Curriculum
End of school year instruction
Each spring, by direction of the Board of Education, schools
principals are sent a reminder that interruptions to instruction during the last
week of school are to be kept to a minimum. This does not mean, however, that
some school activities are not appropriate during this time. If you have
specific concerns about the activities during the last week of school, please
contact your school principal.
Asked at Olympus High School network meeting, November 28, 2007
Asked at Skyline High School community meeting, January 16,
2008
Top
English and writing skills
It is he
expectation of Granite School District that school and district decisions which
are made regarding instruction, assessment and professional development in
reading and writing shall be based upon the
Balanced Literacy Framework grades pre K-12
presented to the Board of Education on October 1, 2002.
(posted on the district
website)
That framework is based not only on the national standards
created by the National Council of Teachers of English and the International
Reading Association but also the Utah State Core Curriculum for Language Arts.
It provides a comprehensive literacy education beginning with reading
skills and strategies. The core encourages students to use language for
authentic purposes to gather information, to enrich thinking, to explore culture
and the human condition, and to be more forceful and articulate in using
language in their lives. It requires instruction in reading in literary
and informational text, including functional texts such as charts and diagrams.
It also supports reading and writing efforts across the
curriculum, assuming that content-specific teachers (science, social studies,
the arts, etc.) are addressing reading and writing in their particular courses
as they guide students through domain-specific learning. In Utah’s secondary
schools, students should spend at least 45 minutes writing during the school
day. In order to meet this goal, all content areas should spend time in writing
to learn as well as in writing to demonstrate learning. In addition, to create
common expectations for assessing writing, the Utah Secondary Language Arts Core
uses a form of analytical evaluation of writing based on six traits; the model
is used for consistency of vocabulary when talking about the development of
skill in writing, and for consistency of evaluation across schools and across
content area writing programs.
Asked at Olympus High School network meeting, November 28, 2007
Top
Financial literacy
Financial Literacy is a course specifically mandated by the Utah State
Legislature for high school graduation. The curriculum has been prescribed
by the Utah State Office of Education, and the USOE has determined that it
must be taught by a teacher appropriately certified in math, social studies,
or career and technical education. Each year, the USOE offers professional
development opportunities to teachers who have received this course
assignment to help them prepare to effectively teach the curriculum. Granite
District specialists in each of those three subject areas are also available
to provide teacher support in making this an engaging class.
Asked at Olympus High School network meeting, November 28, 2007
Top
Library consolidations
Some time ago, consideration was given to consolidating the county library
system with school library media centers. The concept became problematic on
several fronts. Supervision of and responsibility for an entire school
building and grounds after hours for the county library system poses
considerable expense. Many materials in a school library media system are
chosen to be supportive of classroom instruction and are aligned with the
state core curriculum in some cases; school libraries in all Granite
elementary schools also contain resources consistent with the
Interconnections curriculum used district wide. Expecting that a county
system would incorporate such additional materials into its system could
also burden that system, particularly when materials are shared and tracked
among schools across the district.
Asked at Olympus High School network meeting, November 28, 2007
Top
Math instruction
Math instruction in Granite District is aligned with the Utah
State Core Curriculum which articulates specific objectives and indicators at
all elementary grade levels and for most secondary math courses; the core is
also consistent with the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics focal
points. The district also routinely evaluates the textbooks approved as
primary instructional materials by the Utah State Office of Education and
approves for use in Granite schools only those that best and most
comprehensively support quality math instruction.
Teachers at all levels receive considerable instructional
support in Granite District. Exemplary math specialists demonstration
teach in actual classrooms and coach teachers in their own classroom instruction
after those observations. Professional development courses leading to
advanced math level endorsements are offered through the Teaching and Learning
Department for interested teachers. Opportunities to participate in
Algebra Academy and develop expertise in such things as using math manipulatives
are also readily available to Granite teachers.
