April 12, 2022
Image of activities from the April 12th meeting.

We've reached the end of the pilot of the social science materials CSD is considering for adoption.  During our meeting on 4/12, teachers spent time focused on survey results that gave us a picture of what the student experience had been like for each curriculum over the course of a few different lessons.  Teachers also prepared to present to their individual schools about the scoring process that any teacher who piloted materials went through the following day during CT.  The committee will be reviewing these scores and beginning the process to build a recommendation for the board during our next meeting on the 19th.

March 8th & 29th, 2022

During March, our adoption was focused heavily on implementation and piloting.  The committee did check-ins about how the pilot was going at each of their schools and in their classrooms.  Along with these check-ins, we began some vertical alignment work with our standards to look at the way students' learning within each strand of standards grows through the course of their K-12 social sciences education.  On the 8th, we focused on the economics standards and on the 29th, we focused on the financial literacy standards.  As we move into our April meetings, we will be working to compile the data we have collected from parents, students, and teachers over the course of this instructional materials pilot

February 22nd, 2022
Information from February 22 meeting

Our pilot is now in full swing with all teachers who are piloting having begun their pilot unit.  Each curriculum involves inquiry in alignment with the C3 Framework, which is the national standard for social science education.  During the adoption committee meeting on the 22nd, teachers analyzed how inquiry shows up in the units being piloted and practiced writing compelling questions in student-friendly language related to the topics being covered.  We also continued the standards work teachers began on February 8th and worked on creating developmentally appropriate feedback forms for students to fill out so the committee can hear about the pilot experience from the perspective of the students.  We look forward to continuing our standards work during our next meeting in March.

February 8th, 2022
Image of group project from meeting on February 8.

During our February 8th meeting, we worked in grade level teams to analyze the current Oregon social science standards.  Teachers identified student actions and outcomes related to standards for the lessons teachers will be piloting starting next week.  To wrap up our time, the committee discussed what units will be piloted for each curriculum at each grade level as well as the upcoming professional development each company will provide for teachers as part of the pilot kick off.

January 25th, 2022

The adoption committee met once again on January 25th.  During this meeting, the committee finished its initial review of curriculums and made recommendations for piloting.  Teachers on the committee and additional staff will engage in the use of these instructional materials through the months of February and March.  The committee will work with their schools to provide professional learning and support to teachers as we enter into the piloting process.  More information will be released about this pilot in the coming weeks along with opportunities for families and community members to give feedback on the curricula being piloted.  If you are interested in viewing or giving feedback on instructional materials, please use the contact information on the adoption process page to get ahold of Danielle Reynolds and Amanda Graber.

January 18th, 2022
Photo with information from the January 18th meeting

During our meeting today, we welcomed several new committee members including 3 parents and a member of our school board.  We are hitting a crucial point in our adoption process: choosing materials to pilot.  During our meeting on the 18th, grade-band teams met to do a formal review of the curriculums being considered.  Teams worked together to discuss and score each curriculum on several indicators around how the curriculum connected learning to real life, the curriculum's connection to Oregon's social science standards, the teacher materials provided, the quality and diversity of the sources referenced throughout the curriculums.  All teams were able to make considerable progress, but we were unable to complete a review of each material.  For this reason, the committee will be adding an additional meeting to finish discussing the materials.  Once the review has been completed next week, the committee will move forward with a recommendation for piloting.

January 11th & 12th, 2022
Photo of information from the January 11th and 12th meeting

On January 11th and 12th, the adoption team met with each publisher being considered for piloting.  The time was used to demo the curriculum, answer questions, and give teachers a chance to preview what they would see and have for use if CSD moved forward with each company.  Elementary teachers met with 4 publishers, while middle school met with 3 and high school met with 2 publishers.  During our next meeting, gradeband teams will be doing a formal review of materials based on their own exploration and these presentations and make recommendations to the Teaching and Learning department about which materials CSD should pilot.

December 14th, 2021
Image and graph of 2021 Ethnic Studies Integrated Social Science Standards

On December 14th, our committee met with Amit Kobrowski from the Oregon Department of Education.  The team started with a conversation about the important concepts, skills, and content covered in each grade band so teachers could understand what their colleagues at other grade levels are focusing on.  After this grounding activity, Amit walked the committee through the ways in which the standards changed from 2018 to 2021, what drove those changes, and how the changes will affect what is taught during the year.  After the overview, the committee was introduced to the curriculums they will review during the next stage of our adoption process.  We are looking forward to meeting with the committee to continue the review process in January!

December 7th & 8th, 2021
Image of group project from meeting on December 7 & 8.

On December 7 and 8, we held the inaugural meetings for our Social Sciences Adoption Committee.  During this first meeting, we set out with four goals:

  1. Create a vision for social sciences instruction in Canby
  1. Review our process and timeline for the work
  1. Review current curriculum maps and standards alignment
  1. Provide input on priorities and next steps

The group participated in activities around creating a shared vision and grounding ourselves in the work ahead. The common themes that came up were wanting a curriculum that was deeply engaging for students, unbiased and culturally responsive, collaborative, and fosters critical thinking.  As we move into the curriculum review phase of this process, the common themes will be at the forefront of our decision making.

A Look Ahead:  During our next meeting, we will be hearing from Oregon Department of Education's Amit Kobrowski about changes to the state's social sciences standards and begin our instructional materials review.