Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment
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Coordinated Curriculum
K-4 KUD’s - coming soon
Learning at CVSD begins with the destination, where we hope our students will be when they complete their journeys with us. CVSD's destination starts with our Portrait of a Graduate, which includes our district vision, along with five categories: Clear and Effective Communication, Creative and Practical Problem Solving, Informed and Integrative Thinking, Self-Direction, and Responsible and Involved Citizenship. Each of these categories includes indicators of achievement, which we call Transferable Skills or Graduation Indicators. These broad destinations drive decisions at the system level, the school level, and the classroom level, and help us provide and support flexible pathways and personalized opportunities for all of our students throughout their time with us. By starting with the end in mind, we can intentionally plan for success for all of our students.
Communication
Problem-Solving
Thinking
Self-Direction
Citizenship
While the Transferable Skills are the ultimate destination for our students, each grade level or grade band has more specific destinations articulated through curriculum documents called KUDs. These curriculum documents--aligned with and informed by national standards documents adopted by the VT State Board of Education--communicate the content, conceptual understanding, and skills that students will learn by the end of the year or years. They clearly articulate what students will Know (K), Understand (U), and be able to Do (D). KUDs are the foundation of a horizontally and vertically aligned curriculum, which is essential to ensuring an intentional progression of learning. Alignment provides common direction and expectations for students, families, and educators; ensures flexibility and consistency for students moving between buildings; facilitates collaboration within and among teams and schools; and allows for ongoing reflection and revision of our curriculum.
The Ds within the KUDs are also called Learning Targets, which are the essential skills for that year or course. Each of these targets aligns with a single transferable skill, allowing us to track development of the district goals over time and across disciplines. Class learning targets are instructed, practiced, assessed, and reported throughout the year using a variety of content. Each learning target lives within a four-level Learning Scale, which communicates what increasing complexity of the skill looks like. In order to ensure that students have many opportunities to learn and demonstrate these essential skills, some learning targets may stay the same from year to year. While the targets may stay the same, the content and level of complexity changes over time to ensure a progression of rich, rigorous, and relevant learning opportunities for all students. This content is communicated through the Us and the Ks in the KUDs, and is specific enough to provide direction, while being broad enough to allow for teacher autonomy. District KUDs will be reviewed regularly by classroom teachers, administrators, and our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion coaches, and revised as necessary to ensure they continue to drive learning towards our agreed upon destinations.
In the area of Mathematics, CVSD is guided by the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in Mathematics per the Vermont State Board of Education's adoption of these and other standards.
In the area of Literacy, CVSD is guided by the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in English Language Arts per the Vermont State Board of Education's adoption of these and other standards.
In the area of Humanities, CVSD is guided by the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in English Language Arts and the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework per the Vermont State Board of Education's adoption of these and other standards.
In the area of Science, CVSD is guided by the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) per the Vermont State Board of Education's adoption of these and other standards.
In the area of Art, CVSD is guided by the National Core Arts Standards per the Vermont State Board of Education's adoption of these and other standards.
In the area of Physical Education, CVSD is guided by the SHAPE America Physical Education Standards per the Vermont State Board of Education's adoption of these and other standards.
In the area of Health, CVSD is guided by the SHAPE America National Health Education Standards per the Vermont State Board of Education's adoption of these and other standards.