At 4 PM on Tuesday January 3, 2012 there was a meeting of the Newburgh School District Curriculum Committee. Board member McAfee chaired the meeting. Also present were Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Forgit, Executive Director Curriculum and Instruction Shanahan, Board members Levinstein, Lewis, and Woodhull, Board President Fucheck, Executive Director of Instructional Technology Jensen, and Superintendent of Schools Pizzo. There was an audience of four, which included Administrative Intern Ramjug.

The main topic of the meeting was curriculum development updates.

Dr. Shanahan gave some background information about the changes required by NYS adoption of the Common Core Standards. There have been a number of training sessions with Heidi Hayes Jacobs, an expert in curriculum mapping. About 75 attended. A recommendation of NYSED is that teachers produce and implement a unit of study implementing Common Core this year as practice for full adoption of Common Core next year. The teachers who attended training are working on this. Later in the year some of the teachers will be turn keying the information to others. To facilitate this, "Atlas Rubicon" software is being used. The URL is http://newburghschools.rubiconatlas.org/ but the site is only accessible with an ID.

McAfee: What is the long range goal of the State provided modules--you said that ultimately they would cover all of the standards?

Shanahan: State has an RFP out for publishing companies or even school districts to create these modules and units. By this summer they're expected to have about 30% done. Districts would have the option of adopting what the state provides. The district doesn't want to spend a lot of resources to duplicate what the state will be offering, but also don't want to be caught without skills to understand what the state provides. Plan is to adopt what the state offers as "informed consumers" with skills to modify. By 2013 the state is expected to provide Pre-K to 12 Math and ELA curriculum. Not mandated though.

Shanahan: Also working to create a "consensus map" that will spell out in a very skeletal way the material to be covered at each grade. The teachers could develop their own units or use the units provided by the state.

Shanahan: Schools will start to carve out more of a unique identity in how they deliver some of the content. Will be different than current system--one curriculum map applying to all schools.

McAfee: Will the job of C&I be overseeing schools?

Forgit: Supporting the schools.

McAfee: Whereas building administrators would be overseeing classrooms...

Shanahan: Absolutely.

Fucheck: there had been an effort to make things more uniform from school to school, chucking that?

Shanahan: Not at all. The consensus map will outline the expectations for each grade. How that's delivered will look different building to building.

Shanahan: Besides the consensus map there will be common assessments across the district. This year put in common assessments grade 6 to 12. A couple years down the road will have the PARK assessments.

Shanahan: Have been using Atlas Rubicon as a demo for a few months with all the teachers who have been in the training. All of the maps are available to all teachers. Can search by school, grade, and teacher. Unit starts with the "big idea", main idea of the unit, from UBD, "Understanding By Design". From that develop essential questions.

Te Atlas Rubicon software has features to link the curriculum to NYS CC Standards. The standards are available to select in the system. Focusing on pulling in the Common Core Standards "that's the whole point of doing it at this moment" -- so that we are implementing CC based units.

McAfee: do teachers have sufficient technology in the classroom?

Shanahan: to varying degrees. Working on cohesive plan to provide support.

Shanahan explained that the Rubicon Atlas software has some analysis features that could insure that all standards are covered.

McAfee: Must a teacher put their lessons on here?

Shanahan: won't have any other curriculum maps, so using this is the expectation. Whether lesson plans have to be attached--for the principal to determine. As for units, there is nothing else to fall back on.

Levinstein: will each teacher be creating their own?

Shanahan: ideally teachers teaching same grade or subject will have time set aside to collaboratively create things.

McAfee: will we be there next year?

Shanahan: No, there's a long way to go. Important to start now because gets teachers familiar with the process and terminology--teachers will be able to evaluate, and make informed decisions about adopting or modifying what the state provides.

McAfee: this will be an expectation [of the teachers]?

Forgit: yes, this will be the job. The time and energy that teachers are taking to figure this out and learn about it will accelerate growth in the district.

Ramjug asked about the process of connecting the curriculum to the Common Core.

Shanahan: will be a slow process to build the knowledge and skill and also the infrastructure--which should include common planning time. Shanahan explained that he expects a form of peer accountability to develop over time. Also that later in the year they would be working with principals to try to insure that there is common planning time.

Forgit: need to approach the NTA about planning time and how to make the best use of it.

McAfee: going back to the literacy audit, planning time was frequently mentioned.

Shanahan: during the PD with Heidi Hayes Jacobs, participants naturally collaborated on the work (without being told to do so).

Ramjug: is there a way to identify best practices?

Shanahan: the teacher or group could lay out what practices they would use. The software is really a way to do unit development in an easier way (than on paper)--increases the ability to identify resources and share information.

McAfee: it shows the need for every teacher in the district to have the iPad like we do.

Fucheck: in the PD everyone had a laptop or electronic device to work on.

Shanahan: she [Jacobs] did three days of PD without any paper, and teachers said they got a lot out of it.

McAfee: [on availability of technology in the classroom] we have meager resources.

Pizzo: "It's almost like it's much easier if we had all new teachers that never taught anything." The difficulty is comparing what used to be done with the materials they had available, whereas new people aren't bringing that baggage along.

McAfee: the new people are frustrated because they're taught how to use the technology, but it's not there in the classroom.

Shanahan: the teacher center is sponsoring dozens of courses about developing units based on the common core using this software.

Forgit: teacher center has to be aligned with Common Core, APPR, and "Data Based Inquiry"; their funding from the state requires that alignment.

McAfee had a question about the "Civility Curriculum" requirement mentioned in the timeline for implementation of Dignity for All Act.

Forgit: David [Noriega] is going to get the actual reference and we'll do research from there. There are no obvious state standards or expectations, other than the civics and civility embedded in the Social Studies curriculum.

McAfee: would be interested in hearing an update on how it's going with the instructional coaches. "A lot of eggs in that basket". Especially going into the budget season.

Forgit: They have been a tremendous asset. One of the most successful interventions we put in place this year. Took the time to get right people for the job, train, and support them.

McAfee: Are other suggestions from the literacy audit being followed up on? For example they hit hard on amount of time spent in whole group instruction.

Shanahan: that has been the charge for the coaches: to increase cognitive challenge and differentiate instruction.

Forgit: the principals and assistant principals are doing that too, moving into instruction.

McAfee: I would encourage giving opportunity for teachers to make presentations to the board at workshop meetings. Used to be done in the past. Way to showcase what's going on.

McAfee: next month main item on the agenda will be gender specific classes.