The Balanced Curriculum

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The Balanced Curriculum

• NCDPI
• Instructional Services Division

2
Background

• Need identified through communications from the
  field
• ISD Curriculum Committee formed
• Elementary Document completed in 2003
• Middle School and High School Documents to follow

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Elementary Curriculum Committee

• Kymm Ballard, K-12 Physical Education, Athletics,
  and Sports Medicine Consultant
• Martha Campbell, K-12 Information Skills and
  Computer Skills Consultant
• Bryar Cougle,K-12 Arts Education (Theatre Arts
  and Visual Arts) Consultant
• Martha Downing, K-12 Hearing Impaired and Autism
  Consultant
• Brenda Evans, K-5 Science Consultant
• Helga Fasciano, K-12 Second Languages Consultant
• Cynthia Floyd, K-12 Guidance Consultant
• Bobbie Grammer, K-12 Exceptional Children,
  Monitoring Consultant
• Tracey Greggs, K-5, Social Studies Consultant
• Valorie Hargett, Exceptional Children AIG
  Consultant
• Christie Lynch Howell, K-12 Arts Education (Dance
  and Music) Consultant
• Alesha McCauley, K-12 English as a Second
  Language Consultant
• Toni Meyer, K-6 Mathematics Consultant
• Eva Phillips, Early Childhood (Title I
  Pre-Kindergarten) Consultant
• Lucy Roberts, Early Childhood Section Chief
• Mary Rose, 3-5 English Language Arts Consultant
• Claudia Sykes, K-2 English Language Arts
  Consultant
• Annemarie Timmerman, K-12 Technology Services
  Consultant
• Michele Wallen, K-12 Health Education and Driver
  Education Consultant

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Outside Review Committee

• Jane Barnes, Johnston County Schools
• Antonia Beh, Wake County Schools
• Dena Byers, Durham Public Schools
• Marian Farmer, Alamance-Burlington Schools
• Jennifer Frederiksen, Wake County Schools
• Jane Gleason, Meredith College
• Billy Graham, Carteret County Schools
• Joan Huffman, Catawba County Schools
• Tony Iannone, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
• Celia W. James, Wayne County Schools
• Marta Garcia Johnson, Buncombe County Schools

• Debbie Jones, New Hanover County Schools
• Donna Kimbro, Caswell County Schools
• Angie Larner, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
• JoAnna Massoth, Orange County Schools
• Joseph McCargo, Rockingham County Schools
• Barbara Piekarski, Catawba County Schools
• Dale Pelsey-Becton, New Hanover County Schools
• Robert Sox, Wake County Schools
• Karen Vaugn, Pitt County Schools
• Carolann Wade, Wake County Schools
• Corinne Watson, Richmond County Schools

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Phases

• Phase I
• Initial Document Guiding principles, Philosophy
  of Balanced Curriculum and Sample Schedules,
  Scenarios and Resources
• Phase II
• Dissemination
• Phase III
• Identification of model sites and additional
  resources

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The Balanced Curriculum A Guiding Document for
Scheduling and Implementation of the NC Standard
Course of Study at the Elementary Level

• CONTENTS
• Foreword
• Howard N Lee, Chairman, State Board of Education
• Michael E Ward, Superintendent, Public Schools
  of North Carolina
• Acknowledgements
• Background and Overview

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The Balanced Curriculum A Guiding Document for
Scheduling and Implementation of the NC Standard
Course of Study at the Elementary Level
(CONTENTS, Continued)

• What is a Balanced Curriculum?
• What a Balanced Curriculum is NOT
• Why Teach a Balanced Curriculum?

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The Balanced Curriculum A Guiding Document for
Scheduling and Implementation of the NC Standard
Course of Study at the Elementary Level
(CONTENTS, Continued)

• Questions and Answers
• (Factors that Impact Implementation of a
  Balanced Curriculum)
• Sample Scenarios
• Sample Schedules
• Looking Ahead

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The Balanced Curriculum A Guiding Document for
Scheduling and Implementation of the NC Standard
Course of Study at the Elementary Level
(CONTENTS, Continued)

• Conclusions
• Appendices
• Resources and Bibliography

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What is a Balanced Curriculum?

• Includes Entire Standard Course of Study (SCS)
• Educates the Whole Child (BEP)
• Includes a Challenging and Common Curriculum
  (CCSSO)
• Is Based on Best Knowledge of How Children
  Develop and Learn (NASBE)

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What is a Balanced Curriculum?

