Inclusive Curriculum and Assessment
Teachers 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 team that your school has asked to participate in the rubric pilot (check with your school point person if you are unsure of the team members). Use the guiding questions below to estimate together where your grade level(s) fall 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
Multiple Data Sources inform Planning
Guiding Questions:
What kinds of data do we use for curricular and instructional planning beyond external assessment 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 involve students in the process?
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 students how this data informs our instruction.
Transforming
Our curricular and instructional planning is informed by both external assessment data and non-academic data in collaboration and discussion with our students.
Selected Rating:
None
Commitments
Classroom Assessments Connect to Students' Lives
Guiding Questions:
In what ways are the classroom assessments we create (i.e. homework writing assignments, tests, portfolios, exit tickets, etc.) connected to students' experiences from home, the community and/or their culture?
Exploring
Our classroom assessments are rarely connected to students' experiences and culture.
Growing
Our classroom assessments sometimes provide students with opportunities to use their experiences and culture to demonstrate their learning.
Utilizing
Our classroom assessments regularly provide students with opportunities to use their experiences and culture to demonstrate their learning.
Transforming
Our classroom assessments are creative in the ways they provide students with opportunities to use their experiences and culture to demonstrate their learning and we regularly review and revise them to make them better.
Selected Rating:
None
Commitments
Student Involvement in Data-Informed Decision-making
Guiding Questions:
How much do we work with students to explain how their assessment results influence the groups and classes they are placed in? Do we discuss assessment data with them to help them set goals?
Exploring
We rarely explain to students how their assessment results influence the groups and classes they are placed in.
Growing
We sometimes explain to students how their assessment results influence the groups and classes they are placed in.
Utilizing
We regularly explain to students how their assessment results influence the groups and classes they are placed in.
Transforming
We regularly explain to students how their assessment results influence the groups and classes they are placed in and work with them to set goals as part of the process.
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 adjust the curriculum and pacing calendar in response to the needs and interests of our students?
Exploring
We faithfully follow the curriculum and pacing calendar.
Growing
We sometimes adjust the curriculum and pacing calendar in response to the needs and interests of our students.
Utilizing
We frequently adjust the curriculum and pacing calendar in response to the needs and interests of our students.
Transforming
We frequently adjust the curriculum and pacing calendar in response to the needs and interests of our students and sometimes create entirely different lessons that better meet our students’ needs.
Selected Rating:
None
Empowerment
Curriculum Connects to Students' Lives
Guiding Questions:
How frequently and in what ways do we connect the curriculum to students’ daily lives? Do we encourage students to make their own connections, and if so, how?
Exploring
We rarely connect the curriculum to students’ daily lives.
Growing
We sometimes connect the curriculum to students’ daily lives.
Utilizing
We regularly connect the curriculum to students’ daily lives and offer some opportunities for students to make their own connections.
Transforming
We regularly connect the curriculum to students’ daily lives and encourage and support students to make their own connections by modeling.
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 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
Empowerment
Authentic demonstrations of student learning
Guiding Questions:
What ways do students have to authentically demonstrate their learning in our classes (e.g. performances, presentations, experiments)? Are students able to choose different ways to show us what they have learned, or do we only assess learning with tests and quizzes?
Exploring
We offer few opportunities for students to authentically demonstrate their learning.
Growing
We sometimes offer students ways to authentically demonstrate their learning.
Utilizing
We collaborate with our students to find ways for them to authentically demonstrate their learning.
Transforming
Our students choose creative ways to authentically demonstrate their learning, with teacher support as needed.
Selected Rating:
None
Relationships
The quality of connections amongst school community members
Relationships
Building relationship with parents and community to improve curriculum & assessments
Guiding Questions:
How and in what ways do we build relationships with parents/caregivers to increase the relevance of our curriculum and assessments for students?
Exploring
We rarely build relationships with parents/caregivers to increase the relevance of our curriculum and assessments for students.
Growing
We sometimes build relationships with parents/caregivers to increase the relevance of our curriculum and assessments for students.
Utilizing
We regularly build relationships with parents/caregivers to increase the relevance of our curriculum and assessments for students.
Transforming
We regularly build relationships with parents/caregivers increase the relevance of the curriculum and assessments for students, and continually seek ways to expand and deepen these relationships.
Selected Rating:
None
Relationships
Local Field trips Connect to Community
Guiding Questions:
How frequently do we take local field trips (e.g. museums, parks, cultural centers, other neighborhood locations) that increase students’ cultural understanding and connections to the community? In what ways do we help students make connections between the community and what they learn in school?
Exploring
We do not take local field trips.
Growing
We rarely take local field trips that increase students’ cultural understanding and connections to the community.
Utilizing
We sometimes take local field trips that increase students’ cultural understanding and connections to the community.
Transforming
We regularly take local field trips that increase students’ cultural understanding and connections to the community.
Selected Rating:
None
Relationships
Student interests reflected in lessons
Guiding Questions:
How often and in what ways do we incorporate students’ interests into our class lessons? Do we think building relationships with students is a priority for improving their learning experiences?
Exploring
Our lessons don’t often connect to students’ interests.
Growing
We rarely incorporate students’ interests into lessons to build relationships and improve learning experiences.
Utilizing
We sometimes incorporate students’ interests into our lessons to build relationships and improve learning experiences.
Transforming
We often incorporate students’ interests into lessons in ways that help them learn because it is our priority to build relationships and improve learning experiences.
Selected Rating:
None
Collaboration
The extent of cooperation amongst school community members
Collaboration
Community Collaborations on Curriculum & Assessment
Guiding Questions:
In what ways do we collaborate with the community to utilize local resources in support of students? How do we strengthen these collaborations to increase the relevance of our curriculum and assessments?
Exploring
We rarely collaborate with the local community to increase the relevance of our curriculum and assessments.
Growing
We sometimes collaborate with the local community to increase the relevance of our curriculum and assessments.
Utilizing
We regularly collaborate with the local community to increase the relevance of our curriculum and assessments.
Transforming
We regularly collaborate with the local community to increase the relevance of the curriculum and assessments and seek ways to expand and deepen the collaboration.
Selected Rating:
None
Collaboration
Collaborative Projects
Guiding Questions:
Do we collaborate with other teachers and/or students to develop long term projects and project based learning that gives students the opportunity to authentically demonstrate their learning?
Exploring
We have few long-term projects or project-based learning units that allow students to more authentically demonstrate their learning over time.
Growing
We rarely collaborate with other teachers and/or students to create meaningful long-term projects and project-based learning activities that allow students to more authentically demonstrate their learning over time.
Utilizing
We regularly collaborate with other teachers and/or students to create meaningful long-term projects and project-based learning activities that allow students to more authentically demonstrate their learning over time.
Transforming
We regularly collaborate with other teachers and/or students to create meaningful long-term projects and project-based learning units that allow students to more authentically demonstrate their learning over time and debrief afterwards to improve our efforts.
Selected Rating:
None
