What Is Curriculum

Evaluation;Importance And Roles

January 27, 2021 by Abdullah Sam
Curriculum Evaluation is the systematic process where the
achievements and difficulties that have been obtained during the
learning process.The curriculum is also designed from the planning
stage, organization to implementation and finally monitoring and
evaluation. Without evaluation, you will not know how the curriculum is in
design, implementation and results.

The meaning of curriculum is:

1. The curriculum is a set of plans and arrangements regarding the

objectives, content, and learning materials and methods used as
guidelines for implementing learning activities to achieve certain
educational goals. [4]
A set of plans and arrangements regarding the content and learning
materials and methods used as guidelines for organizing learning
activities. [5]
The higher education curriculum is a set of plans and arrangements
regarding the content and materials of study and lessons as well as
methods of delivery and assessment which are used as guidelines for
the implementation of teaching and learning activities in higher
education. [6]

The focus of curriculum evaluation can be done on the outcomes of the

curriculum ( outcomes based evaluation ). But on the other hand,
curriculum evaluation is also directed at a process or activity of the
curriculum program itself (which is included in the curriculum
component).

There are several parties who have an interest in carrying out this
curriculum evaluation, namely:

1. principals have an interest because they are related to their duties

as administrators and supervisors in their schools. He has the
 responsibility of conducting school program evaluations in the
context of implementing the overall school curriculum.
2. subject teachers, evaluations carried out by field teachers are
important in assessing students regarding the success or lack of
success in the implementation of the teaching and learning
process.
3. management of education at the regional level (district and
province), here the evaluation is held aimed at assessing the
success of the implementation of the curriculum in schools at the
respective regional levels.
4. central level administration, the department of education as the
central level administrator has an interest in carrying out
evaluations, in order to assess the relevance, effectiveness and
efficiency of the general policies they have outlined.

Curriculum Evaluation Concept

In understanding the implementation of curriculum evaluation, the
authors previously wanted to present the concept of evaluation
itself. According to Guba and Lincoln, evaluation is stated as a process
of giving consideration to the value and meaning of something being
considered. Something that is considered can be a person, object,
activity, state or certain entity. [15]  Curriculum evaluation is the process
of applying scientific procedures to determine the value or effectiveness
of an activity in making decisions about curriculum programs.
Curriculum system evaluation is related to curriculum management
which starts from the input evaluation stage, process evaluation, output
evaluation and outcomes evaluation. [16] Furthermore, curriculum
evaluation aims to measure the achievement of goals and determine the
obstacles in achieving curriculum goals, measure and compare the
success of the curriculum and determine its potential success, monitor
and supervise program implementation, identify problems that arise,
determine the use of the curriculum, its benefits, and the possibility of
further development.

From the above opinion, there are two main characteristics of evaluation,
namely: [17]
 1. evaluation is a process or action. This action is done to give
meaning or value to something. Thus evaluation is not an outcome
or a product;
2. evaluation is related to giving value or meaning. This means that
based on the results of evaluation considerations whether
something has value or not. In other words, evaluation can show
the quality being assessed.
The concept of value and meaning in a curriculum evaluation has
different meanings. Value considerations are considerations that
exist in the curriculum itself. In the sense of whether the program in
the curriculum can be understood by the teacher or
not. Meanwhile, the concept of meaning is related to the meaning
of a curculum. For example, whether the curriculum that is
assessed provides meaning to improve students’ thinking skills,
whether the curriculum can change the way students learn for the
better.
From the results of the curriculum evaluation and its relationship with the
concept of value and meaning, the evaluator can conclude that the
evaluated curriculum is quite simple and understandable to the teacher
but does not have meaning to improve the quality of student learning. On
the other hand, the evaluated curriculum is indeed a little complicated for
the teacher to interpret but has a significant value in improving the
quality of learning.

