5 Common Problems for Curriculum Leaders

Happy New Year. I trust that 2010 is off to a good start.

As you know, Walch has worked directly with a number of urban districts over the past few years, and discussed the issues and challenges faced by Superintendants and Curriculum leaders with hundreds of you in that time. Below is a list of five common problems:

Five Common Problems

1) You’ve adopted a text but kids don’t connect with it. It’s too abstract and uninteresting.
2) The curriculum you have, or have identified, is not genuinely based upon your state/local standards or sequenced the way you want it to be.
3) State standards are in flux and/or there are new and evolving course requirements.
4) You have one set of materials, but multiple needs and goals. Some students need to be retaught, or require more intensive instruction, and you know that using the same materials and approaches is awkward at best.
5) Budgets are up in the air. You can’t be certain whether specific programs will happen, how they will be structured and staffed or what their enrollment might be, until they are almost upon you.

Sound Familiar?

We can help. If there’s one thing we would suggest, and it’s admittedly a bit self serving, it’s that you pick up the phone and call us.

Before sharing how we have assisted others in similar situations, it’s important to acknowledge the realities of today.

The economic constraints we have all been under are not likely to change, and may even get worse. As the National Conference of State Legislatures puts it, “The longest economic downturn in decades appears to be well entrenched...Many states already foresee budget gaps in FY 2011 and FY 2012. It is hard to see when they will end. Ironically, a contributing factor to future state budget gaps is the end of federal stimulus funds provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)...That money recedes in FY 2011 and, when it is gone, will leave big holes in state budgets—what many state officials are calling the “cliff effect.”

At the same time, the pressures to improve student learning and connect with students in myriad, relevant ways are unlikely to change. Everyone recognizes the need to differentiate, extend, enhance, remediate and improve test scores. As a matter of fact, these pressures are likely to increase as calls for “Race to the Top” reform, 21st Century Skills and AYP are increasingly part of the ever-changing mix.

A lot of this is promising, and it’s certainly well intentioned. But meanwhile you have a district to run and students whose future depends on you.

Here’s how we have helped others in similar situations:

You’ve adopted a text but kids don’t connect with it: We hear this all the time. Often it’s the curriculum department or selected teachers who try to adapt by writing exercises and activities to enhance the text, or by using their own materials and exercises and using the expensive text as a supplement. Other times, you simply try to make do, realizing that the teachers are frustrated and the students are suffering.

For a 40,000 student district in Maryland we developed a set of Lesson Starters to enhance their Glencoe Algebra 1 text. They are designed to preview each units’ content through lens of application. Our partner had started the project in house, and we came in to complete the content and package and organize it to maximize utility.

The curriculum you have, or have identified, is not genuinely based upon your state/local standards or sequenced the way you want it to be: Again, a common problem. Your pacing charts are awkward. Your teachers are forced to hop scotch though the units, incorporate other materials and otherwise improvise to fill in gaps.

For a 140,000 student district in Maryland we developed a comprehensive Algebra/Data Analysis program for students who will be taking the HSA. It also addresses key concepts found in the 8th grade MSA, and supports a problem based learning instructional design.

State standards are in flux and/or there are new and evolving course requirements: We’ve seen this challenge as Georgia transitioned to the GPS from the CLGs and as NC is starting to adopt its Essential Standards. Districts can’t find materials to address the new standards, nor can they find materials to support the transition.

For a 50,000 student district in Georgia, we developed the only complete, integrated set of Math 2, Math 2 Support and Accelerated Math 2 (Geometry / Algebra II / Statistics) math materials that are fully aligned to the GPS. These include a variety of instructional approaches (direct instruction, guided practice, real life applications, etc.) and instructional elements (warm ups, station activities, etc) plus pre and post tests and mini assessments. We are now developing Math 3 and Math 4.

You have one set of materials, but multiple needs and goals. Some students need to be retaught, or require more intensive instruction, and you know that using the same materials and approaches is awkward at best. This is a very common problem in extended learning environments, summer schools and elsewhere.

For a 100,000 student district in Georgia, we developed a summer science program to help students who had failed, or were at risk of failing, the GHSGT. For the first time, teachers had easy to use, fully aligned materials that were organized and sequenced to support their five week course. Pass rates improved dramatically.

Algebra and data analysis in Maryland and North Carolina

We’re just back from a couple of days visiting districts in Maryland and North Carolina. It was a fascinating trip, one in which we picked up many new insights into the issues and challenges facing educators in those states.

Let’s start with Prince George's County, Maryland, where we met with the mathematics team. They are a group of three intelligent, energetic women who were frank in describing some of the "unintended consequences" of Maryland's High School Assessment in Algebra and Data Analysis. Because the test includes as much as 45% data analysis items, the algebra curriculum has been "adapted" to incorporate instruction to prepare students for the HSA. Inevitably, this leaves out or gives short shrift to some important algebraic concepts.

The result? Geometry and algebra II teachers are left to fill in the gaps. Thinking through these issues, we realized that Walch could provide a solution for Prince George's County by developing a middle school algebra and data analysis program that addresses this domino effect before students reach high school.

Moving on to North Carolina, we found that math and science leaders in Charlotte-Mecklenberg Schools shared our enthusiasm for our new Building Math series. (http://www.walch.com/product/2137 These just-released books, created in partnership with Boston's Museum of Science and with support from the GE Foundation's Math Excellence program, provide middle school students with hands-on opportunities to apply algebra and engineering concepts in real-world contexts.

Building Math is getting a lot of accolades from educators who appreciate how the integration of math with basic engineering concepts can transform the learning experience in the classroom. The Charlotte-Mecklenberg folks are particularly excited about the opportunities for interdisciplinary teaching and learning, with potential for program crossover from mathematics to science and even social studies. We're hoping to return to North Carolina this summer to provide professional development for teachers who will be implementing Building Math there next year.

Our last meeting in North Carolina took place in Winston-Salem. There, we saw up-close a very real problem facing district level educators everywhere. The assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction had invited us to meet with all of the subject area specialists in hopes that we could "take something off their overflowing plates." The fruitful conversation that ensued reinforced a valuable lesson: educators often know what they want to achieve, but finding the time and capacity is a problem.

That's where Walch can help – developing materials and doing the work that curriculum coordinators and teachers would do themselves if they had the time. (Jill Rosenblum)