OPAL Domains, Definitions, and Description of Indicators

What is an indicator of a Rigorous & Relevant Curriculum?

• Encourages memorization of facts

• Provides access to sports facilities

• Focuses on rote learning

• Emphasizes problem solving and critical thinking

What is the Connections domain focused on?

• Focusing on irrelevant content

• Relating instructional concepts to students’ realities

• Teaching abstract concepts only

• Ignoring students' prior knowledge

What is an indicator of the Comprehensibility domain?

• Encourages students to figure things out on their own

• Ignores student input

• Uses complex language without explanation

• Scaffolds instruction

What is the Interactions domain focused on?

• Using rigid groupings

• Minimizing student participation

• Facilitating access to the curriculum through maximum student engagement

• Discouraging student autonomy

What does a rigorous and relevant curriculum allow educators to value and capitalize on?

• Students' linguistic and cultural backgrounds

• Students' fashion choices

• Students' physical abilities

• Students' social media usage

What does the Connections domain aim to link content to?

• Students’ lives, histories, and realities

• Fictional stories

• Irrelevant topics

• Teachers' personal experiences

What does the Comprehensibility domain aim to provide access to?

• Content for parents only

• Content for all students

• Content for a select few students

• Content for teachers only

What does the Interactions domain facilitate access to?

• The curriculum through passive learning

• The curriculum through teacher-centered activities

• The curriculum through minimal student engagement

• The curriculum through maximum student engagement

What does a rigorous and relevant curriculum establish?

• High expectations

• Low expectations

• No expectations

• Unrealistic expectations

What does the Connections domain help students make?

• Unrelated assumptions

• Random guesses

• Isolated facts

• Connections