Recently, it has been replaced with "Common Core Standards". The ones used in Alaska are broken down for grades K to 8 but for high school, all the math standards are mixed together and teachers have to separate everything out.
This year, the math curriculum department went through the textbook series, deciding what should be taught, what can be skipped, and what can be lightly touched upon. Although it is cut back, there are still areas, I need to include several suggested omitted topics because they are often the foundation of the skills I need to teach.
In addition, about one third of the students never finished Algebra I and they are lacking certain skills needed for Algebra II so I have to teach them. For those who completed Algebra I, the year before, I have to review certain skills so students are able to do the work. I also have to provide more scaffolding to help students get through the class.
When I talk with teachers who graduated in the past few years, they always refer to curriculum as the textbook the school uses rather than what should be taught. I looked up curriculum to find out when it became associated with textbook series rather than a guide on what should be taught. It appears there are multiple types of curriculum which may explain the confusion.
First there is the recommended curriculum which covers the topics that experts feel should be covered. Then there is the written curriculum found in most state documents as "standards" or in the school website, specifying what should be taught. In addition, there is a supported curriculum done via textbook series, software, and multimedia materials. Then there is the tested curriculum or what the state, companies, schools, and teachers create and test students on. Of course, there is the taught curriculum which is what teachers actually manage to teach regardless of the written curriculum or pacing guides. Finally, is the learned curriculum which is what the students have learned and this is really the most important.
The question then becomes how do these all relate to what and how topics are taught in the classroom. Although the recommended curriculum is what experts believe should be taught, it has less influence on the written curriculum and even less on the classroom teacher because they have to take into account their students, what has worked in the past, and what appears on district and state tests. In fact, the material on state and district tests seems to have the most influence on what is taught in the classroom.
The supported curriculum has more influence on elementary teachers because they have to teach multiple subjects and the textbook forms the basis of their content knowledge. Furthermore, there is always a gab between the taught curriculum and the learned curriculum due to short attention spans, a lack of motivation, a failure to monitor student progress, and a failure to make the topic meaningful and challenging.
To have a high quality curriculum it should focus on a smaller number of topics in greater detail which is the opposite to the commonly accepted pacing guide which covers a bunch of topics with just a glance. It should also have students using various learning strategies to solve problems. Students need to acquire both essential skills and knowledge of a topic so they understand it better. In addition, the curriculum has to be set up so it meets students individual differences. Make sure the classes are multi- year, multi-level sequential courses so as to build upon previous knowledge.
Take time to focus on learning a smaller number of essential curriculum objectives while maintaining an emphasis on what has been learned. Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear. Have a great day.
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