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The Clark County School District believes in increasing student achievement and closing the achievement gap for all students. In order to achieve this priority, an aligned curriculum is provided using adopted textbooks and support materials to meet the Nevada Content Standards and District standards. A variety of research-based strategies, methods, materials, and contexts are used to meet the instructional needs and extend learning opportunities for our students.
CCSD specifies the K-12 curriculum as the basis for instruction in all schools. The curriculum follows the Nevada Content Standards and the National Education Standards found at www.ccsd.net/cpd. CCSD has clarified and expanded these standards through development of a Curriculum Essentials Framework (CEF) for elementary grades and by course syllabi for middle schools and high schools. Classroom teachers use these documents as the curricular scope for planning and delivering instruction and for monitoring student learning and progress. As a support to the Nevada Content Standards, the Clark County School District has identified K-12 Power Standards, highly focused areas of instructional emphasis essential for student proficiency in identified subject areas. Additionally, Benchmarks for Language Arts/Reading and Mathematics Grades K-5, Language Arts Grades 6-12, Mathematics and Science Grades 6-8, Algebra, and Geometry provide teachers with a clearly delineated, paced format that outlines student proficiency expectations for specific skills and concepts during each nine-week or twelve-week period, while course syllabi include embedded skills for technology, cultural connections, and 21st century skills. These documents assist teachers with the planning and implementation of the curriculum and address the goal of an aligned curriculum.
The Clark County School District core curriculum, the highest curricular priority, consists of language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. Support is also provided so students may demonstrate proficiency in the full curriculum: technology, arts, career and technical education, foreign language, and physical education and life-long wellness. With implementation of the 21st Century Course of Study, students are scheduled into a fourth year of mathematics, which includes Algebra II, and a third year of science, including Biology. The school district expects its students to be competitive in higher education and the workforce.
Student progress toward achievement is continuously assessed in a variety of ways to determine appropriate student learning needs, to implement appropriate instructional strategies, and to modify instruction. Accountability data are used to determine how well students and schools are meeting specified achievement targets; to identify areas that need improvement; to determine whether achievement gaps have been reduced; and to measure to what extent goals for access, school improvement, and school-home relations are being met.
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