Marshall School District Curriculum Review Process
Vision Statement:
The mission of the Marshall School District curriculum review process is to establish and
maintain a Pre-K through12 scope and sequence, learning goals, and academic vocabulary
aligned to Wisconsin and National curriculum standards, for each content area offered
through the Marshall School District. The vision for this process will be collaborative and
reflective in nature, based on data-driven and research-based information, using consensusbuilding decision-making, and will reflect the needs and requirements of the various
stakeholders of the District.
This process is ultimately grounded in the District’s goal to increase student achievement,
and will have considerable support as an ongoing, cyclical process.
What should the Curriculum Review Process generate?
The process should generate, for each curricular area, a PK-12 scope and sequence,
learning goals, and academic vocabulary with alignment to state and national content area
standards that will guide instruction, growth, and decision-making.
Subsidiary benefits to the process include:
 Increased student achievement in content areas and over time
 Teachers becoming leaders in “best practice”
o In their curricular areas, and
o In their professional practice
 Increased accountability/ownership/empowerment for teachers and administrators
 Increased and ongoing support and collaboration
o Between professionals
o Between school and community
o Between parents, schools, and students
 Establishing a pathway to “good change”
 Establishing guidance in crafting professional development opportunities for staff
 Increased formal documentation
 Better and stronger communication
 Increased consistency in programming and decision-making
 Better guidance for resource allocation in terms of
o Time
o Money
o Personnel
Subsidiary benefits require no extra effort to accomplish, yet we will reap great rewards as a
school district by accomplishing them.
Hierarchy of Decision Making for Curriculum Review Process:
The hierarchy of decision-making will be based on a flow of information as outlined below:
Focuses on what
information?
Information reports, and
recommendations from the District
Curriculum Committee
Group
Meets how frequently?

Monthly


Monthly
Provides regular updates
to Board of Education

Teams will meet three to
five half days throughout
the school year with sub
release
Additional work and
discussion will occur at PK12 content area meetings
on early release days
Marshall School Board

Information reports, and
recommendations from each of the
different Content Area Lead Teams
District Curriculum
Committee

Information from student learning
and performance, information from
content areas and curriculum
teams, plus resource identification,
reflection activities, evaluating
district capacity for support and
change, systems analysis, “best
practice” models and tools, staff
professional development
Content Area Lead Teams

 
Information from student learning
and performance, plus curriculum
mapping, WI and national curricular
standards, “best practices” in
instruction (delivery, methodology
at a classroom level)

Ongoing informal meeting
process, with time built in
to facilitate meetings on
district early release
professional development
days

Constant ongoing
reflection, as well as
formalized data team
analysis
Incorporate feedback from
Site Councils and
Community Forum
planning process
PK-12 Content Area Teams
 
Data from WKCE, DIBELS, MAP,
EPAS; GPA, Cumulative Portfolios,
in-class assessments (formative
and summative), professional
knowledge of individual students
Student Learning and
Performance

