Instructional Services / Six Steps

The 6 Steps to a Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum

No Child Left Behind has made all educators responsible for student achievement. The entire educational community will need to function as an integrated system to support common achievement goals. Districts must ensure the content which teachers are expected to address can be adequately covered in the instructional time provided. SSC has developed a process to help educators drill down to the benchmarks laid out in the Minnesota Academic Standards and translate them into a guaranteed and viable curriculum. The process is tailored for your needs.

How will the 6 Steps help our district comply with No Child Left Behind?

Step 1- Analyze
This crucial step starts at the high school level and works backwards through the entire K-12 system.
Step 2- Assign
After prioritizing the benchmarks, district leadership teams work with teachers to develop
concrete action plans for translating the essential benchmarks into actual classroom change.
Step 3- Align
We recommend this step to look at the current scope and sequence in light of the guaranteed and viable curricula that have been identified as essential benchmarks.
Step 4- Articulate
Once determining scope and sequence, teachers can translate the curriculum into strategies that work.
Step 5- Apply
After all the planning, the dialogue, and the preparation is done, we move into the application of the components in the classroom. Teachers can implement practices and adjust them if necessary.
Step 6- Assess
To successfully increase student achievement, we must design and deliver balanced, targeted classroom performance assessments with accompanying scoring rubrics that will provide evidence of student mastery of the essential benchmarks.

Contact: Diane Schwinghammer, Director of Educational Services, (507) 281-6683, dschwinghammer@ssc.coop