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FAQs

How do we define curriculum, instruction, environment, and feedback and appraisal? 

We have used language from the California Department of Education (CDE) to create working definitions for each of the dimensions in order to share a common language.

  • Environment: “School culture and climate are formed by a range of factors that shape students’ perceptions of school and their motivation to learn. These factors include the physical, social, and emotional aspects of the school that support meaningful teaching and learning. These environmental factors affect all school experiences, attitudes, behaviors, and the performance of both students and staff.” (CA Dept. of Education, 2022)

  • Curriculum: “Curriculum, or course of study, is the content and plan for instruction. It is made up of the instructional resources, methods, and assessments needed to help students develop critical skills and knowledge.” (CA Dept. of Education, 2022)

  • Instruction: “Instruction is the process of teaching and engaging students with content.  While curriculum is the organized content and plan for engaging students with specific knowledge and skills, instruction is how a teacher organizes time and activities in implementing that content and plan.” (Tomlinson & Imbeau, 2010, as cited by CA Dept. of Education, 2022) 

  • Appraisal & Feedback (Assessment): “Assessment is the ongoing process of gathering evidence of what each student actually knows, understands, and can do…Assessment results can be used to suggest which curriculum goals need to be addressed, how instructional strategies should be modified, and whether or not a particular form of instruction has been successful.” (CA Dept. of Education, 2022)

How was the framework constructed?

The framework was co-generated by the Instructional Lead Team (ILT), an interdisciplinary group of teachers from across the district, along with ongoing feedback and input from stakeholders. As a team, ILT engaged in: 

  • Readings and research on topics such as equity, antiracism, student-centered instructional practices, adult learning principles, and dismantling White Supremacy Culture (see some of our references here)

  • Over 130 classroom visits around the district across content areas, looking for bright spots to inform our work

  • A student shadowing process, where each of us spent a full school day shadowing a multilingual learner in order to better understand the student experience

  • An iterative refinement/feedback process, including multiple focus groups with teachers, administrators, classified staff, students, and community members

What is the timeline for implementation?

2022-23: Initial drafting of the framework was done after ILT members visited classrooms across the district looking for bright spots and places of innovation from which to build a framework. 

2023-2024: Refinement of the framework was done in stages throughout the year, using cycles of inquiry, and conducting focus groups for actionable feedback. In summer 2024, certificated members were invited to participate in a soft launch of the framework to begin sharing the framework and gathering additional input. 

2024-2025: Building knowledge and a common language around the framework was the focus of 2024 and 2025. Additional resources were identified, and other tools were developed to support the framework. 

2025-2026: Initial implementation will occur through site and content area support. Content area experts will help identify additional resources to support understanding of content area pedagogy through the lens of the framework. Implementation itself will feel iterative and individualized; we are all in different places with our professional journey, and innovation requires spaces for imagination and creativity.

2026+: Ongoing implementation and refinement, including the addition of resources over time. This also includes ongoing refinement of the framework, so that it continues to center and be flexible to student needs.  

Where does the framework fit into our journey as a district? 

The framework is an extension of our antiracist school & community transformation journey. After building our fluency and understanding of antiracism in education, a clear need for instructional guidance emerged. The framework is a response to this need – it hopes to answer the question: “How can I create an antiracist, humanizing classroom?”

What research was used to inform the creation of the instructional framework?

To build the Instructional Framework, the ILT engaged in readings and research on topics such as equity, antiracism, student-centered instructional practices, adult learning principles, and dismantling White Supremacy Culture (see full list of sources).

Why are we not using the Ethnic Studies Tenets or Antiracist Rubric? Why are we not using the term “antiracist” pedagogy?

Humanizing pedagogy includes antiracist pedagogy as well as other theoretical approaches that seek to disrupt all forms and intersectional manifestations of oppression that dehumanize, isolate, denigrate, and contribute to disparate outcomes for students of marginalized communities and groups. To be humanizing means to learn how to see one another in all of our humanity, treat one another with dignity,  learn to look deeply within ourselves, and participate fully in the project of our collective humanity. The instructional framework is a humble, imperfect, nascent vision of what we hope for both the children and adults in our system. 

How will this continue to grow and evolve to be a living document?

The vision is for the framework to become a place for us to share model practices and resources, and to have a process in place for teachers to offer feedback and continue to refine the document.