2. Brief summary of curriculum design and instructional approach,
including provisions that are made for students with disabilities and
students who are limited- or non-English proficient
Sound, prevailing theories about second language acquisition, student-centered learning, multiple
intelligences as these relate to adult literacy, and strategies for working with adult learners inform
the Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School curriculum. Learner-driven instruction
through creative, contextualized projects inside and outside of the classroom; role plays and
practice simulations; “peer review” sessions; authentic, student-generated classroom materials;
dialogue journals; portfolios; computer-assisted learning; field trips; and more form the
foundation of Carlos Rosario’s innovative, successful approach to working with adult
immigrants. The curriculum encompasses Adult Basic Education (ABE) performance-based
skills in English language as well as in life skills, citizenship, computers, and GED (high school
equivalency) preparation that emphasize
The world of work
Health and illness preparation
Consumer Education
Parenting and family skills
The rights and responsibilities of citizens
Multi-cultural awareness and appreciation
Participation in the democratic process (through the Student Government Association)
This curriculum has been conscientiously developed to ensure that intensive language and life
skills instruction is driven by student needs. To determine whether Rosario is meeting these
needs, students at all ESL levels as well as those in other programs participate throughout the
year in focus groups that help determine what, if any, changes need to be made to the existing
curriculum. Each semester students also participate in a crucial school-wide goal-setting activity,
and the results inform curricular development as well. In addition, Rosario has integrated
standards developed by Equipped for the Future (EFF), a collaborative, nationwide effort
designed to develop adult learning benchmarks that can guide instruction and assessment and that
can improve the quality and results of adult literacy programs. Also incorporated into the
curriculum are competencies from the US Department of Labor’s Secretary’s Commission on
Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS), a commission that determines the skills young people need
to succeed in the world of work. The curricular content offers increasingly complex material that
calls for students to develop higher-order thinking skills. The ESL curriculum also correlates to
the CASAS Life Skill Competencies.
A parent and her child enjoy reading
together in the Mt. Pleasant Library
The Family Literacy Program incorporates into its
curriculum standards and competencies previously
mentioned as well as incorporates Parents as
Educational Partners (PEP) curriculum, a schoolrelated curriculum for language minority parents
developed with funds from the Office of Bilingual
Education and Minority Languages Affairs and the
US Department of Education. The Family Literacy
Program curriculum also draws on materials
developed by the National Center for Family
Literacy (NCFL) and by the Parent Institute for
Quality Education (PIQE).
Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School, Annual Report SY 2006-2007
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