Travel Assistance Guidelines
Your help in keeping costs down is greatly appreciated. We ask that you carpool and share rooms whenever possible. These Reimbursement Guidelines will be strictly followed.
Travel: Reimbursement of mileage for eligible participants at current state rates The NDCI will reimburse mileage at the rate of one (1) vehicle per four (4) attending participants from the same school (no exceptions). If you have less than four (4) people from your school, please make note on the Expense Claim form that no others from your school attended.
Lodging: Reimbursement of lodging expenses for participants at current state rates. We request that participants share rooms when possible and appropriate. If sharing a room with another participant, please list that person’s name on the Expense Claim form.
Meals: Some food is provided for all participants. Generally, this includes lunch and snacks during breaks. Participants are responsible for all other meals.
Substitutes: Reimbursement of substitute teacher expenses (see separate form).
Registration: Generally, there are no registration costs, unless clearly indicated.
Additional Costs: In addition to reimbursing the specific expenses listed above, NDCI continues to arrange and pay for the cost of meeting rooms and speakers for each two-day meeting.
Thank you for your support of the North Dakota Curriculum Initiative!
Links
List of Links
Resources
Curriculum Handbooks
The Collaboration for Excellence project includes both publications and professional development workshops.
The publications consist of 12 separate handbooks on curriculum development, implementation, and evaluation. The purpose of these handbooks is to provide strategies for improving the curriculum--both planned and delivered--and ultimately student learning.
Meeting Reimbursement
Over the years, NDCI has been able to provide high quality professional development at a very low cost to participants. While we continue that tradition, we have had to make some slight changes to the way we handle reimbursements. Please note the following guidelines effective this academic school year.
Curriculum Handbooks
Collaboration for Excellence: The North Dakota Curriculum Project
The total set of publications includes twelve separate handbooks. It should be emphasized that the processes suggested in these handbooks are recommendations, not mandates. The authors value the ability of North Dakota educators to develop their own processes that reflect the needs and resources of their schools.
Currently, you may download the handbooks in either WordPerfect, Microsoft Word, or pdf.
Laying the Foundations
1. Seeing the Big Picture
This handbook describes the project’s vision of an excellent curriculum, the timeline for the project, how the project was initiated, and key terms used in the project.
[WP] [Word] [PDF]
2. Organizing and Planning for the Curriculum
This handbook suggests an organizational strategy for curriculum work and a long-term planning calendar for developing curricula.
[WP] [Word] [PDF]
3. Evaluating the Curriculum
This handbook presents the nine types of curricula and gives a process for evaluating five of the curricula types: written, taught, tested, supported, and learned.
[WP] [Word] [PDF]
4. Auditing the Curriculum
This handbook explains how to (a)conduct a do-it-yourself curriculum audit, (b) organize for the audit, (c) identify audit issues, and (d) conduct the audit.
[WP] [Word] [PDF]
Providing Leadership
5. Providing Leadership at the District Level
his handbook discusses the importance of district leadership (from the superintendent and the school board) in the area of curriculum, defines the district-level curriculum responsibilities, and indicates how these responsibilities should be allocated.
[WP] [Word] [PDF]
6. Providing Leadership at the School Level
This handbook explains the importance of school-level leadership and suggests processes for (a) developing a learning-centered schedule that supports the curriculum and facilitates student learning, (b) aligning various types of curricula, and (c) monitoring the curriculum.
[WP] [Word] [PDF]
7. Providing Leadership at the Classroom Level
This handbook stresses the role of teachers in implementing a quality curriculum.
[WP] [Word] [PDF]
Developing Curriculum Documents
8. Developing Scope and Sequence Charts and Curriculum Guides
This handbook describes how to develop and evaluate Scope and Sequence Charts (a graphic representation of the major elements of the curriculum) and Curriculum Guides.
[WP] [Word] [PDF]
9. Developing Long-Term Plans for Teaching
This handbook indicates how teachers may develop and evaluate the long- term plans for the taught curriculum.
[WP] [Word] [PDF]
10. Developing Standards-Based Units
This handbook explains how to develop standards-based units including the performance tasks for assessing student mastery of the unit.
[WP] [Word] [PDF]
Focusing on Results
11. Focusing on Student Learning
This handbook discusses how students learn and suggests a way of improving learning by reducing the gap between the taught and the learned curricula.
[WP] [Word] [PDF]
12. Meeting Special Needs
This handbook presents the characteristics of a quality special curriculum and describes a process for developing a standards-based curriculum for special learners.
[WP] [Word] [PDF]
Contact Us
For general inquiries or comments, you may also use our contact form.
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About Us
The North Dakota Curriculum Initiative (NDCI) is a long-term professional development program for North Dakota public and non-public school curriculum administrators and teachers. Funded by the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction and located on the campus of North Dakota State University, Fargo, this collaborative professional development project is in its eighth year and has committed educators from across the state involved in the programs. An advisory group, represented by curriculum experts from every region in North Dakota, along with the North Central Comprehensive Center (NCCC) at McREL, have worked diligently in offering quality professional development to North Dakota educators.
The purpose of the NDCI is to
- help assure that all North Dakota students receive equitable educational classroom opportunities,
- assist students in acquiring the knowledge, skills, and shared values essential to our civic culture, and
- support students in attaining critical work and management skills essential to be productive and responsible citizens.
These purposes are sought through the creation and implementation of solid standards-based curricula in all North Dakota classrooms.
By regularly bringing together key curricular leaders and professional organizations, the NDCI continues to build a consensus on what is expected of all North Dakota students in essential academic content areas. Accordingly, the NDCI agenda focuses on
- Teacher quality - helping districts and schools assist teachers in meeting the requirements of being highly qualified
- Assessments - developing new annual assessment systems aligned to standards, curricula, and instructional materials for measuring progress toward standards and for improving instruction
- Best practices - identifying and sharing research-based pedagogy, content, and assessment theory
- Networking - promoting communication and collaboration through institutions of higher education, professional organizations, Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning, and the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development
- Professional development - providing sustained, intensive, and high-quality conferences and programs
- Technology - establishing electronic clearinghouse activities that connect the NDCI participants with professional listservs and association websites
- Public relations - disseminating timely and useful information for parents, teachers, policy makers, and the public