ODE Curriculum Framework 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following is the FIRST step in the 'backward design' curriculum planning model used in Ohio professional development?
- Select instructional strategies and activities
- Choose appropriate textbooks and materials
- Identify desired learning outcomes and standards (Correct answer)
- Develop formative assessments for daily lessons
Correct answer: Identify desired learning outcomes and standards
Backward design, developed by Wiggins and McTighe, begins by identifying desired results before planning assessments or instruction.
Question 2: In Ohio's tiered intervention system (MTSS), how does the curriculum framework inform Tier 1 instruction?
- Tier 1 uses a separate remedial curriculum for all students
- Tier 1 delivers the core, standards-aligned curriculum to all students with high-quality instruction (Correct answer)
- Tier 1 focuses exclusively on reading regardless of grade level content
- Tier 1 removes struggling students from grade-level curriculum
Correct answer: Tier 1 delivers the core, standards-aligned curriculum to all students with high-quality instruction
Tier 1 in MTSS is high-quality, standards-aligned core instruction provided to all students before additional interventions are considered.
Question 3: An Ohio school district adopts a new math curriculum that emphasizes conceptual understanding alongside procedural fluency. This reflects which shift in the Ohio Learning Standards for Mathematics?
- Narrowing the curriculum to only computation skills
- Balancing rigor through conceptual understanding, procedural skill, and application (Correct answer)
- Replacing all standardized assessments with portfolio reviews
- Eliminating algebra from middle school coursework
Correct answer: Balancing rigor through conceptual understanding, procedural skill, and application
The Ohio Learning Standards for Mathematics define rigor as the balance of conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and application to real-world problems.
Question 4: What is the function of 'essential questions' in an Ohio standards-aligned curriculum unit?
- They serve as the final exam questions for the unit
- They are required vocabulary terms students must define
- They frame enduring understandings that give meaning to content and promote inquiry (Correct answer)
- They list the prerequisite skills students need before starting the unit
Correct answer: They frame enduring understandings that give meaning to content and promote inquiry
Essential questions are open-ended, thought-provoking questions that point toward the big ideas of a unit and drive deeper inquiry beyond surface-level facts.
Question 5: Which Ohio graduation requirement directly shapes how districts must structure their high school curriculum framework?
- All students must complete an International Baccalaureate program
- Students must meet the Ohio Seals of Learning and graduation pathway requirements (Correct answer)
- Districts must offer only STEM-focused electives to seniors
- Students must pass a single statewide exit exam to graduate
Correct answer: Students must meet the Ohio Seals of Learning and graduation pathway requirements
Ohio's graduation requirements include multiple pathways and Seals of Learning that districts must incorporate into their high school curriculum planning.
Question 6: A curriculum coordinator notices that the district's science curriculum addresses the same ecosystem concepts in grades 3, 5, and 8 with increasing depth. This is an example of which design feature?
- Horizontal alignment
- Curriculum compaction
- Spiral sequencing (Correct answer)
- Standards-based grading
Correct answer: Spiral sequencing
Revisiting the same concept across multiple grade levels at increasing levels of complexity is the defining feature of a spiral curriculum design.
Question 7: Under Ohio's framework, which group has the legal authority to formally adopt the local curriculum used in a school district?
- The building principal
- The district superintendent
- The elected Board of Education (Correct answer)
- The Ohio Department of Education
Correct answer: The elected Board of Education
Ohio law grants local Boards of Education the authority to adopt curriculum, ensuring community representation in educational decisions.
ODE Curriculum Framework 3
Which of the following is the FIRST step in the 'backward design' curriculum planning model used in Ohio professional development?