CURRICULUM DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT
| | | --- | | MISSION: To ensure that an aligned, quality curriculum is provided and used throughout all DeKalb County schools. |
Each content area shall have an articulated curriculum pre-K through twelfth grade that is Board adopted. Course guides will be developed for each level of the curriculum as well as every course taught in the DeKalb County School System. While instructional variance is expected to occur in addressing the unique needs of specific students, instruction will be derived from a curriculum that is common to all students.
Quality control includes the alignment of the written, taught, and tested curriculum. Each guide - representing the written curriculum - will be aligned with the tested curriculum, i.e., required student assessments mandated in O.C.G.A., 20-2-281. The taught curriculum will be aligned with the written curriculum. Curriculum guides will be subject to Board approval prior to system-wide implementation. The Curriculum Design Blueprint shall serve as the curriculum plan. The course guide shall be prepared under the direction of the Curriculum Design Department according to the procedures outlined in the Curriculum Design Blueprint. Teachers, parents, and community representatives shall have an opportunity to contribute to the writing and revision of course guides. These guides shall reflect the Georgia Board of Education adopted curriculum as well as national trends and standards in the various content areas. Guides will also include suggestions for instructional strategies, which will facilitate delivery of the curriculum to students with varying needs. Between adoption cycles, the curriculum may be altered following the procedures outlined under Innovative Courses/Programs. (ICD)
Learning will be enhanced by adherence to an integrated curriculum that promotes continuity and an accumulation of skills and knowledge from grade to grade and from school to school. Therefore, implementation of the curriculum by teachers will be aligned to the Board adopted curriculum guides.
Legal References
- O.C.G.A. 20-02-0140 — SBOE to establish uniformly sequenced content standards; college and career readiness competency standards (Lexis)
- O.C.G.A. 20-02-0151 — General and career education programs; purpose; authorized programs (Lexis)
- O.C.G.A. 20-02-0159.1 — Focused programs of study (Lexis)
- O.C.G.A. 20-02-0159.3 — Academic core standards to be embedded in career, technical, and agricultural education courses (Lexis)
- O.C.G.A. 20-02-0182 — Program weights to reflect funds for payment of salaries and benefits; maximum class size; reporting requirements; application to specific school years (Lexis)
- O.C.G.A. 20-02-0240 — Powers and duties of State Board of Education (Lexis)
- O.C.G.A. 20-02-0281 — Student assessments (Lexis)
- Rule 160-4-2-.03 — List of State-Funded K-8 Subjects and 9-12 Courses for Students Entering Ninth Grade Prior to 2008
- Rule 160-4-2-.38 — Education Program for Gifted Students
- Rule 160-4-2-.20 — State-Funded K-8 Subjects and 9-12 Courses for Students Entering Ninth Grade in 2008 and Subsequent Years