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Using Power Standards to Build an Aligned Curriculum

A Process Manual

Align your curriculum for success with Power Standards

Award-winning educator Joe Crawford describes how to build the aligned curriculum so desperately needed to ensure student success. The key is identifying Power Standards—the most critical skills that all learners must have. This manual is loaded with examples, practical advice, checklists, and access to Web-based curriculum-planning software. Key benefits of this process include:

  • A standards-based curriculum developed by teachers and leaders
  • Consistent objectives throughout the school
  • A common assessment system for measuring student success
  • A one-page curriculum outline that eases communication with all stakeholders

Full description


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Product Details
  • Grade Level: K-12
  • ISBN: 9781412991162
  • Published By: Corwin
  • Year: 2011
  • Page Count: 216
  • Publication date: January 11, 2011
Price: $41.95
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Description

"This is the first book that I have encountered, in all my years of leading districts through curriculum alignment, that makes the process manageable and doable."
—Jody L. Ware, Superintendent
Mundelein Consolidated High School, IL

"This book will allow schools and districts to effectively align standards, curriculum, and assessments to establish continuity between departments and across grade levels."
—Sharon Madsen Redfern, Principal
Highland Park Elementary School. Lewistown, MT

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Align your curriculum for success with Power Standards

Schools continually face the challenge of developing a useful, aligned curriculum that can effectively support student achievement and assessment. This book gives administrators and teachers the tools to make it happen. Award-winning educator Joe Crawford describes how to build the aligned curriculum that is so crucial to student success. The key is identifying Power Standards—the most critical skills that all learners must have. These skills are then taught in a logical sequence of instruction throughout the year. Key benefits of this process include:

  • A standards-based curriculum developed by teachers and leaders
  • Consistent objectives throughout the school
  • A common assessment system for measuring student success
  • A one-page curriculum outline that eases communication with all stakeholders

This manual is loaded with examples, practical advice, and checklists. Readers also have access to a corresponding Web-based software package that facilitates the process electronically and stores the curriculum plan on the Internet. Lead your school to excellence with Power Standards!


Key features

The book discusses the issues presented in the local publication, dissemination, and follow through on the curriculum documents and common assessments developed as a result of this book, offering advice and even specific forms to help the reader plan for and avoid many problems inherent in the reform process.

Based on the author's many years of using this process,road blocks, issues, and problems are discussed in the book and helpful hints and ideas for best solving the issues are presented. Additionally, the author's experiences in Total Quality Management are used to build the continuous improvement process into the entire system, along with the Plan, Do, Check, Act cycle to ensure the work is sustained and constantly improved. This book is intended to help local educators create the guaranteed, viable curriculum so important to improving student performance.

Software available with this bookoffers real-time data to classroom teachers not only of which students passed and failed the formative assessments and which items were right and wrong, but the software also lists all students who demonstrated mastery of each Instructional Objective and which students did not demonstrate mastery. This is invaluable information in a standards-based curriculum with a re-teaching loop. The software also offers electronic curriculum mapping abilities and the ability to create and score surveys and retired national assessments as well as the storing of all district assessment data.

Author(s)

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Joe Crawford

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Joe Crawford spent 36 years in public education at the high school, junior high, middle school, and district level as an English teacher, assistant principal, principal, and assistant superintendent focusing on improving student performance. He has been recognized by the Illinois State Board of Education in the Those Who Excel program and by the Carnegie Foundation in the National Systemic Change Award. Additionally, he was principal of a twice-recognized National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence and met two presidents as part of that recognition. He was also chosen by the Illinois State Board of Education and the Milken Family Foundation as a National Distinguished Educator. He has also been active in the Total Quality Management and continuous improvement, and his work reflects the tenets of these industry-standard approaches to improvement. While doing this work, his district received a Silver Award from the Baldrige Foundation.

Following the work of Larry Lezotte, Doug Reeves, Mike Schmoker and others, he works with local districts to apply this invaluable work and research in the real world of public schools and kids—making the transition from research to reality possible and even pleasant. He works with teachers and districts to build capacity and to create a common sense of mission through shared ownership of solutions. By involving those who will implement decisions in the actual decision-making process, he helps create a sense of buy-in and a much deeper understanding of state standards and the improvement process, leading to sustainable, long-term improvement in student performance.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Dr. Jody L. Ware

Preface

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Software Availabiilty

1. Process Overview and Curriculum Issues

Chapter Expectations

Process Overview

What About National Standards?

Survey of Current Environment

What Are Power Standards?

Process Summary

Process Checklist

2. Designing the Work Process

Chapter Expectations

Who Will Do the Work, and What Will They Do?

Goals, Roles, and Responsibilities

Process Summary

Process Checklist

3. Developing and Deploying the Power Standards

Chapter Expectations

Getting Started

Developing Power Standards

Deploying the Power Standards

Publishing the Power Standards

Final Publication and Use of Power Standards

Gathering Feedback

Final Publication and Use of Power Standards

Process Summary

Process Checklist

4. The Next Step: Quarterly Instructional Objectives

Chapter Expectations

The Change Process Continues

Publishing and Communication Issues

Board of Education Action

The Group to Do the Work

What Are Quarterly Instructional Objectives?

