Alignment of Instructional
Content to the Iowa Core
Sue Updegraff
Keystone AEA

 Complete INITIAL alignment of local content with CORE Essential
Concepts and Skills

July 1, 2012, grades 9-12
 2013-14, grades K-8
(from p. 4 of Self-Study and Implementation Handbook)
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1.
Needs Assessment
2.
Planning
3.
Implementation
4.
Evaluation
3

Professional Learning
Communities
(PLCs) or
Collaborative Learning
Communities
(CLCs) are the structure to get the work done.
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 Iowa Core, April 2008
 Outcome 4 Alignment of
Content, Instruction,
Assessment
5

 Use data to increase the degree of alignment of each and every student’s enacted curriculum to Iowa
Core
6

 Using summative selfreports to examine alignment of the enacted curriculum to the intended
Iowa Core
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Alignment will continue over a number of years and include:

Assessment

Instructional Practices

Instructional Resources

Continuous Evaluation
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 As alignment between what is taught and what is assessed increases, so, too, do student outcomes for ALL students (Gamoran and Cohen)
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
K-12 curriculum must be aligned and must match state expectations. (Learning Points Associates, 2006)

Explicit focused efforts should be made to ensure alignment of written, taught, tested curricula. (Wallberg,
2007)

Successful students have experienced curriculum aligned with standards and assessments.
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
Lesson planning and session delivery are the two places where nonalignment takes place. (Lezotte &
McKee, 2002)
 Successful school districts align curriculum and instruction between grades. (Zavadsky, 2006)
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In district team, discuss potential implications of this Outcome for:

Practices of teachers

Professional development

District and school priorities
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UNIVERSAL CONSTRUCTS
Are these student learning goals?
 Complex Communication
 Creativity

Productivity and Accountability

Flexibility and Adaptability
 Collaboration
 Critical Thinking
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 Intended
 Enacted
 Assessed content instruction assessment
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Two State mandates about
WHAT STUDENTS SHOULD LEARN
1.
Iowa Core Content Standards and Benchmarks – broad
2.
Iowa Core (includes Common
Core) – more detail
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How the Cores Compare
Primary Focus
Origination Source
Content Addressed
Iowa Core Content Standards and Benchmarks
Broad, general statements to assess student accomplishments.
Iowa Testing Service
Literacy, Math, Science
Iowa Core Curriculum
More in-depth. Details along with Essential Concepts and
Skills. Sets higher learning expectations for all students.
Collaborative Writing teams assembled by the DE
Literacy, Math, Science, Social
Studies, 21 st Century Skills
Grade Levels 3-12 K-12
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
High School Math Example
Common Core
Standard
Use the rules of probability to compute probabilities of compound events in a uniform probability model.
Iowa Core Content Iowa Core
Standard : Students can understand and apply a variety of math concepts.
Benchmark : Students can understand and apply concepts in probability and statistics.
Understand and apply the basic ideas of probability.
Essential Concept/Skill :
Understands and applies basic ideas of probability.
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The extent to which and how well all policy elements
(content, instruction, assessment) work together to guide instruction and student learning.
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The purpose is to determine the extent to which content, instruction, and assessment are in agreement and facilitate student learning
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 Clear message of goals/outcomes
 Consistency
 Data about progress

Data for improvement
 Fair assessment practices
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1.
Determine WHAT to teach, teach it, assess it
2.
If #1 is not done, we are unfair to students
3.
Alignment reduces confusion, improves opportunity to learn, improves outcomes for each and every student
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Where is your district on the following?
1.
Status of local curriculum
2.
Understanding and relationship of:
 intended
 enacted
 assessed
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Principles for Alignment Work
1.
Once alignment is prioritized, process of developing and implementing practices can begin
2.
Focus on deep content knowledge
3.
Ongoing training and support for alignment increases quality of work
4.
Gradually introducing successively more complex alignment over time will increase skill development
5.
Understanding of measurement and data collection for alignment promotes continuous improvement
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
Alignment of enacted to intended
 Topical first; later by complexity and emphasis

Using alignment data for decisionmaking
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Foundational Curriculum Terms
Using the Foundational
Curriculum Terms, create a framework on Post-It paper
(i.e., how the terms work together or are logically organized for your district)
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 Explain your framework to others present
 In district group, discuss similarities/differences

Make any adjustments
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