• Prepares Students for Success in School and in
  Life (NCLB/NCDPI)
• Is Inclusive of All Subjects versus Only Those
  Subjects Tested (NCLRC)
• Promotes Brain Growth and Development through an
  Enriched Environment (Diamond Hopson)

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What is a Balanced Curriculum?

• Creates Active Participants Rather Than Passive
  Observers (Diamond Hopson)
• Allows Students to Use the Whole Brain (Zull)

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What a Balanced Curriculum is NOT

• An Individual Effort
• Planning and Teaching in Isolation
• Teaching to the Test
• Teaching ONLY English Language Arts and
  Mathematics
• One Size Fits All

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What a Balanced Curriculum is NOT

• Teaching without Assessing Student Needs
• Teaching 15- Minute Classes to Hundreds of
  Students
• Teaching the Text
• Teaching the Teachers Favorite or Most
  Comfortable Topic(s)

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What a Balanced Curriculum is NOT

• Teaching Some Disciplines Sporadically (seasons
  or holidays)
• Fake Integration
• A Program
• Only for Some Children

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Why Teach a Balanced Curriculum?

• Standard Course of Study (As Required by
  NCGA/SBE)
• Fundamentally Complete Program of Education (BEP)
• Workforce Readiness
• Superior and Competitive Education Beyond
  Sound and Basic (Governors
  Education First Task Force)

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Why Teach a Balanced Curriculum?

• Life Skills (CCSSO)
• Connections (Jensen)
• Multiple Intelligences (Gardner)
• Meets the Needs of All Children

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How to Implement a Balanced Curriculum QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS

• Suggestions/guidance/recommendations for issues
  impacting scheduling at the elementary level
• (with links to resources)
• Addressed through Q and A format and supported by
  research

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Sample Scenarios and Schedules

• Provide glimpses of how the school day is
  structured and what might be taking place in
  various classrooms
• Sample schedules give a basic overview for how
  time is structured
• Sample scenarios illustrate what might be
  occurring during various times on a given day

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Sample Scenarios and Schedules

• Scenarios reflect a variety of voices, formats
  and perspectives
• Times reflected on each schedule are not mandated
  by legislation or policy
• Allotted times for subject areas are samples
  only, and are not meant to be interpreted as an
  exact way to structure time

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Sample Scenarios and Schedules

• Neither comprehensive nor prescriptive
• Individually, illustrate what might be seen in a
  given classroom
• In their entirety, illustrate how learning takes
  place across the curriculum, and that educating
  the whole child is indeed a whole school effort

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Looking Ahead

• Examines issues with time and learning
• Identifies education programs and practices that
  support Implementing a Balanced Curriculum

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Conclusions

• Each elementary school has responsibility for
  providing instruction in
• arts education (dance, music, theatre arts and
  visual arts),
• computer skills and information skills,
• English language arts,
• guidance,
• healthful living (health education and physical
  education),
• mathematics,
• science,
• second languages, and
• social studies.

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Conclusions (continued)

• Students who receive a balanced curriculum and
  possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities to
  transfer and connect ideas and concepts across
  disciplines will be successful as measured by
  standardized tests and other indicators of
  student success.

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Where are NCs Schools Today?

• Out of
• 2859 elementary school teachers representing all
  areas and levels, and
• 333 principals and administrators who responded
  to the elementary school surveys (2003),
• it is evident that a balanced curriculum which
  includes all areas of the Standard Course of
  Study, is not consistently delivered in
  participants schools.

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Where are NCs Schools Today?

• Data from the survey, individual classroom
  schedules and whole school schedules indicated
• heavy emphasis on tested areas
• under-emphasis or not teaching those areas which
  are not tested (including dance, foreign
  language, music, physical education, theatre
  arts, visual arts, health, science and social
  studies)
• large and overwhelming class and student loads
  for special area teachers

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Where are NCs Schools Today?

• underutilization of instructional time (e.g.
  taking large amounts of time for transitions or
  snack, rather than integrating these
  transitions with instruction)
• preventing students from attending special area
  classes (such as music or physical education in
  order to receive tutoring or special services)
• teaching skills in isolation (e.g. EOG prep)
• inadequate collaborative planning time,
  (especially across and between grade levels,
  special services and special areas).

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Teaching to the Test Survey Data

• English language arts and mathematics are being
  taught on a regular basis
• 16 of teachers reported daily instruction in
  science
• 16 of teachers reported daily instruction in
  social studies

• 16 of teachers indicated that science is only
  occasionally taught,
• 10 of teachers indicated that social studies is
  not taught at all
• 25 of teachers indicated that health education
  is not taught

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Teaching to the Test Survey Data

• Subjects not taught at all
• foreign language (76),
• dance (80),
• physical education (26),
• music (24),
• theatre arts (67), and
• visual arts (37)

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Teaching to the Test

• NCs state-mandated tests are closely aligned
  with the SCS.
• Teaching a balanced curriculum, to include all
  areas of the SCS, prepares students for success
  on standardized tests.

