Curriculum Evaluation

Evaluation is the process of collecting data

on a programme to determine its value or

worth with the aim of deciding whether to

adopt, reject, or revise the programme

The developer or planner wants to know

how to improve the curriculum product.

The public want to know whether the

curriculum implemented has achieved its

aims and objectives

Teachers want to know whether what they

are doing in the classroom is effective

Curriculum evaluation should be concerned

with assessing the value of a

program of study

and a course of study

a field of study

Worthen and Sanders (1987) define

curriculum evaluation as “the formal

determination of the quality, effectiveness,

or value of a programme, product, project,

process, objective, or curriculum”

Ornstein and Hunkins (1998) define curriculum

evaluation as “a process or cluster of

processes that people perform in order to

gather data that will enable them to decide

whether to accept, change, or eliminate

something- the curriculum in general or an

educational textbook in particular”

Plan for Curriculum Evaluation

The basis for evaluation

Objectives of evaluation

Curriculum description

Evaluation report

Evaluation design

Need for Curriculum Evaluation

To provide a conceptual framework for specific

purpose of the evaluation.

Several experts have proposed different models

describing how and what should be involved in

evaluating a curriculum.

Models are useful because they help us define the

parameters of an evaluation, what concepts to

study and the procedures to be used to extractimportant data

•The Tyler Model is often referred to as the ‘objective

model’ because of it’s objective approach to

educational evaluation

•It emphasizes consistency among objectives, learning

experiences, and outcomes

•Curriculum objectives indicate both behaviour to be

developed and area of content to be applied.

Tyler’s evaluation model

Tyler recommends that curriculum planners

identify general objectives by gathering data from

three sources:

•The learners

•Contemporary life outside the school

•Subject matter.

After identifying numerous general objectives, the

planners refine them by filtering them through two

screens:

The philosophical screen

The psychological screen

(Assessment and evaluation)

(Objectives)

(Instructional strategies and content)

(Organization of learning experiences)

•Stating Objectives

The progressive emphasizes the importance of studying the

child to find out what kinds of interests he has, what problems

he encounters, what purposes he has in mind. The progressive

sees this information as providing the basic source for selecting

objectives

•Selecting Learning Experiences

Tyler believes that students learn through exploration

Like his mentor, John Dewey, Tyler believes teachers

should encourage children to become actively engaged in

discovering what the world is like

•Evaluating the Curriculum

The process of assessment is critical to Tyler’s Model and begins with the

objectives of the educational program

The process of evaluation is essentially the process of determining to

what extent the educational objectives are actually being realized by the

program of curriculum and instruction

Organizing Learning Experiences

Central to Tyler’s Model is effectively organizing the learning

activities

Students need concrete experiences to which the readings are

meaningfully connected

Three major criteria are required in building organized learning

experiences: continuity, sequence and integration

The Tyler Model is:

One of the best known models for curriculum development.

Known for the special attention it gives to the planning phases.

Deductive for it proceeds from the general to the specific

Strengths of model

Involves the active participation of the learner

Objectives are clearly defined in the purposes. These purposes are

translated into educational objectives.

Simple linear approach to development of behavioral objectives

Criticisms of the Tyler model

•Narrowly interpreted objectives (acceptable verbs)

•Difficult and time consuming construction of behavioural objectives

•Curriculum restricted to a constricted range of student skills and knowledge

•Critical thinking, problem solving and value acquiring processes cannot be

plainly declared in behavioural objectives

•Learning experiences are individual and are not totally within the power of

the teacher to select

•The teacher can control the learning experience through the manipulation

of the environment, which results in stimulating situations sufficient to evoke

the kind of learning outcomes desired

•Hilda Taba believed that the curriculum should be

designed by the teachers rather than handed down by

higher authority.

•Further, she felt that teachers should begin the process

by creating specific teaching-learning units for their

students in their schools.

•Taba advocated an inductive approach to curriculum

development.

•In the inductive approach, curriculum workers start with

the specifics and build up to a general design as opposed

to the more traditional deductive approach of starting with

the general design and working down to the specifics.

Some of the problems from using the Taba Model are:

Teachers not understanding the connection

between the content, activities, teaching methods

and evaluation.

Keeping the resources up to date.

Maintaining training for new teachers on the

method as well as support needed for teachers as

they must review the plan often.

Robert Stake's "countenance model" (Stake, 1967)

was originally formulated for curriculum studies in

the late 1960s.

The countenance model aims to capture the

complexity of an educational innovation or change

by comparing intended and observed outcomes at

varying levels of operation.

Three sets of Data

1. Antecedents

•Conditions existing before implementation

2. Transactions

•Activities occurring during implementation

3. Outcomes

•Results after implementation

•Describe the program fully

•Judge the outcomes against external standards

Stake divides descriptive acts according to whether they

refer to what was intended or what was actually

observed.

He argues that both intentions and what actually took

place must be fully described.

