 Curriculum is written by state government, local school districts, individual teachers, non-profit organizations, and other groups which offer lessons and academic materials for teachers and students. The written curriculum is designed to outline what students should know and be able to do and to support student achievement. Teachers and organizations have spent thousands of hours developing curriculum, only to have it sit on the shelf in a classroom or misinterpreted. What can teachers do to support student achievement? How can teachers and administrators monitor the written and taught curriculum to ensure alignment? The following curriculum types are important for teachers to understand as they reflect on curriculum, instruction and assessment. I. Intended The intended curriculum consists of the written curriculum or plans that have been predetermined prior to the class. II. Enriched The enriched curriculum is when teachers enhance the curriculum or develop opportunities for acceleration for students who have mastered the written curriculum. Enriched curriculum involves providing multiple opportunities for students to engage in key concepts and skills at their readiness level. III. Watered-Down Some teachers offer the enriched curriculum to the students who are prepared for acceleration and the watered-down curriculum to the students who have demonstrated low growth or who do not understand the key concepts and skills identified in the unit. IV. Received Many teachers and administrators fail to monitor the received curriculum. The received curriculum is what an individual student receives. If one student receives the enriched curriculum and another student receives the watered-down curriculum, then each student's chance for success will be drastically different. View Opportunity to Learn. Conclusion: All students should receive a guaranteed and viable curriculum (Marzano). If the received curriculum varies from one class to the next, then it will be difficult for teachers at the next grade level to build on prior knowledge and understandings. One of the goals of teaching is to ensure close alignment between the intended, taught, assessed, and received curricula. Questions to Consider: 1. Does your school have a guaranteed and viable curriculum? 2. How is the intended curriculum different from the received curriculum? 3. Do teachers implement the written curriculum/intended curriculum or do teachers create curriculum in isolation? 4. Ask yourself, would I want my son or daughter to experience the watered-down curriculum and miss out on parts of the district's intended curriculum? What the best and wisest parent wants for his or her own child, that must the community want, for all of its children. John Dewey As cited by Gene Carter, Executive Director ASCD ASCD Education Update - December 2006, p. 2 5. What mechanism does your school have in place to monitor the received curriculum? One of the tasks of curriculum leadership is to use the right methods to bring the written, the taught, the supported, and the tested curriculums into closer alignment, so that the learned curriculum is maximized. - Allan Glatthorn, Curriculum Renewal (1987), p. 4 Add Comment Curriculum Decisions 09/10/2009
Curriculum decisions are made by a variety of stakeholders. Parents make decisions regarding the curriculum when they elect to send their child to a private school, a charter school, a public school, a home school, or a boarding school. Policy makers impact policy through laws, state mandates, declarations, blogs and websites. School administrators impact the curriculum through holding teachers accountable for the written curriculum, facilitating curriculum development and revision, curricular reductionism, and encouraging teaching academics versus teaching the whole child. Classroom teachers make decisions regarding the written, taught, assessed, differentiated, concept-based, hidden, standards-based, integrated, rigorous, and excluded curricula. The following considerations are important for parents, policy makers, school administrators and classroom teachers to discuss. If student achievement is our main priority, then we must reflect on our existing policies, practices, and educational goals. What Do We Value? A Sea of Standards............................................Essential Standards Coverage of Standards..................................... Transfer of Learning Test Prep...........................................................Key Skills and Concepts Textbook Perspective........................................Multiple Perspectives Teacher Isolation...............................................Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum Pacing Guide(s)..................................................Student's Needs and Abilities Subject-Based Curriculum..................................Integrated Curriculum Focusing on Student Weaknesses.....................Focusing on Student Strengths Curriculum Chaos...............................................Aligned Curriculum Learning for Some..............................................Learning for All Project-Based Curriculum...................................Traditional Curriculum Teaching.............................................................Opportunity to Learn State Standards.................................................Unpacked Standards Standardization.................................................Differentiation Bloated Curriculum.............................................Narrow