MODEL CURRICULUM

2. MODEL CURRICULUM

3. Goal and Purpose of the Model Curriculum Goal: The EEI Model Curriculum will provide a K-12th grade instructional continuum that helps students master California’s academic content standards and California’s Environmental Principles and Concepts. Purpose: The EEI Model Curriculum is intended to provide: • an SBE-approved, standards-based curricular materials, that can be used to teach the Environmental Principles and Concepts • a K-12 learning continuum aligned to California’s academic content standards and targeted at helping students achieve mastery of those standards at each grade level.

4. Designing the Model Curriculum

5. INPUT FROM EDUCATORS, SCHOOLS AND DISTRICTS

6. Gathering Input As part of the process of implementing the EEI, Cal/EPA and the CIWMB solicited input from: • Interagency Model Curriculum Planning Committee • Education Partnership • Educator Needs Assessment • County Office of Education Focus Group meetings

7. Interagency Model Curriculum Planning Committee • This committee included representatives from: • Cal/EPA • CIWMB • California Department of Education • State Board of Education — Curriculum and Supplemental Materials Development Commission • Office of the Secretary of Education • Resources Agency • Assemblymember Pavley’s Office • Guest: Heal the Bay

8. Interagency Model Curriculum Planning Committee • This committee helped to: • identify priorities for goals and scope of model curriculum e.g., standards, grade levels • guide decisions regarding the structure of the model curriculum • review grade-level sequence of instruction to achieve mastery of academic content standards and EP&C — based on standards alignment maps • review outlines of instructional plans • review process for developing writing teams for model curriculum • review draft of Model Curriculum Plan

9. Education Partnership • This groups includes representatives from: • collaborating state agencies • education organizations • business groups • universities • environmental organizations

10. Education Partnership • The partnership: • meets quarterly to review and comment on the materials developed for the EEI • helps communicate about the EEI to their constituents • supports fundraising planning and efforts

11. Educator Needs Assessment • Designed to gather information about teachers’ interests, constraints and perceived needs including: • current patterns of use of adopted and supplementary materials in science and history/social science; • preferred formats for the design and delivery of curriculum materials; • criteria that influence actual use of curriculum materials by educators; and, • preferred methods of delivery for professional development.

12. Educator Needs Assessment • The results of the ENA indicate that educators : • prioritize curricular materials targeted at 4th – 6th grades • are most strongly interested in the development of materials for the teaching of science, followed by history/social science and English/language arts • prefer printed rather than web-based curriculum materials • require curricular materials that address grade- and discipline-specific standards • need materials that are available to them at no cost

13. District-Level Focus Group Meetings • Organized with county offices of education from: • Los Angeles • Orange • Sacramento • Alameda • San Bernardino/Riverside

14. District-Level Focus Group Meetings • These focus groups were designed to gather information regarding: • attributes of high quality curricula • factors that might increase the use of the Model Curriculum • appropriate grade-level coverage for Model Curriculum • strategies for addressing academic content standards

15. MODEL CURRICULUM PLAN

16. Model Curriculum Design The plan for the Model Curriculum is based on the input from these stakeholders and the preliminary work on the: • Environmental Principles and Concepts • standards alignments maps • grade- and discipline-specific learning objectives

17. Outline of the Model Curriculum Plan • Introduction • Purpose of the Model Curriculum • Goals of the Model Curriculum • Development of the Model Curriculum Plan • Outline for Grade-Level Model Curriculum Components • Materials Design Strategies and Instructional Considerations • Program Attributes of the Model Curriculum • Learning Objectives Related to the EP&C • Scope and Sequence of the Model Curriculum • Plan for Incorporating or Connecting with Existing Education Materials • Assessment and Evaluation • Timetable • Appendices

18. Desirable Attributes for Model Curriculum • teaches to mastery of the standards • can be easily implemented by teachers • seamless incorporation into teacher’s instructional plans • does not place an extra burden on teachers • easy to implement by non-specialist teachers • offers teachers an alternative strategy to teach the content • makes use of and works well with adopted instructional materials • cost-effective • fits with established assessment practices • fully supported implementation with professional development and technical assistance

19. Alternative Materials Design Strategies

20. Instructional Design Considerations Several instructional factors will be used to determine which design elements should be included at any given grade. • depth and breadth of opportunities to connect instruction about the academic contents standards and the EP&C; • principle instructional goals at different grades utility of the EP&C as a contextual framework to help students understand specific content knowledge and skills; • academic development of the students; • potential for integration with adopted instructional materials; • ease of implementation by teachers at different grades; and, • building on knowledge of the EP&C gained at earlier grades.

21. Milestones for Development ofModel Curriculum