The curriculum can be viewed from two sides, first, the curriculum as an
educational program or the curriculum as a document; second, the
curriculum as a process or activity. In the educational process these two
sides are just as important, like the two sides of a coin. Curriculum
evaluation must cover both sides, both the evaluation of the curriculum
which is placed as a document that is used as a guide as well as the
curriculum as a process, namely the systematic implementation of
documents.

Purpose of Curriculum Evaluation

In general, the purpose of curriculum evaluation includes two
things:  first , evaluation is used to assess the effectiveness, efficiency
and relevance of the program. Second , evaluation can be used as a tool
in implementing the curriculum (learning). As a tool, evaluation
sometimes functions in an effort to improve the program, and sometimes
it also functions to determine follow-up on curriculum development. From
the two things above, in essence, curriculum evaluation is aimed at
improving the curriculum by revealing the successes and shortcomings
of the curriculum implementation process in achieving the goals as set
out.
Dimension  1, relates to the timing of the evaluation. There are two
levels of time in conducting curriculum
evaluation. First, formative evaluation , which is an evaluation that is
held throughout the implementation of the curriculum. This aims to
analyze the problem as early as possible, so that improvements can be
made as soon as possible. Second, summative evaluation , this
evaluation process is usually carried out at the end of the semester, the
peak of the school year or it may be held every five years. This functions
in assessing the effectiveness of a curriculum by analyzing all the data
collected during the curriculum implementation process and at the end of
the curriculum implementation.

The Importance of Curriculum Evaluation

After we have reviewed the meaning of curriculum evaluation and its
objectives, we come to a conclusion on the importance of curriculum
evaluation. This is because that; first,  curriculum evaluation can provide
information about the appropriateness, effectiveness and efficiency of
the curriculum against the goals to be achieved and the use of
resources, which information is very useful as a decision-making
material whether the curriculum is still being implemented but needs
revision or the curriculum must be replaced with a curriculum. the new
one. Second , curriculum evaluation is also important in order to adapt to
scientific developments, technological advances and changing market
needs. [14]
In essence, curriculum evaluation is important in presenting information
material about areas of curriculum weakness so that a process of
improvement can be carried out for the better. It is also important, in
assessing the goodness of the curriculum, whether the curriculum is still
being implemented or not.
Evaluation of Goals and Competencies Expected to Be Achieved by
Each Child in Accordance with the Vision and Mission of the
Institution.
In curriculum evaluation like this, the main aspects that will be assessed
are the aspects of the objectives or competencies expected in the
curriculum document, which include:

