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Curriculum Matrix Data Summary Map

ABOUT THE COPERNICUS CURRICULUM MATRIX
 
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
 
LOGGING IN TO THE MATRIX
 
SEARCHING
 
SEARCH RESULTS
 
SUBMITTING LESSONS, ASSESSMENTS OR RESOURCES
 
TECHNICAL SUPPORT
GLOSSARY

ABOUT THE COPERNICUS CURRICULUM MATRIX
If you're like most educators, you're caught in a time crunch between readying students for state testing requirements and helping them acquire the knowledge and develop the learning skills they'll need throughout their life. But how do you fit 1,500 hours of state-mandated curriculum into a 1,200 hour school year? And, to strike a balance, how do you decide what to teach?

The Copernicus Curriculum Matrix is a powerful, easy-to-use tool – developed by teachers for teachers – to help educators address students' learning needs for state assessments and life preparedness. The Curriculum Matrix allows a Copernicus Learning Community (a school, a district, state or organization) to create and share a customized bank of lesson plans, assessments and resources that satisfy their state instructional standards. Most importantly, the Curriculum Matrix helps teachers meet their greatest challenge – to make the most of precious time.

How It Works
The Curriculum Matrix presents each state's standards with the same structure and wording used by that state. Each standard is linked to related lesson plans, assessments and resources. A flexible array of search options allows teachers to hone in on the precise topic, level and tools they need. You can customize the data bank of standards and associated lesson plans, assessments and resources for your Copernicus Learning Community in order to reflect local curriculum requirements. You can also add your recommended lesson plans, assessments or resources to the system and rate the quality of any Curriculum Matrix resources you try.

The Curriculum Matrix is constantly updated through input from local teachers and subject managers and through frequent additions from EdGate content developers. This gives teachers a local framework and orientation to curriculum while exposing them to national resources to supplement their teaching.

Benefits for Teachers
Teachers gain invaluable benefits from using the Copernicus Curriculum Matrix, including the ability to:
  • Save time and increase productivity through one-stop access to standards and instructional tools.
  • Correlate their curriculum to state and local standards.
  • Clarify their understanding of state standards by viewing lesson examples.
  • Streamline classroom preparation by finding lessons and resources that meet state requirements.
  • Access assessments that are aligned with state standards.
  • Incorporate additional resources into their existing lesson plans.
  • Contribute their own lesson plans, assessments and resources to the Copernicus Learning Community.
 
Benefits for Parents and Students
The Copernicus Curriculum Matrix gives parents and students the ability to:
  • Identify state instructional standards.
  • Understand the age-appropriate developmental requirements and sequencing for their children's education.
  • Access lessons and resources that help in the completion of homework assignments.
  • Tap into resources for independent study.
Benefits for Administrators
District superintendents, curriculum directors and other school administrators appreciate the Copernicus Curriculum Matrix for the ability to:
  • Aggregate the highest quality educational materials from trusted and reliable sources.
  • Provide teachers with tools that can help individualize instruction.
  • Align curriculum and materials to state and local academic standards.
  • Improve performance and ease test anxiety on state assessments using appropriate assessment tools.
  • Customize curriculum and lesson plans to meet the needs of individual classrooms.
  • Increase local community awareness and participation in building and sustaining successful schools.
  • Provide prioritization of standards to assist in teacher evaluation and understanding of state assessments.
 
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

Hardware and Software Requirements
The Curriculum Matrix can be used with either a PC or a Macintosh. You will need an Internet connection and current Web browser to access its many features. A modem or other Internet connection of at least 28.8 bps is required. For the Web browser, use Microsoft Internet Explorer, Version 5.0 (or higher) or Netscape Navigator, Version 4.7. A screen size of 1024 x 768 is recommended.

You do not need to know HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) or any other programming language to use the Curriculum Matrix. However, there are some assessments that have attachments in a PDF format. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader (available for free from Adobe's Web site at http://www.adobe.com/acrobat/readstep.html in order to open these attachments. Otherwise, plug-ins or special downloads are generally not required.

