Teaching & Learning Committee Meeting Summaries for November 2024

In the month of November, 2024 the Fine Arts Curriculum Review Committee and the Literacy Committee met.  Review summaries of those meetings below.

Fine Arts Curriculum Review Committee

The Fine Arts Curriculum Review Cycle Committee met on November 25, 2024. Teachers worked in discipline-specific groups to identify priority standards, essential vocabulary, key skills and topics, available resources, and student expectations. Visual arts teachers participated in a Zoom session with a representative from The Art of Education to explore the resources and support they offer for visual arts instruction. The committee will continue to represent PCSD fine arts teachers in this process to ensure that the curriculum reflects the needs of the fine arts educators and students while aligning with state and district standards.

Comité de Alfabetización

Secondary Meeting

The Secondary Literacy Committee met on Monday the 25th to discuss which books could be immediately added to the PSCD Approved Novel List. These books are books that have been approved previously and teachers have used effectively in their classes prior to the purchase and implementation of StudySync.

Additionally, we discussed the implementation progress of StudySync in each of the secondary schools and possible next steps to effectively use PLC groups and time to receive needed training on StudySync. We focused on what the roadblocks are that may be holding back any of the PLC groups from effective implementation. One of the major concerns that was brought up repeatedly was training for teachers on the use of data.

Elementary Meeting

The 6th grade committee members met separately to discuss the following topics:

• An outline for a 6th Grade StudySync Collaboration/Training
• Finalize StudySync topics and presenters
• The format and structure of the proposed training

District Curriculum Review Cycle Math Committee

The Math CRC met on November 25, 2024 where committee members discussed the teacher feedback survey. The survey results surfaced current findings in math education across the district. The meeting emphasized the importance of considering district-wide perspectives and vertical K-12 alignment when reviewing the survey results. Some of the highlights identified from the committee’s analyses include:

• Teachers are requesting a need for a balance of problems to include more skill practice problems; younger grade teachers are especially asking for less word problems in grades K-3 where students’ reading acquisition is still taking place
• Teachers are requesting more curriculum supports to address student needs (ML, IEP, Tier 2 interventions, etc.)
• Indications that there is hesitancy among elementary teachers to adopt and learn a new program
• Request for more flexibility in sequencing and pacing to follow the core more closely and/or to fill holes with Tier 1 curriculum
• Secondary teachers appreciate the support of ALEKS
• Across the board, K-12 teachers are requesting training on utilizing NWEA results to support instructional decisions

The committee’s conversation included a discussion on the importance of having a flexible approach to math education, and also touched on an overall consensus that current practices may not be optimal, identifying the need for further consideration and analysis.