Role of Administrators

• Considering the needs, interests and resources of the school community and school division, assist teachers to determine the order in which the core and optional units will be presented.
• Support the development of a large and varied collection of resources to support resource- based learning.
• Support and encourage teachers to cooperate to plan instructional strategies and methods, as well as evaluation strategies.
• Inform parents, boards and community about the philosophy and rationale of the new courses. This is especially critical when each student does not have a personal copy of a textbook.
• Encourage teachers to make the maximum use of community resources.
• Monitor the programs and provide support and assistance where necessary.

Are teachers supported in attending the implementation workshops?

What other provisions can be made for staff development?

Is inservice and teacher education adequate? In what specific areas is more help needed?

What provisions are in place to free up time for teacher planning?

Is teacher planning time sufficient to support the achievement of program objectives?

Do administrators and trustees understand and support the program?

Have steps been taken to make parents aware of the program and its objectives?

Maintenance

"The teacher has a key role as classroom manager; managing time, people, resources, and the classroom environment including collaboration with other teachers and students."

(From Science for Saskatchewan Schools: Summary of Framework for Science Curriculum Development. Draft chart published by Saskatchewan Education, 1987.) Supporting teachers can be achieved through addressing the key questions related to implementation considerations and the following questions which focus upon maintenance needs:

To what extent are teachers familiar with the actual curriculum guide, its philosophy, foundational objectives, activities and methods? (This is what is meant by the intended curriculum.)

To what extend do the actual experiences which teachers provide (the taught curriculum) match the intended curriculum?

How are teachers structuring their observations of students to ensure that foundational objectives are being met?

Do teachers have a system for providing information to students and parents?

Are all students progressing as a result of the experiences teachers provide?

Are teachers adapting materials, methods or setting when necessary to meet individual student needs?

Are teachers regularly incorporating opportunities for independent exploration and learning?

To what extent do teachers understand the relationships between the Common Essential Learnings and the Science program?

Are teachers attending to the incorporation of the Common Essential Learnings in their lesson (and unit) planning process?

To what extent do teachers appear to be enthusiastic about the Science program and their lessons?

To what extent do the activities and teacher questions involve students in creating and reflecting upon content and processes of the program?

What teaching methods are used? Are they appropriate? Are they varied? Are they consistent with what the curriculum recommends?

What human and material resources are used?

To what extent are community resources and programs used to enrich the program?

Are sufficient resources available to teach the program as intended?

Has an in-school or school division(s) network been established to support delivery of this program through idea exchanges and peer coaching?

What other provisions are made for staff development? Are they appropriate and sufficient?

Are equipment and facilities adequate to facilitate the achievement of program objectives?

What areas need further improvement?

Is equipment well utilized?

Are the financial resources allotted sufficient to support the achievement of program objectives?

Curriculum Evaluation