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.

Learn more here about the mission, core beliefs, instructional approach, student competencies, teacher competencies, and access and equity principles for each content and curriculum area.

Our curriculum is designed by our teachers with support from teacher leaders and school administrators through the PLC process. It is designed to support our system indicators and the academic road map.

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. Benchmarks in reading and math for grades K-12 (beginning, middle, and end of year)
   1. FAST Reading and Math
   2. iReady
   3. NWEA MAP
3. Common formative assessments (per unit)
4. Teacher-created formative assessments (as a regular feature of instruction)

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.

During the 2020-2021 school year, our teacher leadership and compensation system was re-evaluated on its three-year cycle—the second re-evaluation of the system. A committee of teachers and building- and district-level administrators collaborated to formalize the following information:

We believe in

1. PLCs

2. Coaching
3. Data-driven decision making
4. System alignment
5. A guaranteed and viable curriculum

To do this, we will

1. Provide teacher teams and collaborative groups regular time and structures to interact and address common issues regarding curriculum, assessment, instruction, and the achievement of all students (HRS 1.4)

2. Provide teachers with clear, ongoing coaching of their pedagogical strengths that are based on multiple sources of data and are consistent with student achievement data (HRS 2.4)

3. Provide time and structures for teachers and buildings to analyze and interpret data regularly to monitor progress toward school achievement goals (HRS 3.5)
4. Provide a safe, supportive, collaborative culture in which the diversity of every learner is valued and embraced

In order to

1. Empower teachers to own the PLC process and lesson design

2. Build the capacity of our teachers and leaders

3. Monitor all student’s progress and achievement
4. Align our TLC system to create coherence in teacher leadership, coaching, and professional learning

Teacher leadership and compensation goals

High Reliability Schools Leading Indicator 1.4: Collaborative teams regularly interact to address common issues regarding curriculum, assessment, instruction, and the achievement of all students.

• Lagging Indicator: By June of 2022, all PLCs will demonstrate proficiency at the implementing level as measured by the administrators on the SIG.

High Reliability Schools Leading Indicator 2.1: The school communicates a clear vision as to how teachers should address instruction.

• Lagging Indicator: By June 2022, all teachers will set an IPDP goal based on a prioritized NASOT element, receive effective coaching during a coaching cycle to show growth on prioritized elements, and show improvement on the related scales.

High Reliability Schools Leading Indicator 3.5: The school analyzes, interprets, and uses data regularly to monitor progress toward school achievement goals.

• Lagging Indicator: By June 2022, all teachers will administer all the CRCSD common unit assessments to at least 95% of students and will use the data in PLCs to guide and adjust instruction.