Curricular Alignment

We think of curricular alignment as making certain our district curriculum is in congruence with a state or quasi-national curriculum.

That is only one alignment!

Alignment also means that all sections of a course generate the same results.

Alignment makes certain that key concepts are taught and re-taught over time without gaps or without over-duplication.

Alignment insures that there are similar pedagogical and assessment styles throughout the building.

Alignment insures that such notions as spelling, style, grammar and materials are consistent throughout the school.

Alignment practices lead to greater faculty communication (critical for secondary schools, where communication is often seen as un-natural behavior), and will lead to curricular integration.

A Curriculum Design Process is essential!

Curricula should be designed with results in mind and should be based in learning theory.

Curricular activities should be sequenced in a manner which helps learners achieve stated learning objectives and performance criteria.

The curriculum must:

Be based on the needs of the learner -

Establish criteria for successful student performance -

Clearly identify content objectives and draw from a sufficiently broad content information base -

Be designed to achieve growth in performance and process skills -

Effectively sequence and pace activities -

Provide application through projects/problems -

Provide a system for multiple-format assessment -

Suggest structures for process and performance -

Identify important tools and critical resources -

Be articulated and aligned between teachers, various academic and quasi-academic jurisdictions.

The Curriculum Design Process can be applied to:

General Education: Elementary and Secondary -

Course design -

Program design -

Interdisciplinary courses -

Integrated Curricula -

Making lesson plans -

Designing a syllabus -

Designing an evaluation system for curricula -

Designing a course assessment system -