Page 5 - WHAT IS CURRICULUM?

Reform

The curriculum is object of reform to academic standards of excellence; skills,
knowledge, and understanding to help students prepare for the future; and the goals and

mission of the institution.
The following are a few representative examples of the ways in which curriculum is targeted

for improvement:

Standards requirements:

Learning standards remain a mechanism by which policy makers and school leaders
attempt to improve curriculum and teaching quality.

Assessment requirements:

The methods used to measure student learning compel teachers to teach the content

and skills that will eventually be evaluated (“teaching to the test.”). Teachers improve
performance applying standardized tests. Nevertheless, standardized tests are one way in

which assessment is used to leverage curriculum reform, schools may also use rubrics and
many other strategies to improve teaching quality through the modification of assessment

strategies, requirements, and expectations.

Curriculum alignment:

“Curriculum mapping.” The basic idea is to create a more consistent and coherent
academic program by making sure that teachers teach the most important content and

eliminate learning gaps that may exist between sequential courses and grade levels.

Curriculum philosophy:

Curriculum reform may occur through the adoption of a model of teaching by a school
or educator. In Expeditionary Learning schools, students complete multifaceted projects

called “expeditions” that require teachers to develop and structure curriculum in ways that

are quite different from the more traditional approaches commonly used in schools