Of primary importance is to assure that the curriculum is fully articulated and edits have been made when appropriate. In part, this occurred throughout the month of June as teachers were more formally trained in Understanding by Design for curricular editing as well as pedagogical development. The anticipation is that Summer 2009 will be substantively different than Summer 2008. Whereas Summer 2008 activities consisted primarily with curriculum writing, Summer 2009 will concentrate on issues of editing and implementation. The basic format for Summer 2009 will be the division of the committee into three groups: Revision, Implementation, and Community Outreach.
I. Revision- the responsibilities of this subgroup will include the creation of a “master hard copy” of the entire curriculum as well as individual domain specific edits for each subject area. There is a possibility of multiple copies of this once completed but certainly there will at least 2 copies. On copy will be housed in the library of the Brandt Professional Development Center and the other will be in District headquarters. There may also be a need for copies in each school. This group will also assure that the curriculum on the L-Drive is up to date and secure and that electronic backups exist in case of a district wide computer failure. Finally, both thumb drives or CD’s will be created with the new curriculum on it for distribution to teachers, administrators and staff.
II. Implementation/Professional Development- This subgroup will be responsible for developing peer support to assist in curriculum implementation throughout the 2009-2010 academic year and beyond. Common planning, vertical articulation, horizontal articulation, general communication, Understanding by Design, coordination of Professional Days, and professional development activities will be discussed and planned. In addition, this group will seek ways to assist building principals in developing and insuring helpful and instructionally sound and consistent feedback to faculty and staff during the implementation process.
III. Community Outreach- The parents and many members of the City of Hoboken have anticipated the roll out of this curriculum for the past 18-24 months. This subgroup will develop a community education program informing parents and interested parties about the new Curriculum. Material can include Powerpoint slides, print media, web pages, public talks and means and methods to be determined.
Picture: Mural in Hoboken PATH terminal
