District-Wide Improvements That Align Curriculum

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Dr. Ebony Lee, the recently appointed Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment in School Leadership and Instruction with Clayton County Public Schools (CCPS) in Georgia, recognizes the importance of a clear alignment between curriculum, instruction, and assessment. She believes that all students deserve a clear path to success in education that accounts for their diverse needs. Dr. Lee looks at available resources and asks, “Are they diverse? Are they grade-level appropriate? Are they culturally relevant? Are they rich with learning experiences?”

Cultural Diversity

Once resources are aligned, Dr. Lee shifts focus to instructional delivery practices. She makes sure that a proper mapping of learning experiences takes place and that all students have equitable access. Diversity is crucial, and the intentionality of cultural relevance becomes a driving component. She points out, “Within our district, our superintendent Dr. Morcease Beasley has been very strategic and intentional in making sure that our training reflects cultural diversity preparation. Our vendor partnerships understand that resources need to be varied. Also, the learning experiences our teachers create [are important]. Are we inviting students into the conversation? Are we creating learning tests that reflect if they’re interested? If that is not done with intentionality, it just will not be done.”

Transparent Learning 

The intentionality of partnerships within the district is critical to not only instructional assistance, but also maintaining consistent assessment practices. Since 2018, i-Ready from Curriculum Associates has been an important tool for Clayton County in both supporting curriculum and helping personalize student learning to close achievement gaps. Dr. Lee adds, “By engaging leaders and teachers early on ─ we’re seeing success with i-Ready. It is a great tool for making sure that learning is transparent for our students so they can see where they are and receive personalized instruction.”

Strategic Approach to Improvements

A few years ago, Dr. Beasley and other members of Clayton County leadership developed a clear strategic approach to bring about district-wide improvements. The summative results are impressive when compared to other districts. “The State of Georgia released the comprehensive school improvement list, and we didn’t have any school on that list. Graduation was at a first time high. Out of our 11 high schools, seven are at 80% or higher, and all of them were 70 or above,” details Dr. Lee.

Tools like i-Ready allow for accurate snapshots along the way to assess teaching and learning before the summative measures take place. This increase in accessible and useful data supports further improvement. “This year, when we looked at end-of-year findings from i-Ready, they correlated well to our Georgia Milestones findings. We appreciate the validity and reliability of a tool [during] the early conversations,” says Dr. Lee

The future certainly looks bright for the Clayton County School District. With leaders like Dr. Lee enthusiastically committed to education efforts, it appears more and more students are finding themselves prepared for the complex world that awaits them.

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Authors and Participants

  • EdCircuit Staff

    edCircuit is a mission-based organization entirely focused on the K-20 EdTech Industry and emPowering the voices that can provide guidance and expertise in facilitating the appropriate usage of digital technology in education. Our goal is to elevate the voices of today’s innovative thought leaders and edtech experts. Subscribe to receive notifications in your inbox

  • Ebony T. Lee

    Dr. Ebony T. Lee is currently the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment in School Leadership and Instruction with Clayton County Public Schools in Jonesboro, Georgia. She has been in education for 19 years and has served in the role of a secondary English teacher, a literacy coach, college adjunct instructor, and the K-12 English Language Arts and Media Services Coordinator.  Her priority responsibilities in her role as director is to ensure all teachers and students in all content areas and programs have access to academically challenging and relevant core curricula, the necessary wrap-around academic support to close students’ achievement gaps, a balanced assessment system to monitor learning, and professional learning opportunities that deepen leaders and teachers' understanding of those evidence-based practices that help to optimize student learning.  Dr. Lee has presented at district, state, and national conferences on topics such as Disciplinary Literacy Across the Curriculum, Getting to the Core of Common Core, How to Integrate Language Arts and Social Studies with Intention, and Providing Criterion-Based Feedback (which was the basis for her doctoral studies).  Throughout her educational career, she has received numerous recognitions, such as Teacher of the Year, Who’s Who Among America’s Educators, and in 2017, she was named, - Leader of the Year for her entire school district. Dr. Lee takes the “literacy and learning mission” seriously and aims to continue expanding her knowledge base so that she can help strengthen the impact of teaching and learning in her district and beyond!

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