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Home » 600 STATEMENT OF GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR THE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM » 603 CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT » 603.1 CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

603.1R CURRICULUM REGULATIONS FOR GLENWOOD COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT

 

Curriculum Coordinating Council

The Curriculum Coordinating Council (CCC) is a representative group of district personnel and community members that advises the Board, through the Superintendent, in matters concerning curriculum, instruction, and assessment of student learning. The CCC makes all professional decisions pertaining to curriculum, instruction, and assessment of student learning. This means the CCC is responsible for communicating with instructional personnel in curriculum/instruction/assessment matters, oversees staff development needs, participates in the accreditation processes, directs work of all Subject Area Committees, and appoints and directs any other committees necessary for the development, implementation, and long-term evaluation of curriculum and instruction. The CCC does not make managerial decisions related to buildings, personnel, budgets, or other agenda items reserved for the administrative team.

Meetings

GENERAL PROCEDURES: The CCC will meet a minimum of once each month for the purpose of carrying out its functions. A primary meeting date will be established for each month and noted on the district calendar. At the beginning of each school year members will be informed of all regular meeting dates. Special meetings may be called as needed by the curriculum coordinator, Superintendent, or at least five members of the CCC. Notification of all extra meetings shall be given at least five days prior to the meeting.

DECISION-MAKING PROCESS: All decisions shall be by consensus of those members present.  Voting will be used only when consensus cannot be reached and a decision must be made according to an immediate timeframe. In that case, simple majority shall rule. Consensus principles and procedures are outlined in Appendix A.

QUORUM: A quorum constitutes a simple majority of the total membership. Meetings will not be conducted unless a quorum is present.

CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION: All recommendations of the CCC will be presented to the Board by the Superintendent or the Coordinator.

AGENDA DEVELOPMENT AND PROCEDURE: A tentative agenda for the following meeting shall be established by the school improvement director and with CCC consensus at the conclusion of each regular meeting. Additional agenda items for consideration by the CCC may be proposed by the members, by instructional personnel, the Superintendent, or by members of the Board. The items should be submitted to the Curriculum Coordinator at least five working days prior to the scheduled meeting of the council. The agenda and notification of the meeting shall be distributed to members of the CCC, one copy per building for posting, the district website and to each member of the Board. Distribution shall occur at least three working days prior to the scheduled meeting.  The Coordinator shall determine the priority of agenda items.

MAINTAINING MEETING RECORDS: Minutes of all meetings shall be recorded and kept on file by the secretary. Minutes will be forwarded to the Coordinator, CCC members, the Superintendent, members of the Board, the district website, and to each building for posting.  Summaries of Subject Area Committee meetings shall be forwarded to the Coordinator and may be included in regular CCC meeting minutes. The Coordinator will maintain a master file of all minutes, summaries, and other materials submitted to the CCC.

Amendments

The mission statement, long-range plan, and the regulation document are subject to review at the beginning of each year. If changes, corrections, or updating are determined to be necessary after this analysis, then the CCC will make the amendments following the standard procedure for decision making.

Personnel

CURRICULUM COORDINATOR: The position of Curriculum Coordinator shall be a permanent one and the position will be appointed by the Superintendent.

THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE CCC: The Curriculum Coordinator serves as chairperson of the CCC, with the following specific duties:

  1. presides at all regular meetings

  2. prepares agendas for all regular meetings

  3. provides for notification of all meetings

  4. coordinates all requests for special meetings with the Superintendent

  5. assists in conducting professional development activities

  6. oversees selection of CCC members according to the regulation document and provides their training, using current CCC members as resources

  7. works with the administrative team to appoint and train members of Subject Area Committees, following the approval of CCC members

  8. monitors attendance of CCC members

  9. receives all written resignations from CCC members

  10. prepares an annual report on the activities of the CCC to be submitted to the Superintendent and Board

  11. with committee input, recommends yearly committee goals and objectives

  12. represents the CCC at all Board meetings and other appropriate public functions, or appoints a CCC member to do so

  13. assures all district committees adhere to the goals of the mission statement and the long-range plan

VICE-CHAIRPERSON OF THE CCC: A vice-chairperson shall be selected by members of the CCC. This individual shall be a member of the CCC and will fulfill all the duties of the chairperson in that person's absence.

