Curriculum Evaluation
curriculum to make it more relevant and
Before evaluation can even take place, an
assessment of the curriculum must happen first.
Hence, we have a short segment for Curriculum
Assessment.
Curriculum Assessment
● A data gathering process,
● Checking the alignment between the three
types of curriculum:
○ Intended - goals and objectives
○ Implemented - method of instruction
○ Achieved - what is learned
Criteria for assessment of Goals and objectives
● Syntactic Correctness
● Compliance with legal requirements
● Stranger Test
○ Someone not involved in the
development of the statements can
still reliably use the goals and
objectives.
○ The goals and objectives should be
written in observable and measurable
form.
● Both knowledge and behavior are addressed
● “So-what” test
○ Value Judgment
○ Are the goals and objectives
important?
● Individualization
○ Catered to the present needs of each
student.
● Common Sense
○ Must be clear and concise.
○ Should not be forced into one
sentence.
Types of Instruction
● Supplantive Approach - Direct instruction
● Generative Approach - Constructivist
Criteria for assessment of Instruction, and
choosing the proper one.
● The student
● The task
● The setting
Introduction to Curriculum Evaluation
● The last step in the Curriculum Development
Process
● Determines the merit and worth of a particular
curriculum from the time it was
conceptualized, planned, organized, and
implemented.
● A tool for decision making.
● Leads to either improving or changing the
responsive to:
○ The changing landscape of education
○ The changing needs of learners
○ The aspirations of the country and
world
What issues does Curriculum Evaluation
address?
● Are the learning experiences spelled out in
terms of programs, projects, and activities, as
planned and organized, actually produce the
intended results?
● How can these learning experiences best be
improved in the context of curriculum
intentions that meet the desired development
among learners?
Concepts, Views, and Definitions
● The formal process of determining the quality,
effectiveness, or value of a curriculum.
● Value judgment of the curriculum in terms of
process and product.
● Ornstein and Hunkins Definition - Involves a
process of gathering data in order to arrive at
a decision, whether to accept, modify, change,
or remove a part of the curriculum, or an
educational material.
● Oliva Definition - a process of delineating,
obtaining, and providing useful information for
judging decision alternatives (maintaining,
modifying, or eliminating).
● Specifically concerned with determining the
merit and worth of either a:
○ Program of Study - Planned learning
experience requiring a number of a
years for a particular group of
learners.
○ Field of Study - Planned learning
experiences for a number of years for
a particular area of study or discipline.
○ Course of Study - Planned learning
experiences over a period of one year
or less for a particular field of study.
● Gatawa Definition
○ The process of describing and judging
an educational programme or subject.
○ The process of comparing a student’s
performance with behaviorally stated
objectives.
○ The process of defining, obtaining,
and using relevant information for
decision-making purposes.
Process and Product and Evaluation
● Process Evaluation is used if the intent of the
curriculum evaluation falls on any of the
following:
 ○ To provide empirical data and
information that may possibly
determine the extent to which plans
for curriculum implementation have
been executed and resources were
used wisely.
○ To provide assistance necessary for
changing or clarifying implementation
plans.
○ To assess the degree to which
curriculum implementers have carried
out their roles and responsibilities in
the implementation process.
● Product Evaluation is used if the intent of
curriculum evaluation is to gather, interpret
and appraise curricular attainments, as often
as necessary, in order to determine how well
the curriculum meets the needs of the
students it is intended to serve.
Purposes of Curriculum Evaluation
● Patton - to be an important mechanism for
monitoring and getting feedback about a
particular curricular program as to whether or
not it is running effectively, and from there
determine the kind of intervention needed
before evaluating the desired outcomes of the
program that was or is being implemented.
● To know what produced the observed results
of a curriculum so that the proper intervention
can be done to improve the program.
● A source of information for:
○ What has been going on in the
program.
○ How the program progresses.
○ Why such program might have or
might not have deviated from the
objectives as formulated and planned.
Three questions to consider when evaluating a
curriculum
● Why evaluate the curriculum?
○ To determine if it meets the current
demands of educational reforms that
have been made.
○ Results can be used for necessary
adjustments and improvements.
○ To help continue the development and
evolution of educational models and
theories in achieving quality
education.
○ Cronbach - three types of decisions
for which evaluation is utilized:
■ Course Improvement - are the
instructional methods and
materials good?
■ Decisions about Individuals -
what are the needs of an
individual learner?
■ Administrative Regulations - is
the school system and its
teachers good?
● What of the curriculum is going to be
evaluated?
○ Goals and Objectives - are they
worthwhile bases?
○ Content and Methodology
■ Do they relate with the needs
of learners for whom the
curriculum was developed?
■ Is there congruence between
the methods and the goals?
■ Is the content appropriate?
○ Outcomes and Results - this goes
hand in hand with the other, drawing
out information and data to improve
the curriculum as a whole.
● How is evaluation going to be done? Two
Forms:
○ Formative Evaluation - the process of
looking for evidence of success or
failure of a curricular program, a
syllabus, or a subject taught during
implementation.
