Strengthening the Capacity of
21st Century Leaders and Learners

The Staff/Curriculum Development Network of New York State (SCDN) has existed as an extension of the District Superintendents since 1986. Although originally funded by the State Education Department (SED) as the operational arm of the Offices of Curriculum and Assessment, the Network has been self-sustaining for more than fifteen years and is governed according to its own by-laws and protocols. In effect, SCDN is the instructional leadership arm of the thirty-seven Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) and the Big 5 Cities in New York State.

Our Mission is to strengthen the capacity of school districts to promote successful attainment of the New York State Standards by all students.

​SCDN Goals for the 2022-2023 School Year:

  • SCDN will develop and deliver turnkey learning opportunities to support the goals for the roll out of NYS learning standards aligned with the  NYSED revised roadmap and implementation timeline. SCDN will also continue to focus on Diversity Equity and Inclusion by supporting awareness and implementation of curriculum and instruction, Culturally Responsive and Sustaining Education, Civic Readiness and Social Emotional Learning as key components of our work. 
    • ​​Develop plans for shared learning through SCDN and Framework Structure to impact learning across New York State, which recognize the current models of instruction.  Survey data collected to measure impact of shared learning on regional roll out.
    • Collectively develop measures of impact, which will be monitored throughout the year. 
  • Develop processes which enhance communication among BOCES/Large City School Districts and the State Education Department by sharing information and resources with each other and local school districts; to support student learning through quality curriculum, staff and organizational development; 
    • Collaborate with the NYSED in planning and implementing curriculum, instruction and assessment through capacity building initiatives;  
      • Close collaboration and regular written and virtual meeting communication with New York State Education Department through: 
        • Weekly phone calls with S/CDN chairperson and vice chairperson
        • Monthly phone calls with Frameworks Leaders, S/CDN Executive Committee and NYSED Office of Curriculum and Instruction and Early Learning
        • Frameworks steering committees, joint attendance at quarterly meetings, S/CDN presentations and bi-yearly planning retreats.

SCDN Statewide Framework Goals for the 2022-2023 School Year:

ELA: 
  • Goal 1: Using Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as our guiding light for ELA, discover how to create and sustain safe, nurturing, and engaging learning environments for all students. October speaker: Gholdy Muhammad's Hill Pedagogy will speak to us on "part 1" of the process that will lay the foundation for the theory of the model. Other activities include the formation of a DEI workgroup and book club with Cultivating Genius. This workgroup will also deep-dive and make explicit connections to ELA into the released documents from NYSED (CRSEF, BOE call to action, SEL benchkarks, etc.) and overlay with Next Generation Standards. 
 
  • Goal 2: Begin to unpack the research base of evidence and build resources around how children learn to read in order to strengthen and grow expertise across the state with ELA leaders. Activities will include the formation of a workgroup that will use guiding questions to determine what knowledge base needs to be built in order to enhance the group's intended outcome for this goal. This will be the first time our framework group has worked on the foundations of reading instruction (or the first time in many years) and so we anticipate this workgroup to be very foundational in nature and might include a text or speaker, depending on the group's determined needs, through a DEI lens. 
 
  • Goal 3: Continue deepening our understanding and implementation of evidence-based writing strategies and practices to further our support of every child. The group will take inventory of the materials we have this far as it relates to this goal, and auditing through a CRT lens. Activities will also include creating or fine tuning additional turn-key resources around disciplinary literacy, using the information and learning from last year, and any other identified outcomes this workgroup comes up with. 

Math:
  • Goal 1:  To foster a network of strong math leaders willing to collaborate, share resources, and push each other's thinking in order to best serve students and the professional learning of educators across NYS.          
 
  • Goal 2:  To become familiar with and equipped to lead Phase III: Implementation of the NYSED Next Generation Math Learning Standards Roadmap. 
 
  • Goal 3:  To learn strategies and best practices for Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education so that all students receive effective standards-based instruction that honors their cultural and experiential backgrounds.   

Science:
  • Goal 1: Increase opportunities for district professional learning, in a variety of formats. 
                  
  • Goal 2: Build the capacity of science educators in understanding the role of science in culturally responsive education.
 
  • Goal 3: Assist with the implementation of the NYSSLS, in accordance with the NYSED revised timeline with a targeted focus on formative assessments.  

Social Studies:
  • Goal 1:  Create a collaborative culture that seeks to cultivate high quality adult learning and innovative social studies leadership in New York State
 
  • Goal 2:  Create and adapt curated resources aligned with the K-12 Social Studies Framework, The Social Studies Practices and exit PLD's
 
  • Goal 3:  Facilitate and support the continued roll out of the NYS Seal of Civic Readiness and the purposeful integration of social studies content/standards with SEL, Equity and  Culturally Responsive Practices 

Social Emotional Learning:
  • Goal 1:  Build understanding and deepen the integration of updated NYSED SEL Goals and Benchmarks, DEI and CRSE.                                                                         
 
  • Goal 2:  Develop the capacity in self and others to support, teach, and model a strong sense of identity, agency, and self awareness through affirming environments.
 
  • Goal 3:  Cultivating an understanding of the importance of community and belonging as foundational to a successful whole school implementation. a.fostering affirming environments b. inclusive curriculum and assessment  c.creating the container for connection.   

TLE:   
  • Goal 1:  Collaborate meaningfully with NYSED Office on Educator Quality to roll-out guidance and updates, including teacher and principal evaluations related to APPR regulations          
 
  • Goal 2: Prioritize and provide assorted professional learning opportunities, to increase our members' capacity to plan, lead, and reflect on effective instructional and leadership initiatives, such as DEI/CRSE.  This will include the development of turn-key materials that align with PSEL standards, Teacher Evaluation and Principal Evaluation practices.
 
  • Goal 3: Provide members with rich and relevant opportunities to expand the collegial network with statewide BOCES
S/CDN Constitution and Bylaws (revised June 2018)

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