CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTIONAL SERVICES

Newport News Public Schools has begun a major curriculum redesign that is expected to last for several years. The goal of the redesign process is to create a standards-based curriculum that provides all students with rigorous, high quality learning activities, regardless of grade or subject.

During the redesign, each course is to be the subject of a ‘backward design' model. In backward design, the state and national standards are used to determine the big ideas or major understandings that students should learn. Once the big ideas are identified, appropriate assessment and learning activities are created to provide students with problems and situations that mirror those found in the world at large. Instructional strategies are chosen to challenge and engage students deeply while keeping the focus on learning. The curriculum design as well as the instructional strategies it contains are composed of the best practices identified to date by current research on learning theory.

UNDERSTANDING BY DESIGN

The theory and practice that underscores this curriculum redesign can be found in Understanding by Design, written by Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins and published by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) in Alexandria, Virginia.

PROFICIENCIES AND LEARNING BEHAVIORS

A district-wide set of learning habits has been identified. In a world where success is a complex mix of knowledge and skills, these behaviors contribute to a well-educated individual. These habits delineate the personal and social proficiencies that each student in Newport News Public Schools develops in our educational setting. The Proficiencies and Learning Behaviors for Students in Newport News Public Schools are designed to complement the subject matter being learned. They spiral through the entire curriculum, beginning in the earliest grades and ending when students receive their diplomas from high school. Throughout their time in Newport News Public Schools, students encounter numerous opportunities to develop and expand their practice of these proficiencies and learning behaviors.

Proficiencies and Learning Behaviors for Successful NNPS Students

• Life-Long Learning (LL)
  Defined by: curiosity, pursuit of knowledge, real-life applications, searching for understanding and meaning, self-improvement, aesthetic appreciation

• Communication (CS)
  Defined by: reading, writing, speaking, listening, presenting, selecting media, artistic expression

• Ethical citizenship (EC)
  Defined by: interpersonal skills and teamwork, tolerance and appreciation, cooperative group behavior, making wise choices

• Information Literacy (IL)
  Defined by: research, evaluating and using resources, information gathering, crediting sources, using technology

• Thinking and Reasoning (TR)
  Defined by: critical thinking, creative thinking, prioritizing knowledge, examining, interpreting, and analyzing evidence, problem solving, logical reasoning, sequencing, using technology

• Work and Wellness (WW)
  Defined by: organization, self-monitoring, time management, work ethic, productivity, healthy behaviors

• Technological Proficiency (TP)
  Defined by: tools for learning, productivity, access, expression, problem solving, communication