Curriculum sets direction for teaching and instruction in schools. Good management of instructional programs can provide systematic monitoring, feedback, and identify areas for refinement.

The curriculum and instructional program of a school district must provide the structure and support systems necessary to deliver a strong program of education. The success of a school district’s program must be assessed by its ability to prepare its students to successfully meet the challenges of a rapidly changing, technologically based world.

Recruiting and training quality staff, developing relevant curriculum, providing adequate instructional materials, and offering a continuum of instructional opportunities through which the educational needs of all students are addressed is critical.

District policy is established for a curriculum materials adoption committee. However, administrative guidelines are not established for the curriculum review/development process and the textbook replacement/adoption process. Also, the perception of some faculty members is that curriculum development is a "top-down" process, with little time provided for grade level and departmental curriculum coordination and improvement.

Recommendation

To insure curricular alignment for continuity/transition between grades and subject areas, it is recommended that administrative guidelines for curriculum development be established. Such guidelines should provide organizational flow charts of advisory and subject area committees; define committee responsibilities; set annual timelines, and establish a multi-year schedule for curriculum review and textbook adoptions; and provide direction for curriculum development and improvement.

The administrative guidelines for the curriculum development and improvement process should address such areas as:

Each phase needs to include the active input from the entire staff that will use the curriculum. A responsibility of each subject area representative is to gather input and keep their peers well informed of the progress and process.

Input throughout the process provides ownership for the implementation and duration of the academic cycle. It is further recommended that minutes of each meeting be kept and then sent by e-mail to all affected by the project.

While the district is to be commended for the progress made in curriculum review, there is varying understanding across the staff regarding the process, its necessary usage inside each classroom, and their involvement in the process. There appears to be a lack of ownership in the final decision made in the process at some grades/school levels.

Recommendation

It is recommended that the curriculum review process follow administrative guidelines. Clarification of role responsibilities across the system needs to be well defined with some emphasis placed on how staff will work together as a team.

District policy is established for the selection of curriculum materials. The adoption cycle matches the state cycle. However, basal curricular materials in reading, phonics, language arts, etc. are not the same in each of the three elementary schools.

Recommendation

It is recommended that the same basal curricular and teacher resource materials that support district-approved curriculum be adopted across the district in order to insure consistency.

All faculties do not share facets of the district curriculum. Sometimes key personnel are left unclear as to their role in the adoption and revision process.

Recommendation

The curriculum committee needs to make sure that all district personnel who work with various aspects of the curriculum are included in its dissemination.

The counselors and certificated support personnel need to be informed about the curriculum plan and make sure that all buildings are working together toward implementation and evaluation.

3.1.5    Observation

The role of community input for adoptions is not clear. Parent involvement in the process was not found.

Recommendation

Involvement of parents in the curricular review process is necessary. In addition to being a regulation in code, it is a positive communication tool, as well as a wonderful addition to the team. It is recommended that the district include parents during the final phase.

Essential Learnings are established for academic areas of instruction and some "benchmarks" with performance indicators have been developed. However, assessment procedures have not been established to measure curriculum benchmark skills.

Recommendation

A critical element of curriculum development and implementation is the evaluation and assessment of student achievement. To measure whether the students have mastered the Essential Learnings and benchmarks, assessment guidelines and tools need to be formulated and developed to measure whether the students have, in fact, mastered the established benchmark skills.

 

3.1.7    Observation

The district is to be commended for developing policies and new procedures/criteria for the supervision and evaluation of personnel. While the observation/evaluation system has been developed, formal monitoring procedures through the observation/evaluations system have not been clearly articulated or understood to insure instructional guides are being consistently used for instruction.

Recommendation

As with any new procedures that are newly implemented, a plan for monitoring and evaluation for en route checking and modification should be instituted. To insure student learning needs are being met and district approved guides and curricular materials are being used as the primary curriculum in the instructional program, it is recommended that the teacher observation/evaluation system address the issue of compliance or noncompliance in teaching to the district approved goals and curriculum. It is further recommended that the monitoring and evaluation plan look at processes in an attempt to decide if those processes are contributing to desired results (i.e. improvement of instruction and improvement of the professional performance of staff members).

Technology integration across the curriculum is being introduced on a limited basis. Every classroom appears to have one computer with Internet access. Each school seems to have at least one computer lab with Internet access. Usage seems to vary at the different sites and in different classrooms. Labs appear to consist mostly of older technology that needs to be replaced. Student access to computers appears to be dependent upon the individual classroom teacher.

