General Information
Realizing the need to reevaluate what and how children in the district are taught, led to the creation of the District Improvement Plan, which is revised annually, and set the stage for the development of the Curriculum Roadmap. One component of the plan was to look at work that had been done by various curriculum committees and groups in the district and consolidate their efforts. Committees of educators and other stakeholders as well as a Stupski-funded group worked to combine U-46 work, current educational research, curriculum work from across the country, with state and national standards to create a document. This was to be the Curriculum Roadmap for the district.
The Roadmap is designed to provide a vehicle for educators in the district to build on our successes and help our students meet the Illinois State Standards. Information from the 90/90/90 Schools research, was used in development of the Roadmap. (Excerpt from "Blueprint for Learning Organizations" by Reeves) Four years of test data from schools in a variety of settings, with different demographics and at grade levels involving 130,000 students in 228 schools was the basis for this study. What they did to become successful was a source of interest to the group.
The characteristics of the 90/90/90 schools are:
- More than 90 percent of the students are eligible for free and reduced lunch
- More than 90 percent of the students come from ethnic minorities
- More than 90 percent of the students meet or achieve high academic standards.
Using the research from the 90/90/90 schools, the Characteristics of High Performing Schools, and Keys to Excellence for Your Schools the group proceeded to develop a plan for the Roadmap. This research provided a base, not founded on trends or fads, but on proven efforts that work.
Illinois State Standards made up another component of the Roadmap planning. Aligning the work of the district with the standards was a necessary piece to meet the mandates of No Child Left Behind. Looking at the U-46 assessment trend data the team was able to identify the critical areas of learning for our students and together with what was 
learned from research and the goals of the state standards, build a guide to meet our district needs. The Roadmap is aligned with expectations of the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT), and Prairie State Achievement Exam (PSAE).
The Roadmap is a prioritized, baseline curriculum framework. It provides consistency regarding instructional priorities across grade levels and schools. All our students will have the same exposure to knowledge and skills, no matter what school they attend. The critical learnings outlined in the document will be expanded and deepened as students progress through the grades. These cannot be taught in isolation but must be integrated throughout the instructional program.
The Roadmap is designed as an outline for the academic journey for ALL students. We know that not all students come to a grade with all the skills in place for that grade level. The Roadmap provides a way for a teacher to look at what skills the student might not have mastered the previous year and provides guidance for teaching them. The expertise of our teachers will ensure that they will use their unique skills and teaching experience to support all students in becoming successful learners.
With continued input from U-46 educators and consultants, the Roadmap will continue to evolve to include additional strategies, assessments and research. Like learning, the development of the Roadmap is a journey that is never done.