1. What are the competencies that must be achieved by each student

in accordance with the mission and vision of the school.
2. Whether the goals and competencies are easily understood by
every teacher. As a document, curriculum will not have any
meaning without being implemented by the teacher. So teachers
need to understand the competencies expected by educational
institutions.
3. Are the objectives and competencies formulated in the curriculum
according to the level of student development.
Evaluation of Planned Learning Experiences.
The criteria used as a benchmark in this stage are testing the learning
experience including: [19]
1. Are the learning experiences in the curriculum appropriate or can
support the achievement of the vision and mission of educational
institutions?
2. Does the planned learning experience match the students’
interests.
3. What learning experiences are planned according to the
characteristics of the environment in which the child lives.
4. Have learning experiences defined in the curriculum according to
the amount of time available.
Evaluation of Teaching and Learning Strategies .
As a guideline for teachers, the curriculum should also contain
instructions so that how to implement it or how to implement the
curriculum in the classroom. A number of criteria can be proposed to
assess the guidelines for teaching and learning strategies, including: [20]
1. Is the learning strategy formulated accordingly and can support the
successful achievement of educational competencies.
2. Is the proposed learning strategy able to encourage student activity
and interest in learning?
 3. What is the readability of the teacher against the guidelines for
implementing the proposed learning strategy?
4. Is the learning strategy appropriate to the level of student
development?
5. Is the learning strategy formulated according to the allocation of
time.
Evaluation of the Assessment Program
The next component is the component that the assessor must target in
the curriculum as a program is the evaluation of the assessment
program. Several criteria that can be used as a reference are: [21]
1. Is the evaluation program relevant to the objectives or
competencies to be achieved.
2. Whether evaluation is programmed to achieve an evaluation
function either as formative or summative.
3. Whether the planned curriculum evaluation program can be easily
read and understood by the teacher.
4. Is the evaluation program realistic, in the sense that it may be
implemented by the teacher.
Evaluation of Curriculum Implementation
The second side of the curriculum is the implementation or
implementation of the curriculum as a program. Some of the criteria that
can be used as guidelines are as follows: [22]
1. Is the implementation of the curriculum implemented by the teacher
in accordance with the planned program?
2. Are any programs planned can be implemented by teachers?
3. To what extent can students actively participate in the learning
process in accordance with the objectives to be achieved?
4. Is the overall implementation of the curriculum considered effective
and efficient
Curriculum Implementation and Evaluation
In the implementation of KTSP curriculum diversification is very possible,
meaning that the curriculum can be expanded, deepened, and adapted
to the diversity of conditions and needs, both regarding the abilities or
potential of students and their environment. Curriculum diversification is
applied in an effort to accommodate the different levels of intelligence
and speed of students. Therefore accelerated learning is possible to
apply, as well as remedials and enrichment.
In principle, school-based curriculum management divides the roles and
responsibilities of each education implementer in the field related to
curriculum implementation, financing and syllabus development. Schools
as the spearhead of curriculum implementation are required to be able to
establish relationships with other related institutions, both government
and private institutions. For example, to provide vocational skills, schools
need to collaborate with companies or education and training institutions.

Reorientation of the Learning Process

Learning is an active student activity in building meaning or
understanding of a concept, so that in the learning process students are
the central activity, the main actors and teachers only create an
atmosphere that can encourage learning motivation in students.

The Role of Curriculum Evaluation

The role of policy evaluation in the minimum educational curriculum
relates to three things, as follows [23] .
1. Evaluation as a moral judgment. The main concept in evaluation is
the problem of value. The results of the evaluation contain a value
that will be used for further action. This implies two senses, first,
evaluation contains a scale of moral values, based on that scale an
object of evaluation can be assessed. Second, evaluation contains
a set of practical criteria, based on these criteria a result can be
assessed.
2. Evaluation and decision making. There are many decision makers
in the implementation of education or curriculum, namely teachers,
students, principals, parents, inspectors, curriculum developers,
and so on. In principle, each individual at the top makes decisions
according to their position. Big or small the role of decisions taken
by a person in accordance with the scope of responsibility and the
problems he or she faces at any one time.
3. Value evaluation and consensus. In various educational situations
as well as in implementing curriculum evaluation activities a
number of values are conveyed by people who are involved in
assessment and evaluation activities. Participants in educational
evaluation can consist of parents, students, teachers, curriculum
developers, administrators, political experts, experts economics,
publishers, architects, and so on.
Literally, the word evaluation comes from the English language
evaluation; in Arabic: al-Taqdir; while in Indonesian means:
assessment. The root word is value; in Arabic: al-Qimah; in Indonesian
means; score. In terms of terms, as stated by Edwind Wandt and Gerald
W. Brown (1977) as quoted by Sudijono (2012: 1): Evaluation is a
referral to the act or process to determine the value of
something. According to this definition, the term evaluation refers to or
implies: an action or process to determine the value of something.

CONCLUSION
Curriculum evaluation is the process of applying scientific procedures to
collect valid and reliable data to make decisions about the ongoing or
implemented curriculum. In simple terms, curriculum evaluation can be
equated with research, because curriculum evaluation uses systematic
research, applying scientific procedures and research methods.

Basically, the curriculum evaluation process is shown to evaluate the

extent to which learning programs including intracurricular,
extracurricular and co-curricular have been realized in teacher-
developed learning or not. Furthermore, the output resulting from the
realization of the curriculum program in the form of learning must
describe the original goals formulated in the curriculum.

