Inclusive Curriculum and Assessment
School Leaders Rubric
Team Version
Team Discussion Guide (opens in new tab)
Inclusive Curriculum and Assessment provides the opportunity to learn about perspectives beyond one’s own experiences and elevates historically marginalized voices. It includes opportunities to learn about power, bias, and inequity and empowers learners to be agents of positive social change.
Instructions: Meet with the other members of the school’s leadership team. Use the guiding questions below to estimate together where your school falls overall on each element of the rubric. Be candid – this activity is most valuable as a formative learning experience. We recommend spending about 45 minutes on the rubric. Save your notes and ratings for future discussions.
Note: Your rubric responses are not saved until you click the Submit button at the bottom of this page. If you're not ready to submit yet, keep this page open. Closing the tab will not save your work.
Progression of Engagement
Exploring
Cultural Responsiveness is in its initial phase
Growing
Cultural Responsiveness is practiced in some situations
Utilizing
Cultural Responsiveness is practiced in most situations
Transforming
Cultural Responsiveness is continuously practiced and promoted
Commitments
The extent of school community members’ dedication to culturally responsive practices across the school experience
Commitments
Curricular Resources Contain Diverse Perspectives
Guiding Questions:
To what extent does the curriculum we use reflect diverse cultures and traditionally marginalized perspectives? Do we make adjustments to curriculum to include a variety of cultures and perspectives, and do we make sure they align with school and district policies?
Exploring
Our curricular resources contain few examples from diverse cultures and marginalized perspectives.
Growing
Our curricular resources contain few examples from diverse cultures and marginalized perspectives but we sometimes review them to make them more diverse.
Utilizing
Our curricular resources contain some examples from diverse cultures and marginalized perspectives and we regularly review them to make them more diverse.
Transforming
We ensure our curricular resources contain multiple examples from diverse cultures and marginalized perspectives and align them with school and district policies.
Selected Rating:
None
Commitments
Classroom Assessments Connect to Students’ lives
Guiding Questions:
In what ways are the classroom assessments teachers create (i.e. homework assignments, tests, portfolios, exit tickets, etc.) connected to students' experiences from home, the community and/or their culture?
Exploring
We are neutral about whether teachers’ classroom assessments are connected to students’ experiences and culture.
Growing
We encourage teachers to develop classroom assessments that are connected to students’ experiences and culture.
Utilizing
We advocate that teachers develop classroom assessments that are connected to students’ experiences and culture.
Transforming
We advocate and work with teachers to develop classroom assessments that are connected to students’ experiences and culture.
Selected Rating:
None
Commitments
Multiple Data Sources Inform Planning
Guiding Questions:
What kinds of data do we use for curricular and instructional planning beyond external test data (e.g. district assessments, benchmarks, state test results, etc.)? Do non-academic data (e.g. attendance, discipline, social-emotional information) help to inform our curricular planning? Do we engage in discussion and collaboration with teachers around various data sources to inform curricular planning?
Exploring
Our curricular planning is informed only by external assessment data.
Growing
Our curricular planning is informed mostly by external assessment data and sometimes by non-academic data.
Utilizing
Our curricular planning is informed by both external assessment data and non-academic data and we sometimes discuss with teachers how their data inform their teaching.
Transforming
Our curricular planning is informed by both external assessment data and non-academic data in collaboration and discussion with teachers.
Selected Rating:
None
Empowerment
School practices include all school community member voices
Empowerment
Curricular Adjustments Meet Student Needs
Guiding Questions:
In what ways do we encourage teachers to adjust their curriculum and pacing calendar in response to the needs and interests of our students? How do we monitor the effectiveness of their adjustments?
Exploring
We expect teachers to faithfully follow the curriculum and pacing calendar.
Growing
We allow teachers to adjust the curriculum and pacing calendar in response to the needs and interests of their students.
Utilizing
We encourage teachers to adjust the curriculum and pacing calendar in response to the needs and interests of their students.
Transforming
We advocate for and support teachers to adjust the curriculum and pacing calendar in response to the needs and interests of their students and we monitor the effectiveness of the adjustments.
Selected Rating:
None
Empowerment
Curriculum Connects to Students' Lives
Guiding Questions:
How do we encourage and work with teachers to connect the curricula to students’ daily lives? What resources and supports do we provide for teachers to help their students take ownership over making their own connections?
Exploring
We are neutral regarding whether teachers connect their curricula to students’ daily lives.
Growing
We encourage teachers to connect their curricula to students’ daily lives.
Utilizing
We encourage teachers to collaborate with students to connect their curricula to students’ daily lives.
Transforming
We encourage and support teachers to collaborate with students to connect their curricula to students’ daily lives, and provide resources and modeling for teachers to shift the power to students to make these connections.
Selected Rating:
None
Empowerment
SEL Infused into School Day
Guiding Questions:
How, and in what ways, are social emotional learning experiences integrated into the school day? Do we continually look for new ways to incorporate and support social-emotional learning?
Exploring
Social emotional learning experiences for students are not part of the school day.
Growing
We rarely incorporate social emotional learning experiences into the school day.
Utilizing
We sometimes incorporate social emotional learning experiences into the school day.
Transforming
We regularly incorporate social emotional learning experiences into the school day and routinely look for resources and strategies to enhance our efforts.
Selected Rating:
None
Relationships
The quality of connections amongst school community members
Relationships
Partnering with parents and community members to improve curriculum & assessments
Guiding Questions:
How and in what ways do we build relationships with parents/caregivers and the community to increase the relevance of our curriculum and assessments for students?
Exploring
We rarely partner with parents/caregivers and community members to increase the relevance of our curriculum and assessments for students.
Growing
We sometimes partner with parents/caregivers and community members to increase the relevance of our curriculum and assessments for students.
Utilizing
We regularly partner with parents/caregivers and community members to increase the relevance of our curriculum and assessments for students.
Transforming
We regularly partner with parents/caregivers and community members to increase the relevance of the curriculum and assessments for students, and continually seek ways to expand and deepen these relationships.
Selected Rating:
None
Collaboration
The extent of cooperation amongst school community members
Collaboration
Community Collaborations on Curriculum & Assessment
Guiding Questions:
How often do we collaborate with other schools and/or the district to increase the relevance of the curriculum and assessments for students? What do these collaborations look like?
Exploring
We rarely collaborate with other schools and/or the district to increase the relevance of our curriculum and assessments for students.
Growing
We sometimes collaborate with other schools and/or the district to increase the relevance of our curriculum and assessments for students.
Utilizing
We regularly collaborate with other schools and/or the district to increase the relevance of our curriculum and assessments for students.
Transforming
We regularly collaborate with other schools and/or the district to increase the relevance of the curriculum and assessments for students, and seek ways to expand and deepen the collaboration.
Selected Rating:
None
