Curriculum Development and Textbook Adoptions
Locally developed courses of studies have been replaced over recent years with state and national Academic Content Standards, in which grade level learning expectations are relatively uniform across all school districts. Today what is taught at each grade level is directly aligned with the Ohio State Academic Content Standards, instead of locally developed courses of studies. In turn, the Ohio Achievement and Graduation Tests are also directly aligned with these standards.
Academic Content Standards describe the knowledge and skills that students should know and be able to perform. They identify the skills of thinking, reasoning, and investigating essential to the discipline. Links are provided to the Academic Content Standards and Resources for local districts on the Medina County Schools’ ESC Web site.
The education specialists meet the needs of individual school districts as they work to improve student achievement by providing the following services and activities:
- Developing and updating curriculum guides to support standards-based education. Creating instructional strategies to meet the needs of students at all learning levels.
- Providing school districts with instructional strategies and resources, including selection of textbooks and supplemental materials. Assisting school districts with individual curriculum needs, including alignment, mapping, and assessment techniques.
- Providing a wide variety of professional development opportunities for teachers within both Medina County as well as Ohio SST (School Support Team) Region 8 (Medina-Portage-Summit Counties). Providing a network of communication between districts and the Ohio Department of Education. Assisting individual school districts with the development, implementation, and evaluation of Continuous Improvement Plans and the Ohio Improvement Plan. This includes facilitating the collection and analysis of data.
- As requested, assisting with spelling bees, district science fairs, career fairs, and other supplemental activities.
2009-10 Course of Study Adoptions:
Business
Foreign Language
Health
Discrete Courses for Science and Social Studies
Staff Members Responsible:
Dan Vincent, Ph.D. — Director of Curriculum
Carol Glickhause — Special Projects
Barbara Gunkelman — Education Specialist
Mary K. Kastanis — Special Projects
Brenda Magier — Gifted Coordinator
Linn Sommerfeld, Ph.D. — Education Specialist
Michele Wargo — Education Specialist/Gifted Coordinator
Jacinda Yonker — Gifted Coordinator
Brenda Zacharias — Secretary
Keturah Zacharias — Secretary
