Goal-Based Design
Goal-based design sets clear and practical goals that expand the curriculum. Participants become change agents in the teaching learning process and incorporate new strategies into the classroom curriculum (Glatthorn et al., 2018). Some things to consider when utilizing a goal-based design are community involvement in planning and implementing an integrated curriculum, developing quality leadership, incorporating learning centers, use of technology, and planning and implementing phases for the inclusion of new instructional strategies with continual assessment and evaluation standards. Questions about the mission of the school, what students will be learning, and how technology strategies can be used to achieve curricular objectives should be considered.
Design-Down, Deliver-Up Model
The Design-Down, Deliver-Up model includes two parts. The Design-Down part begins with the learner exit outcomes, program goals, program objectives, learner outcomes, and authentic tasks. Then the Deliver Up portion begins with the authentic tasks, learner outcomes, program outcomes, program goals, and learner exit outcomes.
Utilizing Design Models for Curriculum Alignment
These philosophies resonate with curriculum alignment through creating a congruent pattern of unit and lesson design that ensures the written, taught, and tested curriculum is consistent. Using models of design like Goal-Based design and Design-Down, Deliver Up model ensure consistency with the written curriculum and the taught curriculum. The written curriculum represents a district-wide consensus about instructional objectives and their relative importance for the learners (Glatthorn et al., 2018). Glatthorn et al. (2018) explains that by using these models the curriculum reflects the input of experts, subject matter specialists, district administrators and supervisors, and classroom teachers. The curriculum designed represents an informed consensus and should be the determining element for what is taught day by day.
Reflection on Curriculum Development
If I had complete control over curriculum development and am creating a yearly planning guide, it would be important to align assessments with learning objectives. The first thing would be to determine the learning objectives. Then you would need to evaluate the types of assessments that would be used. I would encourage project-based learning graded by rubrics, written responses, and some multiple-choice tests. Students would need to be assessed after each unit to check for understanding before moving on the next unit
When designing curriculum-based assessments it is important to align with existing courses and units. I would determine if assessments aligned with current state standards and determine the test scope and frequency. It is important to determine how many forms of each assessment are used, check the validity of assessment items, use pilot forms of tests, and use a system to provide quick retrieval of information required for analysis and understanding of assessment results (Glatthorn et al., 2018).
Types of Assessments
Formative assessments are imperative in providing ongoing, developmentally appropriate assessments to monitor students’ progress and provide guidance in making instructional decisions. Formative assessments can look like classroom discussions, tickets-out-the-door, decisions made in a project, and asking students questions. These types of formative assessments are important for identifying existing misconceptions. Additionally, summative retakes are important for students to achieve mastery. Students should be able to retake summative assessments to ensure mastery.
Important Principles of Curriculum Design
When designing a curriculum, it is important to start with a big-picture map of major concepts to be taught and concepts and skills develop over time in relation to each other (Glatthorn et al., 2018). This is where a pacing calendar is important for determining the scope and sequence of important concepts and ensuring these concepts are taught. This provides a curriculum guide to ensure good instructional decisions are made.
Determining the types of assessments are instrumental in creating a cohesive measurement of the standards being taught. This can begin with semester benchmarks and eventually grow to 9-week exams. I would prefer to use project-based learning in science, but typically administration likes to see quantifiable data. All assessments should be aligned with state standards and be given at the same frequency. The goals of the curriculum should be stated in a clear and concise manner with a progression of skills from simple to complex. There are many elements to effective curriculum design that focus on both the written and taught curriculum. The primary goal is to ensure everyone is working towards the same goals and the curriculum is aligned vertically and horizontally.
Reference
Glatthorn, A. A., Boschee, F., Whitehead, B. M., & Boschee, B. F. (2018). Curriculum leadership: Strategies for development and implementation. SAGE publications.
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