■ Done at the same time that the
program is ongoing throughout
its duration (data gathered
during the formation or
implementation)
■ Formative Evaluation makes
sure that the curriculum being
implemented is likely to
produce desired results, since
there can be a reaction to any
signs of failure.
○ Summative Evaluation - used at the
end of the implementation of the
program.
■ Used to assess whether the
curriculum actually performed
according to how they were
originally designed or
developed.
■ Provides a more accurate and
complete dat for judgment of
value, since the curriculum is
evaluated as a whole after its
implementation.
Curriculum Evaluation Models
● Arises from a need for procedures that would
provide valid and reliable results, to be used in
evaluation.
● Models - represents an ideal pattern of
something that may be worthy of imitation, or
to be regarded as a guide for people to follow
in the event of using, adopting, or
implementing a particular program or activity.
 ● Models may be regarded in two ways:
○ Prescriptive - rules, prohibitions,
prescriptions, guiding frameworks.
○ Descriptive - sets of statements and
generalizations
Tyler’s Objective-Centered Model
● Curriculum Development Process:
○ Define the teacher’s philosophy.
○ Identify the desired outcomes via
educational goals, purposes, and
objectives.
○ Design and evaluate the curriculum by
means of examining three essential
elements:
■ The learners
■ The life in the community
■ The subject matter
● Systematic Procedure of Evaluation:
○ Begin with the behavioral objectives
that have been previously determined.
○ Identify situations that will give the
student the opportunity to express the
behavior embodied in the objective,
and that evoke or encourage such
behavior.
○ Select, modify, or construct suitable
evaluation instruments, and check the
instruments for objectivity, reliability,
and validity.
○ Use the instruments to obtain
summarized or appraised results.
○ Compare the results from several
instruments before and after given
periods in order to estimate the
amount of change taking place.
○ Analyze the results to determine the
strengths and weaknesses of the
curriculum, and to identify possible
explanations for this particular pattern
of strengths and witnesses.
○ Use the results to make the necessary
modifications in the curriculum.
Stufflebeam’s Context, Input, Process, and
Product Model.
● Focuses on producing evaluative data that
can be used for decision-making, useful for
both formative and summative evaluations.
● Useful questions and decisions may be
presented in both evaluations.
● Four aspects of CIPP evaluation:
○ Context Evaluation - describes a
program in context to identify the
unmet needs, potential opportunities,
problems, or program objectives that
will be evaluated.
■ What should we do?
○ Input Evaluation - used in assessing
alternative means for achieving goals,
and is intended to help evaluators in
selecting the proper procedures and
resources.
■ How should we do it?
○ Process Evaluation - makes sure that
the means are actually implemented,
and identifies strengths and defects of
the procedure.
■ Are we doing it as planned?
○ Product Evaluation - used to compare
actual ends with intended or desired
ends, ultimately serving in the
determination and judgment on
program attainments.
■ Did the program work?
● Glatthorn - stated that throughout the four
aspects, the following steps are taken:
○ Identify the kinds of decisions.
○ Identify the kinds of data needed to
make those decisions.
○ Collect those data needed.
○ Establish criteria for determining
quality.
○ Analyze data collected on the basis of
established criteria.
○ Provide needed information to
decision makers explicitly.
Stake’s Responsive Model
● Gives more emphasis on a full description of
the evaluation program, as well as the
evaluation process itself.
● There is an emphasis on the persons involved
(education stakeholders) over quantitative
measurement precision in data. This model
caters to the needs of the people involved.
● Allows for useful data to stakeholders’
concerns and values, resulting in high utility
data for the stakeholders.
● Three elements:
○ Antecedents - prior existing
conditions.
○ Transactions - events and
experiences that constitute the
program.
○ Outcomes - effects of the program.
● Stake’s recommended steps in employing his
interactive and recursive evaluation model.
○ The evaluator meets with clients, staff,
and audiences to gain a sense of their
perspectives on and intentions
regarding the evaluation.
○ The evaluator draws on such
discussions and the analysis of any
documents to determine the scope of
the evaluation project.
 ○ The evaluator observes the program
closely to get a sense of its operation
and to note any unintended deviations
from announced intents.
○ The evaluator discovers the stated
and real purposes of the project and
the concerns that various audiences
have about it and the evaluation.
○ The evaluator identifies the issues and
problems with which the evaluation
should be concerned. For each issue
and problem, the evaluator develops
an evaluation design, specifying the
kinds of data needed.
○ The evaluator selects the means
needed to acquire the data desired.
Most often, the means will be human
observers or judges.
○ The evaluator implements the data-
collection procedures.
○ The evaluator organizes the
information into themes and prepares
“portrayals” that communicate in
natural ways the thematic reports. The
portrayals may involve videotapes,
artifacts, case studies, or other
“faithful representations.”
○ By again being sensitive to the
concerns of the stakeholders, the
evaluator decides which audiences
require which reports and chooses
formats most appropriate for given
audiences.
● Worthen and Sanders’ recommended steps in
following this model:
○ Provide for the background,
justification, and description of the
program rationale, including its need.
