Curriculum and Instruction
Office of Curriculum and Instruction
Introduction to the 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.
Professional Learning Opportunities for Educators
Below are free professional learning opportunities and events for administrators and educators. To see details, click on the event and select "expand record". To search for specific opportunities, click "filter" then "+ add condition" to filter by subject area, applicable grade bands, location, and more. To view all opportunities as a spreadsheet/list, click here.
Staff and Program Information
- Interim Division Administrator - Todd Loftin
- Division Coordinator II - Vickie Hale
Advanced Placement and Gifted and Talented Education
- Director of Advanced Placement and Gifted and Talented Education - Leah Murphy
- Advanced Placement and Gifted and Talented Education Grant Programs currently include the Oklahoma Young Scholars Project.
Early Childhood Education
- Early Childhood Education Specialist - Christina Hicks
- Early Childhood Education Specialist - Kelly Carter
- Early Childhood Specialist (Oklahoma Excel)- Lena Grifaldo
- Director of the Oklahoma Imagination Library - Laura Sikes
Fine Arts, Health, Physical Education and World Languages
- Administrative Assistant - Parvathy Sangaran
- 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
- Fine Arts, Health, Physical Education, and World Languages Grant Programs currently include Art Tech, Get Fit, and TSET.
Instructional Materials
- Visit the Instructional Materials website.
- Questions may be directed to Christine Koerner or Shanda Finnell
- Administrative Assistant -Shanda Finnell
Literacy
- Executive Director of Literacy - Mary Mazariegos
- Director of Elementary English Language Arts (PK-5) - Sharon Morgan
- 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
- Reporting Specialist - Dylan Savage
- English Language Arts Specialist (Oklahoma Excel) - Andrea Chrisman
Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM)
- Executive Director of STEM Education - Christine Koerner
- Administrative Assistant - Johnny Bray
- Director of Computer Science - Jeremy Maker
- Director of Elementary Science and Engineering Education - Paige Kelpine
- 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
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
- Administrative Assistant - Parvathy Sangaran
Art Tech Project
Art TechProject 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 - Brooke Gebb
Get Fit Project (CDC Grant)
The Get Fit Project is a $1.85 million dollar, 5-year grant from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Healthy Schools Division, designed to improve 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 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
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 -Debbie Enos
-
Project Manager - Leah Murphy
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 Specialist - Ianthi deAlwis-Shields
- Health and Physical Education Specialist - 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.
For more information, contact: Office of Curriculum and Instruction, (405) 521-4287
Oklahoma Excel
Oklahoma Excel, which is part of the Champions of Excellence initiative, is a year-long 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.
- English Language Arts Specialist - Andrea Chrisman
- Mathematics Specialist - Gena Barnhill
- Science Specialist - Paige Kelpine
- Early Childhood Specialist - Lena Grifaldo
