El Paso ISD begins district-wide curriculum audit
The El Paso Independent School District began it’s district-wide curriculum Monday. A team of 20 auditors fromCurriculum Management Systems, Inc. will interview parents throughout the week, asking for feedback.
Parent Josie Tellez spoke to one of Curriculum Management Systems 20 auditors.
She has a second and fourth grader that attend Aoy Elementary, the first campus EPISD is holding a listen session for parents who want to give feedback.
“She just asked me to see if I had any concerns, what I thought were the strengths, what I thought were the weaknesses of the district,” Tellez said.
Tellez’s thoughts, along with feedback gathered from teachers, counselors, administrators, principals will be complied by auditors. Their mission is to find out what the curriculum is and how that curriculum leads to student learning.
“You can look at the teacher but you also have to look at the system the teacher is teaching in that’s the key piece,” said curriculum expertDr. Fenwick English.
English leads the team of auditors. Together they will look for ambiguity in lesson plans that make it harder for teachers to turn EPISD’s vision into classroom practice.
“We’re trained to look at those areas and make suggestions for improvement, so that what children are learning in the classroom is what they should be learning, it’s also what they’re going to be assessed on,” English said.
It’s the assessments that brought Tellez to her childrens’ school Monday afternoon. She wants the district to help her kids get through STARR testing without as much stress.
It’s just one request out of a district of made of nearly 65,000 students.
But EPISD says it counts.
“You really don’t know what’s happening if you don’t know the impact to the parents, to the kids, regarding homework, what they’re kids are learning, how the kids are being served,” said Superintendent Juan Cabrera. “So their input is critical to make sure were doing the right thing in Central office, to make sure we’re doing the right thing for the kids.”
The audit costs $180,000. The district said it will take the suggestions of the auditors and implement them over a span of three-to-five years.
The audit will provide feedback on every aspect of the district’s educational system. Parents will have the opportunity to speak directly to the auditors to offer feedback about EPISD at the following locations:
Northeast Jan. 14, 2014 3:15-4:15 p.m. Whitaker Elementary Library
West Jan. 15, 2014 3:15-4:15 p.m. Guerrero Elementary Community Room
South Jan. 13, 2014 3:30-4:30 p.m. Aoy Elementary Library
Central Jan. 14, 2014 3:15-4:15 p.m. Rusk Elementary Room 22
