Staff Resources
Curriculum & Instruction

Platte County R-3 School District
Curriculum Development Cycle Strategic Plan

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District Curriculum

District Curriculum is currently being developed in alignment with 4th cycle Missouri School Improvement Plan (MSIP)standards. Curriculum is developed by a representative group of teachers and curriculum directors under the supervision of the Assistant Superintendent. Curriculum in phase 1, 2, or first year of phase 3 will be posted in draft form. Curriculum in 2nd year of phase 3 will be posted in final format (annual revisions may occur).

Click on "draft" or "complete" to link to curriculum documents.

Elementary & Middle School Curriculum

High School Curriculum

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Curriculum Maps

The purpose of creating and utilizing curriculum maps is to help teachers pace the year to ensure all the standards within a grade-level or content area will be covered.  Many districts and schools across the state are developing curriculum maps as tools to organize teaching.  Curriculum maps offer a sequence for delivering content and provide a clear scope for what must be taught to all students, based on curriculum standards called Grade Level Expectations (GLE’s) or Course Level Expectations (CLE’s).

Curriculum maps can be aligned both horizontally and vertically, organizing content, skills, assessments, and resources over time.  A curriculum map can also serve as a tool for collecting data about the implemented curriculum in a school and in a district—the instruction that students are experiencing.  By mapping what's actually taught and when it's taught, teachers produce data that can be used with assessment data to make modifications in instruction (Educational Leadership, December 2003/January 2004).

Why Use Curriculum Mapping?

• Mapping curriculum enables teachers to assure that they allocate sufficient time to cover each standard and objective.
• As teachers map out teaching units, cross-curricular connections become more evident and can be intentionally promoted.  This enables students to develop real world application for concepts.
• Curriculum maps provide the framework for building teaching units.  Some standards and objectives are seasonal and must be taught during the appropriate time of the year.  Other standards and objectives are developmental and must be built in sequentially throughout the year.
• As teachers stand back and analyze a curriculum map, teaching strategies become clearer.  The teacher is better able to create a balance between teacher-directed concepts and student-generated investigations.
• Grade level planning, exploration tubs, learning centers, and creative drama centers can be correlated using curriculum maps.  For example, kindergarten, first grade, and second grade standards and objectives typically have common themes, and teachers can benefit from sharing resources, correlating field trips, and building grade level libraries.
• Curriculum mapping can also facilitate assessment planning.  Periodic self-assessment and assessment using rubrics promotes awareness of strengths and areas for improvement.  Students learn the language and process of setting, recording, and evaluating goals.
• Mapping literature into learning centers promotes an environment that is rich with literacy materials.  This provides students with the opportunity to read and write in social, collaborative settings.  Well-designed classroom literacy centers significantly increase the number of children who choose to participate in literary activities for both pleasure and information.

Click on the grade.

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Grade Level Expectations
The Grade Level Expectations (GLE’s) and Course Level Expectations (CLE’s) outline related ideas, concepts, skills and procedures that form the foundation for understanding and learning core academic areas.  In addition it provides a focus for teaching, learning, and assessment.  The Grade Level Expectations (GLEs) in grades K-8 specify concepts that students need to understand thoroughly for future learning in grades 9-12 and beyond.  The Course Level Expectations (CLEs) outline the rigorous expectations for understanding for the high school academic courses.  Essential content that is aligned to state and national documents that support inquiry-based instruction included in the Grade and Course Level Expectations should be addressed in contexts that promotes analyzing and applying information, communication, problem solving and making decisions as responsible members of society.  Each of Grade and Course Level Expectation is
aligned to Show-Me Content and Process Standards (1996).  A Depth-of-Knowledge (DOK) level has been assigned to each grade and course level expectation.  The Depth-of-Knowledge identifies the highest level at which the expectation will be assessed based on the demand of the GLE. Depth-of-Knowledge Levels include: Level 1-recall; Level 2-Basic Reasoning; Level 3-Complex Reasoning; and Level 4-Extended Reasoning.

Sources: Show-Me Standards (Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Depth of Knowledge Levels (Norman Webb), Depth of Knowledge for Social Studies (Karin Hess) Definitions of Show-Me Standards (Missouri department of Elementary and Secondary Education)

For more information go to:
http://dese.mo.gov/divimprove/curriculum/GLE/