Curriculum and Instruction

Office of Curriculum and Instruction

The Office of Curriculum and Instruction supports school leaders, educators, families and communities in providing high quality curriculum and instruction to Oklahoma students to ensure students are college, career and citizen ready.

The Office of Curriculum and Instruction supports and oversees:

• Academic Standards Development and Implementation
• Oklahoma Curriculum Frameworks and the Development of Family Guides
• Textbook and Instructional Materials Adoption and Selection 
• Various Open Education Resource Development and Pilot Projects
• Coursework and Subject-Area Guidance
• Professional Learning for PK-12 Educators
• The Champions of Excellence Initiative and the Oklahoma Excel Project
• Advanced Placement and Gifted and Talented Education
• Academic Scholars and the Oklahoma Seal of Biliteracy
• Education Technology and Distance Learning
• Various Academic Grants awarded to the Oklahoma State Department of Education

In 2020, the Office of Curriculum and Instruction developed special instructional guidance for schools relaunching instruction during the Covid-19 to support teachers in designing in-person, blended, virtual, and temporarily blended instruction. This guidance continues to provide guidance for enriching teaching and learning opportunities for students.

Leadership

• Deputy Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction - Tiffany Neill
• Coordinator II - Vickie Hale

Advanced Placement, Fine Arts, Health, Physical Education and World Languagues

• Executive Director of Advance Placement and Well-Rounded Education - Cliff Morgan
• Adminstrative Assistant - Angela Daniel
• Director of Fine Arts (Visual Art, Music, Dance, Drama/Theatre) - Dr. Elizabeth Maughan
• Director of Health and Physical Education - Shana Classen
• Director of World Languages - Dr. Cathleen Skinner

Early Childhood

• Executive Director of Early Childhood Education  - Lauren Jenks-Jones
• Adminstrative Assistant - Valerie Davis
• Early Childhood Education Specialist -  TBD
• Early Childhood Education Specialist -  Rachel Moehle
• Director of the Oklahoma Imagination Library - Laura Sikes

Instructional Materials

• Director of Instructional Materials - Rebecca Morales
• Adminstrative Assistant - Shanda Finnell

Literacy 

• Executive Director of Literacy and Director of Gifted and Talented Education - Ashley Moore
• Adminstrative Assistant - Dylan Savage
• Director of Elementary English Languages Arts (PK-5) - Deb Wade
• Director of Secondary English Languages Arts and Library Media (6-12) - Jason Stephenson
• Director of Reading Sufficiency - Melissa Ahlgrim
• Director of Social Studies and Personal Financial Literacy - Brenda Beymer-Chapman
• Specialist of Early Literacy Programs - Megan Ashbaugh

Professional Learning

• Executive Director of Professional Learning - Susan Pinson
• Director of Professional Delivery Systems - Gary Hurst

Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM)

• Executive Director of STEM Education - Christine Koerner
• Adminstrative Assistant - Johnny Bray
• Director of Education Technology and Computer Science - Karen Leonard
• Director of Elementary Science and Engineering Education - Susan Wray
• Director of Secondary Science and Engineering Education - Heather Johnston
• Director of Elementary Mathematics (PK-5) - Gena Barnhill 
• Director of Secondary Mathematics (6-12) - Brigit Minden
• Director of High School and College Math Readiness - Anthony Purcell

Oklahoma Excel

Oklahoma Excel, which is part of the Champions of Excellence initiative, is a yearlong professional learning experience open to all PK-12 teachers. Teachers within a district form teams and join a Networked Improvement Communities (NIC) within a specific content area. Members of the NIC engage in continuous improvement cycles in their classrooms to implement and refine high-leverage, evidence-based instructional strategies. Teachers and teacher leaders who participate receive between 45 and 70 hours of job-embedded, sustained, data-driven, classroom-focused professional development.  Participants also have access to on-site instructional coaching, resources, and tools in an effort to bring about lasting improvement in their schools.  

• Executive Director of Champions of Excellence and Networked Improvement Communities - Dawn Irons
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• English Languauge Arts Specialist -  Andrea Chrisman
• Mathematics Specialist - Gena Barnhill
• Science Specialist - Susan Wray
• Early Childhood Specalist - Lena Grifaldo

Academic Grants

Academic Grants, overseen by the Office of Curriculum and Instruction provide opportunities to pilot and develop resources and professional learning aimed at improving teaching and learning in Oklahoma classrooms.

• Executive Director of Academic Grants - Debbie Enos
• Adminstrative Assistant - Parvathy Sangaran

Art Tech Project

Art Tech Project is a $5.8 million dollar, 5-year grant designed to restore arts education in Oklahoma schools currently without arts programming. 

• Project Manager - Regina Kenton
• Project Specialist - Elisabeth Roop
• Project Specialist - Brooke Gebb 

Get Fit Project (CDC Grant)

The Get Fit Project is a $1.85 millon dollar, 5-year grant from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Healthy Schools Division, designed to improving student health and academic achievement through nutrition, physical activity and the management of chronic conditions in schools. One year supplemental funds providing an additional $333,333 in FY21 and $433,333 in FY22 for Project Switch provide additional resources and professional learning on the CDC's Covid-19 School-Based Guidance and to further support the objectives for the Get Fit Project.

• Project Director Michelle Camacho
• Project Specialist - Ianthi deAlwis-Shields

Oklahoma Young Scholars Project (Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Grant)

The Oklahoma Young Scholars Project is a $2.3 million, 5-year U.S. Department of Education grant to identify, serve, and support potentially gifted and already identified gifted and talented students from historically underrepresented populations, students with disabilities, students who are economically disadvantaged, or students who are English language learners. 

• Project Director - Tiffany Neill
• Project Manager -  Ashley Moore

Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) Grant

The Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) grant is a $1.16 million, 3-year grant to support the implementation of the Health Education Act (70 O.S. 11-103.6). The grant provides funding for the development of coursework for a health education micro-credential, professional development, instructional guidance, and other resources designed to assist educators in providing instruction aligned to the Oklahoma Academic Standards for Health.To learn more about the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) program visit  https://tset.ok.gov/.

• Project Director - Shana Classen
• Health and Physical Education Specalist - Virginia Mitchell

Special Projects

Ag in the Classroom

Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom is a program of the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, Oklahoma State Department of Education, and the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service. The purpose of Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom is to help familiarize Oklahoma school children with Oklahoma's food and fiber industry by providing resources for Oklahoma teachers.

• Cheri Long
• Melody Aufill

For more information contact: Office of Curriculum and Instruction, SDE, (405) 521-4287