User ID and Password
Every time you choose to enter the Curriculum Matrix for your Copernicus Learning Community, you need to provide a User ID and Password in order to log in to the system. You can obtain your User ID and Password from your Copernicus Learning Community representative. Once you have logged in, you can use all the resources provided by the Matrix. (For more about your User ID and Password, please see the "Logging in to the Matrix" section, which follows.)

LOGGING IN TO THE MATRIX

The Curriculum Matrix is available for exclusive use by your community of educators, parents and students. This valuable resource is password protected. To begin using the Curriculum Matrix, you must sign in from the Login page. Using a mouse or the tab key, enter your User ID in the first text box, and your Password in the Password text box. Your User ID and Password are case sensitive. Then click on Submit. Once you have successfully signed in, the Login page will be replaced by the home page for the Curriculum Matrix. That's all it takes. Now you have full access to the resources available through the Curriculum Matrix.

Obtaining Your User ID and Password
If you forget your User ID or Password, contact the designated Copernicus Learning Community representative in your school or district. If you are unsure who your Copernicus Learning Community representative is, ask your Library Media Specialist or your Principal. They should both be able to direct you to the right person. At the district level, ask the Curriculum Director or a Curriculum Specialist.

You may also e-mail EdGate Customer Care at customercare@edgate.com for further assistance.

SEARCHING

The Search function is the gateway to your state standards and all associated lessons, assessments and resources. There are three basic methods for conducting a search: 1) by typing grade and subject; 2) by selecting from a predefined list of keywords; or 3) by typing in your own word or phrase. Please note that you MUST select a grade and subject in order to conduct any search.

Searching By Grade and Subject
On the Search Page, click on the drop down icon next to the Grade field to select a grade. Similarly, click on the drop down icon to choose a subject. If you check off the standards box, the search results will display standards that reflect the grade and subject you specified. There may be some states that do not have standards for a specific subject or for every grade level. If you opt for Achievement Tools, the search results will display the Achievement Tools for the grade and subject that you requested. Achievement Tools are lessons, assessments or resources. Once you've completed the search criteria, click on Find It to begin the search.

Searching By Keyword
Searching by Keyword allows a greater degree of refinement for your search. On the Search Page, click on the drop down icon next to the Grade field to select a grade. Similarly, click on the drop down icon to choose a subject in the Subject field, a discipline in the Discipline field, and a topic in the Topic field. In the Keyword field, select the keyword that most closely matches your specific query. Not all topics contain keywords, so this field may be blank. Next, check off the box for the results you want: either standards or achievement tools located on the right side of the Search Page. If you opt for Achievement Tools, the search results will display the Achievement Tools for the grade, subject and keywords that you requested. Click on Find It to begin the search.

NOTE: Once you have selected a grade and subject, the system requires a few seconds to reset the search before you select each subsequent search field. During this time, the Curriculum Matrix automatically plugs in the relevant sublist for the discipline based on the grade and subject you selected. If you select a discipline, it will take another few seconds for the system to provide you with the appropriate list of keywords (if there are any) for completing the Keyword field.

Refining Your Search
The Refine Your Search section offers another search alternative for accessing the Curriculum Matrix. First select a grade in the Grade field and a subject in the Subject field. Then go to the Refine Your Search field and type in a word or phrase that most closely describes your query. If you want to search by more than one word, use a comma to separate the words. If you want to search by a phrase, you may include it in quotes i.e., “habits of mind”. Complete the search criteria by indicating the type of results you want: standards or achievement tools. Finally, click on Find It to initiate the search.

SEARCH RESULTS

Search Results offer two ways to access the rich information contained in the Curriculum Matrix: by Standards or by Achievement Tools.

Standards
The first screen following a search presents each standard and all associated levels of that standard on its own page. The formatting, labels and wording of the standard are the same as the state unless your Curriculum Matrix has been customized with the addition of local standards.