Curriculum evaluation is important to do in order to adapt to scientific

developments, technological advances and market needs. There are
many problems in the application of curriculum evaluation such as the
theoretical basis used in curriculum evaluation is weak, educational
interventions made do not allow blinded, difficulties in randomizing,
difficulties in standardizing interventions carried out, research ethics
problems, absence of pure outcomes, difficulty finding tools measure
and use different curriculum perspectives for comparison.

Therefore, by understanding the meaning of curriculum evaluation and

its similarities and differences with research, it is hoped that the
curriculum evaluation that will be made can be valid, reliable and very
useful as a material for consideration in making decisions about the
curriculum.
FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE CURRICULUM AND CURRICULUM EVALUATION
“The public believes, incorrectly, that classroom instruction is as natural as showing your child how to
fish or helping a nephew play Ms. Pac-Man. But those comparisons don’t take into account the
profoundly specialized discourse of K–12 instruction.”

–Todd Finley

Paint color pallet with a set of paint brushes.

Introduction
After a curriculum is developed, the curriculum committee can breathe a sigh of relief, but their work
is not done. Only when the curriculum is implemented and then evaluated will the committee know
to what extent their efforts were successful. It is fair to say that no curriculum is perfect because there
are almost always factors that may influence the curriculum that were unknown during the
development process. As a former curriculum coordinator, I know that every curriculum, if it is to be
most effective, is revised based on the results of an evaluation.

Essential Questions
Why is curriculum evaluation an essential part of the curriculum development process?
How is monitoring different than evaluation?
What are the types of curriculum evaluation?
What are the key elements in writing good curriculum?
How does a well-written curriculum affect teaching and learning?
How can the Aligned Curriculum concept help to organize the curriculum development process?
Meaning of Curriculum Evaluation
Curriculum evaluation is the assessment of programs, processes, and curricular products that are
resources, not people (Oliva, 2009). There are two parts to the evaluation of the curriculum
instruction process. The first is the evaluation of students (most often in meeting the standards) which
takes place before, during, and after instruction. The question is, have the objectives been met?
Teachers analyze student assessment data to see how many students have met or not met the
objectives, and at what level of performance. The second is the evaluation of the effectiveness of the
guides and resources, and the instructor or teacher. This is often done in groups, and over a period of
time.

From Curriculum Studies, pp. 87- 93

Evaluation helps to establish the worth of a program and make decisions on whether to continue,
stop, or modify the project. The various tools for collecting data and the sources of the data is also
discussed.

As with most terms in the curriculum, there are a variety of definitions given to evaluation. Simply
described, it is a process of establishing the extent to which the objectives of a program have been
achieved by analyzing performance in given areas. Thus, evaluation is a judgmental process aimed at
decision-making. Doll (1992) also defines evaluation as a broad and continuous effort to inquire into
the effects of utilizing educational content and process to meet clearly defined goals.
Yet another definition states that “evaluation is a process of collection and provision of data for the
sake of facilitating decision making at various stages of curriculum development.” (Shiundu &
Omulando, 1992)

Thus, curriculum evaluation refers to the process of collecting data systematically to assess the
quality, effectiveness, and worthiness of a program. The process of curriculum development and
implementation raises issues like:

What are the objectives of the program?

Are these objectives relevant to the needs of the individual and society?
Can these objectives be achieved?
What are the methods being used to achieve these objectives?
Are the methods the best alternatives for achieving these objectives?
Are there adequate resources for implementing a curriculum?
Certain terms are closely related to evaluation. These include assessment, measurement, and testing.

Assessment, Measurement, and Testing Relating to Evaluation

There is often confusion between the terms: assessment, measurement, and evaluation. The
following descriptions help define the differences.

