Inclusive Curriculum and Assessment

Teachers Rubric

Group Version

Facilitating a Group 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 participating group of teachers. Use the guiding questions to discuss the item and estimate together where your school or classes are overall on the progression. Be candid – this activity is most valuable as a formative learning experience. If you cannot come to agreement, add comments and go to the next item. We recommend spending about 45 minutes discussing and completing the rubric. If needed, use the CRS Facilitation Guide for Adult Group Rubrics. Your ratings and comments will not be saved until you click SUBMIT at the bottom of the page. 

Progression of Engagement

Exploring

Cultural Responsiveness (CR) is in its initial phase

Growing

CR is practiced in some situations

Utilizing

CR is practiced in most situations

Transforming

CR is continuously practiced and promoted

Commitments

The extent of stakeholder dedication to culturally responsive practices across the school experience

Commitments

Curricular Resources Contain Diverse Perspectives

Guiding Questions:

To what extent does our curriculum reflect diverse and ? Do we make adjustments to the curriculum to include a variety of cultures and perspectives?
Exploring

Our curricular resources contain few examples from diverse cultures and marginalized perspectives.

Growing

Our curricular resources contain some examples from diverse cultures and marginalized perspectives, and we sometimes review and supplement them to make them more diverse.

Utilizing

Our curricular resources contain some examples from diverse cultures and marginalized perspectives, and we regularly review and supplement them to make them more diverse.

Transforming

We ensure our curricular resources contain many examples from diverse cultures and marginalized perspectives, regularly review and supplement them, and ensure they are aligned with state and/or national standards.

Selected Rating: None
Commitments

Curricular Adjustments Meet Student Needs

Guiding Questions:

How do we adjust the curriculum and pacing calendar in response to the needs and interests of our students?
Exploring

Most of the time, 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
Commitments

Social & Emotional Learning Infused into School Day

Guiding Questions:

How are experiences integrated into the school day? Do we continually look for new ways to incorporate and support social-emotional learning?
Exploring

We rarely (about 1-2 times per year) incorporate social and emotional learning experiences into the school day.

Growing

We sometimes (about 3-4 times per year) incorporate social and emotional learning experiences into the school day.

Utilizing

We regularly (about weekly) incorporate social and emotional learning experiences into the school day and support our students to practice these skills.

Transforming

We regularly (about weekly) incorporate social and emotional learning experiences into the school day, support our students to practice these skills, and look for resources and strategies to enhance our efforts.

Selected Rating: None
Commitments

Student Involvement in Data-Informed Decision-Making

Guiding Questions:

How much do we explain to students how their assessment results influence the groups and classes they are placed in? To what extent do we discuss assessment data with students to help set goals?
Exploring

We rarely (about 1-2 times per year) explain to students how their assessment results influence the groups and/or classes they are placed in.

Growing

We sometimes (about 3-4 times per year) explain to students how their assessment results influence the groups and/or classes they are placed in, and we use these data to set class goals.

Utilizing

We regularly (about monthly) explain to students how their assessment results influence the groups and/or classes they are placed in, and we use the data to set class and individualized goals.

Transforming

We regularly (about monthly) explain to students how their assessment results influence the groups and/or classes they are placed in, and we use the data to co-develop class and individualized goals.

Selected Rating: None

Empowerment

School practices include all stakeholder voices

Empowerment

Multiple Data Sources Inform Planning

Guiding Questions:

What kinds of data do we use for curricular and instructional planning beyond external assessment data? Do non-academic data help to inform our curricular planning? Do we involve students in the planning process?
Exploring

Our curricular planning is informed primarily by external assessment data (e.g., state tests, district assessments, benchmarks, etc.).

Growing

Our curricular planning is informed primarily by external assessment data and sometimes by teacher data (e.g., teacher-made assessments, projects, portfolios, etc.) and non-academic data (e.g., attendance, behavior, engagement, etc.).

Utilizing

Our curricular planning is informed equally by external assessment data, teacher 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 equally by external assessment data, teacher data, and non-academic data in collaboration and discussion with our students.

Selected Rating: None
Empowerment

Curricula/Assessments Connect to Students' Lives

Guiding Questions:

How frequently and in what ways do we connect the curriculum and/or assessments to students' daily lives? Do we encourage students to make their own connections? If so, how?
Exploring

We rarely (about 1-2 times per year) connect curricula and/or assessments to students' lives.

Growing

We sometimes (about 3-4 times per year) connect curricula and/or assessments to students' lives.

