Curriculum

~ Welcome ~

ISD 279-Osseo Area Schools has a long history of significant investment in maintaining well-articulated curriculum and programs and supporting them through staff development to ensure continuous improvement. School Board policy establishes the expectation for an inclusive curriculum and program development process, and requires that staff adhere to the school district’s selected or created curriculum.

The improvement process requires that every area have a clear K-12 scope (what is taught) and sequence (when it is taught and for how long), supported by high quality materials and consistent implementation across the school district.

The process takes place over a period of seven years and includes information and ideas contributed by teachers, administrators, and community members. It incorporates research on trends and best practices, evaluation of current programming, compliance with federal and state statutes, and planning for revision. Each year of the seven-year cycle, every curricular and program area is involved in a particular task related to improvement

Planning Phase (One Year)

Major Activities: Needs are reviewed and the current program is compared against those needs and any other new requirements set by federal or state guidelines. A broad vision of the program area and specific recommendations for change are completed.

Development Phase (Two Years)

Major Activities: Based on Planning Phase recommendations, a plan for program improvement is developed which includes the program rationale, standards, outcomes, instructional strategies, scope and sequence, evaluation tools, materials selection and an implementation plan. At the conclusion of the development phase, core and supplementary materials are ordered and inventoried.

Implementation Phase (One Year)

Major Activities: Core and supplementary materials are delivered to teachers, accompanied by staff development. Program monitoring guidelines are established.

Measurement & Adjustment Phase (Three Years)

Major Activities: Student achievement is assessed and the results are analyzed and evaluated. Interventions and follow-up testing take place in areas needing improvement. During the second year of this phase, additional data is collected in a variety of ways, such as stakeholder surveys, social trends, research, trends identified by professional organizations, laws and rules.