Iowa Department of Education

You are here: Home

Iowa Core Curriculum

On April 25, 2008, the Iowa legislature approved mandating the Iowa Core Curriculum for all students in grades 9-12 by 2012 and grades K-8 by 2014. The Iowa Core Curriculum (also known as Model Core Curriculum) provides local school districts and nonpublic schools a guide to delivering instruction based on consistent, challenging and meaningful content to students. The curriculum identifies the essential concepts and skill sets for literacy, mathematics, science and social studies, as well as 21st century learning skills (civic literacy, financial literacy, technology literacy, health literacy, and employability skills). Governor Chet Culver signed the bill into law on May 1, 2008.

Essential Concepts and Skill Sets of the Iowa Core Curriculum (2008-04-25)

The Iowa Core Curriculum (also known as Model Core Curriculum) provides local school districts a guide to delivering instructional content that is challenging and meaningful to students. The curriculum identifies the essential concepts and skill sets for literacy, mathematics, science and social studies, as well as 21st century learning skills (civic literacy, financial literacy, technology literacy, health literacy, and employability).

The Iowa Core Curriculum aligns with Iowa’s mandated core content standards in reading, math and science, which were enacted by the 2007 legislature.

In this Iowa Department of Education podcast, Director Judy Jeffrey talks about the Iowa Core Curriculum.

Play immediately:

Reports

Iowa Core Curriculum Final Report (2008-04-04)
Model Core Curriculum for Iowa High Schools Final Report (2006-11-01)
Introduction to Model Core Curriculum - The department hosted a number of ICN sessions to provide additional information about Iowa Core Curriculum, and to provide guidance on how to use it to improve instruction and student achievement.

Descriptions and Examples

A detailed description of each essential concept and skill sets for the Iowa Core Curriculum for Iowa High Schools and an example of each illustrated through the International Center for Leadership in Education's Rigor and Relevance Framework is available at www.iowamodelcore.org.

Gap Analysis

Gap Analysis and the Iowa Core Curriculum

icon Gap Analysis Form

Essential Skills Crosswalk Mathematics

icon Essential Content Crosswalk Mathematics

icon Resolving Rating Differences Essential Skills

icon East High School Student Walk Through Observation

icon Sioux City Quadrant D Lesson Plan

icon Sioux City Comm Schools Lesson Plan

Teaching and Learning in Quadrant D

icon Teaching and Learning in Quadrant D IC

Mathematics Iowa Core Curriculum

The Mathematics ICC document can be found at: http://www.iowamodelcore.org/content/Mathematics

icon ICN High School Session Dec 13 2006 and Jan 4 2007

Science Iowa Core Curriculum

The Science ICC document can be found at: http://www.iowamodelcore.org/content/Science

icon ICN Science PowerPoint for January 12 2007
icon ICN ICC Science for December

Literacy Iowa Core Curriculum

The Literacy ICC document can be found at: http://www.iowamodelcore.org/content/Literacy

Powerpoint for Literacy ICN Jan 22 and 26
icon

Eleventh Grade Writers on the Topic of Writing
icon

Writing Process Meets Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich
icon

Writing Process Paper
icon

Four Viewing Skills
icon

Seven Speaking Skills
icon

Three Skills for Listening

Resources

Information Literacy Planner Form for facilitating collaboration between librarian and classroom teachers when planning information literacy (research or production) units or activities.
icon Information Literacy Planner

Health Note Taking Guide Form for students to use when extracting information from print and electronic sources for the drug research.
icon Health Note Taking Guide

Health Brochure Sample brochure. End product for drug/alcohol unit. Students may download this from the library website to use as a template.
http://www.iccsd.k12.ia.us/schools/west/library/CLassLinks/H/Drugs.htm
icon Health Brochure

1920s Note Taking Guide form (downloadable form) for students to use when extracting information from electronic sources for the 20s research. Download at
http://www.iccsd.k12.ia.us/schools/west/library/CLassLinks/SS/Twenties.htm
icon 1920s Note Taking Guide