Curriculum Assessment of Learning.....................................Assessment for Learning Curriculum Clutter..............................................Curriculum Maps Multiple Graduation Tracks.................................College Ready Track Specific Facts and Information...........................Enduring Understandings Curricular Reductionsim......................................Well-Rounded Curriculum Written Curriculum..............................................Learned Curriculum Teaching.............................................................Learning Teaching Content................................................Teaching for Understanding You may review the options listed above and say, both options are good. This list of considerations is not meant to make stakeholders select one choice over the other. For example, the written curriculum is very important to teaching and learning. In most states and school districts, the curriculum is not optional. Therefore, a teacher could not select the learned curriculum and ignore the written curriculum. Regardless of your answer, the value in this activity comes from the reflection, collaboration, conversations about curriculum and instruction, and the impact that these conversations have on curriculum policy, curriculum alignment, and student achievement. If a school or school system has teachers and school administrators with conflicting values then the learned curriculum will be impacted. Please feel free to share what you value in education. How does your school district make Curriculum Decisions? Curriculum - Word Cloud 08/07/2009
 The term curriculum has many different meanings. Before defining the word curriculum, one would have to ask specific questions about the common curriculum, local curriculum, written curriculum and/or taught curriculum. The definition varies depending on the person you ask and depending on the word or phrase which precedes the term curriculum. In most schools, there is a written curriculum, but each teacher creates lesson plans which place emphasis on different parts of the curriculum. Several teachers believe in student-led curriculum. Student-led curriculum would allow the teacher to go into depth or alter the curriculum to meet individual or group learning needs and interests. Marzano defined a 'guaranteed and viable' curriculum, but this is difficult to accomplish (yet, worth the effort). One of my favorite quotes on the topic of curriculum is from Allan Glatthorn: One of the tasks of curriculum leadership is to use the right methods to bring the written, the taught, the supported, and the tested curriculums into closer alignment, so that the learned curriculum is maximized. - Curriculum Renewal (1987), p. 4. The word cloud above was created using Wordle. You can create word clouds for your teacher team or with your students. Caution should be used when using this tool with students, because there is no way to filter inappropriate language and content on the Wordle search engine and through the Wordle archive. Analyzing a District's Curriculum 07/31/2009
As we begin a new school year, teachers will develop lesson plans and units of study based on a curriculum. Some school districts still allow each individual teacher to develop curriculum, while other districts have established a common curriculum. According to English (2000), “curriculum is any document that exists in a school that defines the work of teachers by identifying the content to be taught and the methods to be used” (p.2). The following list will assist collaborative teams in identifying areas of strengths and weaknesses within a school as teachers and administrators continue to develop curriculum and assess student understanding of key concepts and skills. A general awareness of each of the curriculum types listed below can assist teachers and administrators in increasing student understanding and raising student achievement. 1. Written The written curriculum specifies what is to be taught and is produced by the state, the school system, the school, and the classroom teacher. The written curriculum will have little impact on student achievement unless it becomes the taught curriculum or more importantly a ‘guaranteed and viable’ curriculum (Marzano, 2003) which is agreed upon by a team of teachers. 2. Taught The taught curriculum is what teachers actually teach in the classroom. Traditionally, the written curriculum (state and local documents) has not matched the taught curriculum among teachers within a school. Jacobs (1997) wrote, “If there are gaps among teachers within buildings, there are virtual Grand Canyons among buildings in a district" (p. 3). 3. Assessed The assessed curriculum provides valuable feedback about each student’s understanding of essential content, concepts and skills. If the assessed curriculum is not aligned with the written curriculum then teachers, students and parents will have a difficult time assessing the student understanding. “The extent to which any test is useful in reteaching any given curriculum is the extent to which that test does indeed measures the curriculum in the first place" (English, 2000, p. 65). Common Sense 07/15/2009
 Common Sense was published anonymously by Thomas Paine in January 1776. The purpose for this small pamphlet was to encourage change and to urge the American people to form their own government. The purpose of this article is to offer some common sense advice which will impact K-12 education in any country. IN the following pages I offer nothing more than simple facts, plain arguments, and common sense; and have no other preliminaries to settle with the reader (Paine, 1776). Education:
