The Salida School District follows the standards outlined by the Colorado Department of Education's Office of Standards and Instructional Support. The Office of Standards and Instructional Support (SIS) consists of full-time and part-time staff of content specialists with expertise in all areas within the Colorado Academic Standards. This team is committed to supporting education professionals across the state in implementing the Colorado Academic Standards (CAS) for student success. The team provides guidance and expertise through technical assistance, both internally and externally, related to standards implementation and instructional support.

Atlas is Salida School District's public curriculum management system, an online platform dedicated to establishing a Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum (GVC) for all students. Please navigate to the "all curriculum" tab at the top left of this page.

The GVC framework applies state standards and district resources to outline learning units, ensuring all standards are covered and assessed, regardless of the teacher or classroom.

• For Salida Schools & Guaranteed/Viable Curriculum: Atlas serves as the central tool to organize and house curriculum, ensuring alignment with state standards and all necessary learning components like pacing, learning objectives, and essential questions. It is critical for identifying curriculum gaps and overlaps, which are then addressed to ensure a cohesive and equitable learning experience for every student. The GVC is a foundational system that supports other instructional frameworks like the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS).

• For Teachers: The platform helps organize curriculum work and saves teachers time and energy by providing the 'What' (content) of the learning cycle. This allows them to focus more on the 'How' (pedagogy, professional practice, and data-driven instruction). Teachers use Atlas to check standards alignment, and the goal is to train all teachers to navigate the platform confidently.

• For Parents: The process of creating a GVC and using Atlas is intended to build community confidence in the school system. Curriculum plans will be published to the public to promote transparency, allowing parents to view the rigorous, standards-based learning opportunities their children receive.

Please note that public access in Atlas is detailed to the unit level. For any questions or to access further detail, please contact Savanah Craft, Curriculum and Instruction Director, (scraft@salidaschools.org) or your student's teacher.

Can I learn more?

• The Colorado Academic Standards were written for an audience of professional educators, but parents and community members looking to dig deeper may want to read them for themselves. Visit the Standards and Instructional Support homepage.

• Explore the 2020 Colorado Academic Standards Online in more depth.

• If you have further questions, please contact the content specialists in the Office of Standards and Instructional Support. 

High School Class Offerings

In addition to the standard course catalog, Salida Schools offers an Alternative Course Catalog for students interested in supplementing the standard class offerings.