Training Designs and Costs

Consultant Costs: $1350 - $2800 per day plus expenses.  Depending on the size of the group for the Curriculum Boot Camp, two or more consultants may be needed. 

Curriculum Boot Camp

Pre-Boot Camp Planning

--- Plan for Curriculum Writing 2-4 days for consultants and district planning team
--- Plan for Curriculum Implementation 2-4 days for consultants and planning team

The Boot Camp

--- Writing the Curriculum:  Units, Significant Tasks, Align and Balance - 10 days for consultants and with possible additional days for curriculum authors
--- Writing the Curriculum:  Assessments – approximately 10 days for curriculum authors; 1-3 total days for consultants during this period.

Boot Camp Follow-up

-- Consultants visit 3 to 9 times during the first year of implementation to follow up with district planning team. 

Train the Trainer

--- Consultants conduct a 5 day workshop for a group of trainers who will then conduct the training in the district. (more info) 

Curriculum Boot Camp

Pre-Boot Camp Planning:  Plan for Curriculum Writing (2-4 consultant days with district planning team).

This service assists districts in planning how the curriculum will be written. Under expert guidance, the district planning team decides:

·        the criteria for selection of representative teachers,

·        a schedule of staff development for curriculum writing,

·        roles of central office and school administrators in the writing process

·        site selection and site support planning for the curriculum writing

·        a communication plan to assure all school district groups know about the balanced curriculum process.

Pre-Boot Camp Planning:  Plan for Curriculum Implementation (2-4 consultant days with district planning team).

Consultant meets with district planning team to plan for district-wide introduction of the curriculum, and curriculum implementation including roles of grade levels, department chairs, building-based and school district administrators to encourage curriculum use and monitoring completions of the curriculum on the web site.

·        training of school administrators to monitor curriculum implementation and counsel resistant staff,

·        reporting requirements of teachers in schools

·        reporting requirements of schools to the central office

·        role of central office administration

·        rubrics for determining effective school implementation

·        rubrics for determining effective central office administration

·        teleconferences to each school for progress reports on implementation successes and needs.

The Boot Camp -- Writing the Curriculum: Units, Significant Tasks, Alignment and Balance (10 days of consultant time)

• Four to six curriculum authors from each grade level or course work with the consultants for a period of 10 days for approximately five hours per day.  This is best done in the summer, although periodic workshops of shorter duration can also be scheduled throughout the year.
• Unit time lines (pacing guides) and unit introductions are developed and shared by the curriculum authors.
• Significant tasks for each unit are developed and refined by the authors and validated by district validators.
• Significant tasks are aligned to district chosen standards and assessments through tools available on the web site.   
• Curriculum authors examine alignment reports to determine standards that are under and over represented and modify the significant tasks to bring the curriculum into balance as determined by the authors. 

The Boot Camp -- Writing the Curriculum: Assessments

The curriculum authors, or a smaller group of authors, meet and generate format and content assessments.  Each format and content assessment includes:

• Title Page
• Introduction
• Copy of the Significant Task
• Directions for teachers giving the assessment
• Copies of student materials
• Directions for the students
• Grading instructions for the teachers
• Plans for collecting anchor papers for posting on the web site.

Boot Camp Follow-Up

Consultants return to the district periodically to help the district focus on implementation and surface concerns with the planning team.  Consultants work with the planning team on problem resolution, coordination of roles of grade levels, principals and central office staff, school visits for problem solving with school teams and principals, and planning for future activities.

Train the Trainer

 We work with a small team (3 to 8 people) from your district who visit New Haven, CT for 5 days of training or the training can also be conducted at a site of your choice to save on travel/lodging expenses. District curriculum developers/workshop leaders learn the process by drafting a sample course(s) and practice delivering key workshop presentations.  After feedback on each presentation, they return prepared to deliver workshops for district teachers using the Balanced Curriculum presenter’s manuals. The train-the-trainer workshops can be done as a block or spread over 2 months to a year. Assuming one day each for planning sessions, 5 consultant days are needed. 
---1 day workshop for trainers - Overview, Units and Standards
---1 day workshop for trainers - Significant Tasks, Standards
---1 day workshop for trainers - Align and Balanced
---1 day workshop for trainers - Assessments
---1 day for Planning for Curriculum Writing and Implementation

We strongly suggest having consultants meet with the district planning team, both before and after the train-the-trainer’s workshop so curriculum writing and implementation can proceed smoothly.