why, and How
1. What do ALL students need to know and be
able to do? Standards
2. How do we teach so that all students will
learn? Instruction
3. How will we know if they have
learned it? Assessment
4. What will we do if they don’t know or if they
come to us already knowing? Differentiation
DuFour and Eaker
and Enrichment
Professional Learning Communities At Work (1998)
A Curriculum Roadmap
An overview of a
do-it-yourself
process that
curriculum design
teams can follow—
over time—to
create a rigorous
curriculum in any
content area
JANUARY, 2010
“Your process is going great! We
are enjoying every moment of our
work (if you can call it ‘work’). Our
first eight documents are
comprehensive clear
comprehensive, clear, and all very
strongly based on the standards.
Curriculum makes so much sense
now!”
BONNIE FINEMAN
East Hartford High School
Curriculum Design Team

“Unwrapping” the
Priority Standards, Big Common
Standards Ideas, Essential Formative
and Questions Assessments
Supporting (Pre- and
Standards Post-)
A
The Data
Th D t Comprehensive F
Frequentt
Teams Model Progress
Process Monitoring
Checks
High-Impact
Instructional Authentic
Strategies Performance Tasks &
Scoring Guides
Four Parts of Rigorous

Curriculum Design Model
Big Picture
Building the
Connections
Foundation
Designing the
Units of Study
Implementing
the Units
PartOne
SEETHE“BIGPICTURE”FIRST

Part 1: Making Connections
Connecting
Curriculum
Design to the
What Is “Big Picture”
Rigorous
Curriculum
Design?
Overview of
Design
Sequence
Rigor
Defined
Rigor refers to a level of difficulty and

the ways in which students apply their
knowledge through higher
higher-order
order
thinking skills. Rigor also means the
reaching for a higher level of quality in
both effort and outcome.
Rigorous Curriculum
Defined
A rigorous curriculum is an inclusive

set of intentionally aligned
components—clear
t l learning
l i outcomes
t
with matching assessments, engaging
learning experiences, and instructional
strategies—organized into sequenced
units of study.

Rigorous Curriculum
Defined
A rigorous curriculum serves as both

the detailed road map and the high-
quality delivery system for ensuring that
all students achieve the desired end: the
attainment of their designated grade- or
course-specific standards within a
particular content area.
Curriculum Big
g
Design Picture
State Assessments; National Assessments

Common Formative
Common Formative Post-
Post-
Assessment &
Assessment & Data
Data Teams
Teams Process
Process
Rigorous Curricular
Effective
Effective Teaching
Teaching Unit of Study Enrichment,
Enrichment,
Strategies
Strategies with
with Based On Remediation,
Remediation,
Progress
Progress “Unwrapped’ Intervention
Intervention Prior
Prior to
to
Monitoring
Monitoring Checks
Checks Priority CCSS Next
Next Curricular
Curricular Unit
Unit
Common
CommonFormative
FormativePre-
Pre-
Assessment
Assessment&&Data
DataTeams
Teams
Process
Process
Scope, Sequencing, and Pacing of

Curricular Units
PRIORITY CCSS and Supporting CCSS
Common Core State Standards

The Big Picture Connections
Which of the
“pieces”
pieces are
already in place
in your school
system?
Progress Check
Where are you now?
____________________________________
____________________________________
Which “big picture” practices are
already
l d in
i place?
l ?
____________________________________
____________________________________
What should your next steps be?
____________________________________
_________________________________
Overview of Part 2:
Building the Curricular Foundation

Part Two
Building the
Foundation for
Designing
Curricular
Units
Five Sequential Steps
Building the
Foundation
1. Prioritize the Standards
Common Core
State Standards
CCSS are presented

in the context of
Priority Standards in
Chapter 5, pp. 47-53.

FEWER, CLEARER,
HIGHER
“The question of national standards is

inescapable. The U.S. needs fewer,
clearer, and higher national standards.”
Sir Michael Barber in interview with A. Klein,

Education Week, September 24, 2008, p. 24.
Are There Fewer?
Counting
The CCSS
Priority Standards
Defined
Priority Standards are a carefully selected

subset of the total list of the grade-specific
and course-specific
course specific standards within each
content area that students must know and be
able to do by the end of each school year in
order to be prepared to enter the next grade
level or course.

Supporting Standards
Defined
Supporting standards are those standards

that support, connect to, or enhance the
Priority Standards.
Standards They are taught within the
context of the Priority Standards, but do not
receive the same degree of instruction and
assessment emphasis as do the Priority
Standards.
Prioritization, Not Elimination!
• All grade-level or course-specific

standards are not equal in importance!
• Prioritize those standards by
distinguishing those that are essential
from those that are supporting.
• Teach the supporting standards in the
context of or in relation to the
essentials.
Priority Standards and

Supporting Standards
Priority
Like fence posts, Priority Standards
Standards provide curricular (Essential)
focus in which teachers need
to “dig
dig deeper”
deeper and assure
student competency.
Like fence rails, “Supporting Supporting

Standards
Standards” are curricular
standards which connect to
and support the Priority
Standards.

