Curriculum Alignment Liaison Responsibilities

The Liaison works closely with the preschool/kindergarten counterpart, the HT, to ensure alignment of curricular materials, learning standards, assessments, and overall collaboration among preschool–3rd grade teachers. The school Principal is the supervisor. This position requires a minimum 10% time allocation of a full-time employee currently employed by the school district.

Typical tasks for the CAL may include:

• Provide advice and counsel for teachers and principals on matters pertaining to instruction across the preschool–3rd grade continuum.
• Plan and implement staff development programs for school staff.
• Coordinate PD sessions for teachers across the preschool–3rd grade continuum.
• Ensure that curriculum used in the preschool–3rd grade continuum is evidence-based.
• Assess the school’s CPC P-3 Curriculum Alignment Plan and ensure fidelity of implementation.
• Ensure that in-service training designed to support implementation of curricula involves all relevant teachers in the preschool–3rd grade continuum.
• Supervise development of instructional guidelines, policies, regulations, and official notices for CPC P-3 teachers.
• Use assessment data, such as kindergarten readiness data, to inform instructional practices and curriculum implementation.

Interview with Tinishi Davis

Assistant Principal and CAL, Chicago Public Schools

Q: What strategies have helped you in your work as Curriculum Alignment Liaison?

A: I share online modules from our PD with the teaching staff. We discuss how these pedagogical practices exist in the classroom already, and how we can implement them if they are not, to ensure that we are all following best practices. This collaboration allows our teachers to have vertical articulation across grade levels to build a strong, focused plan of instruction.

In grade-level meetings, we discuss and implement many ideas from other respected educators and organizations to support effective strategies in the classroom.

We identify articles about curriculum, instruction, assessment, Common Core state standards, best practices, differentiated instruction, and classroom management techniques; the resources are limitless and shared with staff. Teachers are now finding articles and sharing them with their colleagues and me, which enhances professional growth for the whole team. The topics are relevant to the issues faced by contemporary educators.