Language Arts Curriculum Committee
- 2011 Language Arts Committee Report (pdf)
- Language Arts Curriculum Committee Report 2009-10 (pdf)
- Language Arts Curriculum Committee Report 2008-09 (pdf)
- Language Arts Curriculum Committee Report 2006-07 (pdf)
Background
The background for addressing a districtwide literacy curriculum, instruction, and assessment, lies in a state and national context as much as the local district literacy curriculum climate. As our nation and state have experienced higher levels of accountability for student achievement outcomes, districts everywhere have been challenged to have clearer and more focused curriculum. As districts struggle to develop and implement internal curricular targets that match external accountability structures, there are clear pressures on the system. Limited time, fiscal resources, technology, informationsharing structures, availability of quality assessments, shared assessment understanding and expertise and clear curricular targets all impose significant pressure
on systems already under stress.
In the last few years, the Port Angeles School District has focused much of its energy and resources on a literacy initiative. While this has led to great gains, particularly in the area of reading at the elementary level and writing at the secondary level, there are still gains to be realized in both reading and writing achievement. These are clearly areas which must have a focused and coherent systemic approach. Moving into year four of the new writing curriculum requires continuing to provide job embedded support in the form of professional development for teachers. To date, this work has been shouldered primarily by the curriculum adoption specialists. This has helped more effectively integrate these materials into their classroom practice.
In response to this particular need, the district Language Arts Curriculum Committee was commissioned several years ago to continue prior work to develop and implement a coherent districtwide
Language Arts curriculum.
Committee Charge
The following responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Review the 2009 Language Arts Committee Report and identify curriculum recommendations and implementation commitments.
- Identify where reading and writing topics are being taught in the K12 curriculum.
- Determine recommendations for curriculum and grade level placement for identified language arts curriculum topics.
- Determine best method to communicate language arts curriculum expectations internally.
- Review available curriculum materials for merit, particularly novels used at the secondary level, and determine impact adjustments on the budget and staffing projections with student enrollment patterns continuing to decline.
- Clarify and communicate pacing guide expectations across the district.
- Review supplemental materials to support language arts curriculum interventions, both remedial and enrichment, and recommend necessary revisions.
- Collect input on and communicate professional development needs for language arts instruction.
- Review and recommend grade level assessments aligned with state standards and Grade Level Expectations as well as the newly revised state reading test maps.