Curriculum Analysis

Curriculum Building Web-Assisted Module

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Curriculum Building Vision

Curriculum Documents arise from each faculty member understanding the district's mission and priority goals. Establishing the mission and goals must be completed prior to a curriculum document taking shape. The successful implementation of curriculum lies in the degree to which a curriculum-building team agrees with and adopts a coherent mission and accompanying goals and objectives. Inconsistency in shared vision, values, and underlying philosophies manifests itself in a fragmented effort and lack of student achievement.

Mission & Goals in National & State Initiatives

SELF-DIRECTED LEARNERS who commit to the process of learning, formulate positive core values in order to create a vision for their future, set priorities and goals, create options, take responsibility for pursing these goals, and monitor and evaluate their progress in a rapidly changing political, social, economic environment and workplace

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATORS who master the basic and skills of reading, writing, speaking/listening (communication), mathematical and technical skills sufficient for daily living for effective functioning in a complex society.

CONTRIBUTING CITIZENS who take the initiative to contribute their time, energies, and talents to improve the welfare of the welfare of themselves and others, have a sense of social responsibility, participate in the democratic process and operate effectively as a responsible member of our local, national and international society.

COLLABORATIVE TEAM MEMBERS who use effective leadership and group skills to establish effective, supportive, and cooperative interpersonal relationships with and between others in culturally diverse work, community, and family settings. Who value diversity and unique personal qualities, have pride in their own culture and who value diversity and unique gifts, have a pride in ones own culture and have an appreciation and understanding of the contributions of all cultures.

ADAPTIVE PROBLEM SOLVERS who anticipate, assess, make final decisions and choices and resolve the problems and challenges that accompany the rapidly changing political, economic, environmental, technological, and social conditions of society and live a physically, mentally, and emotionally balanced life.

PERCEPTIVE THINKERS, who are creative and critical thinkers, use multiple frames of reference to identify, assess, integrate and apply available information and resources from all appropriate sources for meaning and/or action.

QUALITY PRODUCERS who display high standards of efforts, a sense of confidence, and self-worth, are self-disciplined, exhibit honesty, integrity choose ethical course of action, create intellectual, artistic, and practical products which reflect originality, innovations, and use of advanced technology.

CREATIVE VISIONARY who not only demonstrates a strong work ethic, successfully develops marketable employment skills, pursues advanced education, and expands his/her career options through technical training in order to participate in, and contribute to, an international economy, but who can think "outside the box" and assist society in navigating uncharted territory.

Planning the Components of a Written Curriculum

Appropriate SCOPE & SEQUENCE --- Looking at Graduation Goal Expectations -- what is the coherent sequence of courses, goals, and objectives? What are the prerequisite skills? What is the recommended follow-up sequence after demonstration of mastery? How does each objective fit into the following or preceding learning experience? Is the placement of learning objectives in this sequence assisting student progress?

National K-12 Content Standards -- TEKS

Syllabus – Break course down into grading periods. From the K-12 Content Standards, Level or Course Objectives are derived. These objectives describe in specific terms what students will be able to do at the end of the year/ semester/level/grading period in a particular area.

A Syllabus should become the outline of the curriculum guide for a unit of study. A syllabus should be a document that will plan for students to rise to their highest level of potential.

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Syllabus should contain:

Course Objectives: TEKS & TAKS to be demonstrated in specific behavioral terms

TEA Initiatives:

Technology Integration

Cooperative Learning Model for Project-based Problem Solving Curriculum (See district Mini Grants for Global Interactive Projects)– using at least 5 sub-grades (criteria to be graded over time) per project per student

Mastery Level Differentiated Instruction – all students are introduced to the same basic skills, but each student’s mastery level is considered before assigning a growth plan and demonstration project. This method allows all levels of learners to be serviced in the classroom.

Real-World Application – no objective is taught without connection to how it can be used in real life setting – relevance & usefulness

Reteach & Remediation & Enrichment Activities with Learner Centered Documentation using

Student Assistant Teams – CAP Plan
Modification of methods
Differentiation of materials
Learner-Centered Teacher Facilitated Options –

Variation of Amount of instruction – from teacher-directed assistance to independent work
Variation of Duration – brief vs long
Variation of Distribution – frequent vs infrequent
Variation of Meaningfulness – high context vs low context
Variation of Source – natural occurrence (teachable moment) vs teacher caused occurrence
Variation of Opportunity – for error and kind of correction (editing, redesign, rethinking --- search for quality not quantity)
Variation of Feedback – Guided by the information obtained during continuous monitoring and the analysis of this information, the teacher determines whether to begin teaching a new learning, reteach the current learning objective, or provide an enrichment opportunity for the student. This is an individualized decision made in agreement with both student and teacher.
Variation of Evaluation and Ongoing Instruction – Evaluation involves comparison of the learner’s status to the desired objective. Measures of broad learning, as well as measures that are sensitive to subtle changes in a learner’s status on specific learning, are used in comparison. Day-to-day comparison assists in an instructional design for future learning. This is called an Individualized Student Growth Plan.

