Curriculum clutter impacts student achievement. "When school staff have a more informed conception of curriculum, a teacher's daily decisions about how to deliver instruction not only affect student achievement in that classroom but also future student achievement, for it is assumed that students will be entering the next classroom prepared to handle a more sophisticated or more expansive level of work" (Zmuda, Kuklis & Kline, 2004, p. 122).
As schools enter the month of May, educators ask the following questions:
a) How can we teach it all?
b) Should we teach each standard well or should we prioritize the state
standards?
c) What skills and understandings should all students have by the end of this
grade level/course? How do we adjust our pacing to make these goals a
reality in the upcoming school year?
One common complaint among teachers and administrators is the lack of time to reflect on the written, taught and received curriculum. In August, teachers are beginning the school year and some complain that it is too early in the year to discuss the curriculum. In March and April, teachers have spring break and other holidays which interfere with curriculum meetings. In May, teachers are amazed that another school year is coming to a close. In order to prevent curriculum clutter, schools should ask the following questions:
1. What are the key concepts and skills in each unit of study?
2. Did our pacing allow us to teach the key concepts and skills this year?
3. Are we attempting to teach too many concepts and skills in some units?
4. Are we teaching all key concepts and skills for mastery or should we aim for
introducing some concpepts/skills and mastery of others?
5. When will we schedule time to discuss the curriculum in 2009-2010?
In other words, how can we meet on a regular basis to avoid arriving in the
final weeks of the 2009-2010 school year feeling overwhelmed by curriculum clutter? 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).
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