ISD Develops Educational Plan for Classroom Success
By Paul Gingras

Anew education plan for the 15 school districts in the E.U.P. is designed to help students succeed in today's public school system, which is driven by more rigid academic standards and reliance on standardized tests. The Eastern Upper Peninsula Intermediate School District (ISD) has developed the plan for kindergarten through 12th grade that is geared to match state-mandated learning goals in all subjects. It will standardize the timing of what is being taught in all area schools and push students to analyze the information they learn so they can do better on tests and has led to changes for both teachers and students in the districts that have adopted it.

The curriculum details the specific areas of mathematics, reading, writing, social studies, and science the state expects schools to cover, and at what grade levels. It is tied closely to the timing and content of standardized tests.

Curriculum planners call their plan the K-12 continuum, said Michelle Ribant, curriculum coordinator for the ISD. So far, eight E.U.P. districts have adopted it, and some school boards are still considering the plan, she said.

Adopting a regional curriculum is a break from the past. Traditionally, each school district selected its own curriculum, but may not have kept pace with new requirements.

Prior to 2003, for example, standardized tests for English language arts were given in grades four, seven, and 11. Now, students are tested on English in grades three through eight and in grade 11. So a school operating with an older curriculum may not schedule its students to cover certain information and skills by the time they are tested on them. A district may cover a certain skill in fifth grade that is now tested in fourth grade, for example.

Poor scores on standardized tests threaten federal funding for schools.

Districts must show the federal government that they are steadily increasing student aptitude in certain subjects. This is called Adequate Yearly Progress, and schools that do not demonstrate it over a number of years stand to lose all federal funding, Ms. Ribant said.

With state and federal tests in mind, the ISD's curriculum focuses on the skills state planners say should be taught at each grade level. The plan even offers detailed timelines for the teaching of specific information throughout the school year.

The timeline is on the ISD's Web site, along with activities, experiments, potential test questions, and full tests that teachers can access.

Since some topics do not lend themselves to multiple choice tests, the ISD encourages projects that push students to analyze the water cycle, for example, or describe it through laboratory experiments or reports. These show what students really know the subject, Ms. Ribant said.

The method frees teachers from relying on end-of-chapter tests, which don't necessarily challenge students to the state standards.

By aligning the curriculum with state requirements, the ISD hopes districts will be better prepared for the Michigan Educational Assessment Program, which some parents have noted includes tough questions, she said. The MEAP approaches subjects from several analytical angles.

Having districts operate with the same curriculum also benefits students who change schools, Ms. Ribant said.

For example, students in Brimley may be scheduled to learn about the water cycle in third grade, Ms. Ribant said. A student in another district may be scheduled to learn the material in fourth grade.

If he were to move to Brimley for fourth grade, he would miss coverage of the water cycle entirely, and this is a subject that appears on standardized tests, she said.

The ISD's curriculum details precisely when information should be covered because the state's new testing pattern requires students to be tested in the fall, rather than spring, as was traditionally done.

For example, testing at the beginning of fifth grade meant that an entire year of elementary school information was pushed to a lower grade and, for teachers, the implications were huge.

"Everything had to be redistributed," Ms. Ribant said. Teachers in districts that adopted the ISD's plan have been obliged to turn over materials to teachers at lower grade levels. In some cases, educators passionate about teaching certain subjects have migrated to different grade levels to continue teaching their favorite subjects, Ms. Ribant said.

Raising of the state's academic standards and the prevalence of standardized testing have caused dramatic differences for modern students, she added.

"In the old days, getting through school was a matter of seat-time," she said. "Now, they just cannot get through without mastering a certain bag of tricks," and high school students are beginning to feel the pressure of standardized graduation requirements.

The portion of the curriculum through eighth grade was developed by a team of educators representing districts throughout the E.U.P.

The 9th-12th grade plan, called Michigan Merit Curriculum, was developed by the state. The ISD merged the two, and added resources for teachers to create the K-12 continuum.

Districts have the option of adopting whatever kindergartenthrough eighth-grade curriculum they choose, but all schools must operate with the state's high school plan, Ms. Ribant said.

The state's standards for mathematics, reading, and writing were set two years ago. The ISD's curriculum reflects them, as do standardized tests. State social studies standards were established just over a month ago, and Michigan schools have 18 to 24 months to prepare for tests that cover the content.

The state has not fully defined what should be taught in science classes. It will probably do so in January 2008, Ms. Ribant said.

Meanwhile, the ISD does not want districts to wait for the new tests to adjust their curriculums.

To help prevent local districts from being caught off guard, ISD curriculum planners are keeping close tabs on what state education planners are doing, and the ISD's curriculum is constantly being adjusted to ensure that schools are teaching what the state wants, Ms. Ribant said.

The constant adjustments are the reason the ISD's curriculum cannot be found in any book. Rather, it is online for teachers to use and parents and students to view.

The EUPISD's curriculum can be found at www.eup.k12.mi.us. Click "curriculum."