The Curriculum/Professional Development Department supports teachers in the continuous improvement of their knowledge and skills. Our goal is to support teachers in delivering rigorous, standards-aligned curriculum equitably across the district.

Curriculum Implementation

• Equitable, culturally relevant, and responsive
• Rigorously engaging and differentiated through the principles of MTSS
• Accessible to all learners
• Aligned to standards
• Data-driven, research and evidence-based

All students should receive high-quality, culturally responsive universal academic and behavioral instruction that is differentiated for student need and aligned with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for mathematics and English language arts, NGSS, ethnic studies requirements, and other state and local standards. Standards assist in providing consistent grade-level benchmarks. Curriculum, instruction, and assessment that are grounded in the culturally responsive practices of relevance, identity, belonging, and community will best engage all students. High-quality curriculum and instruction should be culturally appropriate for the students being served and prepare all students to be college, career, and community ready. Instruction, curriculum, and assessments aligned with this plan are designed to help students engage in the learning process and develop analytical, collaboration, and communication skills.

Committing to high-quality, first instruction will cause SUSD to evaluate its approach to interventions while increasing the inclusivity of learning environments. Before interventions for small groups or individual students are implemented, there should be data from multiple sources indicating that high-quality, first instruction is happening for all students at the universal level. For example, when reviewing student achievement data, it may be discovered that a group of students is not meeting certain learning targets. Curricular adjustments should be made before considering additional support.