Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Curriculum Alignment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Northville board hears pitch to align middle-school curriculum across buildings
Summary
District leaders told the board they are moving to a guaranteed and viable curriculum—using Atlas, more teacher collaboration time and common assessments—to reduce variation between Hillside and Mees Mill and address recent score trends. The work is planned over multiple years with teacher-led decisions and peer review.
District leaders and middle-school staff presented a multi-year plan to the Northville Public Schools Board of Education to align curriculum and instruction across the district’s middle schools, saying the goal is an equitable “Northville experience” for students regardless of building. The board heard the presentation during its regular meeting, and trustees responded with support and questions about implementation.
Presenters said the initiative centers on a guaranteed and viable curriculum: teachers will identify priority standards, create common unit plans and learning targets, and build common assessments so sixth- through eighth-grade instruction is consistent across Hillside and Mees Mill. The district will use Atlas as the shared curriculum repository and has begun a self-audit to mark units as complete, in progress or needing work.
“We are asking teachers to collaboratively draw a roadmap for learning for the district,” a district instructional leader said, explaining the plan ties state standards to day-to-day learning targets and common assessments.
Teachers and department chairs who spoke to the board described practical steps already underway: cross-building department meetings, vertical alignment meetings (for example, having eighth- and ninth-grade teachers review each other’s work), peer reviews, and dedicated professional-development days to revise Atlas units. An ELA teacher who introduced himself as Jason Brooks, an eighth-grade language and literature teacher and department chair, said the extra time for collaboration has returned the district to practices that “we did really well a long time ago.”
Administrators emphasized that the work is teacher-led: teams will try to reach consensus first; if they cannot, department chairs and then building administrators can help. The presenters also described using data—PSAT and SAT trends were noted—to identify gaps and set priorities for improvement.
The board praised the approach as a means to improve equity. One trustee said the effort should give families confidence that “no matter what third-grade teacher you have… students will emerge with a similar educational experience as far as what we’re doing.” The board also noted the district’s intent to share its Atlas practices externally; Crystal Muhammad and Jennifer Lawson are scheduled to present on the district’s use of Atlas the next day.
Next steps described to the board include continuing the Atlas self-audit, rolling out common unit plans and assessments, scaling peer review across content areas, and bringing assessment designs for discussion in April and into the next school year. The presenters said some courses with fewer teachers (for example, a single German teacher) will require different timelines and supports so the work remains feasible for small programs.
The board did not take a formal vote on the curriculum plan at the meeting. Trustees expressed broad support and asked staff to return with updates on implementation and results.
