Trends Toward Comprehensive Curriculum and Assessment

1. Development of a comprehensive assessment

a. Information on students’ reasoning, thinking divergently, and solving problems creatively.

b. Reflect the kinds of challenges students will face in real life

c. Authentic assessment- connected to the real world

2. Diversity

a. Gender Sensitivity training – to prevent gender bias

- Civitas curriculum offers this training

- Examines gender form three frames of references –conceptual, historical, and contemporary

b. Inclusive Classrooms – carries the force of law and considerable public support

As a classroom teacher you will face:

- Teaching children with disabilities

- Setting tasks or objectives that are worthwhile and that can be accomplished

- Vary the work, goals, needs, and strengths

- Alternative assessment

3. Character Education – clarifying or teaching values

a. 3 approaches

- Values approach – values drive what people want (make wise choices in their lives)

- Views approach – examine relative goodness or evil of various positions for the purpose of developing one’s own views and attitudes.

- Virtues approach - fosters moral commitments leading to a good life.

b. Service learning – encourages students to participate in the responsibilities of community, state, and nation

(2 categories)

- Those that encourage the goal of change- students adopt a moral stance of caring, a political view of the value of reconstructing society

- Those that foster the goal of charity- students learn moral principle of giving, civic duty, experience gained by service activities