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603-Curriculum Development

  • 600 Series: Education Programs
603-Curriculum Development
Rationale Date Approved/Revised
School District 622 – North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale shall provide direction for continuous review and improvement of the school curriculum.

7/20/10

  • Revised: 11/22/11
  • Revised: 9/25/12
  • Revised: 11/26/13
  • Revised: 5/27/14
  • Revised: 5/26/15
  • Revised: 7/18/17
  • Revised: 3/26/19
  • Revised: 5/21/19
  • Revised: 9/24/19
  • Revised: 12/17/19
  • Revised: 6/21/22
  • Revised: 11/15/22
  • Revised:  8/22/23
  • Revised:  8/20/24

1) General Statement of Policy

a)  Curriculum development shall be directed toward the fulfillment of the goals and objectives of the education program of the school district.

2)  Responsibility

a)  The superintendent shall be responsible for curriculum development and for determining the most effective way of conducting research on the school district’s curriculum needs and establishing a long range curriculum development program.  Timelines shall be determined by the superintendent that will provide for periodic reviews of each curriculum area.

b)  A district advisory committee shall provide assistance at the request of the superintendent.  The advisory committee membership shall be a reflection of the community and, to the extent possible, shall reflect the diversity of the district and its school sites, and shall include parent, teacher, school board member, support staff, student, community residents, and administration representation, and shall provide translation to the extent appropriate and practicable.  Whenever possible, parents or guardians and other committee residents shall comprise at least two-thirds of advisory committee members.

c)  Within the ongoing process of curriculum development, the following needs shall be addressed:

1.  Provide for articulation of courses of study from kindergarten through grade twelve.

2.  Identify minimum objectives for each course and at each elementary grade level.

3.  Provide for continuing evaluation of programs for the purpose of attaining school district objectives.

4.  Provide a program for ongoing monitoring of student progress.

5.  Provide for specific, particular, and special needs of all members of the student community.

6.  Develop a local literacy plan to have every child reading at or above grade level no later than the end of grade 3, including English learners, and teachers providing comprehensive, scientifically based reading instruction consistent with law. Develop a local literacy plan to support every child reading at or above grade level every year, beginning in kindergarten, and to support multilingual learners and students receiving special education services in achieving their individualized reading goals in order to meet grade level proficiency. (120B.12 READ ACT GOAL AND INTERVENTIONS Subd. 4a)

7.  Integrate required and elective course standards in the scope and sequence of the district curriculum.

8.  Meet all applicable requirements of the Minnesota Department of Education and federal law.

d)  Students identified as not reading at grade level by the end of kindergarten, grade 1, and grade 2 must be screened for characteristics of dyslexia.  Students in grade 3 or higher who demonstrate a reading difficulty to a classroom teacher must be screened for characteristics of dyslexia, unless a different reason for the reading difficulty has been determined.  See Minnesota Statutes section 120B.12, Subd. 2.

e)  Students who do not meet or exceed Minnesota academic standards, as measured by the  Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments that are administered during high school, shall be informed that admission to a public school is free and available to any resident under 21 years of age or who meets the requirements of Minnesota Statues section 120A.20, Subd. 1(c).  A student’s plan under this section shall continue while the student is enrolled.

f)  The superintendent shall be responsible for keeping the school board informed of all state-mandated curriculum changes, as well as recommended discretionary changes and for periodically presenting recommended modifications for school board review and approval.

g)  The superintendent shall have discretionary authority to develop guidelines and directives to implement school board policy relating to curriculum development.

3)  District Advisory Committee              

a)  The school board must establish an advisory committee to ensure active community participation in all phases of planning and improving the instruction and curriculum affecting state and district academic standards.

b)  The District Advisory Committee , to the extent possible, must reflect the diversity of the district and its school sites, include teachers, parents, support staff, students, and other community residents, and provide translation to the extent appropriate and practicable. Whenever possible, parents and other community residents must comprise at least two-thirds of committee members.

c)  The District Advisory Committee must pursue community support to accelerate the academic and native literacy and achievement of English learners with varied needs, from young children to adults, consistent with Minnesota Statutes section 124D.59, subdivisions 2 and 2a.

d)  The school district may establish site teams as subcommittees of the District Advisory Committee.

e)  The District Advisory Committee must recommend to the school board:

1)  rigorous academic standards, student achievement goals and measures consistent with Minnesota Statutes section 120B.11, subdivision 1a,  section 120B.022, subdivisions 1a and 1b, and section 120B.35;

2)  district assessments;

3)  means to improve students' equitable access to effective and more diverse teachers;

4)  strategies to ensure the curriculum is rigorous, accurate, antiracist, culturally sustaining, and reflects the diversity of the student population;

5)  strategies to ensure that curriculum and learning and work environments validate, affirm, embrace, and integrate the cultural and community strengths of all racial and ethnic groups; and

6)  program evaluations.

f)  School sites may expand upon district evaluations of instruction, curriculum, assessments, or programs.

