A critical step in improving teaching and learning in the early elementary grades is developing an effective, coherent curriculum. To support districts in aligning curriculum to the 2011 Common Core-aligned frameworks, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education worked with the Readiness Centers to develop the Curriculum Alignment and Mapping Project, a resource that includes recorded webinars and sample maps.
In addition to the webinar I mentioned last week on The Why and What of Curriculum Mapping, my colleagues and I at Cambridge Education have created three guidance tools to aid districts in planning and implementing curriculum mapping projects.
- A curriculum mapping self-assessment to help schools and districts determine their needs and monitor their progress,
- A pre-planning organizer that draws on the results of the self-assessment to guide school and district leaders in making the key curriculum mapping decisions, and
- A planning template that outlines a focused approach to planning a curriculum mapping initiative.
About 100 participants used these tools last week at a Curriculum Mapping Institute. Check them out and let me know if you have any questions.