Educators from across Europe attended a workshop on Curriculum Mapping with Atlas sponsored by European Council of International Schools (ECIS). Attendees representing France, Switzerland, Spain, England, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Brazil, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, The Netherlands, Turkey, Vietnam, Italy, Luxembourg, Austria and others, met at the American School of The Hague for the weekend-long workshop led by the ECIS Curriculum and Assessment Committee and Rubicon/Atlas on March 12-14, 2010. Participants included teams of teachers and administrators from 30 European schools, both public and independent of varying sizes.

The workshop "Curriculum Mapping - Moving Forward with Rubicon Atlas: Alpha to Omega - From Launching to Analysis" was designed to engage educators at all levels, from beginner to expert. Facilitated by members of the ECIS Curriculum and Assessment Committee and Rubicon experts, participants mastered the curriculum review process focused on three phases: Establishing the Curriculum Mapping Process, Defining Quality Curriculum and Curriculum Analysis. In addition to a general session, tailored workshops addressed UbD Planning, using Atlas as a leadership tool, creating a review protocol, and mapping to various pedagogies.

"This is the first workshop of its kind. We enjoyed the unique sharing opportunities offered." said Stéphane Keller, Senior Consultant with Rubicon. The two-day workshop was so successful, participants overwhelmingly requested a repeat! It will be offered during the ECIS Annual Conference November 19-21, 2010, in Nice, France.

Although the Common Core State Standards have been approved, many U.S. states have yet to sign on in support of the Standards. The U.S. states that have pledged their support, will be examining the Common Core State Standards to develop strategies for adoption in the coming months. Rubicon's Standards Team will be closely monitoring each state for intended adoption timelines and implementation plans.

Facilitators of the workshops were Sue Williams, Director of Curriculum and Staff Development at the American School of The Hague; Michelle Kuhns, Curriculum and Professional Development Director at the American School of Warsaw; Susan Rinker, who directed the use of Atlas with Understanding by Design at ACS Cobham International School; Amanda Scott Curriculum Coordinator at the International School of Nice; and Tony Mobbs, Curriculum Coordinator at the International School of Prague;

Rubicon facilitators included Elizabeth Martin and Stephane Keller, Senior Consultants and Roger W. Smith, Managing Partner of Rubicon International.