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4300 Curriculum Development

  • 4000: Instruction
4300 Curriculum Development

(This policy replaces previously approved Board of Education Policy #6141)

In order to achieve its annual instructional goals, the Board of Education supports a collaborative approach to District curriculum development. Such an approach must recognize the interrelation of curriculum and effective instructional processes, as well as the interdisciplinary applications and articulation of programs from one level to the next.

The curriculum will include basic content area knowledge and related skills, with the realization that such information needs continuous updating. Curricula will also be designed to encourage transferrable concepts/skills, including critical thinking skills, leading toward successful completion of the District’s graduation standards. The Board is committed to providing District students and staff with appropriate instructional materials to implement curricula.

Curriculum development and modification is a primary avenue for professional growth and hence, should be a basic goal of every teacher, every building principal, and every District-level administrator. 

Professional staff members, appointed to building-level/department-level/District-level Committees, shall be responsible for developing, reviewing and modifying curriculum with the primary goal of improving student learning.

Curriculum development and modification is a continuous process that affects all professional staff members. Adjustments to existing curriculum may evolve from State and local testing, classroom supervision, selection of materials, in-service training, State mandated changes in syllabi, and a host of similar procedures. The Board expects administrators and staff to work together in evaluating the educational program and recommending changes or additions in courses, instructional methodology, and/or staff development activities that are necessary to implant such changes and/or additions.

All curriculum development and modification must take place as outlined in the framework of this policy.

 

FORMAL CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

The organization through which formal curriculum development will take place is the District’s Curriculum Advisory Council (CAC).

The following criteria will guide the referral of a project to the Council.

  1. The project deals with a sensitive or controversial area.

Examples:

  • Sex/Health education
  • Substantial modification in reporting to parents.
  1. The project involves substantial budget implications.

Examples:

  • Expensive equipment required, such as technology
  • Marked variation from the teachers’ contract involving class size
  • Large scale purchase of books, software or other materials
  1. The project is of general District concern:

Examples:

  • Bilingual education
  • District-wide effort to upgrade instruction or curriculum
  1. Substantial change is involved.

Examples:

  • New course offerings
  • Scheduling
  • Impact on classroom instruction
  • Textbook adoption
  1. Variation from the existing instructional practices controlling subject areas (individual building pilot programs).
  2. New or innovative curriculum projects (pilots and or textbook adoptions).

The Curriculum Advisory Council will consult and make recommendations on curriculum matters to the Superintendent.

Any questions concerning whether a project should be pursued at a formal or informal level will be referred to the Curriculum Advisory Council.

 

CURRICULUM ADVISORY COUNCIL

MEMBERSHIP

The Brentwood Principals and Supervisors Organization (BPSO) and the Brentwood Teachers Association (BTA) will have one co-chair appointed from each organization. 

The permanent voting members will include:

  • Five appointees from BPSO
  • Five appointees from BTA
  • One alternate will be appointed by BTA and one alternate will be appointed by BPSO. (The alternates will be non-voting members except in the absence of a voting member.)

The Assistant Superintendents of Elementary Education and Secondary Education will be non-voting members of the Curriculum Advisory Council.

ROLE

The role of the Curriculum Advisory Council will be to:

  1. Accept or reject formal curriculum proposals for the purpose of making recommendations to the Superintendent.
  1. Serve as a clearing house of information concerning curriculum development in the District.
  1. Serve as a body of appeal for an individual or group whose suggestion for curriculum change was rejected at a lower level.
  1. Request reports from all District committees as needed.
  1. Serve as a control center for accepted formal projects provided that the appropriate committee(s) have taken into consideration:
  • Proper design of each accepted project,
  • Trial implementation of each accepted project, and
  • Evaluation of each accepted project.
  1. Make appropriate recommendations to the Superintendent of Schools concerning each proposal following the trial implementation and evaluation by either:
  • Approving the proposal and recommending adoption to the Superintendent,
  • Returning the proposal to the committee for further development,
  • Disapproving the committee’s recommendation and recommending to the Superintendent that the proposal be rejected, or
  • Recommending one or more of the following:
    • Additions – Proposal needs additional information, explanations, research
    • Deletions – Deleting irrelevant matter, confusing information, etc., in the proposal
    • Changes – Proposal needs changes in content, language, etc.

