Book Description

To assist school district personnel in planning and developing curriculums, this handbook describes and explains a 10-step process and provides supporting examples, checklists, and references. A brief introduction suggests how to use the handbook. Each of the 10 following sections then presents one step, explains its substeps, and offers a checklist that shows whether a substep is being considered or planned, has been completed, or is not needed. The 10 steps involve (1) identifying or stating a curricular need, (2) developing curricular goals and objectives, (3) planning and organizing resources and identifying constraints, (4) organizing and stating the functions of curriculum committees, (5) establishing the roles and responsibilities of personnel involved, (6) identifying and analyzing new curriculums or programs to meet the curricular need, (7) assessing and selecting the new curriculum, (8) designing the new curriculum, (9) implementing the new curriculum, and (10) evaluating the curriculum. Five appendices offer checklists for developing curriculum guides and evaluating textbooks, provide a sample curriculum unit, and present simulations of a reading program assessment and the selection of a computer using the 10-step process. (RW)