The Curry/Samara Model^® of Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment

The Curry/Samara Model® of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment is an integrated, standards based approach to teaching and learning that is used in regular, gifted and inclusion classrooms to assist teachers in meeting the needs of learners at all levels.

CSM involves a variety of field-tested, staff development options that help K-12 educators to:

1. engage students of all abilities and learning styles through specific, dynamic instructional strategies;
2. create rich and effective lesson plans and units of study based on state and/or local curricula and assessments;
3. employ authentic student products, performances and assessments that prepare students for in school and out of school success; and
4. set and achieve campus wide goals to improve student performance.

CSM addresses differentiation from three dimensions (content, process & product), and focuses on the implementation of instructional strategies in six categories (content, thinking, product, assessment, facilitation, reflection).

The Curry/Samara Model includes:

• the design and implementation of standards based curriculum units which will help teachers to complement factual content with rich, global concepts; foster basic and abstract levels of thinking as related to core content; and practice classroom strategies that have been proven to improve student performance.
• the design and implementation of rubrics aligned to curriculum units and state standards which will help teachers to engage and assess students through traditional as well as innovative, authentic products.
• the implementation of brief, monthly study groups which focus on embedding lessons with strategies that foster engaged learning.
• the technological support of UnitWriter® Software, StandardWriter® Software and digital vignettes of the teaching/learning process.

Click through CSM Training options on the right side bar for MORE information.