Assessment
Assessment is the process that shows whether there has been a change in student’s performance in a
certain academic area. The change revealed through assessment can be given a value by quantifying
procedures referred to as educational measurement. Assessments include the full range of procedures
used to gain information about student learning and the formation of value judgments concerning
learning progress.

Measurement
Measurement is the means of determining the degree of achievement of a particular objective or
competency. For example, the outcomes for individual students are measured (using assessments) to
see if the student has met the outcomes. Measurement refers to the determination of the actual
educational outcomes and comparing these with intended outcomes as expressed in the objectives of
the program. Measurement describes something numerically. There is currently a focus on the
measurement of 21st century skills for students.

Evaluation
In the above context, evaluation is the process of making a value judgment based on the information
gathered through measurement and testing. Evaluation of a curriculum occurs so that the developers
can accept, change, or eliminate various parts of a curriculum. The goal of evaluation is to understand
whether or not the curriculum is producing the desired results for students and teachers. Evaluation is
a qualitative judgement.

Monitoring versus Evaluation

From Curriculum Studies, p. 89

Monitoring
What is monitoring? It is a continuous review of the progress of planned activities. Put differently, it is
the routine daily, weekly, or monthly assessment of ongoing activities and progress. Monitoring
focuses on what is being done. It is centered on two questions:

Is the curriculum project reaching the specified target population?

Are the various practices and intervention efforts undertaken as specified in the curriculum project
design?
Monitoring is important in examining the inputs and outputs. Indeed, it can be considered as a
“process evaluation.” Monitoring thus helps to ensure that the implementation is on course.

Evaluation
Evaluation in relation to monitoring is the episodic assessment of the overall achievement. It
examines what has been achieved, or what impact has been made. Evaluation also examines the gaps
in the curriculum in addition to what may have been achieved by the students but wasn’t.

Purposes of the Evaluation

From Curriculum Studies, p. 90

Evaluation can serve as a diagnostic tool for remedial teaching to improve pupils’ learning, but it also
serves different aspects and participants in the education process. These include feedback to students
themselves, classroom purpose including appropriateness of methods, curricular materials, and even
the community itself.

It is also the process of determining whether or not the objectives have been attained; often at the
end of the program (summative) but sometimes periodically, during implementation (formative).
Monitoring focuses on whether the targeted population is being reached, assessment of the flow of
inputs and outputs, plus their adequacy and relevance. Evaluation checks on the attainment of
objectives and provides objective data on various aspects of the curriculum and its effect on targeted
beneficiaries. Continuous information from monitoring helps to identify weaknesses and strengths in
the process (e.g. inadequate resources). This could help in modifying objectives, among other
changes.

Evaluation data can improve curriculum development through decision-making, whether to modify
curriculum content, methods, proposed teaching, and learning materials, and even evaluation
approaches recommended. Timely decisions ensure the right direction is taken promptly in the
development process.

Evaluation serves the following purposes:

Individual student progress purposes:

Discover what the students have learned (knowledge, skills, attitudes, and adjustment, etc.).
Ascertain the student’s status in class.
Discover where the child needs help, and the nature of the help needed.
Analyze data to determine what is needed to guide each student’s overall growth and development.
Classroom purposes – Evaluation provides data that enables the teacher to determine the
effectiveness of teaching. It helps in answering questions such as:
Which of the objectives has been achieved?
Are the methods and activities relevant and practicable?
Is re-teaching necessary?
Curriculum materials purposes – Are they relevant, usable, appropriate, and affordable?
School-wide purposes:
Assess the overall effectiveness of the institution.
Reveal over or under-emphasis in individual classrooms.
Reveal learning areas needing more attention throughout the school.
Assist the school administration and staff in planning for institutional improvement.
Provide data useful for school-wide instruction and interventions.
Community – What are the attitudes and inputs of the community to the curriculum and the
curriculum development process?
Essentially, evaluation ensures that strengths and weaknesses are detected at an early stage, thus
saving time, resources, and frustration to increase the chances of success of a program.