described how student achievement increases when one or more of the processes or viewpoints are implemented. For example, Marzano (2003) shared, the number one factor impacting student achievement is a guaranteed and viable curriculum (p. 22). “Standards alone cannot change these realities. Instead, successful change occurs when all aspects of the local curriculum are linked to standards through a purposeful, coherent system of process and products” (Carr & Harris, 2001, p. 1). Wiggins and McTighe (2007) wrote, “Schooling at its best reflects a purposeful arrangement of parts and details, organized with deliberate intention, for achieving the kinds of learning we seek” (p. 9). Please feel free to share your Common Sense recommendations for K-12 education. References: Carr, J.E., & Harris, D.E. (2001). Succeeding with Standards: Linking Curriculum, Assessment, and Action Planning. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Marzano, R.J. (2003). What working in schools: Translating research into action. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Paine, T. Common sense (1776). The Library of Congress. Retrieved July 14, 2009, from http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trm028.html Wiggins, G. & McTighe, G., (2007) Schooling by design. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Opportunity to Learn 07/12/2009
 How do school systems guarantee that the same skills and concepts are taught from one classroom to the next?Teachers and administrators understand the importance of aligning curriculum, instruction, and assessment. However, “curriculum design and delivery face one fundamental problem in schools. When the door is shut and nobody else is around, the classroom teacher can select and teach just about any curriculum he or she decides is appropriate” (English, 2000, p. 1). If education becomes dependent on a three-legged stool (curriculum, instruction, and assessment), then students may not receive the opportunity to learn a ‘guaranteed’ curriculum. Opportunity to learn, a concept introduced by John Carroll (1963), is controlled by classroom teachers. Curriculum mapping is a process for aligning the written and taught curriculum, but unless teachers guarantee they will teach the key skills, concepts and content outlined on the map, students will not receive the same opportunity to learn information which is considered essential. Ravitch (1996) wrote, identifying what children are expected to learn is necessary for educational improvement because it is the starting point for education. “When educators fail to agree on what children should learn, it means that they have failed to identify their most fundamental goals” (p. 134). Once a common curriculum has been established, instruction and assessment can be organized to help each student learn the prioritized curriculum or the essential curriculum. What systems are in place in your school or school district which guarantee that each student will receive the opportunity to learn? The Professional Learning Community Model is one example of how teachers can utilize curriculum maps to identify and share the school district’s curriculum. Having a plan is an important first step, but communicating the plan and developing benchmarks to check student understanding of the written curriculum throughout the school year is essential. The Professional Learning Community Model Four Guiding Questions in a Professional Learning Community 1. What is it we want our students to learn? (Developing a Curriculum) 2. How will we know that they have learned it? (Assessing Opportunity to Learn) 3. What will we do when they don't learn it? (Revisiting Opportunity to Learn in a new way) 4. What will we do when they already know it? (Taking Opportunity to Learn to a new level or building on the learned curriculum) (DuFour & Eaker, 1998) Glatthorn (1987) wrote, “One of the tasks of curriculum leadership is to use the right methods to bring the written, the taught, the supported, and the tested curriculums into closer alignment, so that the learned curriculum is maximized” (p. 4). If educators are expected to raise student achievement, then opportunity to learn must be addressed. Questions to Consider prior to the 2009-2010 School Year: 1) Does our school district have a common curriculum? 2) How do educators obtain a copy of the common curriculum? (i.e., online, password protected site, three-ring binder, etc.) 3) Will educators meet prior to the first week of school to guarantee that the curriculum will be provided to each student? 4) How will educators know if students are learning the district’s curriculum? 5) How often will school administrators schedule uninterrupted time for classroom teachers and school staff to discuss curriculum and student understanding? 6) How will teachers communicate about curriculum and instruction with teachers in other schools? (i.e., blog, web site, wiki, Ning, email, videoconferencing, etc.) 7) How will teachers and administrators know if each student had the opportunity to learn the district’s curriculum? References: Carroll, J. B. (1963). A model of school learning. Teachers College Record 64: 723-733. DuFour, R., & Eaker, R. (1998). Professional learning communities at work: Best practices for enhancing student achievement.Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree. English, F.W. (2000). Deciding what to teach and test: Developing, aligning, and auditing the curriculum. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Glatthorn, A.A. (1987). Curriculum renewal. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Ravitch, D. (1996). The case for national standards and assessments. The Clearing House 69: 134-36. Curriculum Renewal 07/03/2009
