IGA - Curriculum
Book: I
Section: Instruction
Title: Curriculum
Code: IGA
Status: Active
Adopted: June 15, 2005
Last Revised: May 8, 2012
CURRICULUM (COURSE OF STUDY) PLANNING, REVIEW AND APPROVAL
The world our students live in is one of rapidly expanding knowledge, social change, and technological advancement. This necessitates that schools, the district, and the Board continuously review and revise curriculum to effectively meet the needs of our students.
The Board will rely on the professional staff under the supervision of the Superintendent to design and implement instructional programs and courses of study that will strive to achieve the educational goals of the school system. The Board will encourage and support the professional staff in its efforts to investigate new curricular ideas, develop and improve programs, and evaluate results.
The Board believes that it is essential to our students’ education and success that the Portland Public Schools (PPS) utilize a district-wide approach to curriculum planning, approval and review that is aligned with the Comprehensive Plan and the multi-year budget process.
The Superintendent will inform the Board of all new courses and substantive revisions in curriculum, and provide reports on changes under consideration. The Board’s acceptance of these reports will signify that procedures in IGA-R have been followed.
The Portland Public Schools’ curriculum shall:
- Be student-focused.
- Align with the District’s Vision, Mission, and Core Principles.
- Provide for learning in a planned, sequential manner.
- Be responsive to the diverse needs of students.
- Be based on thorough research and analysis.
- Be supported by appropriate professional development for teachers and other staff.
- Be flexible and adaptable to change.
- Be continually under review.
- Be assessed for effectiveness in meeting student growth and achievement goals on a regular basis.
- Be chosen with consideration of the input of staff, students, parents and other interested groups.
- Be affordable and sustainable within PPS’s multi-year budget.
- Meet all applicable state and federal requirements.
All PPS curriculum should be reviewed on a regular cycle to ensure that it is meeting the educational needs of students and PPS goals. The curriculum in each content area shall be reviewed on an alternating cycle to be established by the Superintendent or Designee. The content areas shall include Career and Technical Education, English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, World Languages and Cultures, Health and Physical Education, and any additional content areas approved by the Board as a course of study.
The Board of Public Education receives, reviews, and approves curriculum proposals
The Board considers the comprehensive and objective evaluation of the effectiveness of curriculum to be of primary importance. Program evaluation reports will be provided to the Board for review and approval of process.
The Superintendent/designee has overall responsibility for curriculum planning and review, and shall present all proposed new curriculum to the Board for adoption. The Board believes that the processes for planning, adopting and reviewing PPS curriculum should be open and inclusive. The Superintendent will have the authority to approve new or modified programs and courses of study after they have gone through the curriculum development process and found to support existing educational goals of the Comprehensive Plan and common core state standards. The Board will consider, and formally adopt, new programs and new curriculum (course content) and courses when they constitute an extensive alteration in instructional content or approach, or when significant new resources are required.
Cross References
IGA-R - Curriculum (Course of Study) Planning and Review
IJJ - Selection of Educational Materials