Many teachers have heard me remark that everyone agrees with the idea of instructional alignment... until it means they actually have to change something they're doing in their classroom. Right? Alignment of curriculum and instruction always sounds good in theory. It strengthens the connections between grade levels and across campuses. It helps to ensure that all students have comparable opportunities to master the TEKS during their school careers. It allows teachers to be able to expect certain competencies and skills of their incoming students each year. However, aligning expectations isn't quite that simple. Teachers are historically very fond of autonomy. The culture of teachers entering their classrooms, shutting their doors, and teaching as they wish is widespread. Alignment is sometimes seen as the enemy of autonomy.
I love teachers who have passion about their content. I do not want to homogenize teaching. However, for the sake of students who will progress through a sequence of grades in our PK-12 system, alignment of some aspects of what we do in classrooms is imperative. Failure to do this hurts kids. I hope that by introducing the Common Instructional Expectations (CIE) documents for the 2014-15 school year, GCISD will become a district that educates students in connected ways from grade to grade. Kindergarteners will all progress to first grade with a clear understanding of the GAPstopper strategy to improve their writing. Third graders will all be able to share conversations about the Cornerstone Tasks they've completed in Social Studies this year. Fifth graders will all leave their Language Arts classrooms competently demonstrating abilities found on the "Writing Skills to Secure" inventory. Eighth graders will all leave their Social Studies classrooms being able to describe a non-fiction narrative book that they've chosen and enjoyed. Tenth grade students will experience the power of using Cornell notes as a process for digesting World History in a more engaging, manageable way. Twelfth graders will graduate with a list of titles they eventually want to read for enjoyment because they've all participated in the 25 Book Challenge and discovered what a viable form of entertainment reading is.
To me, alignment does not mean that we all have to be doing the same thing. Rather, it means that there are some things we all have to be doing. Let me say that one more time. Alignment does not mean that we all have to be doing the same
thing. Rather, it means that there are some things we all have to be doing.
I'm looking forward to next year and the conversations that will take place in PLCs around the issue of Common Instructional Expectations. It is my hope that these documents will be the guide for campuses and grade levels as they map their instructional plans. The items contained on these documents should serve as the foundation upon which other practices are built and passions are overlayed. Elementary teachers are having opportunities to learn about the expectations in two offerings of Humanities Common Instructional Expectation Summer Institutes (June 11-12 OR July 28-29). Secondary teachers will spend August 20-21 focused on the documents and the way to implement the practices in classrooms.
Can't wait to work with everyone next year as we strengthen our system together!
