D181 Seeking Administrator to 'Integrate' Curriculum, Assessment

The District 181 Board of Education unanimously approved on April 9 a new administrative position responsible for linking curriculum and assessment and making sure students are correctly identified and learning at the appropriate level as a part of the curriculum overhaul that’s currently being discussed.

The Director of Curriculum, Assessment, and Instruction, according to the District 181 job posting, will be “responsible for providing leadership that assists in integrating curriculum, assessment, and instruction” and for supporting principals and teachers “in providing District 181 students with a rigorous, comprehensive curriculum using highly effective instructional practices that are guided by formative and summative assessments.”

Superintendent Dr. Renée Schuster said it’s important that curriculum and assessment be hand-and-glove.

“What’s most critical is that we see that assessment is an integral part of the process,” she said. “It is not a separate item.”

An evaluation of the district’s gifted program last November has sparked a wide-ranging discussion about the district’s curriculum. In addition to modifying identification of gifted students, the district is looking to increase differentiation in all of its classrooms and advance its math program so that most students have completed Algebra I by the time they finish eighth grade.

Schuster presented a curriculum transition plan for the 2012-13 school year while admitting the end-product that the district is transitioning to is not yet finalized.

“The final answer is not completely clear, but what is clear is that we have critical work in front of us that we need to get done,” Schuster said in advocating for the new administrator.

The district is looking for someone with a minimum of four years’ teaching experience, who demonstrates leadership, and who shows an understanding of statistical techniques that are used to accurately assess students.

That last bit was added after last week's meeting, which took place at in Hinsdale. Board member Brendan Heneghan said accurate assessment is what he thinks is most important to the community.

“Whoever we hire has to have a strong, capable statistical background,” Heneghan said. “If they can’t do that identification analysis, it’s not going to help us.”

The Director of Curriculum, Assessment, and Instruction position was approved after two other proposed positions meant to serve a similar purpose—a Director of Assessment and a more temporary Teacher on Assignment—did not get the support of the board in prior discussions.

Schuster said the base salary for the new position would be $130,000 and would total $158,000 with benefits. The director would report to the Assistant Superintendent for Learning, which would be the new title for current Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Instruction Dr. Janet Stutz.

Schuster said there is "exceptionally important" work that needs to get done in the new Department of Learning and that Stutz can't do it alone.

"We need another person to achieve that goal," Schuster said.