Over the past 3 years, St. Mary’s School has participated in the ACE Collaborative for Academic Excellence. ACE Collaborative is a sustained professional development approach that seeks to strengthen curriculum, instruction and assessment. Although, SMS has always written curriculum in alignment with Minnesota State Standards, these workshops have given us the opportunity to work in conjunction with the other Catholic schools in the Diocese. Dr. Tom Doyle of the University of Notre Dame provided Diocesan teachers with the initial training necessary to develop a Diocesan Curriculum.
Teachers worked together to create a rigorous Diocesan curriculum that incorporated the Minnesota state standards for each subject area as well as 21st Century Skills.
This was accomplished by promoting collaboration among teachers by creating professional learning communities, providing a common language and structure and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
St. Mary’s teachers continue to develop subject area units, lessons, and assessments based on this model. We are always looking for ways to improve and provide the best education for our students.
• A sustained professional development approach that seeks to strengthen curriculum, instruction & assessment by:
• Promoting collaboration among teachers (professional learning communities)
• Providing a common language & structure
• Fostering a culture of continuous improvement
• Builds on Catholic Schools’ Strengths
• Addresses Accreditation Standards
• Consistent with Current Research
Curriculum – what we actually teach - may be the single largest school factor that affects learning, intellectual development, and college and career readiness. If we are serious about improving schools, this is the place to start. Until we have built a clear, coherent curriculum for every course, we’ll only have a superficial impact on learning or achievement” - Mike Schmoker