“How Will I Know if My Students Learned What They’re Supposed to?” – Curriculum Evaluation in the NCLB Era
Length: 6+ Hours
Discipline: Education
Level: Intermediate (majors)
Author: Ford, Danielle
Type: Problem
In this problem designed for teacher education majors, students evaluate science curricula for (1) their coverage of state and national science education standards, (2) the extent to which they use research-supported models of inquiry, (3) their sensitivity to research on students’ prior conceptions, (4) their promotion of significant content understandings, and (5) the extent to which the curricular activities are aligned with standards, content objectives, and authentic assessments. In final stages, students reflect on the appropriateness of the curricula given state responses to the No Child Left Behind legislation. Final products include a poster presentation and final report of the evaluation.