Curriculum Development

Proper curriculum development sits at the cornerstone of success in the classroom. It is believed that the idea of structure within a curriculum speaks most directly to the development of that curriculum. There are many varying schools of belief that continue to mold and change ideas about curriculum development. However, the four corresponding principles that continue to guide curriculum development are almost always present: defining goals, establishing corresponding learning experiences, organizing learning experience to have a cumulative effect, and evaluating outcomes.

Collaborative Learning's Curriculum Improvement Studio addresses these four principles of curriculum development. We believe in standards-based instruction and curriculum, which is why the Curriculum Improvement Studio allows teachers to improve curriculum development by seamlessly integrating standards into teaching and assess on a daily basis.

Curriculum Mapper facilitates curriculum development by documenting master curricula and the actual curriculum delivered daily in classrooms. This product allows educators the chance to organize learning experiences in order to have a cumulative effect and be able to show what was learned in their classrooms. Teachers can access other teachers’ maps district, state, and nation-wide, allowing evaluation on a peer-to-peer basis and best practices in curriculum development to resonate from one classroom to another. On the subject of curriculum development, Heidi Hayes Jacobs states:

"...old style curriculum committees should be dismantled and replaced. Site-based curriculum councils creating curriculum maps with computers should focus on the most basic level of the students experience in the individual school. Curriculum mapping amplifies the possibilities for long-range planning, short-term preparation and clear communication."

StandardsScore™, our curriculum-based assessment tool, empowers teachers to effectively evaluate outcomes, gather standards-based assessment data, and share student performance to standards across the school community, in order to improve curriculum development. Many curriculum goals are already defined by state standards; educators just need to prove that they are being taught and subsequently learned. StandardsScore puts this power at their fingertips, allowing them to easily capture student performances against standards on a daily basis in every classroom.

We are offering schools a big-picture view of what works, what does not, and what needs further development in order to have effective curricula and successful curriculum development.

References:

Dietel, R. J., J. L. Herman, and R. A. Knuth. "What Does Research Say About Assessment?" What Does Research Say About Assessment? 19 Feb. 2009.

Howard, Judith. "Curriculum Development." Elon University - Organizational Web Sites. June & july 2007. Elon University. 19 Feb. 2009.

Jacobs, Heidi H. Mapping the Big Picture : Integrating Curriculum and Assessment K-12. Alexandria: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development, 1997.

A Comprehensive Curriculum
Improvement Suite