Standards Aligned Curriculum

Definition: Standards Aligned Curriculum

Curriculum refers to the lessons and academic content taught in a school or in a specific course or program referring to the knowledge and skills students are expected to learn, which is determined by the learning standards they are expected to meet. Standards aligned curriculum would then be the specific learning standards, lessons, assignments, and materials used to organize, teach, and assess a particular course.

Contributing factors to SWD performance gaps

Standards aligned curriculum offers schools the opportunity to improve curriculum quality. The basic idea is to offer a more consistent and coherent academic program for every child by making sure teachers teach the most important content and eliminate learning gaps that may exist between sequential course and grade levels. When the curriculum is not aligned, students might be taught significantly different content in one course versus another.

Example Action Step

Collect and analyze evidence of instructional practices demonstrating the standards aligned curriculum isn’t inadvertently widening any learning gaps. For content coherence, reviewing lesson plans is a start. Conduct informal observations where different teachers teach the same course and then debrief on the alignment. Build opportunity for teachers to engage in vertical and horizontal articulation within your school calendar.
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Standards Aligned Curriculum