Scrutinizing the Curriculum
Compare the current curriculum to an old or alternative program. Look at the curriculum from past years or an entirely different option and see how the one in question measures up. Pay extra attention to the content, processes of learning, and assessment strategies to see how the curriculum is more or less effective by comparison. For instance, you might find that a curriculum about teaching Spanish language is more in-depth with the breadth of conjugations and vocabulary but the processes of the learning are outdated (i.e., using decades-old handouts). You might update the curriculum to include the content (conjugations and vocabulary) but change the processes (like using interactive learning games online or in the classroom).
Make sure the content and processes are right for your students. Study the curriculum and determine whether or not it's appropriate for your students' age range and learning styles. Pay special attention to the content (the particular topics being taught) and how the content is being learned and tested (the process and assessment, respectively). For example, it's not appropriate to assign 5th-grade Spanish students a project that requires them to read an entire novel in Spanish and write a 5-page report on it in Spanish. It’s more fitting for them to make a poster board of their family members or home, labeling each person or thing with the proper Spanish words.
Focus on how learning outcomes are measured. Learning outcomes refers to the different ways students can show they've learned the material (e.g., tests, quizzes, essays, projects). Make sure the curriculum has these components built-in and that they're rigorous, relevant, and effective. For example, a 5-question open-book quiz about the events of the Cold War isn't as rigorous or effective as having your students write a 5-page essay on the cultural impact of the Red Scare.
Check for both qualitative and quantitative assessment measures. Go through each unit (or course syllabi) of the curriculum and check to make sure the homework, quizzes, and exams test your students in different ways (i.e., multiple-choice, essay-format, short essay, and oral presentation). This will give your students a chance to show what they’ve learned and how well they can use what they’ve learned. Quantitative data can be expressed as a number (e.g., grades on quizzes, tests, and homework). Qualitative data can't be expressed numerically (e.g., essays, projects, or portfolios that show how well a student can apply, incorporate, analyze, and make inferences on what they’ve learned).
Strike a balance between formative and summative assessments. Formative assessments are smaller assignments students do throughout the course like quizzes, short responses, journal entries, and homework. Summative assessments are larger projects that are typically assigned after the material has been learned like essays, long-form tests, presentations, performances, and portfolios. Make sure there's a good balance of each type that you can use to assess students' retention and progress. For instance, you might have the students complete short reflection essays every week during the semester and hold a midterm paper and final paper. You might schedule certain courses to have at least 4 quizzes between each major test to help your students prepare for the larger test as they go.
Pay attention to how technology is used in the program. Look at whether the curriculum is appropriately using modern tools to enhance the learning experience. Student computers, online discussion forums, phone applications, and other types of media are all great tools for teachers. Plus, they can make a ho-hum topic much more engaging for students! For instance, watching a documentary that contains first-hand accounts of World War II is going to enhance your students’ understanding of the cultural and social impact of the event in a way that a standard textbook may not be able to do. Make sure students have these tools available (either at school or at home) before you include them in the curriculum.
Setting Objectives for the Evaluation
Pinpoint what's working with the curriculum and what needs to change. Before you meet to discuss the curriculum, go through it and figure out what's working and what isn't. Keep 3 different colors of highlighters or pens handy so you can use 1 to mark the good stuff, another to mark what's not working, and a third to mark things that are up-for-debate. If you've gathered a team of people to evaluate the curriculum, tell them to do the same so you can get their valuable feedback.
Determine whether or not any recent changes are effective. If the curriculum was recently changed, make note of how and brainstorm on whether or not that's working out. Be sure to take note of the opinions of teachers, parents, other administrators, and community members within your school district. For instance, if teachers and parents have complained about a course about art appreciation being cut from the most recent curriculum, you might implement it into the updated curriculum. You may also find that certain changes (like loaning students laptops to take home) are working out swimmingly and should be carried over into the next version of the curriculum.
