Curriculum & Instruction
At Keene Central School, we believe it is important for our families and community to understand how learning is designed and delivered in our classrooms. While curriculum and instruction are closely connected, they each play a distinct role in supporting student success and preparing students for life beyond KCS.
Curriculum: What Students Learn
Curriculum refers to what students learn in each subject and grade level. It outlines the knowledge, skills, and concepts students are expected to develop over time.
Our curriculum is:
- Aligned with the New York State Learning Standards
- Developed and organized through our curriculum mapping process using Atlas
- Designed to build learning in a clear and intentional progression from Kindergarten through Grade 12
The New York State Learning Standards serve as the foundation, ensuring that all students are meeting grade-level expectations while also supporting the development of key skills outlined in our Portrait of a Graduate.
Instruction: How Students Learn
Instruction refers to how learning happens. It is the approach teachers take to bring the curriculum to life and support each student’s growth.
Instruction is:
- Student-centered and responsive to individual learning needs
- Focused on critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and collaboration
- Designed to promote engagement and deeper understanding
- Informed by data to adjust and support student progress
- Supported by technology and innovative teaching practices
- Extended beyond the classroom through real-world experiences and enrichment opportunities
We believe learning does not stop at the classroom door. Through community partnerships, outdoor and place-based learning in the Adirondacks, and a wide range of enrichment opportunities, students apply their learning in authentic ways. These experiences help develop independence, responsibility, and the ability to think and act in real-world situations—key elements of our Portrait of a Graduate.
How They Work Together
Curriculum and instruction are closely connected. The curriculum defines what students need to learn, and instruction is how teachers help students learn it.
Together, they ensure that:
- Students meet the expectations of the New York State Learning Standards
- Students develop the skills and dispositions outlined in our Portrait of a Graduate
- Learning is both rigorous and relevant
- Teachers can adjust their approach to meet the needs of each learner
At KCS, we are committed to continuously strengthening both our curriculum and instructional practices so that every student is supported, challenged, and prepared for success in school and beyond.
What is curriculum mapping?
Curriculum mapping aims to ensure that the assessments, tests, and other methods teachers use to evaluate learning achievement and progress are based on what has actually been taught to students and on the learning standards that the students are expected to meet in a particular course, subject area, or grade level.
Curriculum mapping has four goals:
Vertical Alignment
When a curriculum is vertically aligned, what students learn in one lesson, course, or grade level prepares them for the next lesson, course, or grade level. Curriculum mapping aims to ensure that teaching is purposefully structured and logically sequenced across grade levels so that students are building on what they have previously learned and learning the knowledge and skills that will progressively prepare them for more challenging, higher-level work.
Horizontal Alignment
When a curriculum is horizontally aligned, what students are learning in one ninth-grade biology course, for example, mirrors what other students are learning in a different ninth-grade Living Environment course. Curriculum mapping aims to ensure that the assessments, tests, and other methods teachers use to evaluate learning achievement and progress are based on what has actually been taught to students and on the learning standards that the students are expected to meet in a particular course, subject area, or grade level.
Subject-area Coherence
When a curriculum is coherent within a subject area—such as mathematics, science, or history—it may be aligned both within and across grade levels. Curriculum mapping for subject-area coherence aims to ensure that teachers are working toward the same learning standards in similar courses (Algebra 1, Algebra 1A, and Algebra 1B for example), and that students are also learning the same amount of content, and receiving the same quality of instruction across subject-area courses.
Interdisciplinary Coherence
When a curriculum is coherent across multiple subject areas—such as mathematics, science, and history—it may be aligned both within and across grade levels. Curriculum mapping for interdisciplinary coherence focus on skills and work habits that students need to succeed in any academic course or discipline, such as reading skills, writing skills, technology skills, and critical thinking skills.