Deep Curriculum Alignment Creating a Level Playing Field for All Children on High-Stakes Tests of Accountability

by English, Fenwick W.; Steffy, Betty E.

• ISBN13: 9780810839717
• ISBN10: 0810839717
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-03-27
• Publisher: R&L Education

Summary

Why do testing and accountability efforts in today's schools fail? In Deep Curriculum Alignment, English and Steffy explore the flaws in state mandated testing, advocating a more comprehensive approach to teaching and testing. This highly practical book will guide you into a deeply aligned curriculum that produces academic results and a level playing field. Each chapter covers principles of testing and curriculum building, and concludes with a summary of the key concepts presented. The authors survey various studies, present the ethical dilemmas involved in testing, and present a step-by-step guide to pedagogical parallelism and alignment.

Author Biography

Fenwick W. English is a professor of education in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in the College of Education at Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa

Table of Contents

Introduction	v
Facing the Scourge of the Test Score Zeitgeist	1	(24)
Culprits
Some popular myths about tests
The nature of curriculum alignment
Key concepts of this chapter
Applications
References
Understanding the Dynamics of the Playing Field	25	(30)
The basic construct: the curriculum and the test
The United States: one nation---except for a curriculum
The genius of the norm-referenced standardized test: an exam that doesn't need a curriculum or political decisions to determine passing or mastery scores
Understanding the forces that comprise the ``playing field''
The fallacy of ``value added'' measures: using test score gains to pay teachers
The ``teaching to the test'' conundrum: what is ethical?
Key concepts of this chapter
Applications
References
Initiating Actions to Level the Competitive Playing Field	55	(32)
Frontloading or backloading?
Curriculum as organizational memory
Where to start the alignment process?
Steps in developing a frontloaded curriculum
Key concepts of this chapter
Applications
References
Engaging in Deep Curriculum Alignment	87	(28)
The emerging research on curriculum alignment
The Zellmer study
The Price-Baugh study
The Moss-Mitchell study
The practice of pedagogical parallelism
A step-by-step guide to pedagogical parallelism as the key to deep curriculum alignment
Key concepts of this chapter
References
Creating a Viable Alternative to Testing as Mass Inspection	115	(30)
Problems with current forms of high-stakes accountability tests
Positive trends in state assessment programs
Re-asserting the primacy of curriculum in the testing debate
The terrain of struggle: what does it mean to teach social justice?
Colleges of education: solutions or problems?
Key concepts of this chapter
Applications
References
Author Index	145	(4)
Subject Index	149	(8)
About the Authors	157