The Council has initiated a project to develop a Survey of Enacted Curriculum instrument that will assist states in collecting, analyzing, and reporting data on classroom instruction in reading and language arts in elementary schools and instruction in English in secondary schools. The Council is collaborating with the states, North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL) and the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER). The survey instrument will include a content framework by which teachers will report on instructional content in language arts, reading, or English, and the same framework will be used by CCSSO to assist states in analyzing alignment with state standards and assessments.
Goals for Development
- design and test reliable method to collect, analyze, and use curriculum and instructional data
- establish common survey, and report by tools
- support alignment of standards and assessments
- demonstrate professional development and technical assistance with data
Intended Outcome
The development phase of ELAR SEC includes a pilot study of the draft survey. The survey instruments will be ready for use in many states and districts by fall 2003. Currently, eight states are participating and other states and large districts are invited to join this project.
The Survey of Enacted Curriculum (SEC) for English Language Arts and Reading is designed to provide reliable, comparable data on instructional practices and content of instruction. The data analysis and reporting methods will allow educators and administrators to analyze instruction within a school and across schools, districts, and states. The survey design and alignment process are based on state and national content standards in language arts, reading, and English.
The alignment analysis using the SEC content framework will allow states to compare their standards and assessments with instruction, as well as with standards and assessments in other states and national standards or frameworks. CCSSO's work with states will include a design for technical assistance and professional development with educators to facilitate the use of enacted curriculum data, with student assessment results, toward the goal of improving quality of instruction.
The Survey of Enacted Curriculum ELAR SEC instrument and strategies for professional development with data will be modeled after the mathematics and science surveys that have been successfully developed and implemented by CCSSO and Wisconsin Center for Education Research over the past several years.
For Further Information
- for development plan for ELAR SEC
- for information on the spring 2003 pilot study
- for information on the SEC Mathematics & Science Project
CCSSO Project Staff
Rolf K. Blank, Director of Education Indicators
Arthur Halbrook, Senior Project Associate
Natalie DuBois, Project Assistant