The district website provides easy
access to instructional supports for all teachers and interested parents who
need only go online: core curriculum by grade/course level, essential concepts,
curriculum maps, benchmark grading sheets and manipulative lists, lesson plan
formats and rubrics, professional development opportunities, links to
professional math associations, even samples of student work.
Asked at Olympus High School network meeting, November 28, 2007
Top
Movies and TV in school
The use of rented
videos/DVDs in schools is strictly prohibited; commercial videos brought by
students or provided by their parents also CANNOT be shown. Purchased
videos may be used for “face-to-face” instruction
if a direct connection can be established
between the video/DVD content and the instructional objectives articulated in
the Utah State Core Curriculum. If the video/DVD is not selected from the
district or school media center (and those videos/DVDs are purchased in support
of specific curriculum content), the teacher must fill out a “Request to Show”
form that explains how the video/DVD supports the curriculum and must be signed
by the school administrator. It is expected
that the use of movies in the classroom is rare but always as a means of
enhancing instruction, not to takes its place.
Granite District does not allow the
showing of “R” or “X” rated materials. Use of materials rated “PG” or
“PG-13" must be approved by the principal and requires a signed parental
permission slip. Parents having read the explanation of the educational
purpose of the video/DVD who do not wish their children to view the video/DVD
should indicate their objection on the permission slip. An alternative
educational activity should be provided by the teacher.
It is expected that viewing of
television programs in Granite District classrooms
is consistent with the district policy on use of
videos/DVDs. A
parent or patron with a concern regarding video/DVD/TV use in a particular
classroom or school should feel free to express that concern to the appropriate
teacher and/or school principal and expect resolution of the issue.
Asked at Olympus High School network meeting, November 28, 2007
Asked at Skyline High School community meeting, January 16,
2008
Top
Need for more arts, languages, enrichment,
gifted programs
The state core curriculum mandates arts education K-12 and includes the
areas of music, visual arts, drama and dance. Granite School District has
always voiced strong support for arts education and has made multiple
efforts in recent years to bolster such programs.
The Board of Education doubled the number of teachers in the elementary
instrumental music program two years ago and increased the classes in band
and orchestra in our elementary schools from one to two days a week. An
additional elementary music specialist was added to district staff to create
integrated music lessons for use in music instruction by all elementary
teachers, and two such specialists coach teachers throughout the district in
related instructional strategies to better teachers’ music expertise.
Effective this year, elementary schools also have the latitude, assuming
Community Council and staff support, to designate up to one half of a
teacher allocation for an arts specialist to serve the school. Many Granite
elementaries are doing so; others are providing students with various types
of arts experiences through grant funding from Art Works for Kids or similar
sources.
In our secondary schools course offerings in the arts areas, like all other
courses, are driven by student need. In support of secondary arts programs,
the Board of Education doubled the specialist support in the areas of visual
art, drama and dance and continues to support the Granite Youth Symphony as
a renowned district program.
Many elementary schools offer enrichment programs both during and after
school in areas of specific community interest: chess club, Spanish
instruction, dance, etc. All schools at all levels address the needs of
gifted students in their individual schools.
Asked at Olympus High School network meeting, November 28, 2007
Top
Novel selections
Novels (fiction and non-fiction) carry powerful and important life lessons
and have significant literary import; therefore, novels used for
instructional purposes in Granite District are reviewed according to
district policy and by broad committee before they can be adopted for
general classroom use, adopted with annotations, or not allowed for
classroom use. Reviewers consider the recommending teacher’s goals and
educational rationale, core educational standards, and community ideals as
they make recommendations regarding the use or non-use of novels. The goal
of review is to assist teachers in enabling students to meet the mission of
the district (to prepare every student with the knowledge and skills needed
for lifelong success in a changing world) through the appropriate use of
novels.
