Curriculum

Keeneyville Elementary School District 20
DISTRICT 20 CURRICULUM

The intent of the District 20 Curriculum is to provide the students of District 20 with opportunities to experience learning to its fullest. This is accomplished by providing current curriculum materials, assessments that are both diagnostic as well as summative, and staff development that takes into account that teachers need time to work together to integrate the most teaching strategies needed for our students.

The District 20 curriculum is organized and has been developed to meet the District 20 Graduate Profile Characteristics and the Illinois State Learning Standards. Staff members rely on the work of Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins, Understanding by Design, and Heidi Hayes-Jacob, Curriculum Mapping, to continually review the curriculum. McTighe and Wiggins provide the emphasis on essential questions, while Jacobs provides the notion of mapping the curriculum. Curriculum review began with the development of Essential Questions formed from the Illinois Learning Standards. Committees then refined those Essential Questions for each classroom teaching unit. Further, unit charts provide a framework for staff members as guides for instruction throughout the unit so that students successfully learn what is truly essential in a particular unit. Assessments that reflect the Essential Questions provide feedback for both teacher and student regarding progress being made toward essential learning. Performance Tasks, based on working with Barbara Benson, have been developed in the learning areas of Science and Social Science to reflect the characteristics of the District 20 Graduate Profile.

Curriculum committees meet monthly from October through April. The monthly meetings focus on curriculum cycle review questions as well as provide opportunities for discussion that deal specifically with the particular learning area in terms of content, best practice, and current materials. Implementation strategies and staff development opportunities are also discussed and forwarded to the Instructional Council from the curriculum committees. Based upon the particular committee goal, committee members may choose to continue to meet through the summer.

This Curriculum Guide is published as a framework to direct and focus instruction in District 20. Consistency and articulation among the three buildings begins with this guide. Updates to the Guide are made annually as review by the committees is ongoing.

Dr. Dorothy J. Dirks 
Assistant Superintendent
Curriculum and Instruction