Compelling Literature Bibliography Bookmark with annotated bibliography of selected books used as a springboard for group research projects.
icon Compelling Literature Bibliography

Scientific Issues Project Overview of a 5-day information literacy unit integrated into science classes.
icon Scientific Issues Project

Science Day 1 Activity sheet for using EBSCOhost database.
icon Science Day 1

Science Day 2 Activity sheet for evaluating resources (evaluative criteria).
icon Science Day 2

Science Day 2 Citations use with Day 2 activity sheet.
icon Science Day 2 Citations

Science Day 3 Activity sheet for using SIRS database.
icon Science Day 3

Science Bib Guidelines is a description of the evaluative annotated bibliography.
icon Science Bib Guidelines

Science Bib Assessment Guide used when assessing the evaluative annotated bibliographies.
icon Science Bib Assessment

Science Sample Bib is a sample of a student's evaluative annotated bibliography.
icon Science Sample Bib

English Symposium Intro is an overview of month-long literacy and information literacy project taught collaboratively by English teachers and librarians.
icon English Symposium Intro

English Symposium Timeline is a day-by-day outline of the symposium unit.
icon English Symposium Timeline

Background

History

Work on the Iowa Core Curriculum began in 2005, when the Iowa legislature passed Senate File 245. The Iowa Department of Education collaborated with representative’s from various education stakeholder groups to develop the core curriculum for high school math, science, and literacy.

This work was expanded in 2007, when the Iowa legislature not only passed state mandated standards, but expanded the Iowa Core Curriculum by enacting Senate File 588. This legislation called for the Iowa Core Curriculum to also include grades kindergarten through 8th grade and the additional subject areas of social studies and 21st century learning skills.

The Work
To develop the Iowa Core Curriculum, the Iowa Department of Education convened a Project Lead Team and Work Teams in the content areas of literacy, mathematics, and science.
The charge given to the Project Lead Team was to define and collaborate with subcommittees in identifying the essential content and skills of a world-class core curriculum. The team also was asked to present its findings to the State Board of Education in partial fulfillment of SF 245. The initial phase of the project work focused on the areas of literacy, mathematics, and science.

Important considerations in completing this work included the following:

The needs of students. These needs include not only legacy content like reading, writing, arithmetic, logical thinking, understanding the writings and ideas of the past, but also those Marc Prensky, author of 'Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants' refers to as future content (2001). The 'future' content is digital and technological, including software, hardware, robotics, nanotechnology, and genomics and the ethics, politics, sociology, and languages that come with them.
The needs of a changing workforce. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, jobs requiring science, engineering, and technical training will increase by 51 percent between 1998 and 2008, four times faster than overall job growth. By 2008, there will be six million job openings for scientists, engineers, and technicians.
The need to remain globally competitive. The sheer number of college graduates from other countries will change world dynamics. No longer do students from foreign countries have to come to the U.S. for higher education. No longer with the U.S. have enough engineers and scientists to fill the needs. Other countries will have the numbers that create new ideas, building companies that launch innovations, and produce goods wanted by the world.

The Outcome

The most critical curriculum in literacy, mathematics, and science has been identified for Iowa educators. This is based upon a review of research and best practice literature; examination of national standards; and information from Iowa Testing Services, the National Assessment of Education Progress, ACT, and the College Board.
Iowa graduates who know these essential concepts and possess these essential skills should find success in any post-high school endeavor, whether that be in a classroom or the workplace.
The Iowa Core Curriculum encourages instructional practices that deeply engage students by requiring them to be active learners and critical thinkers who can apply their learning to new and unpredictable situations.
As a district determines the courses it will accept as part of the 4-3-3-3 graduation requirement, educators are encouraged to review local curriculum to ensure that these skills and concepts are part of the educational program of every graduate.

Background Documents

icon Characteristics of a World Class Core Curriculum

icon The Essential Content of a World Class Core Curriculum

Essential Skills of a World Class Core Curriculum