Note: Information can also flow down from Content Area Lead Teams as a way to inform and
accomplish short-term growth and reflection.
District Curriculum Committee
Roles and Responsibilities:
It is the role of the Curriculum Committee to develop the evaluation model and describe it in a
written long-range plan. Following the plan’s adoption by the Board of Education, it is the
Curriculum Committee’s role to manage and evaluate the model, to serve throughout the life
of the model as the quality control group for rigorous program evaluations, and to provide
leadership for program improvement. The Curriculum Committee’s responsibilities are to:
1. Maintain the long-range evaluation plan
2. Distribute and explain the long-range plan to all staff
3. Appoint Lead Team members and make replacements as needed
4. Arrange for orientation of Lead Teams to the plan as well as to determine the Team’s
tasks and responsibilities within the plan
5. Assist Lead Teams, as necessary, in completing their tasks
6. Review and approve all products completed through the curriculum revision process
7. With Lead Teams, determine phase specifications and processes
8. After each review, monitor and evaluate the implementation of the recommendations
9. Recommend changes in the plan as needed and have them approved by the Board of
Education and communicated to all staff
10. Communicate with staff, administration, Board and community about the total
project’s progress and its educational impact on the district
11. Facilitate PK-12 content area meetings and planning
12. Support planning of district-wide and building-level professional development
activities
Who is on the District Curriculum Committee?
Members: As a standing committee with rotating membership, the District Curriculum
Committee shall have the representation listed below. All terms will begin on the day school
commences. Selection procedures are also described below. The District Curriculum
Committee is to be notified of selected representatives by May 1 st of the school year
preceding the beginning of a term.
The District Curriculum Committee will consist of 19 members, representing the following
areas:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
ELC (1 representative)
Elementary School (1 representative)
PE/Health (K-12) (1 representative)
Vocational Education (K-12) (1 representative)
Fine Arts (K-12) (1 representative)
English (PK-12) (1 representative)
Social Studies (PK-12) (1 representative)
Math (PK-12) (1 representative)
Science (PK-12) (1 representative)
10. World Languages (MS-HS) (1 representative)
11. Library Media/Technology (PK-12) (1 representative)
12. Bilingual Education (PK-12) (1 representative)
13. Special Education (PK-12) (1 representative)
14. Talented and Gifted (PK-12) (1 representative)
15. Community Reps (Parents, community members) (2 representatives)
16. Board Curriculum Committee members (2 representatives)
17. Specialists (PK-12) (2 representatives)
18. Special Education Coordinator
19. District Administrator
20. Director of Instruction
Selection Procedure: Classroom teachers will serve 2-year terms and be selected by the
District Curriculum Committee after it consults with the building administrators.
Administrator
The District Administrator will represent the administrative team. All building principals
will be invited to attend all meetings and will be welcomed to participate as a member
of the District Curriculum Committee.
Community Representatives
Participation of two community representatives will be solicited from the Marshall PTA
and site councils. Community representatives will be encouraged to serve 2-year
terms.
Board Members
The Board Curriculum Committee members will be named to the District Curriculum
Committee by the Board of Education. The Board will determine the length of the
Board representative’s terms.
Specialists
Specialists, such as counselors, media specialists, special education staff, etc. shall
have representation on the District Curriculum Committee for 2-year terms.
Chair: The Director of Instruction will serve as the chair.
District Curriculum Committee Chair
Roles and Responsibilities:
It is the role of the Director of Instruction to provide leadership for the total evaluation plan
and to serve as primary liaison among the staff involved in the program evaluation, the
District Administrator, and the Board of Education.
The Director of Instruction’s responsibilities are to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Establish with the District Administrator the times and places for all District Curriculum
Committee meetings
Develop with the District Administrator, the budget proposal for curriculum activities
Notify District Curriculum Committee members of all meetings
Ensure that absent members receive information from the District Curriculum
Committee meetings
Establish the agenda for each meeting
Facilitate all District Curriculum Committee meetings
Provide Board updates when program evaluation activities are to be discussed and/or
acted upon
Provide meeting minutes and necessary information to the District Curriculum
Committee, administrators, program staff, full staff, and the Board of Education
Between District Curriculum Committee meetings, complete such other tasks as are
necessary to ensure that time spent by the committee as a whole is used efficiently
Content Area Lead Teams
Roles and Responsibilities:
It is the role of the Lead Team to provide leadership in program development,
implementation, evaluation, and coordination. Throughout the life of the long-range plan,
each Lead Team will work in close cooperation with the District Curriculum Committee,
administration, and Board. The responsibilities of the Lead Teams are to carry out the steps
as specified by the self-study procedures under the guidance of the District Curriculum
Committee.
Designated Tasks: (This is a suggested outline for how to proceed).
1. Meet with the Director of Instruction to become oriented to the curriculum review
process
2. Receive training throughout the process, as appropriate, from the Curriculum
Committee and/or Director of Instruction, and/or through workshops and participation
in reviews of different school districts
3. Follow the cycle of curriculum review as outlined in the phases provided
Who is on the Content Area Lead Team?
Members: Lead Team members will be selected by the District Curriculum Committee, in
collaboration with the building principals, from a pool of volunteers. Members will serve for
the length of the evaluation cycle, if possible.
The Content Area Lead Team will consist of 10 members, representing the following areas:
1. ELC (PK-K) (1 representative)
2. ELC (1-2) (1 representative)
3. Elementary School (3-4) (1 representative)
4. Elementary School (5-6) (1 representative)
5. Middle School (1 representative)
6. High School (2 representatives)
7. Specialist/Pupil Services (pre-K-5) (1 representative)
8. Specialist/Pupil Services (6-12) (1 representative)
9. Administration (1 representative)
10. Director of Instruction
Cycle of Curriculum Review
The following four phases shall serve as the framework for the curriculum review process in
the Marshall Public Schools. The Lead Team in consultation with the District Curriculum
Committee will carry out the activities within this process. The intent is that the team will
move from phase to phase. Following phase four, the cycle would begin anew. The cycle is
purposefully set in phases rather than in years as we recognize that, in order to accomplish
the activities within the various phases, more than one school year may be necessary to
complete the activities.
Reflection Phase
Conduct a needs assessment:








Conduct SWOT activity
Analyze data
Research best practices
Conduct learning drives
Participate in professional development activities
Review 21st century skills in context of content area
Identify philosophy and goals
Set content area student achievement goals
Planning Phase
Define the formal curriculum:









Analyze state, national, common core, and College Readiness standards
Develop scope and sequence
Identify grade-level/course learning goals
Complete new course proposal (if necessary)
Select academic vocabulary
Review and choose instructional materials
Invite textbook representatives to present top instructional materials choices
Choose instructional materials for adoption
Prepare preliminary budget estimate





Design multiple common formative assessments and rubrics in alignment with
identified learning goals
Backward design of units (include instructional technology, differentiation, 21 st century
skills, bilingual education strategies, scaffolding, interventions)
Monitor instructional time available to teach and assess curriculum (curriculum
mapping)
Input revised curriculum into Eclipse curriculum maps
Update standards-based report cards with revised grade-level learning goals
Implementation Phase





Purchase materials
Plan out future financial implications
Present to Board of Education
Provide necessary professional development for new materials
Continue to monitor instructional time available to teach and assess learning goals
Assessment Phase






Track student progress on identified learning goals and intervene as necessary with
class-wide interventions
Evaluate and make adjustments as needed
Utilize curriculum maps to design interdisciplinary instruction and units
Continue to collaborate on integrating instructional technology and 21 st century skills
into units of study
Monitor progress on identified content area student achievement goals
Problem-solve and make necessary changes to keep curriculum operational and
achieve goals