Learning & Leadership

As part of our commitment to Every Learner. Future Ready., the office of teaching and learning aims for a guaranteed, viable curriculum that ensures all our students learn at high levels. We are committed to standards-aligned curriculum that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive so that all students can see themselves reflected in their school experience. Finally, we believe that teachers working with collective efficacy through professional learning communities (PLCs) will empower students to be future-ready.

Our Curriculum Team follows a strategic cycle that allows for impacted stakeholders to provide expertise and opinions on Curriculum options that have been vetted nationally by organizations such as Ed Reports. The review and adoption process is led by the district Chief of Learning along with Curriculum Leads and Content Leads. 

The current list of the district’s High Quality Instructional materials can be found here:

The Cedar Rapids School District welcomes you to view our district course curriculum. Atlas is the system used to create and share course curriculum maps.

Access Our CRCSD Course Curriculum

The fundamental purpose of assessment is student growth. Cedar Rapids Community School District uses a balanced assessment system that includes four levels of assessment:

1. Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP)
2. Screening in reading and math for grades K-9 (beginning, middle, and end of year)
   1. FAST Reading and Math
   2. IXL
3. Common summative assessments 
4. Teacher-created formative assessments (as a regular feature of instruction and developed by PLCs)

The CRCSD Instructional Vision states: 
At CRCSD we cultivate safe and supportive learning communities where learners shape their futures by actively engaging with content, peers, and feedback to deepen their understanding through high-quality learning experiences.

Our Instructional Framework consists of three core principles: 

• High-Quality Learning Experiences: At CRCSD, teachers purposefully plan and collaborate using data to deliver accessible, standards-aligned instruction that challenges students to do the heavy lifting through reasoning, discourse, and problem-solving. By utilizing clear learning targets, success criteria, and actionable feedback, both teachers and students actively monitor progress and share ownership of learning.
• Safe and Predictable Learning Environment: At CRCSD, learning communities foster a sense of belonging and maintain high behavioral and academic expectations through consistent routines, empathy, acceptance, and a growth mindset.
• Student Engagement: At CRCSD, students interact with content, learn from others, and act on feedback in ways that deepen understanding while promoting ownership of learning and mastery of skills and concepts.

The teacher leadership and compensation system and the teacher leadership supplement (TLS) are outcomes of the 2013 state legislative session (Division VII of House File 215). The Iowa Department of Education provided funding and guidance to school districts across the state to develop a vision and goals for a teacher leadership system that meets the needs of the local school community.

Cedar Rapids Community School District is proud to continue to participate in this high-leverage strategy to increase student learning and achievement.

More details coming soon!