When a parent has a concern about a novel which a teacher is using, the
parent is encouraged to talk to the teacher to discuss concerns,
instructional goals, and educational rationale for the novel’s use. If a
parent is uncomfortable in approaching the teacher, the school’s district
novels committee liaison or a PTA officer can serve as an intermediary to
help both the teacher and parent. A parent may contact the district
curriculum director for general assistance, as well as information regarding
the filing of an appeal for district reconsideration of the novel’s
approval, if the parent’s concerns are not resolved at the school.
Parents are encouraged to discuss concerns with the teacher or the school
liaison. By law, schools must respond to objections to materials or
curriculum content in one of several ways. Granite District teachers and
administrators make every effort to provide appropriate alternative reading
materials and/or assignments whenever a parent expresses concern over a
specific book title or related reading assignment.
Asked at Olympus High School network meeting, November 28, 2007
Top
Public school offerings
Granite School District is proud of the breadth and depth of instructional
programs and other possibilities it offers to students from preschool
through high school graduation and beyond. For students whose special needs
require intervention, there are a multitude of focused classes, specialized
personnel, and customized programs. For students who are so inclined,
Granite District offers enrichment opportunities at both the school and
district levels. Granite District, by virtue of its size and ability to
leverage resources, continues to offer a wide variety of options for
students given diverse academic needs, career and occupational goals,
talents and interests. It is incumbent on parents, students and counselors
to be aware of the many opportunities available to students in Granite
District and to determine “best fit” for individual students and guide them
to it.
Asked at Olympus High School network meeting, November 28, 2007
Top
Reading and writing skills
It is the
expectation of Granite School District that school and district decisions which
are made regarding instruction, assessment and professional development in
reading and writing shall be based upon the
Balanced Literacy Framework grades pre K-12
presented to the Board of Education on October 1, 2002.
(posted on the district
website)
That framework is based not only on the national standards
created by the National Council of Teachers of English and the International
Reading Association but also the Utah State Core Curriculum for Language Arts.
It provides a comprehensive literacy education beginning with reading skills and
strategies. The core encourages students to use language for authentic purposes
to gather information, to enrich thinking, to explore culture and the human
condition, and to be more forceful and articulate in using language in their
lives. It requires instruction in reading in literary and informational
text, including functional texts such as charts and diagrams.
It also supports reading and writing efforts across the
curriculum, assuming that content-specific teachers (science, social studies,
the arts, etc.) are addressing reading and writing in their particular courses
as they guide students through domain-specific learning. In Utah’s secondary
schools, students should spend at least 45 minutes writing during the school
day. In order to meet this goal, all content areas should spend time in writing
to learn as well as in writing to demonstrate learning. In addition, to create
common expectations for assessing writing, the Utah Secondary Language Arts Core
uses a form of analytical evaluation of writing based on six traits; the model
is used for consistency of vocabulary when talking about the development of
skill in writing, and for consistency of evaluation across schools and across
content area writing programs.
Asked at Skyline High School community meeting, January 16,
2008
Top
Teaching the state core curriculum
It is the expectation in Granite
District that all teachers at every level are familiar with, competent to teach
and accountable for instruction in the prescribed state core curriculum.
It is readily available
online,
and teachers have ample resources available to develop both their instructional
expertise and to support their teaching of the core: professional development
classes, instructional videos, curriculum maps, etc. Because student
learning is assessed in key content areas through criterion-referenced tests
(CRT’s) that tie directly to the core curriculum, Granite District has also
provided
Interconnections
as well as training in integrated thematic instruction to help elementary
teachers cover a very broad and extensive core curriculum during the course of
each year.
Asked at Skyline High School community meeting, January 16,
2008
Top
Upgrade textbooks, provide
for all classes
Textbook funding for schools is provided through both state monies and, in
Granite District’s case, a local tax levied nearly a decade ago for buildings,
textbooks and technology. These funds are allocated to schools on the basis of
student enrollment. In addition, the district provides a rotation schedule
recommendation which suggests the content area in which books ought to be
purchased annually to guarantee that each subject receives similar attention and
that textbooks used for primary instruction are current and tied to the core
curriculum. Recent surveys of schools have indicated that adequate funding is
available to meet their textbook needs. Not all teachers, however, provide a
book for every student to take home regularly. Such situations relate to books
used only as classroom resources, supplemental textbooks, research sources, etc.