A Curriculum System

Developing the Quarterly Instructional Objectives

Samples and Numbering the Quarterly Instructional Objectives

Realities of the Quarterly instructional Objectives

Publishing and Reviewing the Quarterly Instructional Objectives

Process Summary

Process Checklist

5. Planning for Common, Aligned Assessments

Chapter Expectations

What Are Common, Aligned Assessments?

Why Use Common Assessments?

Stepping Out of the Box

Predesign Issues

Considering Assessment Options

Doing the Work

A Sample of Doing the Work

Further Applications of the Work

Publication and Storage Issues

Scoring and Using the Data

Final Thoughts and Use in Response to Intervention

Process Summary

Process Checklist

6. Special Concerns and Issues

Chapter Expectations

Overview

Common Curriculum and Formative Assessment Practices

Legal Mandates

Instructional Strategies and Methods

How Do We Begin?

Process Summary

Process Checklist

7. Troubleshooting and Follow Through

Chapter Expectations

Ready, Set, Go! The Feedback Loop

Critical Questions

Dealing With the Feedback

Keeping the Project Alive

Final Thoughts and Advice

Process Summary

Process Checklist

Resource A: Standards-Based Curriculum Guide Models and Related Documents

Resource B: Sample Power Standards and Quarterly Instructional Objectives

Resource C: Suggested Forms for Developing Power Standards, Instructional Objectives, and Feedback

Resource D: Recommended Agency References

Resource E: Sample Results

References and Suggested Readings

Index

Reviews

Quote by Elizabeth Lolli, Superintendent, Monroe Local Schools, OH: "This book will help others create curriculum that will cause lasting change."
"This book will help others create curriculum that will cause lasting change."
Elizabeth Lolli, Superintendent
Monroe Local Schools, OH
Quote by Jody L. Ware, Superintendent, Mundelein Consolidated High School, IL: "In all of my years leading districts through the curriculum alignment process, this is the first book that I have encountered that makes the process manageable and doable."
"In all of my years leading districts through the curriculum alignment process, this is the first book that I have encountered that makes the process manageable and doable."
Jody L. Ware, Superintendent
Mundelein Consolidated High School, IL
Quote by Mike Schmoker, Consultant and Author, Results and Results Now, Tempe, AZ: "The author has written a clear, step by step handbook on how to select and organize essential curriculum topics. This book is a worthy contribution to the literature on creating coherent curriculum."
"The author has written a clear, step by step handbook on how to select and organize essential curriculum topics. This book is a worthy contribution to the literature on creating coherent curriculum."
Mike Schmoker, Consultant and Author
Results and Results Now, Tempe, AZ
Quote by John Antonetti, Senior Consultant, Colleagues On Call, Little Rock, AR: "The strategies the author uses in developing and implementing power standards across a district are effective, practical and meaningful. Teachers involved become advocates of true alignment and meaningful assessment: systemically impacting learning. This process reaches all the way to the student desk, where the real learning takes place."
"The strategies the author uses in developing and implementing power standards across a district are effective, practical and meaningful. Teachers involved become advocates of true alignment and meaningful assessment: systemically impacting learning. This process reaches all the way to the student desk, where the real learning takes place."
John Antonetti, Senior Consultant
Colleagues On Call, Little Rock, AR
Quote by Douglas B. Reeves, Author, Assessing Educational Leaders, 2e: "Joe Crawford is a veteran leader with a track record committed to excellence and equity. These strategies have been applied in some of the most challenging schools in the nation and these practical ideas can be used by teachers and administrators at every level."
"Joe Crawford is a veteran leader with a track record committed to excellence and equity. These strategies have been applied in some of the most challenging schools in the nation and these practical ideas can be used by teachers and administrators at every level."
Douglas B. Reeves, Author
Assessing Educational Leaders, 2e
Quote by Douglas B. Reeves, Founder, Leadership and Learning Center:

"Joe Crawford is a veteran leader with a track record committed to excellence and equity. These strategies have been applied in some of the most challenging schools in the nation and these practical ideas can be used by teachers and administrators at every level."

"Joe Crawford is a veteran leader with a track record committed to excellence and equity. These strategies have been applied in some of the most challenging schools in the nation and these practical ideas can be used by teachers and administrators at every level."

Douglas B. Reeves, Founder
Leadership and Learning Center
Quote by Sharon Madsen Redfern, Principal, Highland Park Elementary School. Lewistown, MT: "This book will allow schools and districts to effectively align standards, curriculum, and assessments to provide continuity among departments and across grade levels."
"This book will allow schools and districts to effectively align standards, curriculum, and assessments to provide continuity among departments and across grade levels."
Sharon Madsen Redfern, Principal
Highland Park Elementary School. Lewistown, MT

Other Titles in: Standards & Accountability | Student Assessment | Teaching Methods & Learning Styles

Price: $41.95
Volume Discounts applied in Shopping Cart

Review Copies

This book is not available as a review copy.