Curriculum Mini-Audits and Program Evaluations

The curriculum needs assessment reviews the extent to which the district/campus has developed and implemented a sound, operational and aligned system of curriculum management. Recommendations are made based on the findings.

A review of multiple data sources inform the curriculum mini audit, including a pre-visit survey, campus-provided documents, classroom observations, and interviews with teachers and campus administrators. Data are reviewed and coded to identify broad relationships to each key focus area and to identify emerging themes. For each area of focus, similarities and difference within and across data sources are identified and reviewed. Relationships with relevant focus-area indicators and to emerging themes are then validated and reported, with recommendations to improve program outcomes.

Sources of data for the needs assessment are specific to district need and may include:

Pre Visit Surveys

Survey data is collected from teachers prior to the on-site visit. The survey consists of questions targeting the alignment between taught, written and assessed curriculum, and the utilization of curriculum documents for planning, teaching and assessment.

Campus Documents

Campus documents include sources of information that reveal elements of, expectations for, and relationships between the taught, written, and assessed curriculum.

Interviews & Classroom Observations

Interviews with grade level teams are conducted to gather data on contextual variables at play within the campus.

Classroom observations are conducted to gather data regarding context, instructional practices, and levels of curriculum alignment and implementation

The findings of this needs assessment are grouped into four areas of focus:

1. Campus-wide curriculum management
2. Written curriculum
3. Taught curriculum
4. Assessed curriculum