Curriculum

Owosso Public Schools offer a comprehensive curriculum and an array of challenging courses and activities not offered anywhere else in the country. A forum for continuous school improvement is directly aligned to curriculum and student academic achievement through the efforts of the Instructional Leadership Council, made up of nearly thirty K-12 district education leaders. The Board of Education has an operating Curriculum Subcommittee which meets on a monthly basis. Recommendations from the Instructional Leadership Council are presented and discussed with the Board Curriculum Subcommittee prior to formal presentations are made to the full Board.

The Instructional Leadership Council uses a Plan, Do, Study, Act system to assure that curriculum is kept current, that is it implemented, and that it produces the desired student results. This system also enables the district administration to budget its resources for curriculum design efficiently in advance. It results in an officially adopted curriculum for the district that can be communicated clearly to the public and staff. Provisions are made for continuous review and improvement in all subject areas.

Curriculum Design Cycle

Curriculum is designed and implemented through a Plan, Do, Study, Act system:

1. PLAN a review and potential change in the curriculum.

* Strengths and weaknesses of current curriculum are considered.
* Sequences of study are reviewed.
* Other subject areas in the curriculum are considered for the potential of integration and correlation.
* Student achievement and perception data are analyzed.
* National and state curriculum content standards and prominent literature in the field are studied to guide improved curriculum.
* A curriculum guide is drafted. Each component of the curriculum guide is reviewed by staff and approved by the Curriculum Director and Instructional Leadership Council before the next component is drafted.

2. DO the implementation to bring about the change

* The curriculum, as presented in the curriculum guide, is formally adopted and teachers are equipped to translate it into practice.

3. STUDY the effect of the change on student learning

* The curriculum is taught in classrooms and the results monitored for validation.
* The delivery of the curriculum is examined and adjusted.
* Assistance and support are provided to teachers as needed