Listed horizontally across the top of the page, you'll find the grade, subject, discipline, topic, keywords and/or search refinements used in your search. Text appearing next to the word "Standard" at the top indicates how many results were found for your criteria. You can go to a previous standard or the next standard in your search results by clicking on the View Standards buttons (Back or Next). The Back to Matrix Search button takes you back to the Search Criteria page any time you want to begin a new search.

For each Standard, the associated grade-level Achievement Tools will display. As you select the levels below the Standard (i.e. Component, Benchmark),the Achievement Tools will change and reflect greater refinement of the lessons, resources and assessments. (An explanation of the buttons available as part of the Achievement Tools is in the "Achievement Tools" section.)

At the bottom right side of the Search Results page, you'll find the View All Standards button. Click on this button to view a complete list of all standards and associated levels, which apply to your search criteria. Use the navigation buttons at the top of the page to go back to your Search Results page from the View All Standards page. You can print the standards from the View All Standards page.

When you are searching by standard, you may also submit lesson, assessment and resource links to specific standards. This submission tool is not available in the Achievement Tools Search view.

ICLE Ranking of Standards
When you select the lowest level associated with a standard, an ICLE ranking will display for the tested grade levels in your state in math, science and English/language arts. The International Center for Leadership in Education (ICLE) has prioritized standards at tested grade levels as they relate to occurrence on state tests and the essential skills needed after graduation. A "high", "medium" or "low" on SURVEY indicates the priority of 35 skills most important for the high school graduate. A "high," "medium" or "low" on TEST indicates the likelihood of a standard being addressed on the state test. A "high", "medium" or "low" on PRIORITY is the combination of these two rankings.

SURVEY: The International Center for Leadership in Education developed and conducted the Curriculum Survey of Essential Skills. Over 20,000 teachers, administrators, other educators, business representatives and community members have participated. ICLE reviewed state academic standards from across the United States and developed a "topic statement list" for English / language arts, science and mathematics. There are approximately 100 topic statements for each instructional area. The surveyed participants were asked to identify the 35 topic statements they thought were the most important for a high school graduate. A "high" score means the Curriculum Survey participants, making it a high community expectation, ranked that standard in the top 1/3 of the Essential Skills. A "medium" ranking means the Curriculum Survey participants ranked the standard in the middle third of the Essential Skills. A "low" ranking means that standard was ranked in the bottom third of the Essential Skills by the Curriculum Survey participants.

TEST: Some states have a very close connection between their state standards and their state assessments. In other states, less than 30% of the state standards are assessed. When educators are told the state standards are all a priority, then none become a priority. The TEST ranking will assist educators to identify the high priority state standards and offer associated instructional material for the teacher. A "high" ranking means there is a high probability that several questions that relate to this standard will appear on the state assessment. A "medium" means that one question that relates to this standard may appear on the state test. A "low" means that no questions relating to the standard were found on the test.

PRIORITY: This field averages the state assessment correlation ("high," "medium," "low") with the Curriculum Survey of Essential Skills national data to identify an overall priority for the specific learning target associated with a standard. A high priority indicates there will likely be several questions on the state assessment that relate to the standard and it has been ranked in the top 1/3 Essential Skills by the Curriculum Survey participants. A medium priority indicates there will likely be at least one question on the state assessment that relate to the standard and is not matched to the Essential Skills. A low priority means there will not likely be a question on the state assessment that relate to the standard and is ranked in the bottom third of the Essential Skills by the Curriculum Survey participants. More information about the International Center for Leadership in Education may be found at: http://www.daggett.com.

Achievement Tools
The results page for Achievement Tools offers access to lessons, assessments and resources by clicking on the appropriate tab: Lessons, Assessments, Resources. The Curriculum Matrix tells you how many results were found in each category for your search query. A title, summary statement and source is displayed for each listing. In addition, the ICLE quadrant and a user rating may be present. To access the lesson, assessment or resource, click on the title. A warning that " You are leaving the EdGate site" will appear. Click OK to proceed. The Web site will open in a separate window. When you want to return to the Curriculum Matrix search results, close this window.

To the right of each listing there are two buttons. Rate This Tool allows you to give an evaluation of each Achievement Tool that you use. View Standards displays a list of those standards, which are applicable to this specific Achievement Tool.

