Curriculum transparency gives parents a voice
CFSD has a long-standing practice of making curriculum information available on its website for anyone to access. Take a quick tour of the District’s website to find curriculum documents for Elementary, Middle, and High School Courses. On these pages, interested parties can click on any grade level course and see all the benchmarks for each course/subject matter.
Further, when a new curriculum or a revision is presented to the board for approval, even more detailed documentation is included in the board book which is always available to the public. For just one example of the detailed information provided for all to see, refer to the April 13, 2021 Regular Governing Board meeting agenda on Board Book Premier. During this meeting, the Board was presented with detailed curriculum documents for the following high school courses:
Earth & Space Science
Advanced Biotechnology
Advanced Computer Programming
Concert Orchestra
All documents presented to the Governing Board are accessible to the public via Board Book Premier. On the Governing Board page of the District’s website, anyone can click on the CLICK HERE for Board Meeting Notices/Agendas, Minutes and The Boarder (meeting summary) near the bottom of the page to be directed to this site which houses those documents as well as meeting agendas and minutes.
When the District goes through a revision of curriculum, it often includes changes in textbooks and supporting curriculum materials. There is always a 60-day materials preview that takes place before the adoption of any curriculum materials. Simply contacting the District or your school will provide anyone with the instructions on how to view these materials. During this two-month review period, the public not only can read all proposed curriculum but also can submit comments and questions through an online form or by directly emailing the Associate Superintendent (Dr. Conery). Parental input and feedback has been and will continue to be a part of the revision process.
Parents interested in materials currently being used in the classroom need simply contact the principal at the school to arrange for this review. Also, the District’s website lists all core textbooks and resources being used. This listing is updated each year as the curriculum is reviewed.
Our Board’s policies on materials review (in Section I of the Board policy manual titled Instructional Program) and all Board policies can be found on the District’s website. CFSD values excellence in its curriculum and will continue to work hard to keep up this tradition and the ongoing accessibility and openness to the public while doing so.