Lesson Twelve

Assessing the Curriculum

Introduction:

The final step in curriculum development is to determine if the curriculum has worth or merit. This process is quite complex and time-consuming and involves the collection of information. Effective assessments should include both qualitative and quantitative techniques and should focus on the concerns of the stakeholders.

All too often, complete curriculum assessment is not completely conducted. Lack of money, expertise, and time are several of the reasons curriculum assessment may not occur. Many times only a few types of convenient information are collected such as test scores and employment data. As you study this week's lesson, consider how public schools could do a better job of assessing curriculum. What are the barriers to collecting all the available qualitative and quantitative information?

As professional curriculum developers, we should promote complete assessment and understand that it is an important part of the systems approach to curriculum development. We should make every effort to develop a plan for assessment and make sure the plan is implemented.

 

Objectives:

  • Examine a CIPP framework for curriculum assessment. 

  • Consider a practical curriculum assessment plan.

  • Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of curriculum assessment in public schools.

Readings:

  • Read chapter 12: Assessing the Curriculum located in Moodle.

Powerpoint Presentations:

Download this week's presentation:

Lesson 12 presentation

The narrarated presentations can be viewed here:

Assignments:

  • This week you should make a list of data that could be collected to assess your curriculum project (prodect assessment). Consider all four levels of assessment in Chapter 12 p. 278. Beside each type of data explain the advantages and disadvantages of collecting and using this data to assess the curriculum.

  • The final project for this class will be due by November 30th and presented either December 1st or December 3rd. The final product consists of a PowerPoint and presentation that includes the four phases of your project completed in earlier classes. The rubric for the content requirements and the rubric for the presentation of the final project should be used as your development guide for this presentation. When developing this presentation keep in mind that your targeted audience is a county school board or county extension advisory board that is voting on whether or not to allow you to offer the course. (See the rubric for more detail.) Please remember the presentation you submit on November 30th should be the same one you present on December 1st or 3rd and should run no more than 20 minutes.

  • The final exam will be open book/ short answer/ multiple choice and will be available in Moodle November 30th - December 11th and will only cover the second half of the course.

Plugins to third party applications found in this lesson such as Quicktime, Powerpoint, Word, Adobe, etc can be downloaded from the AEE 529 course syllabus.