Curriculum & Instruction
The Curriculum & Instruction Department oversees the teaching and individual support that each District 401 student receives.
It is District 401's vision to provide all of our students the opportunity to be successful in meeting and surpassing the rigorous expectations of the Illinois State Learning Standards.
These standards are a culmination of the Common Core English Language Arts and Mathematics Standards, the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and the College, Career and Civic Life (C3) Framework.
The District believes that improving upon a student's ability to read, write, collaborate and problem-solve will allow the student to have a more fruitful experience within the core contents.
An Articulated Curriculum
Our curriculum is designed to ensure that students leave District 401 ready for college success, career fulfillment and a lifetime of continual learning.
To this end, the District has used the opportunity created by our Technology Initiative to build a K-12 curriculum that is articulated across and within subjects, grade levels and schools.
"Articulation" refers to the coordination and logical progression of learning objectives within curricular content areas, from course to course and from grade to grade.
When a curriculum is articulated, staff and administration use the same language and expectations. This allows the District's teachers to collaborate more effectively within — as well as across — schools and grade levels. Students receive a seamless learning experience, regardless of the school they attend or the classroom they are assigned to.
For example, if a student is enrolled in 5th grade at one of our two elementary schools, the curriculum in that student's classroom will be the same as the one in our other 5th-grade classrooms. The instruction may be differentiated to meet specific needs and strengths, but the fundamental standards, objectives and curriculum materials will be the same.
An Interactive Curriculum
To put this articulated framework into action, District 401 faculty members use standards-based curriculum materials featuring interactive e-texts. Our e-texts include the following: