Middle School Courses
Each of the courses of Language Arts and English that secondary students in Des Moines Public Schools can take are outlined on specific pages unique to each course. On these pages you will find the curriculum documents, teacher resources, and additional information for each level of Literacy instruction.
These course-specific pages can be accessed in the menu above (by hovering over the Courses tab) or by clicking on any of the following links.
Curriculum Changes for 2020-2021
In an effort to create a more cohesive experience for our students district wide, new curriculum will be implemented in the Fall of 2020 for grades 6-8. All DMPS elementary schools will be implementing EL materials beginning in the Fall of 2019, creating a full ELA curriculum scope and sequence K-8!
Why EL? Why Now?
What changes will occur?
When will changes occur?
How can you be involved?
In an effort to create a more cohesive experience for our students district wide, new curriculum will be implemented in the Fall of 2020 for grades 6-8. All DMPS elementary schools will be implementing EL materials beginning in the Fall of 2019, creating a full ELA curriculum scope and sequence K-8!
Why EL? Why Now?
- Expeditionary Learning, or EL provides comprehensive curriculum K-8 that aligns Common Core Standards with engaging, relevant, and cross-curricular performance assessments that will engage every student in grade-level complex texts.
- Common guiding questions and anchor texts will create a cohesive student experience that will better serve our feeder patterns and mobile student population.
- Vertical articulation will more clearly outline the nuances in how the standards develop over the student’s K-12 educational experience.
- The materials provide ready-to-use resources and connections for students needing language supports or for Gifted and Talented.
What changes will occur?
- Scales will re-order to better serve the reporting of the new units and the Shifts in the Core.
- Required texts will be purchased for every classroom in classroom sets. These materials will not need to be returned to Central Stores.
- Optional or Supporting texts will be available for purchase by buildings in service of the guiding questions.
- Teachers will have the flexibility to follow the daily lesson plans or adjust instruction around the guiding questions and required texts. ALL students will be expected to complete the Common Performance Assessments for each topic as part of the BOE.
- DMPS is cultivating these resources to meet our district's needs. On-going evaluation of required texts and assessments will occur to ensure the best possible student experience.
When will changes occur?
- EL has its current format available online now and can provide a baseline for the structure of materials. They are in active revision and 75% of the texts are changing in the new draft. This is set to release for preview in January 2020.
- District Wide implementation will shift in 2020-2021
How can you be involved?
- I am looking for classrooms to pilot units and performance assessments next Spring! Please reach out if you are interested! This request will be made multiple times throughout the year.
- District PD days 2019/2020
- PLC norming around on-grade level text complexity and acceptable student evidence
- Grade-level task force – monthly meeting?
- Topics/Scale prioritization and alignment for reporting
- Required text selection and on-going evaluation for effectiveness
- Expectations for performance assessments
- Prioritization of supporting materials
