Shared Accountability Plan
At West Valley Christian School, there are some measures already in place for curriculum
development. In just a few short years, we have matured from a school where the principal
chose the textbooks himself (with little to no input from the teachers) to a system where the
teachers have more of a say in what is taught in the classroom. (See Appendix A) The Textbook
Adoption Policy/Review Cycle put in place two years ago allows teachers to review curriculum
offered by different publishers. After the teachers review the materials, the Curriculum
Committee compiles all the data provided by the teachers and writes a proposal for the
administration to review and present to the board. Pending approval by the school board, the
policy also stipulates that the parents be given an opportunity to investigate the materials
before the school makes the purchase. These procedures provide shared accountability for the
curriculum decisions made at WVCS.
In addition to this policy, the principal and I are collaborating on the Professional Development
offered to the teachers this year. We are utilizing input from the Terra Nova testing from the
past two years as well as current needs we have for continuous school improvement (per an
Accreditation Team report from 2013) to drive our Professional Development. We also survey
teachers from time to time to assess their perceptions and find out what they need as a
professional. We also need to provide time for teachers to create and finalize their curriculum
maps. After studying the Curriculum Mapping Timetable on page 22 in Keys to Curriculum
Mapping, it seems that particular school devoted all of their allotted professional development
time that year to curriculum mapping. That does not seem doable for our school this year,
given some of the other improvements/projects that our principal wants to incorporate,
including school wide STEM projects, improvement in math instruction, and Biblical integration
focus. As I try to draw up a working copy of our PD plan for the year, I am unsure how much
time to devote to each topic. I am anxious to discuss this with my principal when she returns
from vacation.
Appendix A
Textbook Adoption Policy and Review Cycle
West Valley Christian School
The textbook selection and adoption process at West Valley Christian School is a process that utilizes
the expertise of several members of the school community. This process normally occurs throughout a
school year to implement curriculum changes the following year.
Textbook Adoption

In order to keep our West Valley Curriculum and textbooks current, each academic
subject will be reviewed for textbook accuracy, correlation with Common Core Standards, and
alignment to a Biblical Worldview.

In order to meet the highest academic standards and pursue excellence in academics as
well as provide our students with Biblical perspective and teachings throughout the curriculum,
textbooks from both Christian publishers and secular sources will be reviewed.

We will utilize the expertise of our teachers, administration, parents, and school board
for reviewing and adopting new textbooks.

Textbooks will be reviewed in the following order, unless a need arises to change the
cycle of review.
Elementary Curriculum Review Cycle
School Year To Review
2013-2014
2014-2015
2015-2016
2016-2017
2017-2018
Subject
Science/Health
Math
Reading/Language Arts
History
Bible
Middle School Curriculum Review Cycle
School Year To Review
2013-2014
2014-2015
2015-2016
2016-2017
2017-2018
Subject
Science
History
Language Arts
Bible
Math
Textbook Review Process

Obtaining books for review—various publishers are contacted to present copies for
review. Both Christian and secular sources will be reviewed. Textbooks are evaluated for
alignment to West Valley Christian standards as well as the Common Core Standards. The
textbook evaluation forms indicate specific criteria for review.

Teacher Review—Teachers within the academic discipline/grade level are asked to
review textbooks according to the textbook review form. Teachers are given time during
teachers’ meetings and/or professional development in-services to review the books, discuss
the curriculum with one another, and complete the textbook evaluation forms.

Teacher Selection—Teachers collaborate to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of
each text reviewed. Texts are then rated according to preference to present to the
administration.

Administrative Approval—Once the teachers have reviewed the texts, the
administrators discuss any questions or concerns about the preferred texts.

Parent Review—Selected parents at each grade level are asked to review the preferred
textbook and complete an evaluation form on the text. Parents are asked to complete the
evaluation, and return the text and the form within a week.

Public Review—The selected text will be placed in the library for two weeks. Parents are
notified that the text selected for adoption is available for review. Parents are encouraged to
talk with the administration if any concerns arise regarding the selected textbook.

Board Approval—The textbook information is then submitted to the school board,
for final approval. If approved, the textbook is ordered for the next school year.