Maine statute (Title 20-A, Chapter 206, Section 4502) specifies that each school system must adopt a Comprehensive Education Plan (CEP) by the end of the 2002-2003 school year, and that it is the responsibility of the Superintendent to guide the development of the plan.

Purpose of the Comprehensive Education Plan

The purpose of the CEP is to ensure that each student enrolled in a school meets the content standards of the system of Learning Results. The plan is to be:

· aligned with the system of Learning Results,

· focused on the learning of all students, and

· oriented to continuous improvement.

While the CEP must address all plans required by the Department to meet state and federal requirements, the unit determines the format of the plan. The plans may be integrated into a single plan or each required plan may be included as a distinct component of the CEP.

One of the components of this comprehensive plan is the Curriculum Development and Review Plan, the school administrative unit’s plan for the development and review of the curriculum aligned with the content areas of the system of Learning Results.

“Curriculum” as defined in Chapter 125, Section 2.07, “means the school administrative unit’s written document that includes the learning expectations for all students for all content areas of the system of Learning Results, as well as for other content areas specified by the local school board. The curriculum shall reflect continuous, sequential and specific instruction aligned with the content areas of the system of Learning Results.”

Each school board is required to develop and adopt a written curriculum aligned with the content standards of the system of Learning Results. Further, each school administrative unit determines the instructional methods and educational materials needed to give each student the opportunity to meet those content standards. The system of Learning Results does not identify resources, methods of instruction, curriculum, or assessments. It is the responsibility of each school administrative unit to determine the specifics of implementation of the system of Learning Results through long-range planning.

The Elementary School, Middle School, and Secondary School Course of Study currently require the following five content areas of the system of Learning Results: English Language Arts, Health and Physical Education, Mathematics, Science and Technology, and Social Studies. The CEP and the Curriculum Development and Review Plan developed by the school administrative unit must also address the implementation of Career Preparation, Modern and Classical Languages, and Visual and Performing Arts. Effective September 2007, the local curriculum shall include these three content areas for all students, contingent upon funding of Essential Programs and Services or its equivalent.

The purpose of the Curriculum Development and Review Plan is to establish a process through which curriculum is developed, implemented, reviewed, evaluated, and revised on a regular cycle. This process should ensure that:

the curriculum helps the district realize its vision for educating its young people;

there is a method to achieve K –12 alignment of curriculum, instruction and assessment to the Learning Results; and
all students have meaningful and reasonable opportunities to learn, achieve and demonstrate the body of knowledge and skills represented in the Learning Results;

The Curriculum Development and Review Plan should:

· establish guidelines for curriculum committee membership, and process criteria for curriculum development for all content areas, including a status check on the existing process or plan and an inventory of current curriculum work;

· be based on an assessment of needs (content, human, fiscal and material resources, etc.) conducted on a regular basis, as well as ongoing collection and analysis of data related to indicators of student performance and development;

· reflect current educational research and practices, including linking curriculum, instruction, and assessment, and consider national standards that relate to student achievement of the content standards of the system of Learning Results;

· establish a process to inform parents and students of the curriculum, instructional expectations, and assessment system;

· specify how state and local assessment data, at both school and student levels, are used to develop, evaluate and improve curriculum, instruction and assessment, as specified in the Comprehensive Education Plan;

· establish a timeline for curriculum development and review, including a schedule for school board review and adoption of the curriculum;

· reflect relevant links to other plans, policies or components of the CEP, including the personnel training and development and student assessment plans;

· ensure that pertinent state and federal regulations are identified and are met; and

· determine the human, fiscal, and material resources necessary to implement the plan are identified and allocated.

N. B. The requirements of the CEP and further information related to the Curriculum Development and Review Plan are detailed in Chapter 125 and Chapter 127, which are available on the Department’s Web Page under “Rules and Legislation, Learning Results Rules Document. “

Maine Department of Education May 1, 2003