○ List intended antecedents,
transactions, and outcomes.
○ Record the observed antecedents,
transactions, and outcomes.
○ Explicitly state the standards for
judging program antecedents,
transactions, and outcomes.
○ Record judgments made about the
antecedent conditions, transactions,
and outcomes.
● Essential Components of Stake’s Responsive
Model:
○ A belief that there is no true value to
anything (like knowledge).
○ A belief that stakeholder perspectives
are integral elements in evaluation.
○ A belief that case studies are the best
method for representing beliefs and
values of stakeholders and of
reporting evaluation results.
● Responsive Evaluation - sensitive to clients’
and stakeholders’ concerns and values.
● An educational model is responsive if:
○ It orients more directly to program
activities than to program intents.
○ It responds to audience requirements
for information.
○ The different value-perspectives of the
people at hand are referred to in
reporting the success and failure of
the program.
Eisner’s Connoisseurship Model
● Focuses on Qualitative Appreciation.
● For Eisner, evaluating learning is too complex
to simply be broken down into a quantitative
comparison between learning objectives and
learning achievements, therefore, he
proposed that there should be more focus on
the details of what is actually happening inside
the classroom.
● There should be a knowledgeable evaluator
that can determine whether a particular
curriculum has been successful, using a
combination of skills and experience.
● Two concepts:
○ Connoisseurship - the art of
appreciation — recognizing through
perpetual memory, drawing from
experience to appreciate what is
significant. It is the ability to perceive
particulars of educational life and to
understand how those particulars form
part of a classroom structure.
○ Criticism - the art of disclosing
qualities of an entity that
connoisseurship perceives.
● For Eisner, Evaluation may be regarded as an
educational criticism consisting of three
aspects:
○ Descriptive - an act of characterizing
and portraying the relevant qualities of
educational life.
○ Interpretative - uses ideas from the
social sciences to explore meanings
and develop alternative explanations
for social events and situations.
○ Evaluative - where judgments are
made to improve the educational
process.
An Eclectic Approach to Curriculum Evaluation
● Despite the differences between the models,
many aspects of these models coincide with
each other.
● Brandt’s Criteria for Curriculum Evaluation
Model, using an Eclectic approach.
 ○ Can be implemented without making
inordinate demands upon district
resources
○ Can be applied to all levels of
curriculum—programs of study, fields
of study, courses of study
○ Makes provisions for assessing all
significant aspects of curriculum—the
written, the taught, the supported, the
tested, and the learned curricula
○ Makes useful distinctions between
merit (intrinsic value) and worth (value
for a given context)
○ Is responsive to the special concerns
of district stakeholders and is able to
provide them with the data they need
for decision making
○ Is goal oriented, emphasizing
objectives and outcomes
○ Is sensitive to and makes appropriate
provisions for assessing unintended
effects
○ Pays due attention to and makes
provisions for assessing formative
aspects of evaluation
○ Is sensitive to and makes provisions
for assessing the special context for
the curriculum
○ Is sensitive to and makes provisions
for assessing the aesthetic or
qualitative aspects of the curriculum
○ Makes provisions for assessing
opportunity cost—the opportunities
lost by those studying this curriculum
○ Uses both quantitative and qualitative
methods for gathering and analyzing
data
○ Presents findings in reports
responsive to the special needs of
several audiences
Strategies and Tools for Assessment and
Evaluation
● Paper-and-Pencil Strategy
○ Essay - assessing student
understanding.
○ Select Response - identification of one
correct answer.
● Performance-Based Strategy
○ Performance Task - demonstration of
skill by creating, producing, or
performing.
○ Exhibition/Demonstration - showcase
of individual achievement through
application of specific skills and
knowledge.
● Observational Strategy
○ Systematically viewing and recording
student behavior.
● Personal Communication Strategy
○ Conference - meeting between/among
the teacher and/or student.
○ Interview - a form of conversation
where all the parties increase their
knowledge and understanding.
● Oral Strategy
○ Questions and Answers - questions
given by teachers, and answers given
by students orally, rather than in
written form.
○ Classroom Presentation - verbalize
knowledge, finished works, and
organized thoughts, in order to
present a summary of learning about
the topic.
● Reflective Strategy
○ Self-Assessment - gathering
information and reflecting on one’s
own learning.
○ Response Journal - Frequent
reflective responses to a material that
a student is reading, viewing, listening
to, or discussing.
● Combination of Strategies
○ Portfolio - collection of samples of a
student’s work that is selective,
reflective, and collaborative.
● Recording Devices and Tools - for teachers
○ Anecdotal Record - an ongoing record
of written observations of student
progress.
○ Checklist - a list of actions/behavior
checked off by the teacher as they are
observed.
○ Rating Scale - A point scale for
several actions and behaviors of
students.
○ Rubrics - statements describing a
range of levels of achievement of a
process, product, or a performance.
○ Learning Log - a student’s ongoing
record of what they do as they work
on a particular task or assignment.
● Non-test Monitoring and Assessment - a focus
on activities that enhance the learning
experience.