C. Assessment Criteria and Methods per course objective: Identify sample objectives from scope and sequence to be included in criterion referenced tests. Correlation between criteria and test objectives should be immediately evident. Appropriate test format should be determined by level of mastery. WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT YOUR STUDENTS TO BE ABLE TO DO? Bubble in a question? (lowest level of demonstration) Apply concepts to a real-world setting by solving an actual problem? (highest level of demonstration)

FIELD TEST YOUR ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENT! If students are not successful using your instrument…perhaps there is a real problem with your correlation between teaching & assessment.

D. District Initiatives:

Character Training (See Stipends for Curriculum Writing)

SCANS

Service Training – Students obtain ideas through community involvement and develop projects that are service oriented (example: High School Web Masters servicing elementary classroom teachers & student projects)

Staff Development & District Resources to assist in the implementation of curriculum development

Continuous Improvement through effective formative evaluation, teacher input (interview) and "artifacts", and revision

E. Unit and Lesson Objectives are then derived by the school and/or teacher from the Course/Level Objectives.

F. Curriculum-based assessments built around benchmark standards will be used to determine acquisition and mastery of the learning.

G. Authentic Assessments built into the curriculum should include:

Rubrics – specific student behaviors to be observed or demonstrated
Interviews from which individualized growth plans are derived
Portfolios which include the three following types of work

Effort -- in knowledge, organization, management and communication skills -- including drafts to show the stages of development

Progress -- convincing evidence that growth has taken place

Achievement -- samples of best work.

Portfolios may be bound, unbound (folder), or electronic.

Visit this site for more information:

http://www/tech/tasa/page3a.htm

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Curriculum should Inspire, Motivate, and Enrich Student Learning

Curriculum Analysis

1. Minimum Guide Components – Criteria

Objectives -- USE TEKSTAR
Evaluation Process
Prerequisite Essential Skills, Knowledge, Attitudes
Major Instructional Tools -- USE TEKSTAR
Clear Linkages (Strategies) for the classroom

2. Connectivity & Predictability

Blooms / Mastery
TEKS
TAKS
Content / Context
Real-World Experiences

3. Equitable

4. Authenticity – Blooms --- > How can you document that you have provided each student with a challenging curriculum?

5. Best Practices – research-based

6. Quality of Activity -- as determined by the ENGAGED LEARNER MODEL

A Compass for Building Quality

Experimental: Uses direct, active, hands-on concrete, engaging experiences.

Reflective: Has learners reflect on experiences and think about what they has learned.

Authentic: Uses content-rich, real ideas, events and material in purposeful context, useful, usable information.

Social: Uses social interaction and construction sharing, supports individual learning and thought.

Collaborative: Has cooperative learning, which allows for developing and learning outside the confines of competition.

Child-Centers: Uses children’s own interest, investigates their own questions, empowers the child.

Cognitive: Uses higher-order thinking skills in conjunction with concepts to be understood. Children self-monitor their own thinking.

Developmental: Activities are adjusted for the needs of each child.

Constructivist: Has children recreate knowledge and content to fit their own understanding.

Psycholinguistic: Uses language as the primary tool for learning.

Challenging: Presents genuine challenges, choices, and responsibility for students in their own learning.

Activity Variety: Uses a variety of approaches, including thematic studies, collaborative group activities, learning logs, classroom workshop, conferences, centers.

Beyond the Continuous Progress Approach to Education

Success as New Structure (Resource)

Quality & Creativity:

Approach to curriculum and Instruction – Learner is Self-Directed who commits to positive core values (Character Counts!) in order to set priorities and goals, create opinions, take responsibility for pursuing these goals, and monitor and evaluate their own progress in a rapidly changing political, social, economic environment and workplace.

Well defined articulated and coordinated curriculum – Where learners master effective communication skills of reading, writing, speaking / listening, mathematical and technical skills (SCANS) across the curriculum for effective functioning in a complex society as adaptive problem solvers & collaborative team members.

Significant life skill learning outcomes – application of higher order thinking for becoming contributing citizens (CC!) who take the initiative to contribute their time, energies, and talents to improve the welfare of themselves and others, having a sense of social responsibility, participating in the democratic process and operate effectively as a responsible member of local, national, and international society.

Learning outcomes are fixed –sequence of learning outcomes on which students move at an optimal rate while becoming perceptive thinkers who are creative and critical thinkers, use multiple frames of reference to identify, assess, integrate and apply available information and resources from all appropriate sources for meaning and/or action.

Time is a variable and instruction and environment vary to meet the student need to be a Quality Producer who displays high standards of effort, a sense of confidence, and self-worth, are self-disciplined, exhibit honesty, integrity (CC!) choose ethical course of action, create intellectual, artistic, and practical products which reflect originality, innovations (Levels of Mastery), and use of advanced technology.

Aligned authentic measure – accountability is understood before learning process begins (criteria explicitly stated), is mediated during quality learning process (interview or growth plan in a formative evaluation), and is demonstrated in an "artifact" or portfolio product.

Provides for integration of learning through multi-disciplinary, integrated or thematic units– subject and skills ARE NOT LEARNED in Isolation!

EMAIL COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, CONCERNS

Excellent Lesson Plans Examples

More Excellent Lesson Plans

Whole to Part to Whole Language Arts Curriculum

Character Lesson Plans

History / Social Studies Lesson Plans

Electronic Lesson Plans Design

Curriculum Resources

LESSON PLAN FORM

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