Over the past several decades, curriculum writing has evolved into a nearly continuous cycle of reviewing, revising, and restarting. Curriculum no longer is a “one-size-fits-all” list of lesson content to be addressed but instead is more of a “living” concept. As such, the process of curriculum writing has become increasingly cumbersome. The following suggestions will aid administrators and teachers with the curriculum writing and revision process.
Start with the Standards
The launching point for any 21st century conversation about curriculum must begin with an examination of applicable state standards. Each state’s standards outline the eligible content for each grade level and course for grades PreK–12. When considering curriculum writing, the state standards should guide what students should know and be able to do at each grade level and outline the content upon which students will be tested on annual standardized assessments.
Review the Data
Once the expectations of the state standards are understood, curriculum writers should examine the performance data of their students to determine the extent to which they are meeting (or are not meeting) the established targets. Data may be gathered from numerous sources; however, the most significant source is performance data from state-mandated standardized assessments. These assessments align with the state standards and offer curriculum designers the ability to “drill down” into students’ performance to determine areas of strength and areas for improvement in accordance with the standards.
Data also may be obtained through locally developed formative and summative assessments as well as rubrics for specific projects or performance tasks. Additionally, many school systems utilize benchmark testing programs provided by third-party vendors. The programs provide interactive computer-based assessments that students take at several points throughout the school year. The assessment programs then provide teachers and administrators with norm-referenced scores for each student that provide an overview of students’ performance as compared to that of other students of the same ages and grade levels.
Identify Gaps
Once the available data has been reviewed, curriculum writers should identify the standard areas in which students are not performing as well as they should be. Identifying the specific standards around which student performance is lacking creates the opportunity for conversations about why gaps in learning are present and how they can be addressed. As an example, a group of third graders may demonstrate proficiency with basic addition and subtraction but fall short in identifying geometric shapes. Curriculum writers could use this information to adapt the curriculum to incorporate more practice with shape identification and less direct instruction in addition and subtraction. Often all of the necessary elements are present within the existing curriculum; however, the key for curriculum writers is to strike a balance between “not enough” and “too much” in order to ensure that all standards areas are being given appropriate time exposure.
Curriculum writers must exercise caution once curricular gaps have been identified because a common tendency is to readjust the curriculum’s focus heavily upon the gap areas and then simply create a gap in another area that was not previously identified as a problem. Again, the concept of balance is critical to the process in order to ensure that students’ levels of exposure to specific standard content are appropriate to their ages and ability levels.
Incorporate Formative Assessment
Formative assessment is assessing students’ understanding of new or expanded concepts to determine whether mastery has been attained or if further direct instruction is needed. Formative assessments can be as simple a brief question and answer session or an exit ticket at the conclusion of a class period or as complex as a diagnostic test that provides specific information related to students’ performance. The information gathered through formative assessment is then used to determine the pacing of instruction with regard to whether the desired concepts are understood or whether additional time and exposure are needed.
Don’t be Tied to a Textbook
While many textbooks claim to be standards-aligned, it is important for curriculum writers and instructors not to fall into the trap of simply “covering” material out of a textbook to fit all of the material into the school year without checking for understanding surrounding each content area standard. Maintaining a steady pace for instruction is important; however, the instruction’s quality is always of greater importance than the quantity. Although textbook publishers have made educators’ lives easier by aligning their resources with state standards, nothing can replace effective, intentional teaching in which the instructor uses all available assessment tools to make the best possible academic decisions for their students.
Follow the Students’ Lead
Students understand the difference between teachers who simply cover material to put in the time and teachers who intentionally strive to assist students in attaining mastery of concepts. When writing curriculum, allowing room for teachers to be flexible and adapt to meet students’ individual and collective needs is critical for success. The best-written curriculum maps serve only as a guide for where educators and students need to go. The actual speed of the journey is determined through a collaborative dance between teachers and learners in which some concepts are introduced quickly, and others require a detour along the way in order to ensure that complete learning has taken place.
Ultimately, curriculum writing should be standards-based and data-driven in nature; however, the most critical element is the human connection that brings all of the pieces together into a meaningful and memorable learning experience.
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