The details
HISD board managers approved the renewal of the curriculum during the meeting.
While the curriculum is already required at the district’s 130 New Education System campuses, Miles said 84 additional campuses will use the curriculum for at least five subjects, and 41 campuses will use it for at least one subject. Only five campuses will not use the curriculum at all, he said.
“It’s a really good curriculum,” Miles said. “It’s been improved over the last two years ... and even today, we’re working on the nuances.”
A closer look
According to the district’s website, the district developed curriculum includes daily timed lessons that include a learning objective for what students should be able to accomplish at the end of the lesson. After the lesson, students are subjected to a quiz used to help teachers identify students who understand the content and those who need more help.
Depending on how they performed, students are either sent to a team center to work on more rigorous assignments or kept in the classroom to receive more hands-on instruction, according to the website.
HISD Chief Academic Officer Kristen Hole said the district has been working to improve the curriculum since it was first implemented two years ago.
“One of the things we want to make sure teachers do is get directly to that learning objective,” Hole said. “Sometimes that actually requires removing things. Sometimes it requires visual cues ... to help the teacher with pacing.”
In response to feedback from parents and community members, Hole said officials have incorporated more novels into the district’s curriculum. Currently, one novel has been incorporated into the curriculum for third through eighth graders. Hill said an additional novel will be added for fourth and fifth graders.
Next year, Hill said the district is planning on adding another to the curriculum for sixth through 10th graders.
What they’re saying
Houston Education Association President Michelle Williams, who spoke during the public comments portion of the May 8 meeting, said she believed teachers should have more control over the time spent on lessons and the contents of the curriculum.
“The teachers in HISD control the classroom—not these people over here, not this board,” Williams said. “We don't have to follow your curriculum.”
Miles said campuses opting in to using the district developed curriculum when it’s not required shows the system’s value.
“The teachers in the schools want to use it,” Miles said. “They don't have to, but they're using it.”