 By July, most school systems have received data from student report cards, state testing results, feedback from parents/guardians, and student portfolios which demonstrate the student's growth from the beginning of the school year until the last day of school. What processes will teachers and administrators use to improve the written and taught curriculum in the upcoming school year? What strategies should be developed to provide additional support to struggling readers? According to Senge, Scharmer, Jaworski, and Flowers (2004), "Most change initiatives that end up going nowhere don't fail because they lack grand visions and noble intentions. They fail because people can't see the reality they face" (p. 29). A tool for identifying the realities faced by a school and one which will help your team determine 'next steps' is a SWOT Analysis. A SWOT Analysis looks at and defines the strengths and weaknesses of the internal environment of the school or school system, as well as the opportunities and threats within the environment external to the organization or organizational unit. Once educators have identified the existing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, they can build plans to support student achievement. Instructional priorities will based on the outcomes of the SWOT Analysis, rather than focusing on 'what worked' last year. Educators will notice that what is perceived as a threat for the upcoming school year could also be a new opportunity. "Systems don't change by themselves. Rather, the actions of individuals and small groups working on new conceptions intersect to produce breakthroughs" (Fullan, 1993). Resource: SWOT Analysis Template (See attached document) References: Fullan, M. (1993). Change forces: Probing the depths of educational reform. London: Falmer Press. Senge, P., Scharmer, C.O., Jaworski, J., & Flowers, B.S. (2004). Presence: An exploration of profound change in people, organizations, and society. New York: Doubleday. 
 Does your school system have an established method or strategies which assist teachers and administrators in determining the K-12 curriculum? Each year, parents send their children to school with the hopes that the teachers and the educational experiences offered will prepare students for the next grade level and for life in an ever changing, interdependent world. Should each teacher determine the curriculum? According to DuFour (2004), “Despite compelling evidence indicating that working collaboratively represents best practice, teachers in many schools continue to work in isolation. Even in schools that endorse the idea of collaboration, the staff's willingness to collaborate often stops at the classroom door” (p. 8). The following strategies will assist collaborative teams of professional educators in unwrapping state standards, prioritizing curriculum, aligning skills and concepts which spiral throughout the curriculum, and most importantly begin a conversation about the essential curriculum (a.k.a., Power Standards – See Ainsworth). Select one strategy and begin developing your plan for students. Strategies for Determining the K-12 Curriculum I. Unwrapping Standards: “Unwrapped standards provide clarity as to what students must know and be able to do. When teachers take the time to analyze each standard and identify essential concepts and skills, the result is more effective instructional planning, assessment, and student learning” (Ainsworth, 2003, p. 1). For the process, seeUnwrapping Standards: A Simple Process to Make Standards Manageable (Ainsworth, 2003) II. Curriculum Mapping: “Choosing important knowledge, sequencing it well, and getting it behind every classroom door in every grade” is an important part of ensuring that all students receive a rigorous and relevant education (Parker, 1991, p. 84). For the process, see Mapping the Big Picture: Integrating Curriculum and Assessment K-12 (Jacobs, 1997). See Using Curriculum Mapping and Assessment Data to Improve Learning (Kallick & Colosimo, 2009) III. Identify Declarative and Procedural Knowledge: Jane Pollock (2007) distinguished between declarative (content mastery) and procedural (skill mastery) knowledge. She wrote, “In a curriculum document, the statements of declarative knowledge (facts, concepts, generalizations and principles) are identified by the words understands or knows” (p. 35) that “serve as placeholders for active verbs, which translate into activities and experiences that help students organize declarative knowledge.” For procedural knowledge, a statement of student learning would begin with “a verb that describes the steps that need to be practiced to attain automaticity such as add, compose, sing, draw, or graph” (p. 36). The latter requires extensive repetition and practice. Does your school system’s curriculum clarify the difference between declarative and procedural knowledge which is guaranteed to be taught at each grade level? IV. Clarify Content Priorities: “Because we typically face more content than we can reasonably address, and because it is often presented as if everything were equally important for