reconvene regular meeting: 7:00 pm - Irvine Unified School District

CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTION
Curriculum
Instruction
SCHOOL AND DISTRICT PRACTICES
INITIATIVES 2010-2011
Align teaching, learning, and materials to content standards.
Modify curriculum to accommodate students with special needs.
Modify instruction based on formative and summative assessments and State Frameworks.
Articulate content standards and assessment data across grade levels.
Provide an appropriately challenging curriculum for all students that fosters higher order thinking.
Use the content standards as the curricular platform to align curriculum, assessment, and instruction.
Explicitly and intentionally teach the language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing)
necessary for success in all curricular areas of English, Social Science, Math, and Science.
Define and teach all students the skills necessary to question, analyze, interpret, and evaluate
information.
Ensure that students have the academic competencies needed to prepare them for success beyond high
school.
Prepare students to be contributing citizens and to participate actively in social and political processes.
Support teachers as they refine their implementation of the content standards.
Develop model instructional units that integrate technology, using web-based and other distance
learning options.
Support the development of individual student interests, talents, strengths, and capacities to enhance
skills for life.
Identify and implement models of intervention for students not yet achieving standards.
Provide equal access to the core curriculum and standards-based instruction for students with special
needs (English Learners, GATE, Special Education, At-Risk).
Provide comprehensible input for all students using effective strategies (i.e. SDAIE) and differentiated
materials designed to maximize student learning potential and academic success.
Provide direct, explicit instruction in language development that ensures the rapid acquisition of English
fluency and proficiency.
Provide instruction to accommodate students with special needs.
Provide direct, explicit instruction in each content area to enable students to read and understand the
textbook and other written documents specific to that discipline.
Assign homework for students that is clear in its purpose and reasonable in its scale.
Utilize a variety of flexible groupings and instructional strategies to enable each student to learn at an
optimal level.
Improve teacher content knowledge and instructional strategies in all disciplines.
Expect students to demonstrate effective use of the computer as a tool in accessing, selecting, analyzing,
and presenting information.
Emphasize the use of technology that improves learning.
Use technology as a tool for more effective use of teacher time.
Develop model instruction units that integrate technology (based on IUSD Technology Standards), using
web-based and other distance learning options when appropriate.
Continue to support and effectively utilize technology mentors.
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