BCP's new Middle Grades TECK (Teaching Effective Core Knowledge) Initiative is underway. The goal of the TECK Initiative is to create a rigorous middle grades curriculum for language arts, history and geography.
Three teachers at City Springs Elementary/Middle School are currently writing and field-testing the new curriculum: Nick West, Elani Odeyale, and Lauren Stoltzfus. BCP would like to thank these three teachers for the hard work it takes to not only write lessons, but to revise them through the field-testing process.
TECK combines four main elements:
- Core Knowledge: BCP is working with the Core Knowledge Foundation
to create a middle grades curriculum based on the Core Knowledge
Sequence - a core curriculum that is coherent, cumulative, and
content-specific in order to help children establish strong foundations
of knowledge, grade by grade.
- Common Core Alignment: TECK will will be aligned with the new
Common Core State Standards - a set of educational standards adopted by
45 states, which outlines the knowledge and skills that young people
need for success in college and careers.
- Common Curriculum Technology: TECK will utilize the Common
Curriculum web-based platform, which allows teachers to access the
curriculum online, create lesson plans, communicate with parents,
develop a class website and easily update material
- Effective Teaching, Assessment and Support: Everything BCP has learned about effective instructional design will be incorporated into TECK. Lessons will be field tested for two years and revised based on new student performance assessments. Teachers will receive intensive training and support so that they may focus on teaching to mastery instead of instructional design.
