curriculum

The statutes (s. 118.43(3)(c)) require the board of each participating school to provide a rigorous academic curriculum designed to improve pupil achievement, review the curriculum to determine how well it promotes achievement, and, if necessary, outline changes needed to improve achievement.

The statutes (s. 118.43 (3)(c)2) also require the board of each participating school to review the school's current curriculum in consultation with the department and with the participation of school staff and district residents.

The department will request, as part of the contract of each school beginning participation in the SAGE program in 1998-99, a description of any curriculum review or modification process already underway in the school or district or planned for next year.

1. Definition - The department will consider a rigorous academic curriculum to be one based on challenging content standards developed for English/language arts and mathematics, which specifies what children are expected to know and be able to do related to those subjects, contains coherent and rigorous content, and encourages the teaching of advanced skills to all children. The department recommends that the curriculum reflect a balance of all areas of learning, be offered in an integrated manner and format, and reflect the holistic nature of learning; be presented in a way that provides for children to plan and select activities to support individual learning experiences, be engaged in active learning, and make use of each child's natural curiosity, abilities, interests, and culture; and incorporates teaching strategies and scheduling practices appropriate to the developmental stages of the children.

2. State Content Standards - The department recommends that district and school content standards, to the extent possible and appropriate, be revised based on the recently distributed state content standards. The department encourages districts and schools to develop content standards in all subject areas in which children in the SAGE schools receive instruction.

3. Contract Requirements - The curriculum required under this section must be implemented in the grades covered by the SAGE program and may be extended to other grades in the participating schools.

4. Curriculum Review - The department will expect each SAGE school to annually review the degree to which pupils in the SAGE grades achieve the academic performance objectives identified by the school as a requirement of the contract. If significant numbers of those children do not meet the objectives the department will expect the school and district to consider changes in the curriculum, along with other factors, as a way to improve achievement. At such time the school or district may request consultation with the department regarding curriculum development. Such consultation, if requested, will be coordinated with the provision of technical assistance and support required of the department as part of other state and federal programs where appropriate or possible.