Summer Curriculum Work

Each year we spend 180 days working with children to support their learning and development. Those days and weeks take tremendous energy and focus on the part of administrators, teachers, specialists and other professionals throughout the district. While our professionals are constantly planning learning opportunities and engaging in all sorts of professional activities, they rarely have the time or energy to take a step back and reflect on the broader curriculum and practices that shape their work with children. Once the buildings empty and our students are off on whatever adventure summer brings for them, members of our professional staff take a deep breath and roll up their sleeves to begin gathering their thoughts about what is working well and what could be improved for teaching and learning during the coming school year.

This summer there are many working groups around the district striving to improve our approaches to curriculum, instruction, and assessment. These groups are focusing on topics such as: 

• building a consistent set of writing organizers to be used in all of our elementary classrooms. 
• reviewing our instructional technology practices and beginning to unpack new digital literacy learning standards. 
• reviewing and revising science curriculum and starting to unpack the new Massachusetts Science, Technology, and Engineering Standards.
• review and revision of World and US history courses at the secondary level. 
• review and revision of World Language courses for grades 6-12. 
• review and revision of Special Education curriculum and programming in grades 6-12. 
• review and revision of English Language Arts courses in grades 6-12. 
• review and revision of Mathematics courses in grades 9-12. 
• articulate Health and Physical Education curriculum for grades PK-12 and develop performance criteria, rubrics, and assessments. 
• review and revision of ceramics and graphic design courses in the Fine and Performing Arts department. 

I am incredibly grateful for the hard work of the professionals who are engaging in this work and moving the work forward for our students and the community. Keep an eye out for more detailed information about this and other work that is going on throughout the district. If you have any questions or would like to learn more, please do not hesitate to shoot me an email at ikelly@dedham.k12.ma.us