Tyler proposes evaluation at the end of the program to provide data for making decisions about the
curriculum, such as reviewing and modifying, etc. John Goodland, on the other hand, proposes
continuous evaluation throughout the entire process of curriculum making. This information provides
feedback as the process continues and revisions are expected to be made accordingly and promptly.

Types of Evaluation
From Curriculum Studies, p. 91

There are various types of evaluation including pre-assessment, formative assessment, summative
evaluation, and impact evaluation.

Series of blue arrows spiraling in a clockwise direction that symbolize the word, "evaluation."
Pre-assessment
This process helps to determine whether the students possess the prerequisite knowledge and skills
to enable them to proceed with new material. It is useful to have this information at the beginning of
a new course, or the beginning of a new year in school. It is also useful for teachers new to a class who
have not taught before.

Formative Assessment
Formative assessment is that which takes place during the implementation of a curriculum project or
program. It guides and promotes the development of the program by providing data for its
improvement.

Note: Formative evaluation needs to take place at all stages of curriculum development and
implementation.

Summative Evaluation
This is an evaluation carried out at the end of a program. It facilitates major decisions about whether
to continue with the program as it is; expand it, modify it, or stop it all together depending on the
extent of success or failure of the program.

Impact Evaluation
Impact evaluation is an assessment of how the intervention being evaluated affects outcomes. The
effects can be intended or unintended. The analysis of the impact requires an examination of what
the outcomes would have been without the interventions. These evaluations are an aspect of
summative evaluation and are usually conducted at the state level because it requires rigorous
statistical analysis. They establish the impact of the program on the beneficiaries or recipients of the
program, and the community, and are generally reported at the state and/or national level.

Criteria for Curriculum Evaluation

From Curriculum Studies, p. 91

The criteria for evaluating the curriculum generally includes alignment with the standards, consistency
with objectives, and comprehensiveness of the curriculum. Relevance and continuity are also factors.
Many assessments do not cover the entire range of objectives due to difficulty in assessing some of
the objectives effectively and objectively (e.g. the affective domain where value traits such as integrity
and honesty are tested through written exams). The psychomotor domain, which helps our brain
coordinate physical task such as catching a ball, have objectives that are often inadequately tested
due to difficulties in logistics. Even with the cognitive domain, the knowledge involving the
development of intellectual skills, only a small portion is usually tested. However, a lot of effort is
made to try and ensure quality examinations at least at the summative evaluation level through a
vigorous process of developing exams, which go through several stages including group analysis, etc.

Consistency with objectives, i.e., curriculum evaluation, should assess and measure the attainment of
the curriculum objectives. The various levels of learning objectives need to be kept in mind as per
Bloom’s taxonomy, i.e., knowledge; comprehension; application; analysis; synthesis; and evaluation).

The various domains need to be kept in mind (i.e. cognitive, affective, and psychomotor). For
example, from a civic education curriculum, one affective domain objective could be, “Learners
display appropriate attitudes towards national patriotism.”

The process of evaluation looks for evidence that such attitudes have been developed (e.g. education
concepts for good citizenship are often evaluated in terms of knowledge of the government structure
or knowledge of civics). This is inadequate (end of citation from Curriculum Studies).

The information contained in the following section is not covered under the Creative Commons
license for this e-text, and does have specific copyright requirements. However, the information
should be linked and the author given credit when used in other formats or publications. Source: The
Second Principle by Leslie Owen Wilson.
There are a variety of proposals in curriculum literature on what constitutes criteria for evaluation.
One example is Wilson’s Curriculum Preliminary Rating Scale which she used in her graduate class,
and could be very helpful when evaluating district or state curriculums. If you choose to use this scale,
Dr. Wilson would like for you to contact her via the website and give her feedback. Curriculum
evaluation can be judged by consistency of evaluation with objectives of a project;
comprehensiveness, validity and reliability, and continuity.

