Curriculum Update
SUMMER 2015
Issues Affecting Curriculum and Instruction


Standards instability

Standards Review process will begin this summer. Draft available next Spring. If
approved by Governor and Legislature goes into effect for the 16-17 school year.

Until then the state standards are the CCSS.
Testing Instability (grades 3 – 8)

One year state contract. Up to 49% PARCC items. Remaining PARCC-like developed
by Louisiana Educators.

Assessment Guides available in the Fall.

New testing vendor contract – October 15. May effect testing schedule, etc.
English
Language Arts
GRADES K-12
Grades K-2

We will continue to use the reading foundations materials from Storytown to teach
phonological awareness, phonics and word study as we have this year.

Read Aloud Project Lessons will be used for instruction in reading/listening
comprehension and supplemented with text sets from the Storytown anthology to
provide 36 weeks of instruction. The district will supply teacher copies of the Read
Aloud books for the selected lessons.

Digging Deep into the Curriculum groups have met by grade-level this summer to revise
the scope of sequence of the units and select text sets.

Those resources are found in the TPSS Resources Blackboard Class.
Grades 3 - 6

Continue to use the Guidebook units that were implemented this year and add a unit to each
grade based on the survey results below.

Digging Deep into the Curriculum groups have met by grade-level this summer to revise the
scope of sequence of the units. Guidebook units will be supplemented with materials from
Harcourt Storytown in order to provide 36 weeks of instruction.

Unit choices are as follows:

3rd Grade
Because of Winn Dixie

4th Grade
If you Lived at the Time of the American Revolution

5th Grade
The Birchbark House

6th Grade
The Witch of Blackbird Pond

The district will purchase the materials for the units listed above.

Support Resources are available in the TPSS Resources class in Blackboard.
Grades 7 - 12

For grades 9-12, the district will continue to require two 9-week units from the Guidebook to be
taught during time periods identified by the alignment committees.

For grades 7-8, the district will require that one additional 6-week unit be taught (this brings their
requirements in line with what grades K-6 are doing). Specific units should be taught during time
periods identified by the alignment committees.

New 7th grade anchor text will be “How to Write a Memoir.”

New 8th grade anchor text will be Jack London’s The Call of the Wild

Teachers may continue to create and teach anthology-based lessons that are aligned to the
Common Core State Standards during time periods identified as “Teacher Choice.”

Support Resources are available in the TPSS Resources class in Blackboard.
Mathematics
GRADES K - 12
Grades K-5

Continue to use Envision mathematics textbooks.

Supplement as needed.
Grades 6 - 8

Harcourt Go Math!: Includes consumable worktext, full student and
teacher access to online materials

OR

Glencoe Math: Includes consumable worktext, full student and
teacher access to online materials

Each school selected the program they wanted to pilot this year.

Training at the end of July. Sign-up on Professional Development
Portal.
Grades 9 - 12

Holt McDougal/Harcourt: Explorations in Mathematics workbooks
(one per student) and full online student and teacher access to basal
program

Glencoe/McGraw Hill Mathematics: One workbook per student plus
full online student and teacher access to basal program

Carnegie Learning: Includes worktext and access to student and
teacher resources online.

MathXL: Online access only.

Each school selected the program they wanted to pilot this year.

Training at the end of July. Sign-up on Professional Development
Portal.
Social Studies
K-12
Social Studies




We will be using the 2011 GLEs for the 2015-2016 school
year. Click here for a link to those GLEs.
Mrs. Trappey has compiled an extensive collection of
resources in the TPSS Resources Blackboard Class.
Grades 6 – 12 continue to use the Common Core Literacy
Standards for History/Social Studies, Science, and technical
subjects.
US History assessment remains the same. Grades 3 – 8
assessments will test the 2011 GLEs. The 15-16 test will be an
optional online field test.
Science
K-12
Science – K-12
No changes.
 The state has still not adopted the Next
Generation Science Standards.
 Current textbooks are going into their 4th year.
 Grades 6 – 12 continue to use the Common
Core Literacy Standards for History/Social
Studies, Science, and technical subjects

Other grades and subjects





District adopted textbooks
State Standards
http://www.louisianabelieves.com/resources/library/acade
mic-standards
National Standards (in the absence of state standards)
Grades 6 – 12 continue to use the Common Core Literacy
Standards for History/Social Studies, Science, and technical
subjects
Assessments
2015-2016
Compromise Agreement



For the 2015-2016 school year, the Division of Administration and
the Department of Education will seek a one-year contract for
English and mathematics test content to measure current
standards and create results comparable to other states, per
state law.
The Department of Education will not participate in the PARCC
consortium of states.
No more than 49.9 percent of English and math test questions in
2015-2016 shall be developed through the PARCC process or
through other federally funded consortia of states (amended HB
542 by Rep. Schroder).
Assessments 15-16 continued
Other 50% will be PARCC-like developed by Louisiana
Educators.
 Previously mentioned available pre and mid year tests with
new contract.
 Schedule may change slightly depending on testing vendor
selected.
 Paper and pencil/computer based – district decision

3-5 – paper/pencil
 6-8 - computer

State Assessments

DSC – pre-K and K

Dibels/SRI – K-3

PARCC-like Louisiana Test– grades 3 – 8 ELA and Math

Leap/iLEAP – grades 3 – 8 Science

Social Studies – grades 3 – 8 – optional online field test

Explore – grades 8 & 9

Plan – Grade 10

ACT – Grade 11

EOC – Algebra I, Geometry, English II, English III, Biology, and American History
District Benchmark Tests

Grades K – 12, ELA and Mathematics

Tentative Schedule:
 Test
1: August 17 – September 11
 Test
2: November 30 – January 15
 Test
3: April 18 – May 20
District End of Year Tests – some high school science
and social studies courses. May include grades 3 –
8 social studies this year.
Classroom/School progress monitoring

Teacher and schools are strongly encouraged to use
LDOE provided assessment resources including EAGLE.

EAGLE training should be after school starts.
Policies and
Procedures
Grade Books and Grading

WEBPAMS – online grade book

Parent Command Center

Grade book Policy

Grading Procedures

OnCourse

Lesson plan policy

Lesson plan templates (CCSS Lesson Plan Template and Guide)
Curriculum and Instruction Policies and Procedures
Teacher Evaluations
End-of-Year Complete Compass Score
Compass score is a combination a teacher’s student growth score
and professional practice score.
District
Resources
Teacher Leaders

Each school has a teacher leader that has been
trained by the state and district to assist with the
transition to the common core state standards and
new assessments.
Curriculum and Instruction Support Staff
Marquita Jackson
Elementary Supervisor
Jennifer Wheat
Mathematics Coordinator
Deondra Warner
504 coordinator
Linda Baker
Literacy Coordinator
Keri Wickham
Early Childhood
Coordinator
Terran Perry
Middle School Supervisor
Alison Andrews
Magnet Supervisor
Lisa Fussell
Secondary Supervisor/Jumpstart
Others: Ann Trappey, Social Studies. Mark Vining, Health and PE; C.C.
Lanier, STEM
Andre Pellerin
District Test Coordinator
State Resources
District Resources

TPSS Common Core Portal

TPSS Curriculum and Instruction Page

TPSS Blackboard – TPSS Resources

Video Resources
 Teaching
 Inside
Channel
Mathematics
 Teachscape
 danny.williams@tangischools.org