EDD-FPX8040_JudeRoss_Assessment1-1

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Capella University *

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8040

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Communications

Date

Jan 9, 2024

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docx

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Uploaded by JusticeExploration25896

1 Curriculum Alignment Jude Ross School of Public Service and Education, Capella University EDD-FPX8040: Research Design for Practitioners Terrence Brown October 2, 2023

2 Area of Interest Curriculum is an area of interest that consistently needs attention and modifications to keep everything aligned and working correctly. The way in which horizontal and vertical alignment keeps the student experience cohesive is essential to any school. How the curriculum spirals through each grade level, building off of what the student learned in previous grades and giving students continuously more challenging opportunities to build real-world knowledge is a key to schools building a consistent experience and culture for students to grow knowledge and practice through. In this particular case, focus will be given to vertical alignment in Reading and Writing within K-5th grade. The school currently has an issue that has arisen, there have not been proper checks on vertical alignment between grades, especially within Reading and Writing. This has led to a situation where student experiences are not consistent throughout the grade levels. The skills that the students are building are not being developed in congruence year after year, leading to gaps in knowledge. Also, there is not a consistent message being projected to families about what is important for students to be learning and achieving at the school, and what the school believes in in regard to curriculum and student development. Without this consistency, the school is giving a disservice to its students, and, being an independent school, the families who are paying for their children's education and this experience. There are currently mixed messages being given out to the community instead of a united front by the school. Gap Analysis Discussion Conducting a gap analysis is a crucial part of the development of an Action Improvement Plan (AIP). By conducting a thorough gap analysis, it is possible to clearly identify discrepancies

3 between the current state and the desired state. By performing this step, what needs to be improved can be clearly recognized and identified. In this case, a gap has been identified in the area of vertical alignment in the curriculum, especially in the areas of reading and writing as well as the teaching of cursive. It is expected that that curriculum from one year leads into the curriculum for the next year. The curriculum spirals so students can grow year-on-year. The current performance is that there are some gaps in the vertical alignment of the curriculum, where the spiral stops or is skipped over in a school year, and then continued the year after that. There are gaps where teachers are not teaching what is expected of them to cover. This creates a situation where students are not taught something that the teacher in later grades assume that they were. The effect that this has is that these gaps in knowledge/practice can affect the students and their experience at the school and their academic development. It affects the overall congruity of the organization. The experience of the students becomes disjointed instead of a smooth progression along a continuum of curriculum. The message being sent to families changes depending on the grade level, there is no consistent message from the school about what the school represents or believes in in regard to curriculum. Once these gaps have been identified, objectives and goals for improvement can be clearly defined. These goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time- bound (SMART). This will be the foundation for the AIP. A good gap analysis will also help to prioritize which gaps should be addressed first. As not all gaps that are identified are equally critical or urgent, being able to allocate resources and efforts to tackle the more significant areas of improvement in the AIP is an essential part of prioritization. A root cause analysis also helps to understand the underlying causes of the identified gaps. This deeper examination of the causes can be essential in designing appropriate interventions. Once there is a clear understanding of the gaps and their root causes, a specific action plan can be developed within the AIP. This should outline the steps, tasks, responsibilities, and

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