Mod 13 Discussion: Aligning Curriculum

Of the Achieve ELA criteria for preparing curriculum for standards alignment, criteria IV. Regularly assessing whether students are mastering the content and skills in the lesson/unit is most important when working with my students and meeting curriculum goals. I feel that criteria 1 and 2 are implemented through the materials provided to us from the district while criteria 3 and 4 are what we as teachers can focus on and control directly based on the specific needs of our class. 

Criteria 3 and 4 are essentially interconnected. Having regular assessments we as teachers can identify learning gaps early allowing us to intervene before a student falls significantly behind. Assessment data can tell you what teaching strategies are working and which might need adjustment. If a significant portion of the class is struggling with, it suggests you might need to re-teach. Regular assessment ensures students build the foundational skills needed to successfully move forward in the curriculum.

Regularly assessing students also facilitates goal setting and mastery. Through the use of data driven instructions students can understand what they have mastered and what they still need to learn, students can set realistic learning goals.