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Accelerating Student and Staff Learning

Purposeful Curriculum Collaboration

Foreword by Stephanie Hirsh

Dramatically raise student performance by engaging educators in collaborative curriculum design and professional development!

Kay Psencik provides a powerful staff development model that helps teachers become more skilled in their instruction and create a school-based curriculum that is tied to standards. Teachers work together in teams to examine standards, gain a deep understanding of content, create curriculum maps, and design common formative assessments. Professional development leaders can inspire and challenge teachers to:

  • Confront assumptions about learning and professional development 
  • Clarify and establish complex standards
  • Embed conversations about the curriculum into daily work

Full description

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Product Details
  • Grade Level: K-12
  • ISBN: 9781412971461
  • Published By: Corwin
  • Year: 2009
  • Page Count: 192
  • Publication date: February 27, 2009
Price: $40.95

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This book is not available as a review copy.
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Author(s) Table of Contents Reviews

Description

"This book brings new focus to the rich history of ideas and strategies shown to improve student learning, helping educators at all levels see not only the value of using proven strategies, but the importance of integrating those strategies into purposeful improvement efforts."
—Thomas R. Guskey, Distinguished Service Professor
Georgetown College

"This is a book of action. The author calls for leaders in school communities to be bold, courageous, committed, and aggressive in the actions required to achieve desired increases in student learning."
—Charles Patterson, Educational Consultant
Former President, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

Dramatically raise student achievement by engaging educators in collaborative curriculum design and professional development!

Teachers, teacher leaders, principals, and staff developers can build a collaborative culture and improve staff and student performance with this content-focused, step-by-step model that ties curriculum design to teacher growth. Kay Psencik provides a powerful process whereby teachers work together in teams to examine standards, gain a deep understanding of content, create curriculum maps, and design common formative assessments. Professional development leaders can inspire and challenge teachers to:

  • Confront assumptions about learning and professional development
  • Clarify and establish complex standards
  • Embed conversations about the curriculum into daily work

With hands-on tools, templates, and resources, readers can help teachers become more skilled in their instruction, create a school-based curriculum that is tied to standards, and accelerate the learning of both students and staff.


Key features

    • Assists K - 12 school administrators and teacher leaders in raising student performance by focusing the work of professional learning communities on curriculum design.
    • Includes a wealth of stories and examples from districts around the country that have chosen to develop a life long journey of embedding curriculum conversations in their daily work.
    • Addressesessential teacher and administrator skills that support professional learning communities as they engage in the study of learning outcomes and curriculum.
    • Built on the latest research literature on professional learning communities.

Author(s)

Kay Psencik

Table of Contents

Foreword by Stephanie Hirsh

Publisher's Acknowledgments

About the Author

Introduction

1. An Overview: Collaborative Curriculum Design as Professional Learning

2. Establishing Assumptions About Student and Staff Learning

3. Determining Complex Curriculum Standards and Concepts

4. Mapping the Curriculum

5. Assessment of Student Learning

6. Designing Instruction

7. Analyzing Student Work and Monitoring Student Learning to Inform Instruction

8. Using Effective Grading and Parent Reporting Practices

9. Leading Schools to Sustain the Effort and Fulfill the Promise

Appendix 1. Our Assumptions About Student and Staff Learning

Appendix 2. The Principles of Professional Learning

Appendix 3. Our Vision of Our School: Iduma Elementary School, Killeen ISD, Killeen, TX

Appendix 4. A Learning Walk

Appendix 5. We are a School Community That Values Learning

Appendix 6. Template for Developing Our Learning Community's Norms

Appendix 7. Quakertown High School Goals

Appendix 8. Sample Letter to Parents

Appendix 9. Critical Attributes of a Performance Task

Appendix 10. Template for Culminating Demonstrations

Appendix 11. Example of a Task Analysis of a Culminating Demonstration

Appendix 12. Example of a Task Analysis of a Culminating Demonstration (Term III)

Appendix 13. Precision in Adverbs

Appendix 14. Middle Ages Scoring Guide

Appendix 15. Culminating Demonstration Rubric for First Grade Students at Heritage Elementary

