Curriculum

What is Curriculum?

Curriculum refers to the overall course of study offered in an educational institution, including the core subject areas as well as encore subjects (art, music, etc.) and electives. However, you will also hear the term used to describe the planned course in any one subject area or class.

What is the Difference between Curriculum and Standards?

Standards define what students should know and be able to do as a result of the learning experiences in a particular subject area and grade level. They do not define how content is to be taught, what materials to use, or how they will be assessed.

Every district in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is required to use the PA Standards and PA Core Standards (Pennsylvania's version of the Common Core State Standards) as per Title 22, Chapter 4 of the PA School Code. However, how we prepare our students to be proficient in the standards is the decision of each district in Pennsylvania. You can learn more about the Standards at the Standards Aligned System web portal.

The curriculum details how we will deliver the content that results in the outcomes required by the standards. It includes the Big Ideas and Essential Questions that provide focus and clarity, that answer the question asked for centuries by students around the world, Why do we have to learn this?

Curriculum breaks down the standards into the content (knowledge and concepts) as well as the skills that students will demonstrate as a result of instruction. Curriculum also details the ways we will assess student learning and from what materials and resources we will choose to immerse our students in learning.

Click on the links to the left to access the curriculum.