District, curriculum officials prepare for new year
It's that time of year again. The time when all of us begin to wrap up one calendar year while preparing for another. It is incredible to think it's almost 2008!
But while 2007 winds down, it is also time for our high school and district curriculum leaders to work together to determine changes in next school year's high school curriculum.
The process of changing high school course offerings is fairly extensive. Department chairpersons work with teachers and administrators to study our curriculum and determine possible changes to allow us to better serve students.
These efforts turn into proposals presented to our Staff and Curriculum Development Council, which reviews the proposed changes and makes recommendations to Geneva's Administrative Cabinet. After reviewing the more promising proposals, the Cabinet sends approved proposals to our District Leadership Council and then to the Board of Education for final approval or disapproval.
While a proposal can be moved along or stopped at any point, this process and the many individuals involved ensure that any curriculum changes will make sense and be successful for our students.
This time through the process, the Board of Education considered several new course offerings for the 2008-09 school year, including a number of language courses -- French II Honors, German II Honors, Spanish III Honors, and Spanish V -- a career exploration internship course for seniors, a yearbook leadership course, and a resource study hall worth ΒΌ credit for students with Individualized Education Plans.
The addition of each of these is meant to provide a broader range of instruction to meet the needs of all students. In addition, the Board of Education also considered recommendations allowing for credit for study abroad experiences and changing driver's education from a required course for graduation to an elective.
As a school district that continues to strive to serve our students better and better, we are making an even greater effort to consciously connect proposed curriculum changes to our District 304 goals. These goals are focused on improved reading and problem solving skills and success for all students. In essence, these goals serve as a filtering mechanism for proposed curriculum changes and proposed professional development programs, as well as being the driving force for allocating resources.
We are also working harder over time to better serve all students in order to move them closer to their potential. The discussions held at SCDC, Administrative Cabinet, Leadership Council, and most of our other committee meetings focus on how we can keep moving our continuous improvement efforts to help all students. Great examples of this are the recently added ninth-grade reading and study skills course along with the added honors levels courses.
In conclusion, not only do our course offerings reflect our 'Tradition of Excellence" but they also reflect our work to build on that tradition and to prepare all of our students for success in the future.