April 15th - Week 12 - Evaluating Curriculum

What factors are at stake when evaluating a curriculum? Choose a model for curricular evaluation. How does this model fit (or not fit) with your preferred approach to curriculum?

The factors that I would choose as critical in evaluating curriculum are organized into five categories:

• Content/Alignment with Standards: The content as specified in the NJ Content- Specific Standards and presented in accord with the guidance provided in the NJ Content Framework.


• Program Organization: The scope, sequence and organization of the curriculum that provides structure to what students should learn each year.


• Assessment: The strategies presented in the instructional materials for measuring what students know and are able to do.


• Universal access: The resources and strategies that address the needs of special student populations, including students with disabilities, students whose achievement is either significantly below or above that typical of their class or grade level, and students with special needs related to English language proficiency.


• Instructional planning and support: The instructional planning and support information and materials, typically including a separate edition specially designed for use by the teacher, that enable the teacher to implement the curriculum effectively.
  

There are several approaches to curriculum evaluation such as goal-based, goal-free, and responsive. These approaches are based on the classical curriculum evaluation models as presented by Stufflebeam and Shinkfield (1). There are several curriculum evaluation models that have emerged over time such as Robert Stake's countenance model (1967), Scriven's goal-free model (in the 1970s) (2), Stenhouse's research model (also the 1970s), Tyler's objectives model, and finally, Stufflebeam's model, known as the CIPP Evaluation Model. In 1950, Ralph Tyler of the University of Chicago published a 83-page book entitled "Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction" (3). In this landmark text, Tyler recommended application of the following four basic steps in the design of any curricular project: define the learning objectives, select the learning experiences , organize the learning experiences and evaluate and revise as needed. Although simplestic in some ways Tyler's model is easy to apply to any curricular model such as the UbD model for example. The objective here is to create a curriculum that offers content that adheres to the standards. Embedded in the standards are the strands that dictate learning objectives for the students. Program organization provides the selection of the learning experience and also offers organization to this experience. Assessment leads to reflection, evaluation, and revision. Althoug created in 1949, the Tyler Model has stood the test of time and is still used by many districts to evaluate their curricula.


(1) Stufflebeam, D. L.; Shinkfield, A. J. (1990). Systematic Evaluation. Boston (MA): Kluwer-Nijhoff.
(2) Scriven, M. (1991). Evaluation thesaurus (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
(3) Tyler, R. W. (1950). Basic principles of curriculum and instruction. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.