Utilizing

We regularly (around weekly) connect curricula and/or assessments to students' lives and sometimes give students opportunities to make their own connections (e.g., modeling connections, teachers sharing their own life-curricula connections).

Transforming

We regularly (around weekly) connect curricula and/or assessments to students' lives and often encourage, support, and model for students how to make their own connections.

Selected Rating: None
Empowerment

Authentic Demonstrations of Student Learning

Guiding Questions:

What opportunities do we offer students to authentically demonstrate their learning in our classes? How often do we empower students to use different ways to show us what they have learned relative to traditional assessments like tests and quizzes?
Exploring

We only offer students the opportunity to demonstrate their learning in traditional methods (e.g., tests, quizzes, standardized assessments, etc.).

Growing

We offer few (about 1-2 times per year) opportunities for students to demonstrate their learning beyond traditional methods (e.g., performances, presentations, videos, displays, essays, etc.).

Utilizing

We sometimes (about 3-4 times per year) offer opportunities for students to demonstrate their learning beyond traditional methods, and sometimes these opportunities are collaborative (e.g., students get to work in pairs or groups).

Transforming

We regularly (around once per curricular unit) offer opportunities for students to demonstrate their learning beyond traditional methods, with a focus on collaboration and creativity.

Selected Rating: None

Relationships

The quality of connections amongst stakeholders

Relationships

Local Field Trips Connect to Community

Guiding Questions:

How frequently do we take local field trips that increase students' cultural understanding and connections to the community? How do we help students make connections between the community and what they learn in school?
Exploring

We never take local field trips (e.g., museums, parks, cultural centers, historical landmarks, etc.).

Growing

We rarely (around once per year) take local field trips to increase students' connections to the community.

Utilizing

We sometimes (about 2-3 times per year) take local field trips to increase students' cultural understanding and community connections, and we (teachers) directly link these experiences to our curriculum.

Transforming

We regularly (about 3+ times per year) take local field trips to increase students' cultural understanding and community connections, and we (teachers) provide opportunities for students to link these experiences to our curriculum.

Selected Rating: None
Relationships

Student Interests Reflected in Lessons

Guiding Questions:

How do we incorporate students' interests into our classroom lessons? How do we think building relationships with students impacts their learning experiences?
Exploring

We rarely (about 1-2 times per year) incorporate students' interests into lessons.

Growing

We sometimes (about monthly) incorporate students' interests into lessons.

Utilizing

We regularly (about weekly) incorporate students' interests into lessons to build relationships and improve learning experiences (e.g., increase student engagement & understanding).

Transforming

We regularly (about weekly) incorporate students' interests into lessons, with a focus on our marginalized students, because it is our priority to build relationships with and improve learning experiences for all students.

Selected Rating: None

Collaboration

The extent of cooperation between and amongst stakeholders

Collaboration

Parent/Community Collaboration on Curriculum & Assessment

Guiding Questions:

How do we collaborate with community members (e.g., youth leaders, librarians, coaches, local nonprofit organizations, etc.) and parents/caregivers to identify and improve instructional practice, curriculum, and assessment?
Exploring

We rarely (around once per year) seek input (e.g., feedback forms, surveys, informal conversations, etc.) from parents/community members to identify and improve instructional practices, curriculum, and assessment.

Growing

We sometimes (about 2-3 times per year) seek input from parents/community members to identify and improve instructional practices, curriculum, and assessment.

Utilizing

We regularly (about 3+ times per year) create and/or attend structured opportunities for discussion with parents/community members (e.g., parent/teacher conferences, workshops, town halls, community meetings, etc.) to identify and improve instructional practices, curriculum, and assessment, and we sometimes implement the feedback.

Transforming

We regularly (about 3+ times per year) create and/or attend structured opportunities for collaboration with a broad array of parents/community members to identify and improve instructional practices, curriculum, and assessment, and we implement the feedback (as appropriate).

Selected Rating: None
Collaboration

Student Projects are Collaboratively Developed

Guiding Questions:

How often do we involve students in developing ways to demonstrate their learning?
Exploring

Students do not have input in the ways in which they demonstrate their learning.

Growing

Students have few opportunities to choose different ways to demonstrate their learning (e.g., an essay with multiple prompts to choose from, a project with different modalities to choose from, etc.).

Utilizing

Students regularly have opportunities to choose different ways to demonstrate their learning, and sometimes students collaborate with us (teachers) and their classmates on these projects.

Transforming

Students regularly collaborate with us (teachers) and their classmates to create projects that demonstrate their learning, and we discuss them afterward to improve future projects.

Selected Rating: None

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