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CURRICULUM
General Policy
The philosophy of the school must be carried out in its educational program. Textbooks and curriculum are important factors within this framework and must be carefully chosen and formulated. Without proper materials with which to work and materials that complement the philosophy, even the best of philosophies is of little value.
Christian Fellowship School recognizes the importance of quality curriculum and reading material to academic excellence in an educational program, especially in the area of Language Arts. Various criteria are often used in the evaluation and selection of books and other printed material used within a school’s educational framework to advance students’ intellectual development. In the context of a Christian school, it is vitally important that the selection criteria include provisions to ensure that materials selected will complement the mission and philosophy of the school, and that their use will not promote outcomes that are inconsistent with Biblical principle and Godly character. Christian Fellowship School will use for the selection of all material used in its educational program, whether printed, video, audio, personal narrative, or any other media, criteria which evaluates the material on the basis of the following:
- Consistency with Biblical precept and principle
- Godly character development
- Age-appropriateness
- Fulfillment of sound educational objectives
- Social/cultural value of the material
- Other criteria as appropriate
All curricula and textbooks must closely follow the school's educational philosophy, enhance the school's educational objectives, and not conflict with the school's Statement of Faith. New curricula and textbooks will be evaluated by the administration in part to see how closely they follow these principles.
Texts and Materials
All texts used at Christian Fellowship School must have the approval of the superintendent. Teachers may adapt and supplement their curriculum as needed to fit the needs of their respective students so long as it is supportive of the philosophy and objectives of the school. However, any substitution of curriculum by another must have prior approval by the superintendent. The administration welcomes comments and other constructive criticisms of any curriculum or methodology.
Material used in a classroom is by the nature of the setting more easily controlled as to its impact on students. Age-appropriateness and the influence of the teacher gain in importance as evaluative criteria in the selection of this material.
- Preschool – Grade 8: No material will be used, endorsed, or recommended that does not promote Biblical principles and godly character, or that ultimately shows that un-Christian belief, behavior, and/or attitude is wrong.
- Grades 9-12: Limited use of material may be used that is not consistent with Biblical principle and godly character if there is adequate social/cultural value to the material and it promotes greater intellectual development in ways consistent with the mission of Christian Fellowship School. All such material shall be specified in the appropriate curriculum guides and/or scope and sequence. It may not be used in the classroom until the teacher has submitted, in writing, his/her plan for proper Biblical integration and appropriate discussion from a Christian worldview of the questionable parts of the material. Examples of some material that may fall into this category would be some works of Shakespeare, Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, etc.
Use of Supplemental Texts
Teachers may adapt and supplement their curriculum as needed to fit the needs of their respective students as long as such adaptation and supplementation does not conflict with the school's philosophy and objectives. All supplementation shall be approved by the principal before it is used in the classroom. It is expected that teachers will not stray too far from the subject content of their curriculum. This does not mean that topics of varied interest cannot be discussed, but primarily attention is to be paid to the official curriculum as adopted by the administration.
Textbook Limitations
Textbooks are only one part of the curriculum. The curriculum will also include the teacher's knowledge, didactic tools, supplementary tools and materials, field trips, discussions, resource people invited to the classroom, etc. The whole curriculum is much broader than any one of its parts. When making a textbook selection, there must be the sensitivity as to how well the text fits into our total curriculum in that subject area. In addition, the scope and sequence of each series is considered along with other criteria.
Curriculum Guides
A curriculum guide shall be developed and available for each class in every grade taught at Christian Fellowship School. The curriculum guide shall be available for inspection by staff, parents, and other interested parties. Curriculum guides should be viewed in determining rate of progression or in determining the amount of material to be covered. Each teacher is required to follow the scope and sequence for his/her class(es) as outlined in the curriculum guide.
Each teacher shall review annually the curriculum guides for the class(es) he/she teaches and make needed revisions to a particular guide. If a curriculum does not exist for a particular class, the teacher shall develop one using the standard format. The teacher is then required to follow the scope and sequence for his/her classes as outlined in the curriculum guide.
Library Collections/Recreational Reading Material
Provided in the annual budget is an amount designated for library acquisitions. The media center coordinator is responsible for making library selections in accordance with applicable purchasing, budgetary, and content guidelines, making sure they are in harmony with the philosophy and objectives of the school. The media center coordinator shall request a list of materials from staff members to submit to the administration by March 1 of each year.
Donations are accepted and will be subject to the same content review process as well as serviceability. Donations will be accepted by the school as outlined under 2.2(I) Gifts (Non-cash) in the Policy and Procedures Manual.
The library will include only those materials that contribute to the goals and/or needs of the school and church and will not stock in the library any material that does not promote Biblical principles and godly character, or that does not ultimately show that un-Christian belief, behavior, and/or attitude is wrong. The media center coordinator shall reject books and materials which promote non-Christian beliefs, illegal lifestyles, blatantly offensive language or illustrations, or attack high moral and Christian standards. Books which promote sexual, sadistic, or degrading behavior will also be rejected. Violence appearing in textbook content shall be treated in context of cause and consequence.
No teacher or other school staff member shall endorse or recommend any reading material to a student that is not consistent with the criteria listed above. All selections published for use in programs such as the Accelerated Reader program and/or that are promoted such as in a book fair shall be consistent with this policy. Limited exceptions may be made for early childhood stories that are obviously fantasy such as Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, Jack and the Beanstalk, etc. Though these books may contain material that could be objectionable in other settings, they promote the principle that good is superior to evil.
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