Planning the
school curriculum
The school curriculum
consists of the ways in which a school puts into practice the policy
set out in national curriculum statements. It takes account of local
needs, priorities, and resources, and is designed in consultation with
the school's community.
The New Zealand Curriculum Framework, page 4
As this statement suggests, when schools plan their curriculum they
consider a number of factors in addition to the national curriculum
documents. These include consulting parents/caregivers about their aspirations
for their children, talking with the students themselves, and analyzing
information about the prior achievement of the students.
Schools also have a responsibility to consider how their school's curriculum
will provide students with their entitlement to the New Zealand curriculum,
that is, the seven essential learning areas, the eight sets of skills,
and the attitudes and values that are described in The New Zealand
Curriculum Framework and expressed in the national curriculum statements.
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Students curriculum
entitlement
National Administration Guideline 1 highlights schools' responsibility
to provide their students with a programme of learning that gives them
opportunities to achieve to the best of their abilities across the breadth
and depth of the New Zealand curriculum.
"Breadth" refers to the full range of the learning areas and
the aspects within them that form the various strands, perspectives,
contexts, etceteras, of the curriculum; the essential skills; and the
attitudes and values. "Depth" means that students have not
simply had a taste of each part of the curriculum but that they have
had opportunities to develop deeper understandings on which further
learning will build.
It is expected that all students in years 1 to 10 will have the opportunity
to achieve in each learning area each year. This does not mean that
each area will be covered to the same extent, and does not mean that
there will be recorded and reported assessment of achievement in each
area to the same extent.
By the time students enter year 11 and pursue courses of study which
will lead to qualifications, they should have had opportunities to achieve
in all of the essential learning areas and in all of the essential skills.
This will give them a sound base from which they can extend their further
and more specialised learning.
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First things
First
Achievement in literacy and numeracy must be given priority, especially
in the early years of schooling. This was the recommendation of the
Literacy Taskforce, but in the context of "the broad curriculum".
The
taskforce believes that all the essential learning areas are important,
particularly for those children in the target groups because of the
rich experiences they provide... Report of the Literacy Taskforce,
page 15
Students can develop their literacy skills in all areas of the curriculum,
not just in English, Māori, or other language work. Similarly,
they can develop and apply their numeracy
skills in other curriculum areas, including science/pūtaiao, technology/hangarau
and social studies/tikanga ā iwi.
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Planning for learning
The New Zealand curriculum is specified
through the national curriculum statements but schools implement the
curriculum in a variety of ways. They may use an integrated, topic-based,
or inquiry approach, a programme of subjects, or a combination of these
approaches.
Whatever approach is used, the overall plan should take account of the
links within, between, and across learning areas and strands. In some
of the learning areas, the strands are not intended to be treated in
isolation; most learning experiences relate to more than one strand.
The amount of time devoted to different areas and strands of the curriculum
is likely to be different each year. In some years, certain strands
of each learning area may have priority and be given greater emphasis,
for example, number/te tau in mathematics/pāngarau in the early
primary years. Schools should be able to justify the choices they have
made in designing their curriculum programme and in deciding which aspects
of the curriculum will receive greatest emphasis in a particular year.
This rationale could be incorporated in the school's planning document(s).
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Key curriculum questions in relation to Guidelines
1 and 2
- How
does our school curriculum ensure that, over time, all students will
have opportunities to achieve in every area of the New Zealand curriculum
and to develop all the essential skills?
-
How does our school curriculum reinforce and promote the attitudes
and values described in The New Zealand Curriculum Framework?
- How
does our school curriculum ensure that all students, including Māori
and Pacific students, can achieve success in literacy and numeracy?
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How do our school curriculum and its implementation ensure that students
are well prepared for the next stages in their learning?
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From year 7, how are we meeting the need to provide students with
career education and guidance?
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Are the answers to these questions documented in a way that contributes
to our school's ongoing development and that provides useful information
to parents/caregivers and other interested parties?
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Assessment
for learning
Assessment should focus on promoting learning and raising student
achievement. Teachers assess and use assessment information in order
to:
-
provide focused feedback and guidance to learners;
- identify the next steps in teaching and learning;
- review and revise teaching and learning programmes;
- provide information to parents/caregivers so that they can support
the student's learning;
- guide strategic planning and decisions about professional development;
-
monitor the progress of individual students, subgroups of students,
and whole cohorts to identify gaps in achievement and strategies to
close them.
