Our curriculum planning team (8 teachers, 3 administrators) just approved NMUSD Adult School’s new ESL course outlines. Read on to learn about our revision and adoption process. More importantly, read on to learn how these course outlines are becoming 
essential tools for our teachers as we pursue our PLC goal of improving student learning. Read on. Lead on!Revision Process:
Our 2007-2008 curriculum planning team met three times in October and November to review and revise our course outlines. Here are the revisions we made:
- Brief Course Description: minor wordsmithing
- Major Goals and Purposes: minor wordsmithing
- Course Competencies/Objectives: extensive revision (see below)
- Language Skills (ESL Model Standards): no revision
- Instructional Strategies: minor revision (deleted three strategies that were too specific and added differentiated instruction and scaffolding)
- Textbooks and Supplemental Books: extensive revision (changed our core textbook to reflect our newly-adopted All-Star series, added the Azar grammar series, and updated the supplemental textbooks)
- Evaluation: extensive revision (incorporated the level-specific language skills of the ESL Model Standards as part of the evaluation criteria)
- Repetition: no revision
The most extensive revision was in section III, Course Competencies/Objectives. We correlated the level-specific CASAS competencies to our newly-adopted course textbooks, McGraw-Hill’s All-Star series. We also added and highlighted in yellow the CASAS competencies that students are required to know (and teachers are required to teach) for the standardized CASAS test at each specific course level.
Adoption Process:
Our curriculum planning team worked together for a total of 4.5 hours to review and revise the course outlines. Together as a team, we brainstormed and shared ideas, revisited the competencies and our textbook correlations to SCANS and CASAS, discussed our evaluation process, and evaluated the usefulness (rate of use) of our course outlines. We talked honestly and openly about how our previous course outlines gathered dust on teacher and adminstrator book shelves. We brainstormed ideas on how to transform the course outlines into essential tools. At the end of our second meeting together, we appointed one administrator and one teacher to work together to do the work of correlating our textbook series to CASAS and SCANS for section III of our outlines. We reunited at our third meeting to review the section III competency revisions and vote on approval. The course outlines were approved unanimously at the end of our third meeting together. We also unanimously approved the idea of presenting our course outlines at our PLC Launch meeting and actively using them as we dig deep into understanding the essential knowledge and skills that our students must know by the time they exit from our classes.
Dissemination Process (Making the outlines meaningful and essential tools):
Last night, we disseminated our course outlines at a site-wide PLC meeting for our evening teaching staff. At the meeting, each teacher received a two-pocket folder. In one pocket, each teacher received general information about PLC (its history, what the research says, the attributes, the goals, sample norms and protocol, reproducible templates, etc) and the NMUSD Adult School mission, goals, and ESLR (Expected Student Learner Results). In the other pocket, each teacher received his/her level-specific course outline and various assessment data for his/her class. We talked about the essence of a professional learning community:
- A focus on student learning
- A collaborative culture with a focus on learning for all
- Collective inquiry into best practices and current reality
- Action orientation – learning by doing
- Results orientation
- A commitment to continuous improvement
With these PLC attributes in mind, we discussed the importance of collectively knowing the answer to this basic but critical question: ”What knowledge, skills, and disposition must each student acquire as a result of this course?” When we earnestly ask this question and fervently desire an answer, we see the need to dig deep into our course outlines. When we see the need to dig deep into the skills and knowledge each student needs upon exit, the course outlines become meaningful and essential tools in our common quest to help students learn.
ESL Course Outlines:
Here are our NMUSD Adult School Course Outlines for our ESL levels (advanced low and high outlines are still pending curriculum planning team approval):
Beginning Literacy Course Outline
Intermediate Low Course Outline
[...] Making Course Outlines Meaningful Tools for a Learning Commmunity [...]
I could tell that the teachers at this morning’s PLC wrap session were very enthusiastic about digging deeper into the course outlines and discovering where (in what lesson, or on which page) they meet the needs of the students to understand the concepts required by the CASAS tests given at that level.
The appreciation for our improved communication between staff members, within and between sites was expressed by many people at the meeting. I personally feel free of the isolation that had been my experience in my 30+ years in the K-12 system.
How exciting to think that we can be empowered to transform the world!
The newly revised Advanced Low and Advanced High course outlines are aligned to CASAS, SCANS and ESL Model Standards and reflect a relevant and appropriately rigorous curriculum. Excellent work Curriculum Planning Team Members!! I approve of the outlines as presented. Based on the team’s consensus, I will present our outlines to the Board of Education for approval.
Look good at a quick glance (the two advanced course outlines).
It’s very helpful having the course outlines readily accessable on the Weblog.
I have completely read the Advanced Low and Advanced High course outlines and approve them as they are currently written.
The course outlines for the advanced level are correct.
The advanced level outlines look complete and very comprehensive – a real challenge for a one semester course!
Thank you Curriculum Planning Team members — Taylor, Duane, Carlos and Corinne — for posting your review of the advanced course outlines here on the blog so we can all read your comments.