The Curriculum and Instruction Department includes general education, services for English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), Response to Intervention (RtI), special education, and gifted services.

Our Goal of Education

Our goal of education in City Schools of Decatur, Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 12, is to cultivate and nurture extraordinary, critical thinkers who are ethical and inspired to make the world a better place. There are two complementary instructional programs in City Schools of Decatur that support our goal of education:

• EL Education (formerly Expeditionary Learning) is used in our five lower elementary K-2 schools (Clairemont, Glennwood, Oakhurst, Westchester, and Winnona Park.)
• For more information about the EL Education instructional program, please click here.
• International Baccalaureate (IB) programmes is used in our 3-12 schools (Fifth Avenue Upper Elementary, Talley Street Upper Elementary, Renfroe Middle School, and Decatur High School).
• For more information about the International Baccalaureate instructional programs, please click here.

Learning Standards/Expectations

• The College Heights Early Childhood Learning Center serves children from infant – Pre-Kindergarten. The curriculum and instruction in infant to Pre-Kindergarten classrooms align and/or are guided by the Georgia Early Learning and Development Standards (GELDS).
• Please click here for the Georgia Early Learning and Development Standards (GELDS).
• For Kindergarten to Grade 12, we align our curriculum and instruction to the Georgia Performance Standards of Excellence. Please click here to review the standards for a specific subject and grade level.

Our Core Beliefs about Curriculum and Instruction

Both instructional programs (EL Education and International Baccalaureate) and the learning standards/expectations support the core beliefs we hold about curriculum and instruction.

• We believe all students can learn.
• We believe students learn best when they experience instruction that is meaningful, rewarding, and challenging and that prepares them for lifelong learning.
• We believe the best learning is active and experienced and happens in community with others.
• We believe curriculum is most impactful when it combines rigor with joy.
• We believe it is important for curriculum and instruction to promote intercultural understandings.
• We believe student achievement is defined not only by mastery of the content standards but also the development of character and the quality of the work produced.