Assessment will usually relate to learning outcomes specific to the
lesson or topic. Often this assessment will be informal (spontaneous,
usually verbal, and integral to the lesson), providing immediate feedback
to students to help their learning. Some assessment will, however,
be formal, that is, planned and documented for further use. Both should
focus on improved learning.
The cumulative evidence of formal and informal assessments of various
kinds enables teachers to make judgements about student progress and
achievement. Not all of these assessments will be documented. Assessment
also has to be manageable. More data do not always provide better
information. It is not practicable to carry out the number of documented
assessments of the quality or quantity that would be needed to report
validly and reliably against each Achievement Objective each year
for each child.
This is not expected.
On the basis of well-thought-out criteria, schools should select the
aspects of the curriculum that will be the focus of formal assessment
over a particular period of time. These criteria could include:
-
students' prior achievement - which aspects of the curriculum have
students already achieved, not achieved, or not yet had the opportunity
to achieve?
-
students' interests and aspirations- what do they want to learn more
about?
- students'
needs for the future - what knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values
will they need for success in further and higher learning, in work,
and in life in general?
-
parental and community aspirations for their students;
-
external factors such as the changing nature of society and the economy.
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Key assessment
questions in relation to Guidelines 1 and 2
What is the rationale for our assessment policies and practices?
-
What principles are they based on?
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What purposes do they serve?
How do we ensure that sufficient quality assessment information is
collected and used to:
-
support learning;
-
provide feedback to students, parents/caregivers, and other teachers;
-
report on student achievement and progress;
-
review and revise the schools' teaching and learning programmes in
relation to literacy and numeracy and the curriculum as a whole? Which
key learning outcomes/aspects of the curriculum will be the focus
in different year groups for assessment that will be documented for
further use, and what is the rationale for these selections?
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In summary
When planning teaching and learning programmes, schools should consider
students' entitlement to:
-
sound achievement in literacy and numeracy, particularly, but not
solely, in the early primary years;
- breadth and depth of curriculum experience during years 1 to 10.
Students whom the school has identified as needing learning support
or opportunities for extension are no less entitled to the richness
of a broad curriculum. All students should have opportunities to achieve
and to excel.
The next issue of Sharpening the Focus will deal with matters
relating to documentation, planning, and self review (NAG 2).
Published 2000 for the Ministry of Education by Learning Media Limited,
Box 3293, Wellington, New Zealand.
Website: www.learningmedia.co.nz
Photographs by Dean Zillwood (pages 2 and 3) and Adrian Heke (pages
2Ð3 centre, and 4)
Copyright © Crown 2000 All rights reserved. Enquiries should be made
to the publisher. Item 10085.
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Issue 10
This issue of Sharpening the Focus outlines the support available to schools and teachers as they address the need for students to develop high levels of competence (knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values) in physical education and physical activity. It also includes the amended sections relating to physical activity in the National Education Goals (NEGs) and National Administration Guidelines (NAGs).
Issue 9
This issue of Sharpening the Focus outlines support that is available for schools in addressing the needs of their gifted and talented students.
Issue 8
This issue of Sharpening the Focus,
is a newsletter for boards of trustees, principals, and teachers on
school management and administration.
Issue
7
This issue
of Sharpening the Focus looks at the intent and effect of the Education
Standards Act 2001, which has introduced the requirement that every school's
charter include planning for improvement of student outcomes.
Issue
6
This issue of Sharpening the Focus discusses the National
Education Guidelines' requirement for boards of trustees to identify
and provide for students who have special needs related to disabilities,
learning difficulties, and behavioural problems. It also answers
some frequently asked questions.
Issue
5
This
issue of Sharpening the Focus looks more closely at the relationship between
the revised National Administration Guideline 2 and professional development
and answers some frequently asked questions.
Issue
4
This issue of
Sharpening the Focus looks more closely at the requirements that the revised
National Administration Guideline 2 places on schools as they undertake
strategic planning.
Issue
3
This
issue of Sharpening the Focus looks more closely at what schools will
need to consider as they align their curriculum and assessment policies
and practices to the revised National Administration Guidelines 1 and
2.
Issue
2
This
issue includes information on Kia mahitahi - working together, Frequently
Asked Questions, and Better Relationships for Better Learning.
Issue
1
This newsletter
backgrounds the recent revision of the National Education Guidelines,
outlines the help to be offered to schools as they adjust to the new
requirements, and answers some frequently asked questions.
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