The curriculum development cycle Eight steps to better

The curriculum development cycle Eight steps to better schools and better learning

Let’s examine what happens in each step of the curriculum development/revision cycle. This cycle is a dynamic system that helps each school re-vitalize and replenish what is taught to its students.

Needs Assessment z For one child in special education, this would include his test scores z For a campus, this might include achievement test data, attendance, graduation, collegegoing rate, and others

Types of assessments z Normative such as z Achievement tests z IQ tests, group and individual z Learning styles inventories z Adaptive behavior z Criterion-referenced such as z Brigance for individual testing z Woodcock-Johnson can be interpreted as criterion-related z Individual or analytical reading inventories

Don’t forget the qualitative information. For either one child or for a school, interest inventories can tell a lot, as can opinion polls.

Writing Goals (second step) z Goals do not have to be behavioral, but should be translatable into behavioral language z Need enough goals to point the way

Writing objectives (3 rd) z Objectives are more detailed z Audience, behavior, conditions, degree z In cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains z Assessments should be written from objectives

Selecting content (4 th) z. For MRs, keep in mind the mental age of the person or persons being written for. Chronological ages are deceiving. z. For special ed. , keep it very utilitarian. The content must be useful. . . These will remember, at the most, one-half of what normal persons would. z. Build on students’ past experiences.

Organization of content (5) z. Logical sequencing of content always helps. But for LDs, and most MRs, it is absolutely essential. z. Build in some repetition z. Provide for loop-backs for students to revisit things that they may have forgotten z. Spiral curriculum is one very effective plan

Selection of learning experiences z Learning experiences do not stand alone-they must relate to objectives z Fun! z Interesting! z Multi-sensory z Use technology as often as possible

Adaptation to teaching situation For campuses or districts, this seventh section is where teachers make adjustments to make the new curriculum their own and in their own ways in their classrooms. For special education, this is where the related services sometimes come in; special transportation, special technology, nurse care, counseling on demand, wheelchairs, medical assistance.

Evaluation of curricula z For many years, this was the step never taken z Check to see how many students reached each objective z For special education, it’s the end-of-year meeting

The evaluation at the end of one curriculum cycle feeds right into the needs assessment of the next. In this way, the curriculum of the school--or for one child--is perpetually replenished and revitalized.