Recommendation

To better establish technology integration across the curriculum, and be eligible for the J. A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation technology grant and State funding, an updated technology plan should be developed. The updated plan should address district-wide operational, word processing, spreadsheet, database, and presentation software platforms. The plan should also address maintenance, upgrading, and recycling of hardware, staff development, and expansion of technology curricula across the district.

The plan needs to be developed by a broad-based committee. The committee should be responsible for developing the plan based on district and site developed objectives for technology. Each committee member needs to serve as the same communication liaison as the subject area committee representatives. Thorough communication of goals and objectives throughout and across the system, reflect an owned and well-articulated technology action plan.

3.1.9    Observation

While some express understanding of available technology training, others communicate that there is very little thorough communication with regard to training, competencies and monies available.

Recommendation

It is recommended that in conjunction with the updating and development of the Technology Plan, communication efforts addressing training, philosophy, hardware and software, etc. should be a major focus and team responsibilities need to be clearly defined.

3.1.10    Observation

While a survey seems to be given to some staff members, district staff development does not appear to be based on prioritized district needs that have been well articulated to all staff members.

Recommendation

To enhance current staff development efforts, it is recommended that future district allocations of staff development resources be based on prioritized district needs, goals, and multi year planning. Also, a relationship between new textbooks/curriculum and staff development should be established. Surveys of staff development needs should be used in planning. The Professional Development Committee should have the responsibility of providing the survey; gathering input; helping to plan activities and communicating information.

Instructional scheduling of staff has not consistently achieved maximum utilization of personnel. This has lead to the district’s position of being overstaffed in a number of areas (i.e. two ROTC instructors scheduled over a seven-period day for approximately 36 students, back-to-back chemistry and drafting classes with approximately 6 to 12 students each, etc.).

Recommendation

To achieve maximum staff efficiency, it is recommended that consideration be given to combining current classes with small student enrollments to more closely align with recommended state class size. It is recommended that the district review teacher schedules to develop assignments which provide maximum utilization of instructional personnel. In addition, the district should consider minimizing specialist positions (i.e. science, computer, etc.) and have regular classroom teachers absorb/integrate some of these subjects back into their curriculum.

It is further recommended that the district develop a plan for reducing personnel and complying with staffing allocations as per the state personnel formula as determined in Section 33-1004, Idaho Code.

There was no evidence found regarding tracking of information on Kellogg High School graduates. We were unable to find any evidence of feedback on the success of students in the field of work or post-secondary training. There is a perception that many graduates going to college are placed in remedial classes.

Recommendation

It is recommended that the high school develop a system to gather feedback on graduates. This data can help provide valuable planning for instructional programming.

There was a genuine concern expressed that the high school curriculum/instruction and programming lacks challenge for many students and is very limited in its scope of offerings. In talking with several students and patrons, a need for more advanced/honors placement courses at the 9^th–12^th grades (i.e. honors English/research and writing, computer science 1 – 4, etc.) was expressed.

Recommendation

It is recommended that the district explore ways to infuse into their curricular programming, courses that address the needs of all students.

In reviewing teacher assignments in order to provide maximum utilization of instructional personnel, more opportunities may become available for offering additional advanced/honors course work.

Offering reading, when it is no longer required by the state as a graduation requirement, and offering a full year of keyboarding should be evaluated. Reductions in these course offerings may also provide an opportunity to expand advanced/honors course offerings.

Expanded utilization of the distance learning lab may again provide an opportunity for added advanced course work.

3.1.14 Observation

While most classrooms appear to have enough texts for each of the classes, there was concern in several classes that there are not enough books for each student.

Recommendation

It is recommended that the district give attention to supplying adopted books for classrooms that need texts.

3.1.15 Observation

The staff and community members are very proud of the majority of staff that provide educational opportunities to students in the Kellogg Joint School District. Many interviewed voiced concerns that there exists a small percentage of staff who do not have the heart and spirit for students and their learning potential and capabilities. This received the most attention at the high school and Pinehurst Elementary School.

Recommendation

Through the established evaluation system in place, it is recommended that the staff and administrators proactively work together to provide students with the best possible education. All staff members should demonstrate that they are caring, dedicated, professionals.

Parent involvement at the high school level does not appear to be encouraged by some staff members.

