Curriculum Evaluation and Change - Essay Example

CURRICULUM 5 Evaluation responsibility Responsibility for evaluation comes from higher in the adult education in the form of a standardized test. Standardized testing is often defended as a measure of preparing students for the real world and giving them the skills that they need, while at the same time adding to a national diagnosis of the problems faced by students in particular areas and in particular subjects. And many argue that curriculum development cannot proceed without a sound basis in statistical data derived from standardized testing. There is also the argument that standardized testing will insure the academic achievement of all students across the board through creating better curricula, and that such testing measures are based on a high standard that is applied to all students across the country, not just some students or groups. From this perspective, standardized testing can be seen as a framework in which schools must operate in the present tense to produce better students and curricula in the future. Leadership for the adult educational facility comes from the department head, who is bolstered by the communication of other workers at the educational facility, such as teachers, method directors, and especially, student feedback. “The key to good teamwork is to assess how best to combine all members’ particular strengths.” (Swain, 2009). In terms of evaluation of adult students at the facility, management understands that there is a difference between positive and negative communication, and often this difference is that in positive communication, the leader knows how to listen to others as well as how to give others orders. Input on effective curricula It is important to get input from everyone involved: “complete curriculum development process involves several elements, including: philosophy reflecting program vision or direction; goals, objectives, and intended outcomes; assessment of student needs; subject-specific or general instructional approaches, methods, and techniques” (Sample, 2009). On the national level, assessment methods have changed under the adult learners administration, which has passed educational reform measures that have increased school accountability through a standardized testing program while still allowing freedom to determine their own procedures. Therefore, new curriculum development measures also have a lot to do with an increased level of positive and effective communication and teamwork between and among educational professionals at every level. In devising the best development practices, teachers are encouraged under new curricular programs to communicate more than ever and share in their knowledge so that the best curriculum development platform can be created. The presence of accountability measures is more one of quantitative assessment, while the paradigm of increased communication between colleagues who are presenting material for curricula is more qualitative in its basic nature. “The success of teachers in influencing decisions and the substance of these decisions may be crucial in having teachers actually become leaders in schools. Influencing the decision-making process shifts their participation in the direction of teacher leadership” (Anderson, 2000). This direction creates new opportunities for true leadership in the classroom as well, as mentioned above, in the adult education environment. Team approach Some adult students do not really need to learn basic reading and math skills to improve their overall performance. In too many cases, the schools are behind other areas in terms of innovation and development in the classroom, and fewer schools in urban areas use alternative assessments as an educational too than schools in the suburbs do. Alternative assessments used in education have failed to catch on in many beleaguered districts, where it is perhaps needed the most. The problem of poor math and reading scores will continue until this dearth is addressed concretely by implementing new programs including alternative assessments. Materials include “A syllabus; lesson plans; materials and documents; and student progress assessment. Without curriculum development in an adult education program, very little education can take place except what can be provided by the individual teacher operating alone, frequently without training or much support” (Sample, 2009). There are possible negative sides to teamwork, however; it is not all positive. Group efficiency may be compromised in a number of ways. Often, when a group becomes too socially close, they lose some degree of their professionalism. This facet of groups also relates to subjects of conformity, compliance, obedience, and other relations among groups of people, including how they relate to what could be called the authority of the collective. The concept of informal groups is also interesting because it relates with the issue of groupthink, which is a type of conformity. Promotional leadership has a significant relationship to the formation of groupthink symptoms, but there is not any sustainable correlation between the level of predisposition to conformity and the formation of similar symptoms. Informal groups build consensus on agreement, not at an any cost mentality, but in a mentality that results in teamwork for the organization. However, informal groups can also lead to poor solutions compared to formal ones. “Quiet, detail-¬orientated people may appear to contribute little, yet their skills will complement those of others who are more vocal, and will probably compensate for some weaknesses.” Having different points of view also prevents “groupthink” (Swain, 2009). Group efficiency is also negatively impacted by conflict. Conflict is negative, and effective communication embraces an aspect of positivity that reflects upon both the sender and the receiver. Only by truly communicating our plans, needs, and desires can groups garner effective results. And these results are often the result of a decision-making process, which is closely linked to patterns of effective communication and structural organizational theory. The importance of positive and practical decision-making cannot be over-stressed. In their everyday lives, employees of the public organization or private organization, are often faced with a multitude of decisions every day; life as they know it would not exist without these complex decisions. Therefore, decisions must be made on group consensus, based on abovementioned concepts, including groupthink and informal group relations. In this way, group efficiency can be maximized instead of compromised. Evaluation and change process Existing literature also stresses the perceived fact that standardized tests are not necessarily an accurate measure of the material or the cognitive preparation strategy that is actually required of students in real life and real learning, if they are used alone in the school or district as the only means of assessment. Neill states that “humans learn best through active thinking. ‘Learning’ while not thinking is like remembering lists of phone numbers one will never call. Memorization of facts and procedures has its place, but deep learning must engage the brain and spur thinking” (Neill, 2003, p. 44). The author cites the poor record of standardized academic testing in terms of results that really matter, and suggest that the entire concept is unsuited towards advancing students along the lines of high level thinking and social assimilation. The author calls for a high- quality means of assessment that does not urge teachers, implicitly or explicitly, to teach to test, and that focuses on the skills that are developed by students not just to memorize information, but also to apply it. The solution to this problem is to acknowledge the school’s inherent duty to empower students and help them improve their situation in terms of heightened achievements. To help public schools fulfill their mission to truly help their students and enable them to overcome their disadvantages, a new paradigm of instruction is sought. This new paradigm is based on the integration of assessment is very important, and must be discussed here also in terms of the possible risks and benefits of looking at research on alternative assessment methods. Assessment is a total and complete process that occurs at all times during the class. “Performance assessments involve students in activities that require them actually to demonstrate performance of certain skills or to create products that meet certain standards of quality. In this case we directly observe and judge their performance while it happens” (Striggins, 2006). Overall the performance and assessment measures match curriculum standards for the school and district in which they are used, as well as having continuity with the bigger picture of language and literacy standards. REFERENCE Anderson, K. (2000). Why Teachers Participate in Decision-making and The Third Continuum. CJEAP. Neill, Monty (2003). The Dangers of Testing. Educational Leadership, pp. 43-46. Sample, B (2009). Curriculum development in adult education. ERIC. Striggins, B (2006). Student involved Assessment for Learning. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Swain, L (2009). Academic teamwork. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=402210§ioncode=26 Read More