Curriculum and Instruction

The Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Marietta City Schools provides leadership and support for teaching and learning in grades K-12, as well as the supervision and professional development of local school faculty and administration.

The department led by Dr. Debra Pickett, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, is organized into four areas: Elementary Education, Secondary Education, Instructional Technology, and State and Federal Programs. Together the departmental team ensures effective and efficient K-12 curricular and instructional support in accordance with local and state school board policies and procedures.

The Department of Curriculum and Instruction is committed to providing an instructional program that supports academic achievement for all students in the Marietta City Schools community.

News

CSI MATHEMATICS - Curriculum Support Information
CSI Mathematics is an online mathematics resource for parents, teachers, and students. Contents include concepts investigated in class, suggestions for activities to explore at home, vocabulary used in the unit, grade-appropriate readings related to the math content, and links to other Web site resources.

Middle School Parent and Student Guide to Mathematics
This support booklet has been written for middle school parents and students. Contents include a brief explanation of the new math curriculum, ways to study mathematics, math vocabulary, important dates, and parent resources on the Internet.

CRCT Study Guides Available
Georgia Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) Study Guides now available for teachers and families to help prepare students in grades one through eight for the 2009 CRCT. These study guides provide an overview of the purpose of the test, preparation tips, and practice quizzes.
CRCT online practice

Changes to Grades 9-12 Math Courses
School year 2009-2010 is the second year of implementation of the new Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) math curriculum at Marietta High School.

About the Georgia Performance Standards

The Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) are curriculum documents phased in for core content areas over several years beginning in 2005-2006 with English Language Arts in all grades, Science (grades 6 and 7, 9-12) and Math (grade 6). High school Mathematics I Performance Standards began in 2008-2009. Mathematics II (2009-2010), Mathematics III (2010-1011), and Mathematics IV (2011-2012) will complete the performance standards implementation process for core content courses. Georgia Performance standards continue to be developed in other content areas. See www.georgiastandards.org for more information.

• Subject-specific reviews of the Georgia Performance Standards

Performance Standard: Performance standards identify what students should know, understand, and be able to do. They provide clear performance expectations for assessment, instruction, and student work. With the implementation of the new Georgia Performance Standards (GPS), Marietta City Schools will now administer GPS benchmark tests that directly correlate to the new standards.

The GPS includes elements, sample student work, suggested tasks, and teacher commentary.

• Elements: Parts of the content standard that identify specific learning goals associated with the standard. They are the specific parts of a content standard that should be learned by all students in a specific grade or course.
• Tasks: Provide a sample performance that demonstrates to teachers what students should know and be able to do by the end of the course.
• Student Work: Student work samples are included in the GPS to specify what it takes to meet the standard and to enable both teachers and students to see what meeting the standard “looks like”.
• Teacher Commentary: Enables students to see why they did or did not meet the standard and enables them to take ownership in their learning.

What is Standards-Based Education?

• The focus is on student learning
• Expectations are the same for all students
• Standards are expressed through essential questions and supporting skills and knowledge
• Assessments are used to guide and modify instruction
• The effectiveness of instruction is judged on whether or not students meet the standard