Also, practical skills, or psychomotor skills in home economics, agriculture, biology, etc. are often
evaluated through checking for knowledge of facts on the topics, and not the actual practice
(demonstrating, applying, or performing the actual skills). This again is inadequate.

Comprehensiveness
From Curriculum Studies, pp. 92-93
All the objectives of the curriculum are evaluated. Often only the cognitive domain is tested through
the recall of facts. To test for comprehensiveness, one could carry out an evaluation of the broad
administrative and general aspects of the education systems to find out how good the education
system is and how relevant the program is.

Evaluation pertaining to course improvement is determined through assessment of instructional

methods and instructional materials to establish those that are satisfactory and those which are not.
Evaluation related to individual learners will identify their needs and help to devise a better plan for
the learning process.
Feedback to the teachers can shed light on how well they are performing.
Validity, Reliability, and Continuity
Validity
This criterion answers the question, “Do the evaluation instruments used (e.g. examinations and
tests) measure the function they are intended to measure?”

Reliability
Reliability provides a measure of consistency with respect to time (i.e. reliable instruments give the
same results when administered at different times).

Continuity
Evaluation is a continuous process; an integral part of the curriculum development process and
classroom instruction. Hence, to provide continuous feedback on weaknesses and strengths for
remedial action to be taken.

Another set of widely shared evaluation criteria that are applicable in any field are relevance,
efficiency, effectiveness, impact, and sustainability.

Relevance
Relevance indicates the value of the intervention or program with others. Stakeholder needs, state
and national priorities, international partners’ policies, including development goals.

Efficiency
Efficiency answers the question, “Does the program use the resources in the most effective way to
achieve its goals?”

Effectiveness
Effectiveness pertains to the question, “Is the activity achieving satisfactory results in relation to
stated objectives?”

Impact
Impact focuses on the results of the intervention (intended and unintended; positive and negative)
including social, economic, and environmental effects on individuals, institutions, and communities.

Sustainability
Education provides the way each generation passes on its culture, discoveries, successes and failures
to the next generations. If there is not adequate inter-generational education, knowledge and
accomplishments cannot be sustained. Education is the foundation for formulating, challenging and
disseminating ideas, knowledge, skills and values within communities, nations and also globally.
The term sustainability is often only applied to environmental and community issues. Yet to redefine
education, the term can also be applied to creating an atmosphere in the classroom that promotes
independent skills and attitudes that can sustain the need for life-long learning. It is a given that
teachers are under pressure to cover mandated curriculum standards so that students meet learning
expectations. However, students are concerned about having relevant experiences that bridge the
classroom and the real world. One way to promote these connections is to create a sustainable
classroom community through the teaching of self-regulated learning (SRL) skills. (Gerretson, Ilisko
and Fortino, 2010).

The Role of Teachers in Curriculum Evaluation

As pointed out earlier, curriculum evaluation refers to the process of collecting data systematically to
assess the quality, effectiveness, and worthiness of a program. For evaluation to be carried out
effectively, the teacher has to be involved in the process.

Teachers should provide data on the progress of students and materials. Teachers are best placed to
judge the quality of materials, the depth to which the topics have been or will be dealt with, and the
sequencing of the topics. They document their experiences and those of the learners. Teachers also
need to have skills for observing and documenting their observations, constructing appropriate tests
and examinations, and systematically reporting their findings.

Teachers’ involvement with curriculum evaluation is of great importance because they are constantly
interacting with the learners, so they know them well, and they have continuous opportunities to
collect evaluation data through a variety of means including observation, tests, and measurements.
They can also easily assess the relevance, quality, and adequacy of teaching and learning resources.

Educational administrators also have a key role to assist the teachers and to coordinate the teachers’
contributions in the area of evaluation. The subject panels or focus groups that are organized at local
levels in some countries can, if properly utilized, be a very effective system of initiating and sustaining
teacher participation in this process. Through focus groups, many more teachers can be incorporated
in curriculum development and evaluation than is possible through the national panels operated at
curriculum development institutions in the various countries. A few questions can be discussed on the
role of teachers in curriculum development and evaluation. These are:

How effectively are the teachers involved in curriculum evaluation?