See that the curriculum adheres to common core standards. Review the curriculum and make sure each grade-level section is appropriate for the age and expected skills of your students. As you go through the curriculum, as yourself: "Are we challenging the students enough? Is this content and are these types of assessments going to put them at or above the national average?" The standards are a good guideline because they've been refined through the years by various states, ensuring students are getting the best education possible. As an example, a common core standard for 8th grade English Language Arts is that they'll be able to read a text, analyze the author's intention, and draw inferences in order to find the theme or central idea of the piece.
Make sure the curriculum satisfies accreditation requirements. Familiarize yourself with your state and federal accreditation requirements to make sure the curriculum is on-point with the current standards. This means looking over course requirements and making sure the content and processes within each course's syllabus measure up. For instance, if you live in Texas, you're required to teach Texas history to 4th and 7th grade students, so make sure that's included in the curriculum. If your school offers advanced-placement courses, make sure the hours and content align with your state and federal education department's requirements.
Ensure the curriculum lives up to your school’s particular standards. Every learning institution has a different way of approaching education with a different set of values it holds dear. Consider the type of student your school aims to nurture and the type of person that student should become when they’ve completed the program. For instance, if your school’s focus is to nurture the artistic side of students, make sure the curriculum includes courses in a range of different artistic practices (like film, theatre, creative writing, pottery, dance, painting, and vocal performance).
Collecting Feedback and Data
Form a curriculum evaluation team of teachers, administrators, and parents. Ask other people to study the curriculum and share their thoughts about whether it’s effective, intellectually stimulating, and right for your school and your students. You can also include people from community organizations connected to the school or the school district. Try to keep the size of the group small so you’re not too overwhelmed with loads of feedback. Send out the curriculum 1 or 2 weeks ahead of time along with any supplementary materials like a program for the day that you'll meet to discuss the curriculum. Encourage people on the evaluation team to bring in any questions and concerns they have about the curriculum. Make sure each group has roughly equal representation at the meeting—that is, have a similar number of parents, teachers, and administrators present on the evaluation team. Dedicate someone to be the director of the task force and another person to be the timekeeper or note-taker so your meeting is organized and time-efficient.
Give older students a questionnaire about the course. At the end of the semester, give students the opportunity to share their opinions about the curriculum. Make it an anonymous survey so they don't feel like they'll be penalized for giving negative feedback or awarded for giving positive feedback. Note that this works best for students in high school and college-level courses. You might include the following questions that students can answer on a scale of 1 to 5 or with their own written response: "Was the content relevant to your educational and career aspirations?" "Did you find the processes of learning relevant, intriguing, intellectually stimulating, and reasonable?" "Were the methods of assessment (testing, papers, projects) effective towards your learning goals for the semester?" "Would you recommend this course to other students? Why or why not?"
Create a simple survey for younger students to fill out. If you teach elementary or middle school, come up with a quick survey for students to fill out at the end of each school year or semester. Make it so students can easily fill in the blanks with their own opinions. For example: "Something that made it much easier for me to learn was…” "One thing I wish my teacher would do differently is…” "I had trouble learning things when…” "My favorite book we read this year was… because…”
Follow up with alumni 1 to 5 years after the program. Send your alumni surveys to see if what they learned is relevant to what they’re currently doing for work. You can use that information to see where your curriculum can be improved so you’re better preparing your students for life in the real world. For instance, you might ask the following questions: “Which course(s) do you feel prepared you the most for your current position?” “Do you feel there are any core requirement courses that were not relevant to your academic and career goals?” “What is something you wish you would have learned during your studies?” “Do you feel that attending our school has made a difference toward achieving your career goals? If so, how? If not, why not?”
Look at students’ performance on state or national achievement tests. Look at yearly test scores and trends to see how well students performed on various achievement tests required in your state or on a national level. This can include scores from tests like the PSAT, SAT, ACT, AP, ACCUPLACER, or CLT. However, keep in mind that the organizations that provide these tests only send scores if the student gives them your school’s information on the pre-exam information form (so you might urge your students to do that). Of course, this alone isn’t a fool-proof way to assess your curriculum—some students are better test-takers than others or have had the means to prepare for them outside of school. However, you can still make some broad inferences about your curriculum based on how well your students are performing on the tests.
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