About the Nashoba Regional School District Curriculum Guides
The Nashoba Regional School District Curriculum Guides provide teachers, families, and the community with an overview of the course of study for a year. Aligned with the standards outlined by the Massachusetts Department of Education Curriculum Frameworks, the guides articulate the vision for learning, major units of study, essential questions, transfer goals, and skills and competencies that will be addressed in a particular course of study. Curriculum is living, breathing, and consistently evolving to reflect student needs and the changing learning landscape. Thus, these guides will be regularly assessed as part of the Nashoba Regional School District Curriculum Review Process and are still in development in some K-5 content areas.
The Nashoba Regional School District Curriculum Review Process provides a scheduled means to regularly assess the effectiveness and relevance of the current curriculum and make necessary changes and updates to the curriculum to ensure that we are meeting the needs of our students. The process of reviewing curriculum and instructional resources regularly supports a framework for continuous improvement. By reviewing our curriculum in a systematic, data-informed way, we ensure that our programming remains effective and responsive to the changing needs of our students and the broader educational landscape.
Elementary Curriculum Guides
Middle School Curriculum Guides
High School Curriculum Guides
Glossary of Terms
Curriculum Guide A curriculum guide is a public document that provides teachers, families, and the community with an overview of the course of study for a year. It is aligned with the Massachusetts Department of Education Curriculum Frameworks.
Curriculum Unit Map A curriculum unit map is an internal document that is a planning tool for teachers. Curriculum unit maps provide an overview of a course, aligning standards, essential skills/concepts/questions, assessment methodologies and content resources. Curriculum unit maps are revised in an ongoing curriculum review process.
Standards The Massachusetts Department of Education Curriculum Frameworks provide the standards that are the foundation of the curriculum. Curriculum frameworks are available here: Current Curriculum Frameworks - Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Enduring Understandings An Enduring Understanding is a hard-won conclusion – generalizations or insights inferred by students, with teacher help, from the learning.
Essential Questions Essential questions are open-ended and thought-provoking to entice a student to learn more within the unit.
Transfer Goals Transfer Goals highlight the effective uses of understanding, knowledge, and skill that we seek in the long run; i.e., what we want students to be able to do when they confront new challenges – both in and outside of school. (def. McTighe, 2014)
Skills and Concepts Skill, facts, and conceptual knowledge that students will develop in order to develop and demonstrate understanding
Portrait of a Nashoba Graduate Competencies The skills and mindsets that represent our Nashoba community’s collective vision for our students upon graduation.