Ratings and Comments
The Curriculum Matrix uses a five star rating scale, with one (1) the lowest rating and five (5) the highest rating. Once the item is reviewed by the local community and added to the Curriculum Matrix database, any educator who uses a lesson, assessment or resource can make their own rating based on their experience. The rating you see is an average of the ratings users have registered for that Achievement Tool. In some cases, no rating has been provided.

The Rate This Tool button is located to the left of each Achievement Tool. To submit a rating of a lesson, assessment or resource, click on the Rate A Lesson link that appears next to individual lessons or on the Search Results page. Radio buttons let you select the rating of your choice and the Comments field gives you the opportunity to add pertinent remarks about the Achievement Tool, which are sent to the Curriculum Matrix Local Administrator and are not viewable on the Matrix Search Results pages.

View Standards
The View Standards button to the left of each Achievement Tool is a very powerful option for classroom and cross-curricular instruction. When you click on this button, all standards and levels of a standard, which are applicable to this specific lesson, assessment or resource will display. Not only can you view those standards that are relevant to your search results, but you can also view any applicable standards from other subjects. Use the navigational buttons at the top of the window to return to the Search Results page. From the View Standards page, you may click on any standard or level of a standard. The system will display the Search Results for that selection.

ICLE Quadrant (A,B,C,D) Ranking of Achievement Tools
In addition to user rating, the Curriculum Matrix may include an ICLE (International Center for Leadership in Education) Framework ranking for an Achievement Tool.

The ICLE Framework is a four-quadrant model in which the vertical axis indicates knowledge and the horizontal axis, applications. The arrows denote increasing degrees of rigor and relevance. This scale is a combination of Blooms' Knowledge Taxonomy (rigor) and the Application Taxonomy (relevance). Quadrant A is the lowest level of the quadrant. It identifies simple uses of both knowledge and skill, with very little application and very little complex thinking. Quadrant B provides greater attention to routine, real world tasks. Quadrant C represents complex and abstract knowledge. Quadrant D combines challenging skills with challenging knowledge.

A = Low Rigor / Low Relevance
B = High Relevance
C = High Rigor
D = High Rigor / High Relevance

SUBMITTING LESSONS, ASSESSMENTS OR RESOURCES

Sources for Links
The lessons, assessments and resources contained in your Copernicus Learning Community Curriculum Matrix derive from three main sources:
  1. EdGate provides a large database of lessons, assessments and resources tied to your state's specific academic standards. A team of practicing educators as well as members of a Copernicus Learning Community generate these links. Many of these links are not available to the general public on the Internet.
  2. Educators in your Copernicus Learning Community have the ability to submit links or add original lessons, assessments or resources to the Curriculum Matrix.
  3. In some communities, other recognized educational resources such as ICLE Gold Seal Lessons or Pearson Network Learning Resources are linked into the system for the Copernicus Learning Community.
 
Submission Review Process
Educators within your school and district may increase the power of the Curriculum Matrix by contributing lessons and resources; this turns the Curriculum Matrix into a valuable local curriculum tool. Every submission to the Curriculum Matrix, whether it is a lesson, assessment or resource, goes through a local review process to ensure its quality and appropriateness for meeting specific academic standards.

Individual submission forms for recommending lessons, assessments and resources are accessible from the Curriculum Matrix. Once these forms are submitted, they are posted to a holding area for a local review. Each Copernicus Learning Community assigns responsibility for the management of Curriculum Matrix submissions to a group of Subject Managers who agree to review submissions for particular topics and grade ranges. These Subject Managers review each submission for accuracy (i.e., spelling) and appropriateness (i.e., is it age-appropriate? does it meet the standard?). Once the link is checked and approved, it is passed on to the Curriculum Matrix Local Administrator for final review and posting to the Copernicus Learning Community live site.