To what extent are teachers providing feedback to the district curriculum coordinators?
Are curriculum coordinators seeking information from the teachers?
To what extent is the feedback from the teachers incorporated in the curriculum and curricular
materials?
Do teachers have adequate skills, time, and resources for observing, testing, measuring, gathering
other relevant data, and documentation?
How well are teachers prepared for developing curriculum and implementing new curricula?
How coordinated is the flow of information between teachers, administrators, district coordinators,
universities, and state agencies?
The involvement of teachers in curriculum development and evaluation could, in the long-run lead to
relevant, cost-effective, and self-sustaining education programs.
In addition to the evaluation criteria mentioned, it is important to keep in mind that what is most
important in the curriculum development process is the end product. Leslie Owen Wilson states,
“Good curriculum development and instructional design should always start with key questions.
Where do we begin when we start the curriculum development process?”

Owen Wilson has good advice for those who develop curriculum and urges us to guard against the
“for-profit” entities, as well as some of the pitfalls of commercial curriculums that she describes in The
Instructional Design/Curriculum Development Process.

Finley (2013) adds that the public has no idea how much mental muscle curriculum planning requires,
but corporations that sell education materials do know. Unfortunately, their support is often in the
form of selling a “sure-fire” scripted curriculum that “guarantees” growth (if teachers will just follow
directions). There are, however, several reasons why scripted curricula-in-a-box do not work:

What works in one classroom often will not work the next period, so flexibility, intuition, and
judgment calls by instructors are needed.
Values and motivations vary by classroom.
Prepackaged curricula undermine teachers’ professionalism and agency.
Cultural sensitivity does not come in a package.
All students are not at the same level of development.
Scripted lessons interfere with the all-important teacher-student relationship.
Unfortunately, prepackaged programs are often used with students from low socio-economic
populations. For all these reasons, it is best when teachers develop their own lesson plans.

As an alternative to prepackaged programs, teachers can become the center of a curriculum

evaluation or review process if they are supported using a collaborative model. Instructional
technologists at an international school described in the following article were able to incorporate
21st-century skills instruction that was relevant to the schools. The process led to some innovations in
classrooms as well as discussions that focused on a few standards and essential questions that
allowed assessments to be uniform as well as options for differentiation of curriculum that were
supported by technology.

Insight 7.0
School districts often opt for pre-packaged programs because corporate representatives “sell”
administrators and school boards on the advantages of their programs because they do not require
teacher input. This can be a disadvantage because teachers are not always invested in programs
developed without their input. It would be wise for school districts to consider the importance of
grass-roots support from schools and teachers with any new curriculum.

If teachers and administrators are interested in a collaborative, curriculum-development process, the

following resource will be helpful.

“All Aboard! How a New Curriculum-Development Review Process Brought Teachers, Administrators,
and Learning Specialists to the Table and Resulted in Some Innovative Uses of Technology.”

ILA 7.0
Reflect on what the teacher’s role is in evaluating the curriculum.
What is the most appropriate role for the teacher?
How might time constraints play a role in this decision?
Utilize the ILA Responses Group as a way of capturing your thoughts.

Summary
Evaluation of the curriculum is a critical phase in the curriculum-development process. Even if all the
steps are followed in the development process, it is when the curriculum is implemented that it
becomes clear whether or not the objectives have been met and to what degree the students have
made progress academically. This is a meaningful, but complicated process. Publishers know this, and
in response, they have developed pre-packaged curricula that have many drawbacks. Guarding
against these “for-profit” entities is essential in developing a good curriculum that is designed for the
success of the students. As an alternative to pre-packaged programs, teachers can be involved in the
evaluation or review process if they are part of a collaborative process.