Course Description

Course Description:
This course will focus on 15 main curriculum evaluation subtopics:
1. The underlying reasons that the No Child Left Behind law was enacted
2. Ongoing modifications to the No Child Left Behind law in the Obama era
3. The impact that the No Child Left Behind law has on the evaluation of students
4. Problems and solutions for curriculum evaluation under the No Child Left Behind law
5. Curriculum Auditing
6. Understanding the process and function of Curriculum Management
7. Creating a Scattergram.
8. Using Core Curriculum Content Standards to analyze data
9. Developing a Scope and Sequence Chart
10. Curriculum Mapping
11. Developing a 4 Year Curriculum Revision Cycle
12. Curriculum Monitoring
13. Item Analysis
14. Creating a Curriculum Evaluation Tool
15. Conducting a Curriculum Evaluation

Students will apply theory to practice while sequentially working through the 14 main curriculum evaluation topics listed above..


Course Design: This course requires the active involvement of the students. While networking amongst one another is not mandatory, it is a strongly recommended strategy for successful day-to-day lesson preparation. Emphasis and time will be devoted to the 14 main curriculum evaluation subtopics listed in the Course Description above. Two texts will be used as springboards; one for evaluating students and the other for evaluating curriculum. Topics will be explored as they are applied in real world experiences: in other words, we will explore how curriculum theory is being applied in practice. Students will submit and present three papers on issues that impact the 14 subtopics. A curriculum evaluation tool will be designed and used to evaluate curriculum guides that are currently in use in school districts. The professor will facilitate discussions, ask questions relevant to the topics, and provide additional insights from field experiences.


Textbooks:
Beverly Nichols, Sue Shidakker, Gene Johnson, and Kevin Singer (2006). Managing Curriculum and Assessment: A Practitioners Guide. Linworth Books.
W. James Popham ((2005). America’s “Failing” Schools. Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group.


Materials Needed:

One district curriculum guide that is currently in use


Course Objectives:

As a result of active engagement in this course, the students will be able to:

1 understand the necessity for the No Child Left Behind law.
2 understand the impact of the global economy, political forces, diversity, and technology on the No Child Left Behind Law and, ultimately, the evaluation of students and the curriculum.
3 understand the reasoning behind the shift from norm-referenced to criterion-referenced testing in public schools.
4 understand the concepts of adequate yearly progress and sanctions.
5 understand the causes of disparities between state and national tests.
6 understand problems and realistic solutions inherent with high stakes assessments.
7 learn and apply the three processes and eleven functions of curriculum evaluation (management).
8 create a curriculum evaluation tool.
9 conduct a curriculum evaluation.
10 work in cooperative learning groups to explore, discuss, build consensus and summarize topics relevant to curriculum evaluation.
11 make use of the college library and/or Internet resources for independent research on a variety of curriculum evaluation issues.
12 report orally and in writing on issues that impact issues of curriculum evaluation.
13 analyze and critique existing curriculum in terms of design, implementation, and evaluation, especially in light of ever changing technology and mandates.
14 work with key documents such as the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards and a variety of curriculum samples.



Major Course Activities and Assignments:

1 Classroom Discussions
2 Classroom Group Activities
3 Three randomly assigned topical papers pertaining to curriculum evaluation
4 Creating a Curriculum Evaluation Tool
5 Conducting a Curriculum Evaluation


Grading:

1 In Class Group and Discussion Participation 10% of final grade
2 Topical Blog Reports (3) 30% of final grade
3 Oral Reports (3) 30% of final grade
4 Curriculum Evaluation Tool Design 10% of final grade
5 Curriculum Evaluation 20% of final grade


Topical Blog Reports and Oral Reports will be graded in five equal components on the ability to address the following questions:

1 Has the main topic been thoroughly explained so that it is understandable to the reader?
2 Is there evidence of sufficient research for the writer’s presentation of views on this topic?
3 Has the writer made his/her personal insights and/or conclusions clear, following up the research on the topic?
4 Does this topic have relevance towards curriculum evaluation?
5 Has the writer successfully presented his/her findings in a brief oral report?

Students are expected to use thorough library and/or Internet research for their topics. Evidence of research should be apparent in the two page position paper (formal citations are not required), along with the students’ personal insights/conclusions drawn from their researched findings. In some cases, the relevance of their topic towards curriculum evaluation may be a factor in the successful completion of this report. Lastly, the students will summarize their reports with a brief oral presentation to the class.

The difficulty of this project will lie in its complex brevity.