In response to the Lakota Board of Education’s vote to approve an internal curriculum audit, Interim Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction Lori Brown presented the Community Curriculum Advisory Team (CCAT) at the March 27 special school board meeting.
“(The Community Curriculum Advisory Team) is going to serve as an advisory group to the curriculum team,” Brown explained to the Board. “We’re going to look at identifying concerns within the curriculum, look at our timetable for reviewing curriculum within the (team)…and bringing those updates back to the Board.”
The CCAT will be an advisory group that will provide recommendations to the district’s curriculum leaders and the Board of Education. From Lakota, Brown, Andrew Wheatley, director of curriculum grades 7-12, and Christina French, director of curriculum grades K-6, will serve on the team, in addition to other staff members as needed. Externally, each board member will select one person from the community to serve a two-year term.
In order to serve on the team, community members must:
- Be a current resident of Lakota;
- Be at least 21 years of age;
- Have professional experience in education or a related field;
- Not be a current Lakota employee;
- Be able to commit to regular attendance to a monthly meeting; and
- Be able to serve two years on the team.
The purpose of the CCAT is to identify concerns or needs within Lakota’s curriculum and conduct inquiries into any curriculum concerns brought to the team. Additionally, the CCAT will create a rubric to be used for inquiries and reviews as well as creating an ongoing, multi-year curriculum review schedule. “We’re hoping to wrap this into a proactive piece that will bring different curriculum pieces through this team and provide some feedback and recommendations,” said Brown. “But, we’re also looking to be responsive within this team and have a process for handling how we’ll deal with any kinds of concerns that come to the table related to any of Lakota’s curriculum.”
Currently, parents are encouraged to contact their student’s teacher and administrator if they have questions or concerns about curriculum. If parents continue to have concerns or questions, they can complete a form through Lakota Listens. This form goes directly to Brown and the curriculum department for review.
Interim Superintendent Robb Vogelmann also shared that in addition to reviewing any curriculum concerns that may arise, the CCAT will be used to further curriculum. “As new courses come online, (this will be) a set of eyes (to review the course) before we take it out to the public.”
Brown has requested that the Board nominate their community representative by mid-April in order to have the first CCAT meeting in May.
- school board