He then divided judgemental acts according to whether

they refer to the standards used in reaching judgements

or to the actual judgements themselves.

He assumes the existence of a rationale for guiding the

design of a curriculum.

Stake wrote that greater emphasis should be placed

on description, and that judgement was actually the

collection of data.

He also noted connections between intentions and

observations, which he called

congruence(similarity).

Stake developed matrices for the notation of data for

the evaluation. Data is collected through these

matrices.

According to Stufflebeam, evaluation is the process

of delineating, obtaining and providing useful

information for judging decision alternatives

‘Delineating’ refers to focusing of informative

requirements needed by decision-maker

‘Obtaining’ implies collection, organization

and analysis of information

‘Providing’ refers to synthesizing of

information

. ‘Delineating’ and ‘providing’operations are carried outcollaboratively between evaluator anddecision-maker, whereas the obtainingof information is carried out primarilyby the evaluator

CIPP model was originated by DanielStufflebeam and Egon Guba

Scriven visualize evaluation as an assessment of merit.

He stresses the need to assess the merit of the goals

themselves.

He points out if the goals are not worth achieving, then it

is uninteresting how well they are achieved.

So considerable attention has to be paid to the quality of

goals itself.

Scriven also observed that action decision can be made

without completely understanding why one programme

is superior to the other.

Michael Scriven’s Goal free model

Scriven detected that in most cases of

evaluation, the main focus of the evaluator is

gathering information regarding goals of the

program.

Such goal-preoccupation might actually be

interfering with the quality of evaluator’s work.

Therefore, Scriven has proposed a goal-freeevaluation model

The focus of the evaluator is on checking whether the

goals of the program have been achieved or not.

The evaluator focuses on the intended as well as

unintended outcomes of the program.

The chief advantage of goal-free evaluation is that it

encourages the evaluator to be attentive to a wider

range of program outcomes.

Goals are only a subset of predictable effects

Effects Intended effects and

Unintended effects

Roles of curriculum evaluation: Scriven

differentiates between two major roles of

curriculum evaluation:

the “formative” and the “summative”

Formative evaluation – during the development

of the programme

Summative evaluation – at its conclusion

For example, results of formative evaluation

may help in

1. Selection of programme components

2. Modification of programme elements

Cronbach (1980), a student of Tyler, also focused on

the decision-making process.

Cronbach advocated that the evaluator should be a

teacher, educating the client group throughout the

evaluation process.

During this educative process, the evaluator is

constantly giving feedback to the clients.

Cronbach did not believe that the evaluator should

determine the worthiness of a program nor provide

recommended courses of action.

According to Cronbach, the context of curriculum (i.e.

what the curriculum attempts to achieve) should also

be evaluated.

The achievement tests used should not test small

domains of the curriculum but include all aspects of

the curriculum.

School tests need to be understandable, reliable and

valid enough.

Curriculum is forced on people

The quality of the academic programs in public school

education may not be as high as those of private

schools.

Classrooms are usually larger in public schools

Public schools adhere to state and federal regulatory

standards.

Dropout and violence rates are generally higher in

public schools, even though public schools differ.

Pupils and students may be tested in ways that do not

suit their differences. Tests can be misleading.

The teaching tends to be averaged to the disadvantage

of those who are not average.

Mukopadhya ModelThis model has been developed in Indian

conditions.

This model is also based on Benjamin Bloom’s

evaluation approach.

The learning process is based on teaching.

Both learning and teaching are based on

objectives.

Teaching activities are performed with the help of

the content to be taught.

Identification of initial objectives

Deciding the instructional procedure

Using the available instructional resources

Feedback for modification of curriculum

Continuous observation and evaluation of the teaching-learning

activities

Saran’s Model

This model developed by Saran came to light in

1976.

This model employs systems approach and

analyses the input, process and output of a

curriculum.

This model emphasizes for specific behavioural

objectives.

This model gives importance for output

analysis in curriculum evaluation.

Assumptions of this model

No curriculum is complete and perfect in itself.

Every curriculum requires modification and improvement.

New curriculum developed may not also be complete in

itself.

Therefore, it is better to analyse the existing curriculum to

diagnose its weakness which can be rectified and

improvements could be brought.

All the three elements such as input, process and output

help in evolving effective model of curriculum.

Assumptions of this model

Input Process Output

Expertise

Needs

Formulation of

Specific

ObjectivesCurriculum

DevelopmentMaterial

Resources

Selection of

Content

•Survey is done for need assessment

•Assessment is done for future needs of the society and

students.

•Identification of objectives ( Input aspect)

•Writing objectives in behavioural terms (Process aspect)

•Selection of content with the help of subject experts

(Process aspect)

•Designing or preparing evaluation system (Output aspect)

•Resource development of curriculum

•Empirical tryout of new model of curriculum to examine its

workability

•Review the system analysis.

The following steps are used

in input, process and output

aspects.