FAQs

Why would I choose to send my child to a Katy ISD school?

Katy ISD offers an instructional program with staffs, facilities, equipment and materials that are among the best in the state. This combination results in schools, programs, students and staff earning honors on both state and national levels. Katy is one of the only large school districts in Texas to receive a Recognized rating from the Texas Education Agency for the past four years. Results from the 2001-2002 Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS) Report show Katy ISD well above the state average in all areas, and one of the highest scoring districts in the state.

What do I need to complete to do research relating to Katy ISD?

The Katy Independent School District is interested in participating in research efforts that will produce data or information that will serve to benefit all students, particularly Katy ISD students. Complete the Application for Approval of External Research Proposal Form and return it to us for review.

Can you give me an overview of the Katy ISD Curriculum?

The purpose of education is primarily the development of basic skills, knowledge, processes, and attitudes necessary for the student to successfully function as a productive citizen in an ever-changing world. Education also recognizes the characteristics unique to each individual and provides a process for the development and expression of each student's innate abilities and talents.

In order to ensure that graduates of the Katy Independent School District possess the skills and knowledge to have successful experiences in higher education, technical schools, or in the workplace, a curriculum and instruction model with measurable results for student learning has been designed and implemented throughout the system. This model focuses on the results that each student achieves in meeting and exceeding state standards as well as the approved district standards and content objectives. Meeting these high performance standards is accomplished by:

• recognizing and believing that all students are capable of achieving excellence in learning the essentials of formal schooling;
• allowing the instructional process to be adapted and modified to improve learning when appropriate;
• accepting the fact that schools can maximize the learning conditions for all students through a written and aligned curriculum, clearly-stated objectives; quality teaching, high expectations for all student to achieve, and pre-post assessments that are aligned to the district curriculum for the purpose of improving student learning;
• involving parents and the community as partners with the district to provide a safe, orderly learning environment, challenging curriculum, quality educational programs, and successful learning experiences for each student.

Does Katy ISD have a Mission Statement?

The mission of the Katy Independent School District Curriculum Department is to prepare students to be successful in an ever-changing and complex society through academic opportunities by designing and supporting the delivery of an aligned, articulated, and assessed curriculum that challenges all students to reach their academic potential and to become life-long learners.

Elementary and Secondary Mission Statement

The Katy Independent School District's Elementary and Secondary instructional programs provide each student with a high quality education in a safe and engaging learning environment using a variety of resources that promote:

• High academic achievement,
• Life-long learning,
• Exploration of career and interest areas, and
• Responsible citizenship.

Is there a consistent teaching culture across all of the Katy ISD schools?

What We Believe In

• Curriculum development is a participatory process involving teams that include various stakeholders, including teachers, administrators, students, parents, and the community.
• A well-designed curriculum is written, aligned vertically and horizontally, delivered, and assessed.
• Curriculum is based on a set of nonnegotiable, relevant, and challenging student objectives designed for the purpose of guiding decisions about teaching and learning.
• Every child learns when the curriculum is delivered in a manner that actively engages the student.
• A high degree of commitment to the unique learning needs of students is reflected in the design and delivery of the curriculum.
• Highly successful organizations create environments where personal and organizational learning and renewal is constant and ongoing.
• High expectations fro learning are the driving force for curriculum design and delivery.
• Technology is an integral learning tool for curriculum delivery and management of instruction.
• Access to curriculum and current student performance data is provided to parents using technology as a primary means for connectivity.
• The written curriculum and its delivery are managed through the administration and analysis of aligned assessments.
• Board policies establish the expectation that the district will provide a written, taught, and tested curriculum.
• Staff development is designed and implemented to support and enhance curriculum development and delivery.
• Curriculum is dynamic and is significantly influenced by research, college requirements, the technological world, and the needs of a changing workforce.
• The district is committed to providing a state-of-the-art curriculum and instructional delivery system.
• Curriculum is designed and delivered within the cultural context of the internal and external environments.
• Equity of curriculum design and delivery is fundamental.

Belief Statements:
Elementary and Secondary Education

• We believe that the student is the focal point of all decisions.
• We believe that public education is vital to the progress of our community and our nation.
• We believe excellence is the hallmark of our programs and our measure of accountability.
• We believe that our purpose is to help each student reach his or her potential.
• We believe each student can and must learn; though learning rates and styles may differ.
• We believe learning occurs when students are presented with relevant and developmentally appropriate content.
• We believe each student will master basic skills and apply critical and creative thinking to analyze problems and seek solutions in real-world situations.
• We believe learning is enhanced in a respectful, nurturing and disciplined environment.
• We believe that education should offer each student multiple opportunities for success and fulfillment in both curricular and extra-curricular programs.
• We believe in ethical decision-making, positive role modeling, and a commitment to professionalism.
• We believe in respect and appreciation for diversity of individuals and groups.
• We believe that education is a shared responsibility where the student, the school, the home and the community work together towards common goals.
• We believe that parents are the first teachers of students, and that families enhance student success by valuing education.
• We believe that business and community members enhance the quality of education through partnership with students, teachers, and staff.

