History

Initial Collaboration (Common Core Catholic Identity Initiative)

In June 2012 a national working group began what was originally called the Common Core Catholic Identity Initiative (CCCII) to develop and disseminate resources and guidelines to assist Catholic elementary and secondary schools in integrating elements of Catholic identity (Catholic values, Scripture, Church social teachings, encyclicals, etc.) into curriculum and instruction based on the Common Core State Standards, beginning with K-8 English/Language Arts.

At the time CCCII began, forty-six states had agreed to adopt the Common Core State Standards, a set of high quality K-12 learning standards that includes rigorous content and application of knowledge using higher-order thinking skills, leading students to college and career readiness. Catholic schools, at that same time, were assessing what the implications of the standards and accompanying assessments might be for them, and over 100 arch/dioceses chose to use the CCSS in developing curriculum, with the full understanding that they would integrate Catholic identity elements into the curriculum they developed. They would use the Common Core to develop curriculum that goes beyond the Common Core to educate the whole child.

The Common Core Catholic Identity Initiative (CCCII) was launched to support schools and dioceses in this effort.

Thus, CCCII had two goals:

1. To empower Catholic schools and dioceses to design and direct the implementation of the Common Core State Standards within the culture and context of a Catholic school;
2. To infuse the Common Core State Standards with the faith principles/ values/ social justice themes inherent in the mission and Catholic identity of the school.

With these goals in mind, CCCII developed initial resources:

• Shared CCCII ELA Units by grade level
• Written guidelines, narrative explanations and other resources that provide a "think aloud" of how to create the Units.
• Catholic Identity connections/ideas for ELA Unit Topics.

Expanded to Include More Standards (Catholic Identity Curriculum Integration)

As arch/dioceses around the country continued to actively develop rigorous curriculum that integrates Catholic identity into academic standards, many found themselves using multiple standards rather than focusing solely on the Common Core State Standards. In April 2014 the CCCII board of Directors unanimously agreed to:

1. Frame the mission and vision of the project in a way that would accurately reflect the paramount commitment to supporting Catholic identity integration into all rigorous, standards-based curriculum in Catholic schools, and
2. Create a new name that reflects the expanded focus.

New Mission and Vision

Catholic Identity Curriculum Integration (CICI) is a national collaborative project to develop and disseminate academic resources and professional development that supports the integration of Catholic Identity into locally developed rigorous, standards-based curriculum.

CICI accomplishes this by:

• Developing and disseminating frameworks, guidelines and resources
• Collaborating, with NCEA, Catholic universities, religious congregations, corporations and sponsors supportive of Catholic Education
• Empowering peer reviewers who design and evaluate curriculum units

CICI will continue to develop and disseminate resources (including units, guidelines, professional development aids, presentations, webcasts, etc.) and to offer conferences and workshops. Materials and Catholic identity integrated units resulting from the current NCEA mathematics focus will also become available on this site.