All students in Granite District should have access to textbooks sufficient for
their needs. Questions concerning availability of specific textbooks should be
directed to the school principal.
Asked at Taylorsville High School community meeting, January
22,
2008
Top
Education of gifted
students, advanced learners
Granite District long ago acknowledged its need to differentiate educational
opportunities for academically gifted students by convening a gifted task force
which created a continuum of services from which schools would create their
gifted service patterns. Though the term Access Program is no longer used to
define those services, every school is expected to provide appropriate
educational experiences for gifted students that include time spent with gifted
peers and a properly endorsed teacher. Students who qualify as highly gifted may
choose to attend one of the two gifted magnet schools in Granite District.
Originally comprised of grades three through six, both magnet schools have now
expanded to include grades one and two which serve students identified in
kindergarten as advanced readers. Beyond the Basics is a district program that
provides summer classes for gifted students who choose to participate in one of
several integrated learning experiences provided by master teachers in the
gifted arena. Granite District is also considering a dual immersion magnet
program: an elementary gifted program that will serve identified gifted students
- both English and Spanish speakers - who would enjoy a bilingual approach to
elementary instruction.
Many elementary schools offer enrichment programs both during and after school
in areas of specific community interest: chess club, Spanish instruction, dance,
etc. All schools at all levels address the needs of gifted students in their
individual schools.
As gifted students leave elementary school they are encouraged to opt for a
rigorous academic course schedule including honors classes at the junior high,
though among our sixteen junior highs, the opportunities available to students
can be different.
The education of young adolescents is both challenging and rewarding. At the
root of quality middle level education is the belief that students in our junior
highs require developmentally appropriate experiences provided by caring adults.
They learn best when involved with integrated, engaging curricula provided in a
team structure. In enriched learning environments, these students thrive on
instruction based on exploration, discovery, and application of learned concepts
to the real world. What these characteristics look like may be very different
from community to community; essential to quality middle level education is the
concept of responsiveness to individual student needs and choices.
Granite District’s Board of Education has mandated that all its junior high
schools organize students into teams, provide common planning time for teachers
through which they can integrate curriculum, and provide professional learning
for teachers that meets the needs of young adolescents. The board also allowed
flexibility of student scheduling to accomplish these goals. It is both this
flexibility and responsiveness to student needs that determine course offerings,
extracurricular activities, collaborative experiences, etc. that vary from
school to school. Parents of gifted students are encouraged to investigate
course offerings and programs among the schools to best match their students’
needs with the options available.
A variety of Advanced Placement (AP) classes are available to gifted students in
all Granite District high schools. In addition, the International Baccalaureate
Programme is also available at two sites for highly motivated students who are
interested in a demanding two-year pre-university international curriculum
reflecting global standards. Questions about specific courses available, funding
for these programs or participation and testing fees required of students should
be referred to the principal of the high school of interest.
Granite District is committed to meeting the needs of its academically advanced
and gifted learners and will continue to introduce and expand initiatives
designed to address them.
Asked at Taylorsville High School community meeting, January
22,
2008
Top
Foreign languages at the
elementary level
Granite District supports world language education and acknowledges that
learning a foreign language is easier the younger the student. To that end, many
of our elementary schools are offering the FLES program, an exploratory program
of world languages and cultures that exposes sixth graders to Spanish and French
(and in some schools, an additional language) and Greek and Latin roots. Once
students have had this overview experience, many are better prepared to choose a
language to study in depth once they reach junior and senior high school.
Also, two elementary schools in Granite District began offering a dual immersion
program this year. Students are instructed in both Spanish and English beginning
in the first grade; by the end of sixth grade, participating students are likely
to be bilingual.
Asked at Taylorsville High School community meeting, January
22,
2008
Top