Q. How do we get started?
Answer: Schools that plan for change properly and do the research find that their initiatives are successful.
The first step is to research mapping; options include workshops, video conferences or on-line conferences.
The second step is hire a consultant. This person will assist in clarifying as well as focusing your efforts and the role mapping will play.
The third step is to have a consultant present the mapping process to your faculty (or cohort) and have them participate in a workshop experience BEFORE they map on their own.
Q. We are a small school, will it work for us?
Answer: Mapping will work for ANY size school. Small schools actually have an advantage because their communication is easier to network, their technology costs are less, and they can offer more support to their faculty for less money.
Q. We can't afford the technology right now, should we begin mapping anyway?
Answer: Yes, you should begin the planning and the education of the administration and faculty about what mapping is and how it will help imporve students’ performance. This takes time and does not require the technology. Eventually you will have a small cohort begin mapping. It is this group that should investigate the different types of technology. They will know the questions that are important for your school's mapping initiative. Three of the leading technology types that are currently sending representatives to schools are Techpaths, Curriculum Mapper, and Rubicon Atlas.
Q. What about schools with unique curriculums such as parochial, private, and schools that specialize in special needs?
Answer: Mapping is essential for all of these schools. Schools that have complicated curriculum issues should spend extra time planning how mapping is going to serve them specifically. These schools often struggle with teachers having to work in isolation. This isolation can lead to teacher frustration and an inconsistent student experience.
Note, private schools and independent schools savor and protect their autonomy. Using curriculum mapping will protect autonomy while work to ensure that it is an informed autonomy to meet the many needs of the student.
Q. How do we train the teachers to map the curriculum?
Answer: In many cases teachers are already doing some form of mapping and using it as a private organizer. The real challenge is creating a common vocabulary and supporting a culture of sharing this information. Janet Hale said it best at a conference in Palm Springs in 2004, "Make no mistake - mapping is emotional!" For teachers this is the most difficult part and it is critical that the administration understand and be supportive.
Note, the common vocabulary should be developed before the faculty begin so that teachers do not feel that their work time is wasted in any way.
Q. Where do we find the time?
Answer: Ah - time. Once you finally begin it is important that mapping replace your current curriculum review process and NOT be adding to it. Department/grade level and faculty meetings will become centered on the varied aspects of mapping and its dividends. To get started though, takes dedication because it is front end heavy. Most schools utilize professional development days and orientation days at the beginning of the year.
Q.Is there a documented connection between student improvement and curriculum mapping initiatives?
Answer: Yes, the Indiana Center for Evaluation produced a report that analyzed 50 improved school districts in Ohio for elements that the faculty and administration thought were influential in their improvement. Of the six common variable between all 50 schools the number one element was curriculum alignment initiatives. Curriculum alignment initiative do not work in isolation. Dynamic leadership, teacher cooperation and involvement, clear goals that are updated in real time, and other elements are equally important for long-term success. Heidi Hays Jacobs who has posted to this question extensively on her website.
Improvement in performance can never be attributed to any one single factor or any one program. There are a cluster of factors that contribute to sustained improvement. Consider the success of programs like Reading Recovery or Success for All, which share these attributes as well. It is clear that this cluster reflects the very heart and reality of what the Curriculum Mapping process is about. In short, it is not having maps that improves performance, it is using them with these attributes in practice. The attributes include:
A specific observable and measurable proficiency
Ongoing collection of performance data; item analysis of those data
Review both horizontally and vertically among the actual people responsible for instruction
Adjustments to the instruction based on the item analysis
Planning time on a regular basis for review of student performance among the people who share the care and instruction for the target population
Sufficient time to allow for sustained growth among the students
"I would suggest that the result of mapping is deliberate accountability; precision articulation of common student performance goals both horizontally and vertically; and ongoing review of those goals IN REAL TIME. The alternative is the norm, which usually does not provide for this degree of communication. " (Jacobs, Heidi Hayes, 2004)
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