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Teaching to the Test vs. Teaching a Balanced
Curriculum

• Teaching to the test will not necessarily
  increase student achievement.
• More likely, students will lack the skills and
  conceptual understanding they would receive from
  a balanced curriculum to make connections, apply
  knowledge, and creatively solve problems in a
  variety of settings.
• Processes measured on tests are taught through a
  balanced curriculum

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Teaching to the Test vs. Teaching a Balanced
Curriculum (continued)

• Teaching solely to the test will leave children
  behind particularly those who
• do not speak the English language,
• have disabilities,
• are at risk and unmotivated, and
• are able to demonstrate their understandings in a
  multitude of ways, but not necessarily on
  standardized tests.

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The Age-Old Issue of Time

• Since the beginning of the public schools, the
  school calendar has remained an element of debate
  
• Advantages and disadvantages can be identified in
  every type of school calendar
• Additionally, how individual teacher and class
  schedules are structured present likewise
  advantages and disadvantages.

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Planning Time

• Teachers need planning time
• to collaborate
• to discuss student learning and research-based
  best practices
• to plan

• to receive professional development
• to map and align the curriculum and
• to examine what is being taught and how it is
  being taught and assessed.

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Planning Time (continued)

• 37 of teachers surveyed indicated that they had
  no daily protected planning time.
• 46 of all teachers reported that the majority of
  their planning time takes place in one hour or
  more segments of time before and after school,
  not during the school day.

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Planning Time (continued)

• According to the teachers surveyed, no
  collaborative planning takes place with the
  following
• media coordinator (82),
• technology facilitator (83),
• dance, music, theatre arts or visual arts
  teachers (range of 90-98),
• physical education teacher (90),
• foreign language teacher (98),
• special education teachers (75),
• LEP (ESL) teacher(s) (86)

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Planning Time (continued)

• In order to provide an integrated, connected, and
  comprehensive curriculum, teaching schedules must
  allow for sufficient planning time for teachers
  with grade levels, across grade levels, and with
  special areas and special services teachers.

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Instructional Time

• Students must have access to uninterrupted blocks
  of instructional time to receive in-depth,
  connected instruction, and to develop concepts
  rather than memorize facts in isolation
• Because the elementary school has more
  flexibility with time and because elementary
  classroom teachers are trained as generalists,
  opportunities for integrated, connected
  instruction must be maximized

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Structuring Time

• Teachers and staff within schools must look at
  how they are structuring the time they have
• Every facet of the school schedule, (including
  when children receive special services, eat
  lunch, or have opportunities for structured
  recess or physical activity) impacts the overall
  classroom environment, and teachers abilities to
  deliver a balanced curriculum and ultimately
  improve student achievement

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Structuring Time

• There is no one best-way of scheduling time
• Schools must investigate and be aware of various
  ways to utilize time, through the school calendar
  and in individual classrooms
• Schools must understand the history of the
  calendar, the different approaches that can be
  taken to make changes to the calendar, and the
  advantages and disadvantages that are associated
  with these approaches

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What Needs to Happen?

• How schools allocate time will in part determine
  schools ability to implement a balanced
  curriculum
• Time will not change the practices that are
  occurring within classrooms
• How that time is utilized will determine whether
  or not every student is afforded the opportunity
  to receive a balanced curriculum and to have his
  or her individual instructional needs met to the
  fullest extent possible

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What Needs to Happen?

• Schools must genuinely look at research-based
  practices that clearly provide benefits to
  students
• Teaching the whole child does not begin and end
  with student performance on mandated tests
• To implement a balanced curriculum is to address
  all aspects of child development

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A Balanced Curriculum

• Implementing a Balanced Curriculum helps
  students
• develop a love of learning and become lifelong
  learners,
• find relevance in and connections with what they
  are learning,
• understand themselves and those around them,
• demonstrate talents they bring with them to
  school, and
• develop new and necessary skills and abilities to
  be successful in school and in life

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Accessing the Document

• The Balanced Curriculum
• A Guiding Document for Scheduling and
  Implementation of the North Carolina Standard
  Course of Study at the Elementary Level
• On the web http//www.ncpublicschools.org
• NCDPI Publications (CD or hard copy)
• Contact Christie Lynch Howell for more
  information
• 919-807-3856, cmhowell_at_dpi.state.nc.us