The guiding principle of the Curriculum Advisory Council is the development of a sound basic program of curriculum, instruction and assessment, which employs the most appropriate materials to help students learn.

 

DIAGRAMMATIC REPRESENTATION

Diagrammatically, a formal curriculum project will proceed as follows:

 

 

 

FORMAL CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT PROCEDURE

PROPOSAL

Curriculum proposals may evolve from a variety of venues including all staff members, the community, students and the Board of Education. Proposals will be presented in written fashion on standard forms. Each written proposal will be developed cooperatively with the appropriate subject area coordinator, where available, and/or other appropriate subject area specialists. Independent proposals accepted by the Curriculum Advisory council will be assigned to a committee as needed. All committees will include members appointed by both BPSO and BTA.

 

APPROVAL

Further consideration of the proposal may be discouraged by any of the administrators involved; however, the final approval or disapproval for further consideration rests with the Curriculum Advisory Council provided an individual or group wishes to proceed to that level.

 

DESIGN

The Curriculum Advisory Council may recommend committees to develop the design of the projected curriculum projects and/or mandated syllabus change.

 

DESIGN APPROVAL

The Curriculum Advisory Council will review the appropriateness of the design of all proposals, except those submitted for informational purposes only. Emphasis will be placed on provisions for effective evaluation. Careful analysis of the areas listed below should be reviewed at this time.

  1. Priority of need
  2. Agreement with District policy
  3. Staffing required
  4. Materials and equipment required
  5. Budget implications
  6. In-service implications
  7. Provisions for evaluation
  8. Timing and duration of project
  9. Personnel to be involved and their specific roles
  10. Facility implications
  11. Professional development needs

If one of the above areas is not pertinent, this should be indicated in the proposal to the Council.

Curriculum Advisory Council forms must be used to detail a committee’s analysis regarding the appropriateness of texts and/or other materials necessary for the curriculum pilot, project or proposal. These forms, completed by the committee and signed by the appropriate building administrator(s), must accompany the proposal and must reach Curriculum Advisory Council members two weeks prior to the Curriculum Advisory Council Meeting.

 

EVALUATION

The evaluation of curriculum projects will be submitted to the Curriculum Advisory Council by the appropriate committee. Periodic verbal progress reports may be requested by the Council.

Standardized tests adopted texts and accepted curriculums will be subject to review within a ten-year period.

 

EVALUATION REVIEW

The described evaluation will be submitted to the Curriculum Advisory Council.

The BTA may conduct an independent study with a committee of 3-5 teachers appointed by the BTA.

It is the right of BTA to receive a copy of all required evaluations and to submit an independent evaluation to the Curriculum Advisory Council within one month after the required evaluation has been submitted.

 

RECOMMENDATION

Evaluations will be taken under consideration by the Curriculum Advisory Council when making recommendations to the Superintendent. The Superintendent will bring to the attention of the Board of Education:

  1. The list of informal or formal curriculum projects, of which the Curriculum Advisory Council has been apprised, for information purposes only.
  2. All District curriculum projects after the Design Approval Stage.
  3. All District curriculum projects following the Evaluation Review Stage.

It is the right of the Superintendent to request modification upon review of proposals. It is the responsibility of the Superintendent to advise the Board of Education concerning curriculum proposals.

 

DECISION STAGE

The Board of Education will make all final decisions concerning curriculum proposals including financial commitment, timing, etc.

 

IMPLEMENTATION

All building principals and the directors and coordinators of the subject areas involved are responsible for working with teachers at the building-level so that teachers understand and are committed to implementing programs that have been recommended by the Curriculum Advisory Council and approved by the Board of Education.

 

Cross-reference: 4511, Selection and Adoption of Instructional Materials

Approved by the Board of Education: 07/07/09

Approved by the Board of Education: 10/17/19

Re-Approved by the Board of Education: 05/21/25

Download the Curriculum Development PDF