Appendix 16. Kindergarten Literacy Lesson Plans

References

Index

Reviews

Quote by Mike Greenwood, District Teacher Leader, Windsor Public Schools, CT: "Succulently summarizes the best practices for curriculum design with a focus on what is also best for kids. From identifying assumptions we make about student learning to communicating and reporting student growth and progress, the text offers practical and sound advice based on current practices in the field and the author’s experiences."
"Succulently summarizes the best practices for curriculum design with a focus on what is also best for kids. From identifying assumptions we make about student learning to communicating and reporting student growth and progress, the text offers practical and sound advice based on current practices in the field and the author’s experiences."
Mike Greenwood, District Teacher Leader
Windsor Public Schools, CT
Quote by Thomas Payzant, Professor of Practice, Harvard University: "This book on how to align curriculum and pedagogy with standards and create organizational coherence in schools to do the work will contribute to new ways of thinking and doing in schools."
"This book on how to align curriculum and pedagogy with standards and create organizational coherence in schools to do the work will contribute to new ways of thinking and doing in schools."
Thomas Payzant, Professor of Practice
Harvard University
Quote by Charles Patterson, Educational Consultant, Former President, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development: "This is a book of action. The author calls for leaders in school communities to be bold, courageous, committed, and aggressive in the actions required to achieve desired increases in student learning. Relevant and thought-provoking assignments are contained in each chapter, challenging all those in a school community to communicate, debate, question, plan collaboratively, and reflect."
"This is a book of action. The author calls for leaders in school communities to be bold, courageous, committed, and aggressive in the actions required to achieve desired increases in student learning. Relevant and thought-provoking assignments are contained in each chapter, challenging all those in a school community to communicate, debate, question, plan collaboratively, and reflect."
Charles Patterson, Educational Consultant
Former President, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
Quote by Linda M. Reeves, Superintendent, North Marion School District, Aurora, OR: "This book provides a hands-on guide for creating curriculum systems that bridge theory into practice for schools. Each chapter includes vignettes and reflective questions that personalize the work for learning teams while providing a recipe for long-term success, increased student achievement, and engagement in learning."
"This book provides a hands-on guide for creating curriculum systems that bridge theory into practice for schools. Each chapter includes vignettes and reflective questions that personalize the work for learning teams while providing a recipe for long-term success, increased student achievement, and engagement in learning."
Linda M. Reeves, Superintendent
North Marion School District, Aurora, OR
Quote by Diane Hodges, Managing Partner, The Threshold Group: "As a dynamic authority on staff development, Psencik shows teachers and principals how to apply a collaborative systems approach to designing professional development—the perfect resource for results-driven leaders as they develop a curriculum to meet the needs of all students."
"As a dynamic authority on staff development, Psencik shows teachers and principals how to apply a collaborative systems approach to designing professional development—the perfect resource for results-driven leaders as they develop a curriculum to meet the needs of all students."
Diane Hodges, Managing Partner
The Threshold Group
Quote by Victor Vargara, Principal, Valor Middle School, Woodburn, OR: "From determining important state standards to creating authentic curriculum/assessments and analyzing student work, this book is an essential read for administrators, teachers, and educators who want their students to successfully meet and exceed today’s academic standards."
"From determining important state standards to creating authentic curriculum/assessments and analyzing student work, this book is an essential read for administrators, teachers, and educators who want their students to successfully meet and exceed today’s academic standards."
Victor Vargara, Principal
Valor Middle School, Woodburn, OR
Quote by Gloria Shamanoff, Assistant Superintendent, North Allen County Schools, Fort Wayne, IN: "A gem for educators striving to create a learning environment that embraces professional collaboration involving common curriculum maps, assessments, and instructional units. If you are already on this path, it corroborates what you are currently doing. If you are just beginning this journey, it provides you a step-by-step process. Most importantly, the book is reassuring that our vision of providing the best possible learning opportunities for both students and staff is on target. Psencik has touched both the mind and heart of our profession."
"A gem for educators striving to create a learning environment that embraces professional collaboration involving common curriculum maps, assessments, and instructional units. If you are already on this path, it corroborates what you are currently doing. If you are just beginning this journey, it provides you a step-by-step process. Most importantly, the book is reassuring that our vision of providing the best possible learning opportunities for both students and staff is on target. Psencik has touched both the mind and heart of our profession."
Gloria Shamanoff, Assistant Superintendent
North Allen County Schools, Fort Wayne, IN
Quote by Thomas R. Guskey, Distinguished Service Professor, Georgetown College: "This book brings new focus to the rich history of ideas and strategies shown to improve student learning, helping educators at all levels see not only the value of using proven strategies, but the importance of integrating those strategies into purposeful improvement efforts."
"This book brings new focus to the rich history of ideas and strategies shown to improve student learning, helping educators at all levels see not only the value of using proven strategies, but the importance of integrating those strategies into purposeful improvement efforts."
Thomas R. Guskey, Distinguished Service Professor
Georgetown College
Price: $40.95

Review Copies

This book is not available as a review copy.

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