SECRETARY: The Curriculum Coordinator and Superintendent will select an individual who is not a member of the CCC to serve as secretary. Compensation for time spent outside the employee’s scheduled hours will align with the individual’s contracted rate of pay. The duties of the secretary include these provisions:

  1. attends all meetings of the CCC

  2. takes accurate and thorough notes of proceedings

  3. Works directly with the Curriculum Coordinator to prepare notifications and minutes of all meetings, then distributes these to all CCC members, the Superintendent, the Board, the district website, and all school buildings for posting

  4. maintains all CCC minutes, correspondence, and other pertinent documents

  5. performs necessary secretarial tasks for the timely completion of CCC and Subject Area Committee projects

  6. demonstrates a willingness to work closely and cooperatively with the Curriculum Coordinator and all CCC members for the success of the curriculum development process

Members of the CCC

The members of the CCC shall be representative of district instructional personnel, students, parents, and community members. Applications will be available to interested parties for submission to the Curriculum Coordinator. The Coordinator and CCC vice-chairperson (after year one) will work with the Superintendent in making the final selections.  However, Principals will be asked for their input on applicants and will periodically be asked to make recommendations. District personnel members of the CCC will be selected on the basis of interest and experience.  Parents and community members must represent a designated role and will be selected according to interest and availability. Membership will maintain appropriate representation through a rotation process. The Board must approve all new members, as well as current members annually, as well as any applicable stipends at the established district rate.  Additional provisions are these:

  1. TERMS:  Members of the first CCC will serve for three, four, or five years in order to stagger terms.  After the initial appointments, all members will serve for a term of three years.  They may reapply for subsequent three-year terms.

  2. RESIGNATION:  A CCC member may resign at any time. A letter of resignation shall be written and submitted by the resigning member to the Curriculum Coordinator at least one regular meeting prior to the effective date of the resignation. The resigning member's constituency shall then be notified immediately by the Coordinator. The vacancy shall be filled promptly from the constituency according to the selection procedures.

  3. COMPOSITION AND REPRESENTATION: Member selection should provide for a variety of personal and professional traits, assuring that all grade levels and professional categories are represented. There shall be:

 

Primary Teachers (PreK-2)                                          2

Intermediate Teachers (3-5)                                         2

Middle School Teachers (6-8)                                      2

High School Teachers (9-12) (2 + HS Counselor)       3

Certified Personnel Outside Core Classroom             2

Parent/Community/Business/Industry Persons           3

Administrators*                                                            5

Superintendent*                                                          1

Coordinator*                                                                1

Board Member**                                                          1

 

Total                                                                              26

 

Students***                                                                   2-4

   

 

*These members are on the CCC by virtue of their positions; they do not apply for membership.

**The Board selects one of its members to serve on the CCC.

*** Attend for purposes of SIAAC/Iowa Core – Appointed annually.

****Ex-officio member(s)

 

  1. STIPENDS: The CCC members who are district employees will each be paid a stipend for attending approved meetings that exceed or are outside their contract of employment.  Each district employee member who also serves as a chairperson or a committee member for a Subject Area Committee will receive a stipend for that work according to the same guidelines. In accordance with Board policy, administrative personnel may not receive stipends. Stipend amounts will be issued in accordance with the policies of the Board.

  2. ATTENDANCE: If a member is unable to attend, he/she should notify the Coordinator in advance.  Each member is expected to be in attendance for the duration of the scheduled meeting.  A member is expected to attend regularly.  Those who are members by application will be contacted by the Coordinator and/or Superintendent after a second absence.  In the case of an ex officio member's absences, the CCC as a whole, or the member's immediate supervisor, will make a recommendation.

