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Quality Schools International

Quintile
Issue No.
37

Curriculum at Quality skills and knowledge they need to be successful.
Schools International Learning each concept in the curriculum forms
By Phil Weirich, QSI Director of Curriculum the basis for successful new learning.
When you hear the word curriculum, I hope Taken together, our collaborative revision
you think of something exciting, brimming with process, the selection of quality resources, and
opportunity and discovery. This spirit infuses the commitment of QSI educators to mastery
the QSI curriculum. Students come with a desire learning lead to a challenging curriculum,
to learn. Planning very carefully what they learn overflowing with opportunities that prepare
gives creative teachers freedom to design lessons students for adulthood.
that tap into that urge.

A 2016 paper from the International Accreditation
Bureau of Education (a UNESCO institute), What students’ beliefs, knowledge, and skills as they
Makes a Quality Curriculum?, defines an excellent transition to their next step. Derived from these, Quality Schools International (QSI) works
curriculum as one that: Program Outcomes delineate discipline-specific closely with Middle States Association of Colleges
4 values each child and holds that every child abilities and understandings students will master. and Schools (MSA) to achieve and maintain ac-
matters equally; From these flow Course Outcomes—an overview of creditation at QSI schools. These schools, accred-
4 comprises high quality, relevant, and each course—including essential units and suggested ited through the Excellence by Design protocol,
emphasize strategic planning in support of student
materials. Finally, units provide clear performance
appropriate ‘content’ and contributes to the expectations, helping teachers and students succeed. growth and school improvement. The Excellence by
development of competence; Design protocol streamlines school improvement
4 is well organized and structured; Angela Di Michele Lalor, in her book Ensuring efforts, helping QSI schools establish a clear vision,
4 is underpinned by a set of assumptions High Quality Curriculum (ASCD 2016) asserts, and strive to fulfill needs identified by the commu-
about how children learn. “The operational curriculum brings together several nity of stakeholders. Linking school improvement
types of standards, content, texts and resources.” planning to accreditation is one more way that
QSI uses these sources along with input from our QSI works to address the present needs of our stu-
The paper goes on to underscore three main communities to inform curriculum development. dents—and to plan for an even brighter future.
areas of a strong curriculum—knowledge, skills, and Writers are QSI teachers who create an integrated,
values—which mesh perfectly with the structure of focused curriculum for classroom use. And they do
the QSI curriculum. this by promoting depth in a ‘less is more’ approach.

QSI curriculum begins with Exit Outcomes, The QSI emphasis on mastering a course unit-
profiling a QSI school graduate. These describe by-unit means each student works on the essential

In this issue: QSI Succes Orientations — School Happenings — Curriculum — Culture and Diversity