What expectations does Katy ISD have of a graduating senior?

In Policy Statement EH (LOCAL): Curriculum Design, the Board has established student performance expectations as goals from which all curriculum development efforts are to be derived. These expectations become the key measures of how effective the curriculum and instructional program is in terms of both design and delivery. Because the Board of Trustees considers these expectations to be important, necessary, and worthy of attainment by all students who graduate from Katy Independent School District, then it is only appropriate to use them as statements that form the basis or framework for constructing a portrait of a graduate. This portrait, as a communication tool, establishes the district's expectations of graduates by informing teachers, administrators, students, parents, and the community at large.

Portrait of a Graduate

There are thirteen specific student expectation statements in Policy Statement EH (LOCAL): Curriculum Design. These statements, when categorized under four major headings, ask students to be effective communicators, academically prepared, leaders, good citizens, productive and continuous learners.

Effective Communicator

1. Develop communication skills with diverse populations
2. Utilize technology to access, organize and synthesize information
3. Exhibit effective oral and written communication skills

Academically Prepared

4. Be an effective decision-maker & problem-solver
5. Master reading, writing & mathematics
6. Understand and appreciate the arts & humanities

Leader

7. Value rewards of work & accomplishments
8. Solve problems through knowledge of conflict management
9. Possess skills to work productivity in a variety of settings

Good Citizen

10. Practice healthful living
11. Acknowledge and respect cultural diversity
12. Demonstrate civic pride and responsibility

Productive & Continuous Learner

13. Practice creative and disciplines thinking
14. Set goals to enhance productivity
15. Set goals to evaluate progress

What is vertical curriculum?

The vertical curriculum states the student expectations at each level. It provides a broad overview of the curriculum PreK-12.

What are standards, goals, and objectives?

A standard is a broad curriculum strand that is consistent in a content area from Pre-K through 12th grade. A goal is a grouping of objectives within a standard by broad concept or topic. An objective is a statement of measurable student performance for a specific grade or course.

What do the letters I,D,E,A stand for in the curriculum document?

IDEA is an acronym for the level at which an objective is to be taught.

 

I   Introduce	The student's first experience with the objective.
D   Develop	The use of a variety of genre, methods, strategies, and skills to expand knowledge of an objective.
E   Evaluate	The formal assessment of understanding of the objective.
A   Accountable	The continued demonstration of understanding of the objective.

How do teachers plan lessons?

Designing lessons is a thinking process in which teachers structure learning. The purpose of lesson plans is to guide the teacher in helping students achieve the intended learning outcomes. The following questions guide teachers through the planning process.

What do my students need to know and be able to do?

In planning a lesson, the teacher needs to look at the standards, goals and objectives for a particular unit. These will form the basis for the lesson. The objective is a statement of measurable student performance.

How do I know that learning has occurred?

• Assessment should be an integrated component of all instructional planning, not just something that happens at the end of teaching.
• Students will be assessed on the objectives derived from the Katy
  ISD curriculum documents.
• Assessment methods should vary based on the desired learner outcomes.
• Assessment should be understandable and meaningful to students,
  parents and educators alike.

What instructional strategies/activities will students experience?

• Instructional strategies/activities must directly link to those concepts and skills identified by the Katy ISD objective.
• A distinction must be made between merely doing an activity and
  using a strategy to increase learning and application.
• There are several considerations to keep in mind when planning what students will experience to accomplish the learning:

1. Best Practice/Instructional Strategies
2. Resources/Materials
3. Effective Use of Time
4. Brain-Based Learning
5. Integration of Technology

How do I meet the needs of all learners?

Construct lessons with appropriately varied instructional practices, materials, and assessments necessary to ensure differentiated instructions. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Flexible grouping
• Tiered assignments
• Balance of independent, cooperative, teacher-directed learning
• Pacing variations
• Text/print resources of varying levels of difficulty
• Graduated rubrics

How do I make the learning relevant for students?

• Link learning to the Graduate Profile
• Give opportunities for making connections between:

• New learning, prior learning, and future learning
• Learning in other disciplines
• Learning in their own lives and/or the world beyond the classroom