Two Standards:
One Post, One Rail
CC.5.R.I.3 Explain the relationships or

interactions between two or more
individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a
historical, scientific, or technical text based
on specific information in the text.
CC.5.R.I.1 Quote accurately from a text
when explaining what the text says
explicitly and when drawing inferences from
the text.
HelpfulTip
When considering whether to

select one standard over another,
determine which one is the more
comprehensive or rigorous.
“If students could do this one,

that would take care of this
other one.”
Priority Standards
Readiness Endurance
(for next level (concepts and
skills that last
learning)
over time))
External Leverage
Exams (crossover
(national, application to
state, other areas)
college,
career)

Priority Standards Steps
Step 1: Make initial selections.

Step 2: Look for connections to state tests.
Step 3: Chart selections for each grade.
Step 4: Vertically align standards K-12.
Step 5: Acquire feedback, revise, publish.
Step 6: Provide professional development.
Progress Check
Where are you now?
____________________________________
____________________________________
Is your school district or state ready to
prioritize
i iti theth Common
C Core?
C ?
____________________________________
____________________________________
What should your next steps be?
____________________________________
_________________________________
Building the
Foundation
2. Name the Units of Study
1. Prioritize the CCSS

Unit of Study
Defined
A series of specific lessons, learning
experiences, and related
assessments—based
assessments based on designated
Priority Standards and related
supporting standards—for a topical,
skills-based, or thematic focus that may
last anywhere from two to six weeks.
TOPICAL Units of Study

Focus on a specific portion of
a larger subject or discipline.
Topical Examples
S i
Science: S lid and
Solids d Liquids
Li id
Math: Estimation
Reading: Story Elements
SKILLS-BASED Units of Study

Emphasize Application
Skills-Based Examples
Converting
g Fractions to
Decimals
Making Text Connections
Editing and Revising

THEMATIC Units of Study
Emphasize connections to other topics within the
same discipline or to completely different disciplines
Thematic Examples
S i
Science: Lif Cycles
Life C l
Social Studies: Impact of War
Visual Arts: Art and Multimedia
Building the
Foundation
3. Assign the Standards
Assign the Standards—

Priority and Supporting
Determine the appropriate number of
Priority Standards for each unit based
on their cognitive difficulty – average
is three or four.
Distribute Priority Standards across
multiple units as long as it makes
instructional sense to do so.

Building the
Foundation
4. Prepare a Pacing Calendar
Pacing Calendar
Defined
A pacing calendar is a yearlong (or

course-long)
g) schedule for delivering
g all
of the planned units of study for a
designated grade level or course, not
the instructional materials used within
those units.
Pacing Calendar
Defined
A pacing calendar helps ensure that

students learn the Priority Standards
and related supporting standards in
the right order through instructional
“building blocks” or learning
progressions (Popham, 2007).

Pacing Calendar
Defined
“A carefully planned pacing calendar

provides suggested horizontal learning
progressions within grades and
courses and suggested vertical
learning progressions between grades
and courses. (Ainsworth, 2010).”
Building the
Foundation
5. Construct Unit Planning Organizer
4. Prepare a Pacing Calendar
Brainstorm The Elements
What Key
Components
Does a Unit
Organizer
Need to
Include?

46
See The Design Format
Unit Planning
Organizer
g
A Universal Template
For Creating
Each of the Curricular
Units of Study

Planners
Assessment
Planner
Weekly Unit Engaging

and Daily Planning Learning
Planners Organizer Experiences
Details
Organizer

Overview of Part 3:
Designing the Curricular Unit of Study
Part Three
DESIGNING THE
CURRICULAR UNIT
OF STUDY

Design the Curricular Unit –
Twelve Sequential Steps
1. “Unwrap”
P i it
Priority
Standards 4. Create End-
3. Decide of-Unit Post-
Big Ideas & Assessment
Essential
2. Create Questions
Graphic
Organizer

1. “Unwrap”
P i it
Priority
Standards 4. Create End-
3. Decide of-Unit Post-
Big Ideas & Assessment
Essential
2. Create Questions
Graphic
Organizer
Step 4:
Create the
End-of-Unit
Assessment

