Curriculum Specialist Paper - Essay Example

In curriculum, the crucial part is the definition of the course objectives which are often expressed in terms of learning outcomes and normally includes the assessment strategy for the programme. These learning outcomes and assessments are often grouped into modules, therefore a curriculum comprises of a collection of such units, each specializing on a specific part of the curriculum. So, a typical curriculum would include modules on mathematics, languages, information technology together with more specialized provision.

In the United States, the basic curriculum is established by each state with the individual school districts adjusting it to their desires. However, each state, builds its curriculum relying heavily on the input of national groups selected by the United States Department of Education, for example the National Council of Mathematics Teachers for mathematics instruction. Education in the United States is highly decentralized, and the federal government and Department of Education are not heavily involved in determining curriculum or educational standards.

The job of centralization and coordination has been left to large private educational foundations. However, the primary function of the United States Department of Education is to formulate federal funding programs involving education and to enforce federal educational laws involved with privacy and civil rights. The quality of educational institutions and their degrees is maintained through an informal private process known as accreditation which the Department of Education has no direct public jurisdictional control over.

Currently, there are thirty-nine curriculum specialists serving schools in South Carolina State. Basically, curriculum specialists have the following duties and responsibilities in the following areas:a) Curriculum planning and alignment, In curriculum planning and alignment they perform the following duties;Assisting the instructional staff and teachers in making curricular recommendations that reflect best practices to ensure high achievement, Assisting the school staff in developing a school curriculum guide or in revising the school's curriculum guide to ensure alignment to state and district standards, Engaging in collaborative curricular planning with the leadership team, Focusing on building curricular continuity across grade levels and courses, and Conducting periodic curricular alignment to ensure congruence with school and district goals. b) Curriculum instructional support, In curriculum instrumental support they perform the following duties;Providing direct support for building classroom curricular efforts; Taking