ENGLISH CURRICULUM REVIEW

by Jennifer Caldwell

English Department Chair

This academic year the English Department is following in the footsteps of the Mathematics and Foreign Language Departments by embarking on an intense study of the curriculum in grades kindergarten through nine. Curriculum review and revision as needed are essential elements of a healthy, productive school. We review curriculum within divisions, departments and the school in an ongoing basis, as driven by our School Mission. Curriculum review is a collaborative effort involving the practitioners of the daily curriculum, our teachers, department chairs and division heads. Curriculum review and recommendations go to the Head for input, suggestions, and review through the Educational and Social Policies Committee of the Board.  Parents are communicated with on curricular changes through school publications and letters.  The following goals have been established for the current English curricular review:

Goal One: Survey teachers’ interests and passions in teaching English.

Goal Two: Analyze English maps, looking for omissions, gaps and overlaps in content and skills.

Goal Three: Compare Applewild School maps with the IRA/NCTE (International Reading Association/National Council of Teachers of English) standards and the Massachusetts English Language Arts Frameworks to ensure that our school meets or exceeds guidelines for public schools.

Goal Four: Concurrent with the curriculum analysis, professional development efforts for teachers in grades kindergarten through nine will occur to strengthen English instruction.  Goal Five: Review and evaluate recently adopted programs: Sitton Spelling (adopted in 2003-04 in grades one through four) and Zaner-Bloser’s Grammar, Usage and Mechanics (adopted in 2004-05 in grades three through six) and Prentice Hall’s Grammar (adopted in 2003-04 in grades seven through nine).

Goal Six: Review and evaluate ERB WrAP (Writing Assessment Program) Assessment, and evaluate the use of its rubric.

Goal Seven: Consider approaches to writing instruction that could be applied across the grades, Kindergarten through nine.  Goal Eight: Based on map analysis and standards comparisons, recommend to the Head curricular revisions and programmatic changes, as needed.

Goal Nine: Communicate accepted recommenddations concerning curricular and programmatic changes to the faculty, Board, and parents.  Goal Ten: Monitor implementation of recommended and/or programmatic changes.

Goal Eleven: Evaluate the effectiveness of implementation.  This in depth, exciting, and valuable process will be ongoing, including an analysis of a three year sampling of data, and other analysis occurring over a matter of months. The results of the initial study, which may result in recommendations for programmatic change, are anticipated by the end of November 2006.

At this point in January 2006, the curriculum review is well underway. English faculty have completed interest surveys and have begun looking at the use of common language and adherence to standards in our maps. The analysis of maps, looking for gaps, overlaps and omissions, is in progress. With the recent arrival of ERB WrAP test results for 2005, we are in the process of analyzing feedback provided by the Educational Records Bureau and beginning the process to determine the test’s overall effectiveness for our school.

We will keep you informed about our progress throughout this curriculum review and invite your questions and comments. Please feel free to contact Jen Caldwell, English Department Chair, Tally Lent, Lower School Head, or Cindy Jones, Middle School Head with any thoughts.