  3. DUTIES OF AN INDIVIDUAL CCC MEMBER:

    1. completes a training program in the curriculum model being used in the district

    2. attends regularly scheduled meetings of the CCC and assigned Subject Area Committee

    3. maintains positive communication between CCC and instructional personnel, emphasizing teacher ownership of curriculum planning

    4. assists in training new CCC members, SAC members, or other participants in the district's curriculum development process

  4. DUTIES OF THE CCC AS A WORKING GROUP:

    1. acts as the communication link among the instructional personnel, Superintendent, and Board; and promotes and encourages communication among buildings and levels within the district

    2. establishes meeting dates and length of meetings

    3. sets and prioritizes goals for the year

    4. reviews the district mission statement on a yearly basis and makes revisions when appropriate

    5. assures the district's mission statement is a working mission statement used in all district decision-making circumstances

    6. develops a long-range plan for curriculum development, implementation, and evaluation — with an annual review of progress and direction

    7. reviews the curriculum regulation document on a yearly basis and makes revisions when appropriate

    8. assists the curriculum coordinator in selection of Subject Area Committee members who are not CCC members

    9. establishes guidelines for Subject Area Committees, approves work completed by these groups, and recommends completed work to the Board

    10. assists Subject Area Committees with staff development sessions related to new curriculums

    11. recommends staff development sessions based on the needs and timelines of the curriculum model

    12. guides the district through a process of grading practices

    13. guides the district through a process of defining mastery of the district curriculum with ongoing reviews

    14. discusses and possibly modifies student progress reports

    15. creates a plan for extended learning opportunities

    16. makes decisions about assessments

    17. reviews and acts on externally mandated assessment and accreditation issues

    18. reviews the latest trends and developments in curriculum, instruction, and assessment of student learning, making decisions regarding their applicability in the district

Subject Area Committees (SAC)

The Curriculum Coordinating Council (CCC) appoints Subject Area Committees (SACs) in accordance with the long-range plan for curriculum development.  A SAC is formed for each subject area to be analyzed.  The primary responsibility of this group is to formulate a results-based curriculum by following an action agenda prescribed by the CCC.

  1. SELECTION:  Prospective members of each SAC should show an interest in curriculum development, commitment to the complete cycle, and have two years of successful classroom teaching experience. Exceptions to this rule may occur when particular teachers must be appointed to the SAC because of district size and the need for grade level or course representation. Council members will choose SAC members through an application process using previously mentioned criteria, as well as building and grade level representation to guide the selection process.  The number of individuals appointed to a SAC may vary according to subject; however, no SAC should be larger than 20 and no SAC involving all levels (elementary, middle, high school) should be smaller than five or six.

  2. TERMS:  Members of SACs should understand the committee will meet regularly throughout an academic year and will follow a prescribed action agenda for each meeting and as a part of a year-long plan for a period of time as deemed necessary to complete the action items outlined by the CCC and School Improvement Director from previous CCC program evaluation process.

  3. RESIGNATION:  A SAC member may resign if there are additional persons available in the position represented.  If a member submits a resignation, the resigning member's building Principal and the Superintendent will make a recommendation to the CCC for a replacement.  In all cases involving the work of the SAC, the CCC has the right and obligation to make whatever decisions necessary — to include removal and appointment of SAC members — to facilitate the successful completion of the SAC's work.

  4. STIPENDS:  SAC members will receive stipends for attending meetings that are outside their contract of employment, in accordance with the policies of the Board and CCC.

  5. LEADERSHIP: Chairs will preside at meetings, schedule meetings and plan agendas, monitor attendance, work closely with the Curriculum Coordinator, report progress to the council at each of its meetings, ensure completion of curriculum documents according to a schedule established by the council, and personally present completed curriculum documents to the council and the Board.

  6. DUTIES OF MEMBERS:  SAC members are expected to attend all committee meetings, complete assigned tasks, and maintain positive communication between the SAC, building administrators, and instructional personnel.

 

*Adopted:  04/11/11

*Reviewed:  07/08/13

*Revised: 06/13/16

*Reviewed: 02/12/18

*Revised: 03/13/23