The mission of the Kansas City Missouri School District is to provide students the opportunity to succeed as life-long learners with the capacity for leadership and service as productive and responsible citizens. It is the role of curriculum to support this mission by providing clear connections between academic and performance standards and all areas that support the higher achievement and success of all students. The closer we align our curriculum, assessment, and instruction to the vision, mission, and
goals of the state and district, the better we are able to establish clear standards (expectations) for administrators, teachers, students, parents, and community members. If the target is clear, then we can focus our efforts on what it is we need to do to support those standards that directly correlate to higher student achievement. The 2005 Core Curriculum clarifies and strengthens the relationship between academic standards, assessment, instruction, resources and professional development.