CURRICULUM
For 2025-26, the Office for Catholic Schools is facilitating 3 different curriculum review cycles:
- Science
- Social Studies
- Artificial Intelligence (AI)
We will meet in person on the following dates, from 10am-2:30pm either at the Peace and Spirituality Center (Bellevue) or onsite at OCS in downtown Seattle.
- Monday, September 22nd 2025
- Monday, November 17th 2025
- Monday, January 12th 2026
- Monday, March 9th 2026
If you are interested in joining a committee, please email Justyna King directly. There is no expectation of “expertise” in a sense — we are all learning and progressing with our curricular knowledge — just a passion to learn and collaborate!
It is important that all schools engage in continuous curriculum review cycles. The process of curriculum mapping — the process of making a curriculum map — is the practice of aligning skills to classes and grade levels and supporting those through a Catholic lens.
Some resources to consider for High Quality Instructional Materials include our Archdiocesan curriculum planning tools:
Curriculum Adoption Process and HQIM for Archdiocese of Seattle 2024
Curriculum Audit Checklist – Archdiocese of Seattle
In a traditional sense, a curriculum map can look a lot like a spreadsheet, or formatted in a way that compartmentalizes the different aspects of curriculum. Some rows show the weeks or months in a marking period, and the columns show information taught in that timeframe, like state standards and the resources available to address those standards. Here are a few resources to help schools begin their curriculum writing process:
Course Design and Materials Selection Toolkit – OSPI
Curriculum Planning Packet (from GRACE 2020)
Curriculum Mapping by Unit Example (from SJS)
In 2023-24, OCS facilitated curriculum adoption cycles for Math and Health/Wellness. In 2024-25, we facilitated curriculum adoption information for Environmental Education as well as English/LA. (Links to these will be posted soon).
More information can be found here: Curriculum Adoption Committee 2023-24 – My Catholic School
ASSESSMENTS
Assessments are important for schools, teachers, and students themselves as a process of accountability, instructional guidance, and goal setting for student progress. At the Office for Catholic Schools, we support rigorous formative (regular, official and non-official) and summative (final, comprehensive) assessments in the classroom. We support common assessments created individually in school settings based on the curriculum used in each school, as well as standardized process Archdiocesan-wide assessments such as the NWEA MAP test and STAR testing.
Assessment Resources
Archdiocesan Common Assessment Data Analysis Protocol (GRACE 2019)
Distance Learning & Assessment Guidelines Q & A (2020)
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES PROCESS
How do I begin the process of creating a curriculum review cycle and continuously align assessments?
Every year, before the school year even begins, the school instructional leaders must determine what the focus areas of curriculum review will be for the most impact on student learning. This can be determined by looking at the areas of growth and accomplishment based on MAP or STAR assessments, formative and summative assessments from the previous year and relooking at the resources available at schools currently to continuously challenge and inform teaching practices.
In order to prioritize this process, the school leader must determine the cadence of the school year professional development calendar, including the monthly staff meeting times and purpose of the meetings. OCS recommends that at a minimum, one staff meeting a month is dedicated solely to the curriculum/assessment process in a PLC format. (If your school is beginning the PLC process and would like professional training in the Learning by Doing (DuFour) protocols, please consider participating in the GRACE Teacher Leader program or reach out to the Assistant Superintendent of Academic Excellence for more information).
Here are some resources to help get that process started:
PLC (Professional Learning Communities) resources
Template-PLC Action Plan- 18-19 -blank
The PLC Work of Collaborative Teams
Establishing a Culture of PLCs Packet (GRACE 2018)