Frameworks
Revision of each of the Arkansas Curriculum Frameworks every six years is required by the state education reform initiatives mandated by the State Board of Education. All curriculum framework documents result from the work of a committee of Arkansas educators representing every facet of Arkansas education, including geographic region, grade, school size and fiscal status, gender, ethnicity, and education experience.
State Board rules for framework revision specify that committees rely on a variety of resources to inform their work. These include an expert reviewers’ evaluation of the current framework, input from the Arkansas Department of Higher Education and the Arkansas Department of Workforce Education, and a review of national and state standards from across the country.
The 2003 revision of the English Language Arts Curriculum Framework is the first in the new revision cycle. The goal of the committee was to develop a framework that is rigorous, specific to grade levels, and congruent and progressive from grade level to grade level. This document differs remarkably from the 1998 revised framework. Characteristics of the new format include the following:
- Delineation of curriculum standards specific to each grade K-12
- Further delineation of standards that explain and extend the strands
- Conceptual Organizers to group SLEs (found in the left column)
- Student Learning Expectations (SLEs) numbered differently from past framework documents (The key at the bottom of each page explains the numbering.)
- Glossary of words and terms (indicated by italics)
The framework is designed to facilitate learning from grade to grade The design of this revision allows third grade teachers to readily see what second and fourth graders must master, a fifth grade teacher to readily see what fourth and sixth graders must master, etc. The SLEs that indicate progression in a particular grade cluster (K-4, 5-8, 9-12) are aligned from column to column. The numbering of SLEs is strictly for record keeping purposes. The expectations are not intended to be taught from 1 forward, but rather to be taught in harmony with other appropriate SLEs in any sequence. If a SLE is not aligned with a SLE in another column, students must fully master the expectation at that grade.
Curriculum Frameworks
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