Recommendation

Effective schools have positive interaction with parents. Parents need to be a part of their students educational life and need to feel welcomed in the educational environment. It is recommended that the high school staff develop specific goals and actions to improve this perception.

3.1.17 Observation

There seems to be a concern with the graduation requirements that include reading and keyboarding.

Recommendation

Consideration could be given to satisfying this graduation requirement with a testing out procedures or endorsing some of the new state graduation requirements. The state no longer requires reading class as a graduation requirement.

3.1.18 Observation

While the district appears to be working towards consistent discipline and behavior procedures, a perception exists in some areas of the community that the discipline procedures at Pinehurst Elementary are lacking in consistency and firmness. This creates safety issues.

Recommendation

Pinehurst Elementary School should continue with its efforts to develop and implement a school-wide discipline plan that offers sequential sanctions for student misbehaviors and appropriate rewards for positive student behavior.

It is recommended that after careful evaluation of the school-wide discipline plan, attention be given to the matter in the form of identifying and working with the issues and then establishing the site goals and expectations for behavior and conduct. Appropriate staff inservice should accompany the implementation of any new school-wide discipline program. The entire Pinehurst family, administrators, certified and classified employees, students and parents, must adhere to the expectations. The development of the goals and expectations must also belong to the entire Pinehurst family.

3.1.19 Observation

The energy and enthusiasm of the elementary science programs has diminished during the last two years with the changing of staff. While the addition of Science Enrichment at the elementary sites appears to be an excellent learning opportunity for students, there appears to be concern that it may not be sequential and in alignment with the science curriculum as much as the secondary level might expect.

Recommendation

During the review of the science curriculum or department meetings it is recommended that the committee and/or departments assess the thoroughness of the curriculum along with the regular classroom teacher’s science instruction and then develop a plan and/or a process to align the curriculum.

3.1.20 Observation

Many high school teachers commute to work from out of the area. This creates a perception of detachment from the community and increases the difficulty of providing advisors and coaches for student activities. Most importantly this negatively impacts the implementation of instructional programs, continuity of focus, and commitment to the long-range planning of the high school curriculum. In many cases this has led to a perception of less than full staff commitment to the students.

Recommendation

It is recommended that the district review policies on how teachers are recruited and placed in respective buildings. Personnel recruitment and retention practices and procedures need to fit the needs for curriculum adoption, implementation, and evaluation. As opportunities afford themselves, encourage all staff to live in the Kellogg Joint School District area.

Library and/or media services and facilities are not sufficient to support the needs of the district, particularly at the elementary level.

Recommendation

At Pinehurst Elementary School, vacant classroom space should be utilized as a library/media center, rather than having to use the town library and shelving Accelerated Reader books in the cafeteria. To insure that library and/or media services are sufficient throughout the district, a standard formula for staffing, materials, equipment, and technology needs to be applied.

Staff development offerings are not consistently based on prioritized district needs, allowing for a considerable amount of funding to go toward individual staff development opportunities.

Recommendation

To enhance staff development efforts, future allocations of staff development resources should be based on prioritized district goals, needs, and multi-year planning. Also, a relationship between new textbooks/curriculum and staff development should be established. Surveys of staff development needs on a scheduled basis should also be used in the planning process.

Elementary schools have completed the School Improvement Process, as it relates to the State’s accreditation model; however, secondary schools have not entered into the School Improvement Process.

Recommendation

Kellogg Middle School and Kellogg High School should begin the School Improvement Process.

3.1.24 Observation

A number of parents expressed their concern over increasing academic standards and whether schools were preparing students to compete in a regional and global market and economy.

Recommendation

When reviewing district policies and procedures, the board needs to ensure that all input is gathered when addressing curricula district-wide. The world we will experience in the 21^st century requires that all students be able to compete favorably in one arena or another.

The middle and high school industrial education programs are transitioning from an industrial arts to an industrial technology curriculum.

Recommendation

It is recommended that the instructors of both programs need to continue their efforts to upgrade their skills/knowledge in the new industrial technology curriculum and obtain industrial technology certification. As teachers become proficient in the industrial technology curriculum, new industrial technology course offerings need to be introduced (i.e. woodworking should be replaced with construction technology, etc.).

Due to overstaffing, the district has not filled an industrial mechanics position at the high school.

Recommendation

It is recommended that the district work to combine the industrial technology position with the industrial mechanics position, so those students have opportunities in both areas. As the district looks at combining these positions, research should be done as to what other districts, the size of Kellogg, are doing.