You have probably heard news about the Iowa Core Curriculum in our state. This is a big change for Iowa since it always promoted "local control" with standards for student learning. This change has come about after accountability and pressure from the government and education stakeholders. The Iowa Core Curriculum is designed to promote a rigorous and uniform set of standards that all students recognizing the need to be successful in a global economy. Furthermore, the Iowa Core ramps up the expectations for teachers outlining what is considered characteristics of effective instruction Download Characteristics_of_Effective_Instruction.
Resources related to the Iowa Core have been put out by the Iowa Department of Education at Iowa Core Curriculum on DE website.
For Hampton-Dumont High School this means that much professional development time is being spent on fully understanding and aligning to the new Iowa Core Curriculum. Teachers seem to be welcoming of state standards because it means that they will not have to spend countless hours on creating our own local standards (www.corecurriculum.iowa.gov) and more attention can be focused on instruction. Furthermore, teachers seem to embrace the resources and direction that the Iowa Core Curriculum is providing. Educators in general are hopeful that the Iowa Core provides some effective resources that truly promote student achievement.
Next week I will address the 21st Century Skills that are outlined in the Iowa Core Curriculum.
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