Selected-Response: Multiple-Choice
Question is directly matched to “unwrapped”
concept, skill, and level of Bloom’s Taxonomy.
Level 2—RECOGNIZE (main idea)
zStudent Directions: Choose the best

answer from the answer choices.
1.What
Wh t is
i the
th main i idea
id off this
thi tale?
t l ? (Level
(L l 2)
a. Two frogs accidentally jumped into a
pail of milk.
b. The little frog lived because he didn’t
give up.
c. Milk can be churned into butter with
enough effort.
55
Selected-Response: Multiple-Choice
Question is directly matched to “unwrapped”
concept, skill, and level of Bloom’s Taxonomy.
Level 4—DRAW (inferences, conclusions,
generalizations)
This tale best illustrates which one of the

following generalizations: (Level 4)
a. Danger can show up in the most
ordinary places.
b. Events sometimes take a surprising
turn if you refuse to quit.
c. Everyone fails some of the time.
Extended-Response Question directly matched

to “unwrapped” concept, skill, and level of
Bloom’s Taxonomy.
Level 5—SUPPORT (inferences, conclusions
with text evidence, prior knowledge)
Write one or more p paragraphs

g p defending g
your answer choice for the multiple-choice
question above. State your choice and three
reasons to support it, using examples from
the folktale. Write a concluding sentence to
summarize or support your choice. (Level 5)

Scoring Guide
Goal
ܽ States answer choice
ܽ Supports answer choice with
three examples from tale
ܽ Writes one or more paragraphs
ܽ Writes concluding sentence that
summarizes or supports answer
choice
Create the Remaining Levels of the Scoring Guide:
Advanced, Progressing, Beginning

5. Create Pre-
Assessment 8 G
8. Gather
th
7. Plan Instructional
Engaging Resource
Learning Materials
Experiences
6. Identify Vocabulary,
Interdisciplinary
Connections, 21st Century
Learning Skills

5. Create Pre-
Assessment 8. G
8 Gather
th
Engaging Resource
Learning Materials
Experiences
Interdisciplinary
Learning Skills

5. Create Pre-
Assessment 8. G
8 Gather
th
Engaging Resource
Learning Materials
Experiences
Interdisciplinary
Connections, 21st
Century Learning Skills
Step 7:
Plan
Engaging
Learning
E
Experiences
i
Performance Assessment
Defined
A collection of several related

performance tasks, distributed
th
throughout
h t a unitit off study,
t d that
th t
progressively develop and reveal
student understanding of the
“unwrapped” concepts, skills, and
Big Ideas.

Engaging Learning Experiences
“Unwrapped”
Concepts and
Performance
Skills
Tasks
Recognize
g Interpret
p Apply
pp y Evaluate
Task 1
Task 4
Task 2
Task 3
List Summarize Model Justify
Describe Compare Analyze Create
Whole and Small-Group Instruction throughout Tasks 1-4

Tasks Increase in Thinking Skill Rigor to
Help Students Discover
Engaging Big Ideas
Scenario
Engaging Scenario
Good news! Your parents have
finally agreed to let you have that new
cell phone. But here’s the catch: You
have to convince them that you’ve done
your homework and found the cell
phone package with the greatest
number of “perks” for the least amount
of cash. To do this, you must analyze
three cell phone packages to determine
the one that best meets your parents’
requirements.
Engaging Scenario
Be prepared to present your
information mathematically in a
persuasive letter that you will write
and deliver to your parents. If you
make
k a strong
t case, anddbbackk it up
with data, you may soon be text-
messaging your friends on your new
phone. Good luck!

Synopses of Math and Language
Arts Performance Tasks
Task One: Create a Venn diagram
representing the features of three
different cell phone packages.
T
Taskk Two:
T C t a comparison
Create i
chart showing the cost of each
phone, cost of each package,
number and type of minutes
included, and perks offered by
each cell phone company.
Synopses of Math and Language

Arts Performance Tasks
Task Three: Write a summary
essay comparing and contrasting
the pros and cons of each of the
three cell phone types
types.
Task Four: Write a persuasive
letter to your parents stating your
choice of cell phone package with
data to support the reasons for
your choice.

5. Create Pre-
Assessment 8 G
8. Gather
th
Engaging Resource
Learning Materials
Experiences
Interdisciplinary
Learning Skills

9.
Recommend
High-Impact
g p
Instructional
Strategies 11. Create 12. Write
Informal Weekly
Progress Plans;
10. Detail Monitoring
Unit Design
Checks Daily
Planning
Organizer Lessons
Research--
Research
21st Century Based Effective
Learning Skills Teaching
Strategies
English
Language High-Impact
Learner Instructional Differentiation
Differentiation,
Strategies Including
Strategies
Enrichment
Specially
Designed Response to
Instruction Intervention Strategies
(Tiers 1, 2, 3)

9.
Recommend
High-Impact
g p
Instructional
Informal Weekly
Progress Plans;
Unit Design
Checks Daily
Planning
Organizer Lessons
Greater Detail Needed
Sequencing and
Pacing of
Learning
Experiences
Suggested Ways
to Use
Instructional
Strategies

9.
Recommend
g p
High-Impact
Instructional
Informal Weekly
Progress Plans;
Unit Design
Checks Daily
Planning
Organizer Lessons

OLD MODEL
Teach, Teach, Teach,
Teach, Teach, Teach,
Teach, TEST
NEW MODEL
Teach, Assess, Re-Teach,

Assess, Teach, Re-
Assess, Teach, ASSESS,
INTERVENE, ENRICH
76
Step 11:
Progress Monitoring Checks
Administer short, informal progress

monitoring checks that coincide with
learning progressions—the “building
blocks” of instruction—in order to
determine student learning and
differentiate instruction accordingly.