students, we are obliged to make choices and frame priorities” (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005, p. 70). Planning Tool - See Figure 3.3 (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005, p. 71). V. Use Dr. Reeves’ Criteria for Identifying Power Standards: a) Endurance b) Leverage c) Readiness for the next level of learning Use the following question: What do your students need for success – in school (this year, next year, and so on), in life, and on your state tests” (Ainsworth, 2003, p. 14)? VI. Determine What You Won’t Teach: Jacobs reminds educators, “Given the limited time you have with your students, curriculum design has become more and more an issue of deciding what you won’t teach as well as what you will teach. You cannot do it all. As a designer, you must choose the essential” (as cited by Ainsworth, 2003, p. 12). Conclusion: Wiggins and McTighe (2005), wrote, “In the absence of a learning plan with clear goals, how likely is it that students will develop shared understandings on which future lessons might build” (p. 21)? If your school system does not have a common curriculum, select one of the strategies above and watch student achievement soar. References: Ainsworth, L. (2003). Power standards: Identifying the standards that matter the most. Englewood, CO: Lead + Learn Press. Ainsworth, L. (2003). Unwrapping the standards: A simple process to make standards manageable. Englewood, CO: Lead + Learn Press. DuFour, R.(2004, May). What is a professional learning community? Educational Leadership, 61(8), 6-11. Jacobs, H.H. (1997). Mapping the big picture: Integrating curriculum & Assessment K-12. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Kallick, B., & Colosimo, J. (2009). Using curriculum mapping and assessment data to improve learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Parker, W. C. (1991). Renewing the social studies curriculum. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Pollock, J. E. (2007). Improving student learning one teacher at a time. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design: Expanded 2nd edition. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Force Field Analysis 06/24/2009
 Do opposing forces prevent your school system from aligning the curriculum? Opposing forces include time, co-workers, competing district initiatives, changes in leadership, and the failure to define the purpose for curriculum alignment efforts. Educators are aware of the need for curriculum alignment, yet most school systems struggle with making curriculum alignment an ongoing process. A planning tool named the Force Field Analysis will provide your team with valuable data regarding the opposing forces which interfere with curriculum alignment efforts. The Force Field Analysis is a simple but powerful technique for building an understanding of the forces that will drive and resist a proposed change. The attached document provides a template for teachers and teacher teams. The Force Field Analysis can also be used for other educational goals which are difficult to achieve due to opposing forces. Additional information regarding this tool is available at: Force Field Analysis
What Makes a Five-Tool Teacher? 06/13/2009
 Each year, Major League Baseball conducts a draft where the best amateur players in the world are drafted and offered professional contracts. This year's draft included high school graduates and college student-athletes. The number one draft pick was a player who can pitch 98-103 mph. During the draft, announcers shared each player's strengths and weaknesses, along with highlight videos of each player. According to the announcers and The Sporting News, a five tool player is what scouts search for when they watch amateur athletes. While it is rare to find a five-tool player, scouts use the five tools as a measuring stick to find the best baseball players in the world. As an educator and baseball fan, I asked myself, "What makes a five-tool teacher?" While there have been numerous books written on effective teaching, classroom management, and teaching for understanding, the purpose of this article is to develop a hypothetical tool which rates teachers similar to a scout rating baseball players.* The Five Tools: 1. The ability to develop positive relationships with diverse students 2. The ability to develop curriculum and provide instruction which supports the learning style of each student 3. The ability to create a positive and safe learning environment (a.k.a., Classroom management) 4. The ability to create differentiated instruction and assessment 5. The ability to collaborate with other professional educators * The five tools are qualities of good teachers and one could argue that a teacher with all five tools would be an asset to students and to a school system. However, the purpose of this article is to create a discussion, not to establish a research-based tool for recruiting and retaining highly-qualified teachers. Please feel free to add a comment or leave your own list outlining the Five Tools of a Professional Teacher. | AuthorSteven Weber is the Director of Secondary Instruction for Orange County Schools in Hillsborough, NC. Weber has served as a classroom teacher, assistant principal, and state department of education consultant in Arkansas and North Carolina. He consults school systems in aligning their curriculum and in unpacking curriculum standards. ArchivesOctober 2010 CategoriesAll | ||||
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