As a K-12 educator, you want to design a curriculum that is engaging, relevant, and aligned with your state standards. But how do you make sure that your curriculum meets the expectations and requirements of your state? In this article, we will share some tips and strategies to help you plan, develop, and evaluate your curriculum based on state standards.
The first step is to understand the standards that your state has adopted for each grade level and subject area. Standards are statements of what students should know and be able to do by the end of each grade or course. They are usually organized by domains, strands, or themes, and include specific skills, concepts, and practices. You can find your state standards online or in printed documents from your state department of education. Familiarize yourself with the standards and how they are structured, coded, and assessed.
The next step is to align the objectives of your curriculum with the standards. Objectives are specific, measurable, and observable outcomes that you want your students to achieve by the end of each unit, lesson, or activity. They should reflect the standards and the level of rigor and depth that they require. You can use verbs from Bloom's taxonomy or other frameworks to write clear and concise objectives that match the cognitive, affective, or psychomotor domains of the standards. You can also use crosswalks, matrices, or other tools to map your objectives to the standards and identify any gaps or overlaps.
The third step is to select the materials that you will use to teach your curriculum. Materials are the resources and tools that you will use to deliver the content, engage the students, and assess the learning. They can include textbooks, workbooks, videos, games, simulations, manipulatives, software, websites, and more. You should choose materials that are aligned with the standards and the objectives, as well as with your students' needs, interests, and backgrounds. You should also evaluate the quality, accuracy, relevance, and appropriateness of the materials using criteria such as currency, diversity, bias, readability, and accessibility.
The fourth step is to design the assessments that you will use to measure your students' progress and mastery of the standards. Assessments are the methods and instruments that you will use to collect evidence of learning, such as tests, quizzes, projects, portfolios, presentations, performances, and more. You should design assessments that are aligned with the standards and the objectives, as well as with your instructional strategies and materials. You should also use a variety of assessment types, such as formative, summative, diagnostic, and authentic, to capture different aspects of learning, such as knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors.
In my experience as a high school administrator, student assessment has to measure student progress of specific competencies outlined in the subject’s curriculum. A student must be given the opportunity to demonstrate the development and mastery of specific core competencies and teachers should provide varied formats for student to demonstrate those competencies. For example, a student with an IEP might have a difficult time demonstrating competency on a memory-based assessment, but can fully demonstrate competency in an interview format or a video presentation. Varied methods of assessment are inclusive and can also help all students develop varied ways of showing learning. To learn, they must be engaged!
The fifth step is to implement the curriculum in your classroom. Implementation is the process of putting your curriculum into action, such as planning, teaching, facilitating, monitoring, and adjusting. You should implement your curriculum with fidelity, meaning that you follow the intended design and goals of the curriculum. However, you should also be flexible and responsive to your students' needs, feedback, and performance. You should use data from your assessments, observations, and reflections to inform your instructional decisions and adaptations.
The final step is to review the curriculum and evaluate its effectiveness and impact. Review is the process of analyzing and interpreting the data and evidence that you have collected from your implementation, such as student outcomes, teacher perceptions, stakeholder feedback, and external reviews. You should review your curriculum periodically and systematically, using criteria such as alignment, quality, relevance, and equity. You should also use your review findings to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your curriculum, and to make recommendations for improvement and revision.