9.
Recommend
g p
High-Impact
Instructional
Informal Weekly
Progress Plans;
Unit Design
Checks Daily
Planning
Organizer Lessons

Implementing
th Unit
the U it off
Study
Analyze Student
Introduce the Data; Decide How
Unit and to Differentiate
Administer Instruction Begin
Pre- Teaching the
Assessment Unit
Implementing
Enrich, Learning-
g
Administer
Ad i i t
Remediate, Centered Frequent
Intervene
Units of Progress
Monitoring
Study
Checks
Administer Post-
Assessment; Evaluate Effectiveness of
Analyze Results Instructional Strategies;
Change as Needed
JUNE, 2010
“I can't wait for you to see our final
product… these units are quite
rich. Our group worked … to make
the curriculum accessible to the
teachers. More importantly, I
believe it is going to be extremely
valuable to our students. As I said
before, it all makes sense now! ”
BONNIE FINEMAN
East Hartford High School
Curriculum Design Team

FEBRUARY, 2011
“Rigorous Curriculum Design should

be a required course in EVERY teacher
education program in the country.
Without it educators will never see the
whole picture that makes up their
professional career.”
GARY L. SACKET
Aurora Learning Community
Association
Fairview, Oklahoma
Reflection
• What new ideas or insights have you

gained as a result of this preview of
the Rigorous Curriculum Design
model?
• What impact do you see this work

having on instruction and assessment
in your school system and state?
Together We CAN
Make This Work!

Your Feedback
• Thank you for the opportunity to

present this information to you!
• Please take a few moments
to complete the feedback
form.
• Your comments, insights, and

inquiries are appreciated!
Larry Ainsworth
The Leadership and Learning Center
1.866.399.6019 ext. 509
LAinsworth@LeadandLearn.com
LeadandLearn.com


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The Common Core State Standards–

“To be effective in improving education

Rigorous Curriculum Design

How to Create Curricular Units of

Book and Seminar Published 2010

© 2011 Rigorous Curriculum Design Keynote

© 2011 Rigorous Curriculum Design Keynote

Four Parts of Rigorous

© 2011 Rigorous Curriculum Design Keynote

Rigor refers to a level of difficulty and

A rigorous curriculum is an inclusive

© 2011 Rigorous Curriculum Design Keynote

A rigorous curriculum serves as both

State Assessments; National Assessments

Scope, Sequencing, and Pacing of

PRIORITY CCSS and Supporting CCSS

Common Core State Standards

© 2011 Rigorous Curriculum Design Keynote

© 2011 Rigorous Curriculum Design Keynote

Five Sequential Steps

1. Prioritize the Standards

CCSS are presented

© 2011 Rigorous Curriculum Design Keynote

“The question of national standards is

Sir Michael Barber in interview with A. Klein,

Are There Fewer?

Priority Standards are a carefully selected

© 2011 Rigorous Curriculum Design Keynote

Supporting standards are those standards

Prioritization, Not Elimination!

• All grade-level or course-specific

Priority Standards and

Like fence rails, “Supporting Supporting

© 2011 Rigorous Curriculum Design Keynote

CC.5.R.I.3 Explain the relationships or

When considering whether to

“If students could do this one,

© 2011 Rigorous Curriculum Design Keynote

Step 1: Make initial selections.

2. Name the Units of Study

1. Prioritize the CCSS

© 2011 Rigorous Curriculum Design Keynote

TOPICAL Units of Study

Reading: Story Elements

SKILLS-BASED Units of Study

Making Text Connections

Editing and Revising

© 2011 Rigorous Curriculum Design Keynote

Social Studies: Impact of War

Visual Arts: Art and Multimedia

3. Assign the Standards

2. Name the Units of Study

1. Prioritize the CCSS

Assign the Standards—

© 2011 Rigorous Curriculum Design Keynote

4. Prepare a Pacing Calendar

3. Assign the Standards

2. Name the Units of Study

1. Prioritize the CCSS

A pacing calendar is a yearlong (or

A pacing calendar helps ensure that

© 2011 Rigorous Curriculum Design Keynote

Like fence rails, “Supporting Supporting