Guidelines for Submitting Links
Before completing a form to submit a lesson, assessment or resource, follow these guidelines:
  1. Study the standard: Understand what the instructional, key idea and performance requirements are for the standard.
  2. Identify keywords that represent the standard: This will help you find the right lesson, assessment or resource to link to this standard. Note that the keyword may not actually appear in the standard, but should be a relevant indicator of the tool.
  3. To submit a lesson: Research your topic first. A lesson consists of a set of procedures to teach a specific unit of study. Generally, a lesson will include step-by-step procedures, assessments, materials and teacher notes. When you create a lesson, you are creating a link to this step-by-step plan. Have a copy of your lesson plan in front of you prior to completing the form. If your lesson plan resides in a word processing document, you can copy and paste the text into the appropriate fields on the form.
  4. To submit an assessment: Carefully identify the standard(s) to which the assessment applies. An assessment is an instrument to evaluate learning, such as rubrics and evaluation procedures, which are linked to learning standards. Have a copy of your assessment in front of you when completing the form.
  5. To submit a resource link: Find an appropriate Web site that you want to link to a standard. Be sure the site is age appropriate and includes information that is specific to the standard. You will need to be able to identify the source of the information on the site so be sure to investigate the validity of the information. Also, make sure that you do not select a Web site that contains inappropriate banner ads or links.
 
Completing the Submission Forms
At the bottom of the Standards Results page, you'll find buttons under each tab that allow you to submit a link to a lesson, resource or assessment, or to create an original lesson or assessment. Click on these buttons to access the appropriate submission form. The online template for each form walks you through each item you need to complete. A blue asterisk next to a field indicates that you MUST enter information into the field prior to clicking on the Preview or Submit buttons. The system will alert you if you have not filled in a required field and will not accept the form without an entry.

Once you've entered all the information on a form, click on the Preview button to see how it will look to other educators in your Copernicus Learning Community. Make any corrections or revisions. When you are done, click on the Submit button to send your form in to the review process. Generally, your submission will take about one week to go through the review process before you will see it posted in the Curriculum Matrix.

NOTE: If you leave the form by clicking on the back key or going to another Web page before completing and submitting it, you will lose your work.

TECHNICAL SUPPORT

For more information about using the Curriculum Matrix in your Copernicus Learning Community, please contact your Curriculum Matrix Local Administrator or EdGate Customer Care at customercare@edgate.com.

GLOSSARY

Achievement Tools: Lessons, assessments and resources, which relate directly to a specific standard on the Curriculum Matrix.

Assessment: An instrument to evaluate learning such as a test, portfolio or teacher-generated essay.

Browser: Short for Web browser; this is the software that allows you to view Web pages and surf the World Wide Web. The most popular Web browsers are Netscape Navigator and Microsoft's Internet Explorer.

Curriculum Matrix Local Administrator: The person designated by the school/school district to be responsible for the overall management of your Copernicus Learning Community Curriculum Matrix.

Curriculum Matrix Subject Managers: Local educators designated by your Curriculum Matrix Local Administrator to review lessons, assessments and resources about specific topics submitted by participants in the Copernicus Learning Community.

ICLE: The International Center for Leadership in Education based in Albany, New York. This organization has developed a survey instrument, which ranks the importance of specific state standards and their relationship to the state test. ICLE has also developed a framework to evaluate the rigor and relevance of an Achievement Tool. These ratings are included in the Curriculum Matrix.

Keyword: A meaningful word or phrase that can be used to search the Curriculum Matrix.

Lesson: A set of procedures to teach a specific unit of study. Generally a lesson will include step-by-step procedures, assessment, materials and teacher notes.

Link Submission Form: The form that you use to submit a lesson, assessment or resource relating to a specific academic standard to the Curriculum Matrix.

Login: The process of typing in a User ID and Password to access your Copernicus Learning Community Curriculum Matrix.

Rating: A star rating from one to five stars that a user assigns to a lesson, resource or assessment on the Curriculum Matrix. Star ratings reflect the overall quality of the link. You can submit your rating for an individual Achievement Tool by using the Rate This Item button, available from the Search Results page. (For information about ICLE ratings, see the ICLE entry above.)

Resource: A link to a Web site, which will help you meet a specific standard.
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