latter to the district level (p. 145). Jacobs (2004) defines a consensus map as one that "reflects the policy agreed on by a professional staff that targets those specific areas in each discipline that are to be addressed with consistency and flexibility in a school or district" (para. 4; Jacobs & Johnson, 2009, p. 65). It provides an opportunity, by thoughtful reflection, for teachers to have a common ground for communication about their curriculum while also maintaining the necessary flexibility to do what is right for each child. Hale (2008) adds that a consensus map functions as a communication tool to convey to stakeholders the students' learning expectations (p. 145). Ideally, it comes later in the curriculum mapping process – after horizontal and vertical data examination and after interdisciplinary or mixed-group review (Jacobs, 2004, para. 13). According to Jacobs and Johnson (2009) mixed group reviews "add a unique perspective to the process and are sometimes able to see things that other teachers do not" (p. 58). For example, a social studies teacher might be able to observe that students are taught the Holocaust in 9th grade social studies and again in 10th grade English. An effective map would seek to marry the two instructional units, eliminating redundancies and providing a cross-disciplinary approach to instruction. By this time, professionals are working on "multiple levels and tiers" (Jacobs, n.d.), reviewing the maps for "possible gaps, repetitions, or omissions" (Jacobs & Johnson, 2009, p. 57). This takes time and, as with all curriculum mapping, cannot be rushed and the big picture must be taken into account. Phase 3 in the Mapping Process is critical because "if we don't have consensus on where we want to go, we will never get there". (Jacobs, n.d.). A consensus map might include what they district staff have targeted as the "nonnegotiables that will be taught in each grade level or subject in a school or district" and should represent "best practices, 21st century curriculum, higher order thinking, high standards, and clearly defined grade- or course-level expectations" (Jacobs & Johnson, 2009, p. 65). According to Hale (2008), its elements are "compulsory and are designed according to national, state, [or] district... standard[s]" (p. 146). They may include content and skills, essential questions, and required assessments. Individual curriculum maps Individual curriculum maps are "developed by individual teachers [and] reflect what they teach in their class or classes. They include essential