Importance Of Curriculum Audit

Besides a score, which gives quantitative data about how much of the material tested a student has mastered, information about student misconceptions can be determined by analyzing which distractors they chose and why. Information from assessments helps teachers determine which instructional approaches are best for certain students, what their students may already know about a given topic, and what subjects needs to be retaught. Research indicates that assessment and accountability systems are most effective when internal and external measures are coordinated by schools and districts to improve student achievement. The entire assessment and accountability system must be interconnected and aligned – assessments aligned to the standards, which

Research indicates that curriculum alignment, in particular, “is capable of diminishing, if not entirely eliminating, conventional predictors of student achievement, such as socioeconomic status, gender, race, and teacher effect”. However, once curriculum alignment is in place, standards only influence student learning to the extent that students receive meaningful instruction on their content. Consequently, effective classroom instruction plus aligned, standards-based curriculum equates to increases in student achievement. The curriculum audit will provide the school board, administrators, teachers, and customers a comprehensive objective look at how well the school system is delivering teaching and learning to its students. In addition, the audit will identify where the system is in its quest for improvement and what it has to do to in order to improve in specific areas. There are five standards in a curriculum audit. These standards are: 1) Control of resources, programs, and personnel. 2) Clear and valid objectives for students. 3) Internal consistency and rational equity in programs. 4) Use of results from assessments to adjust, improve, or terminate ineffective practices or programs. 5) Continual improvement in

This step is far more reaching than keeping parents informed of their child’s progress which is also critical. Generally, this happens across the board, and therefore, the achievement gap can begin to close. The challenge is figuring out how to get families involved when more and more parents have to work full-time to make ends meet or have language barriers that might preclude comfort in school involvement. Innovative schools are finding creative ways for parents to engage flexibly in their children’s learning. The school plays an important role in determining the levels of parental involvement in school. Specifically, schools can outline their expectations of parents and regularly communicate with parents about what children are learning. Also, schools can provide opportunities for parents to talk with school personnel about parents' role in their children's education through home visits, family nights, and well-planned parent-teacher conferences and open houses. In addition, the National PTA recommends that parent/family involvement programs welcome parents as volunteer partners in schools and that these programs invite parents to act as full partners in making school decisions that affect children and families. In saying so, developing initiatives to forge stronger ties to the community to reinforce for students a feeling of consistent support from