Thanks to mapping, teachers and principals now come together to have more "focused" conversation because of the common denominator they all share -- their maps.                                                                    
                                   -- Dr. Tom Hoover, Director of Educational Services
                                       Newton Community School District, IA

Over three years ago, the leadership at Newton Community School District recognized that the "taught" curriculum didn't always match the "written curriculum." They embarked on the process of curriculum mapping to help align their curriculum, instruction and assessment.

We asked. Dr. Tom Hoover, Director of Educational Services at Newton, to share his thoughts on the progress of the district.

Collaborative Learning, Inc.: What made you decide to start curriculum mapping?
Tom Hoover: The decision to begin curriculum mapping grew out a long-standing concern about the way the curriculum was being delivered across the district. Specifically, the "taught" curriculum was different from the "written" curriculum of the district. Administrators and teachers were in agreement that not all students were getting "the same stuff" curriculum-wise. Likewise, everyone was in agreement that the district had alignment issues regarding what was taught, what was tested, and how students were tested. Curriculum mapping was viewed as a way of getting everyone "on the same page" relative to curriculum, instruction and assessment.

CLI: When did you start?
TH: The district first started using Curriculum Mapper in August 2005 by training its Curriculum Mapping Council consisting of all district administrators and a team of 20 teacher-leaders. The Curriculum Mapping Council spent the fall 2005 semester learning to map and then facilitated, during the spring 2006 semester, the process of teaching teachers how to diary map. All teachers began diary mapping at the start of the 2006-07 school and continued mapping throughout that entire school year.

CLI: Who led the charge?
TH: A core group of leaders serving on the district's Curriculum Mapping Cabinet were responsible for leading the curriculum mapping charge. The Curriculum Mapping Cabinet consists of the following individuals: Steve McDermott, Superintendent, Dr. Tom Hoover, Director of Educational Services, Wendy Parker, Coordinator of Special Education, Lisa Sharp, Assistant Middle School Principal, Jim Gilbert, Elementary Principal, Mark Moss, Elementary Principal, Ann Nelson, Secondary Library-Media Specialist, Deborah Rose, Middle School Math Teacher, and Mark Law , Elementary Teacher. 

CLI: How has mapping most benefited the district?
TH: Curriculum mapping has helped the district in its efforts to foster a culture based on the principles of a Professional Learning Community. These principles include: collaboration, collective inquiry, action orientation, continuous improvement, and results orientation. Thanks to mapping, teachers and principals now come together to have more "focused" conversation because of the common denominator they all share -- their maps. 

The success of curriculum mapping to-date is that all teachers are mapping and they are creating quality maps following an agreed-upon district format. These maps represent a wealth of curriculum "data" that the district has never had before. Consequently, it is clear that an infrastructure is beginning to emerge that will allow the district to begin realizing its goal of a tightly-aligned, core curriculum.

CLI: Looking back, what was your biggest obstacle?
TH: The district's biggest obstacles were "finding the time to do all this" and building the capacity (making sure everyone knows the curriculum mapping process and how to use Curriculum Mapper) needed to effectively curriculum map. We have not completely overcome these obstacles but were gaining on it. The successes we've experienced in meeting the time and capacity challenges have been the result of making curriculum mapping the highest district priority (it comes first) and thoughtful long-range planning.

CLI: What was your biggest surprise?
TH: It is much more than simply asking teacher to "write down" what they're teaching. Curriculum mapping is a major undertaking that totally transforms the curriculum development process.

CLI: What are your plans for the future?
TH: The district is unveiling, during the 2007-08 school year, the process of consensus mapping. By the end of the school year, the district expects to have in place "draft" consensus maps in the areas of K-6 English Language Arts and Mathematics, and secondary maps (7-12) in English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Performing Arts.

CLI: What advice would you give to other schools that want to begin mapping?

TH: Give yourself at least one year to build your district's curriculum mapping capacity before asking teachers to curriculum map. Some steps that need to be taken during that year include:

• Make sure all administrators and a cadre of teacher-leaders from each building are well-versed in the theory and process of curriculum mapping.
• Pick the curriculum mapping software that represents the best fit for what the district intends to do curriculum mapping-wise.
• Build an organizational structure that empowers certain key individuals to make the crucial decisions; have in place a group that can monitor progress and suggest changes that may be necessary in order to sustain the curriculum mapping initiative.
• Give teachers at least a semester to practice mapping before asking them to do it "for real."
• Keep administrators and teachers appraised of the importance of mapping by continually pointing out ways in which their maps will "come in handy" so that they see a reason to map.

The Newton Community School District is a Pre-K/K-12 district serving about 3300 students. The district consists of 5 elementary schools (organized as neighborhood schools), one 7-8 middle school, one high school (9-12) and one alternative high school (9-12). Approximately 33% of the district's students qualify for free or reduced lunches and about 13% receive special education services. Newton is located 30-minutes east of Des Moines and is thought of as a "bedroom" community to Iowa's capital city.