Overview
The Office of Teaching and Learning supports school communities in preparing every student for success in life, work, civic engagement, and higher education. It communicates clear and measurable standards and recommends, develops, and supports research-based curricular programs, assessments aligned with those programs, and interventions that provide optimal learning support for all CPS students.
The Office of Teaching + Learning is composed of all curricular areas, K-12: Reading/Language Arts; Mathematics; Science; Social Science and Service Learning; Arts Education, as well as strategic and management departments that support Teaching and Learning’s vision.
Goals
- All student will have access to rigorous, high-quality learning experiences across grade levels and schools
- All teachers have access to high-quality instructional supports that meet the needs of diverse learners
- All schools have access to coherent, consistent support through research-based curricula and strategic partnerships
District initiatives
- Establish and own common curricular standards
- Map/align district-supported instructional materials to state and national standards
- Vet and select district curricula options
- Make improvements to chosen instructional materials
- Use expert knowledge to consult Areas on use of chosen curricula
- Assist in ensuring alignment of district coaching and PD offerings to curricula
- Select and administer district-wide assessments
- Provide a standards-based assessment item bank
- Vet, select, and maintain list of intervention options aligned to curricula
Strategic initiatives
- Establish and own common curricular standards
- Map/align district-supported instructional materials to state and national standards
- Vet and select district curricula options
- Make improvements to chosen instructional materials
- Use expert knowledge to consult Areas on use of chosen curricula
- Assist in ensuring alignment of district coaching and PD offerings to curricula
- Select and administer district-wide assessments
- Provide a standards-based assessment item bank
- Vet, select, and maintain list of intervention options aligned to curricula
Current Projects
- Integration of curricula through all grade bands, K-12
- Response-to-Intervention definition and roll-out, districtwide
- Learning Targets definition and distribution
- Common standards/evaluation procedures
- Arts curriculum distribution and support
- Social Science curriculum distribution and support
Achievements
- New 6th grade Reading and Language Arts curriculum
- 76% of CPS elementary schools have adopted the district-supported Reading and Language Arts SCRMA
program
- 48% of CPS elementary schools are implementing the Chicago Math and Science Initiative, (district-supported mathematics and science), K-8
- 39% of our high schools have adopted the IDS (Instructional Development System) program
- Release of The Chicago Guide for Teaching and Learning in the Arts, a PreK-12 curricular map of the major arts disciplines
- Release of Social Science 2.0, a K-12 curricular map of what CPS students should know and be able to do in social science, integrated with service learning.
Resources