4)  School Site Team

The annual school improvement planning process (SIP) at each school will inform district instructional and budgetary decisions.      

5)   Curriculum Development Process 

a)  Students who do not meet or exceed Minnesota academic standards, as measured by the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments that are administered during high school, shall be informed that admission to a public school is free and available to any resident under 21 years of age or who meets the requirements of Minnesota Statutes section 120A.20, subdivision 1(c).  A student’s plan under this section shall continue while the student is enrolled.

b)  The superintendent shall be responsible for keeping the school board informed of all state-mandated curriculum changes, as well as recommended discretionary changes, and for periodically presenting recommended modifications for school board review.

c)  The superintendent shall have discretionary authority to develop guidelines and directives to implement school board policy relating to curriculum development.

Adoption and Revision History

Incorporated Policies

603 CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

This policy adopted:  January 13, 1998; Revised January 25, 2005; Rescinded:  July 20, 2010

MSBA 603

EM-020.30  CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT  This policy adopted:  July 20, 2010; Revised:  November 22, 2011; Revised:  September 25, 2012; Revised:  November 26, 2013; Revised:  May 27, 2014; Revised:  May 26, 2015; Revised:  July 18, 2017; Revised:  March 26, 2019

 

603 CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

This policy revised:  May 21, 2019; September 24, 2019; December 17, 2019; June 21, 2022; November 15, 2022, August 22, 2023, August 20, 2024

 

 

Administrative Rule, Regulation and Procedure: NA

Legal References:               

Minn. Stat. § 120A.20 (Admission to Public School)

Minn. Stat. § 120B.10 (Findings; Improving Instruction and Curriculum)

Minn. Stat. § 120B.11 (School District Process for Reviewing Curriculum, Instruction, and Student Achievement; Goals; Striving for Comprehensive Achievement and Civic Readiness)

 

Minn. Stat. § 120B.12 (Reading Proficiently No Later than the End of Grade 3)

Minn. Stat § 120B.125(f) (Planning for Students’ Successful Transition to Postsecondary Education and Employment; Personal Learning Plans)

Minn. Stat. § 124D.59 (Definitions)

Minn. Rules Part 3500.0550 (Inclusive Educational Program)

 

 

Minn. Rules Part 3501.0660 (Academic Standards for Kindergarten through Grade 12)

Minn. Rules Parts 3501.0700-3501.0745 (Academic Standards for Mathematics)

Minn. Rules Parts 3501.0820 (Academic Standards for the Arts)

Minn. Rules Parts 3501.0900-3501.0960 (Academic Standards in Science)

Minn. Rules Parts 3501.1200-3501.1210 (Academic Standards for English Language Development)

Minn. Rules Parts 3501.1300-3501.1345 (Academic Standards for Social Studies)

Minn. Rules Parts 3501.1400-3501.1410 (Academic Standards for Physical Education)

20 U.S.C. § 6301, et seq. (Every Student Succeeds Act)

Cross References:             

MSBA/MASA Model Policy 604 (Instructional Curriculum)

MSBA/MASA Model Policy 605 (Alternative Programs)

MSBA/MASA Model Policy 613 (Graduation Requirements)

MSBA/MASA Model Policy 614 (School District Testing Plan and Procedure)

MSBA/MASA Model Policy 615 (Testing Accommodations, Modifications, and Exemptions for IEPs, Section 504 Plans, and LEP Students)

MSBA/MASA Model Policy 616 (School District System Accountability)

MSBA/MASA Model Policy 618 (Assessment of Standard Achievement)

MSBA/MASA Model Policy 619 (Staff Development for Standards)

MSBA/MASA Model Policy 620 (Credit for Learning)

MSBA/MASA Model Policy 623 (Mandatory Summer School Instruction)