Curriculum might seem to simply mean the range of subjects comprising a certain course of study;

however the term implies a lot more than that.  Curriculum can be defined as a set of standard –based
sequence of planned experiences where students practice and achieve proficiency in content and
applied learning skills. Curriculum needs to be chosen carefully based on the vision and goals of the
leadership, taking into consideration the hidden curriculum; that requires the leadership team to
explain their vision clearly to the teachers before they discuss the variety of curricula available and
their preference of one over the other.

Based on their understanding of the vision, head teachers can then decide their current and future
demands taking into consideration the expectations of all stakeholders involved. The hidden
curriculum requires all stakeholders to have a common understanding of what needs to be put in
place to ensure achievement of the desired objectives. Not only do head teachers need to be involved
in curriculum choice and design, but also subject teachers need to be involved in the process.
However, some teachers may feel more excited about one curriculum than the other, but a wise head
teacher would know the potential of their staff and choose to design the curriculum based on both the
needs of the students and the abilities and expertise of available staff.

Student assessment should be taken into consideration as well, as in some cultures it might just be
unacceptable to rely on one type of assessment than the other. The diagnostic assessment plays an
essential role in assessing the needs and potentials of the students. Simple baseline assessments or
assessment like GL assessments build a strong data base that helps the leaders choose the appropriate
curriculum. However, the correct use of diagnostic assessment will again depend on the experience
of the teachers, the more experienced and qualified the teachers are, the easier it will be for them to
analyse the data generated and thus work on the curriculum development accordingly.

After this, comes the role of formative assessment, as the teachers are the ones in direct contact with
the students, formative assessment helps them provide a direct and quick feedback that not only helps
in the curriculum designing but it also decides the best intervention plans for both weak and gifted
students. Then comes the role of the summative assessment, and some might argue that summative
assessment is more of an assessment of learning rather than for learning. However, it cannot be
denied that summative assessment results are widely used to evaluate the success rate of teachers and
schools and therefore are used as an indicator of the suitability of the curriculum chosen to the
quality of the students.
In 400-500 words you need to review the definitions of curriculum and think of your own definition
of the term. Also, review the role of the teachers and school leaders in delivering modules, designing
the curriculum and assessing the students.
Curriculum is defined as a series of intentionally planned learning activities (Mkandawire, 2010),
a means of creating learning opportunities for students in a qualified structure (Mojkowski,
2000), involving all activities, experiences, materials and methods, knowledge, values, attitudes,
and skills that are consciously designed to achieve well-defined goals with a specific group of
students (Cobbold, 1999). Furthermore, it is the most important component of overall education
since it serves as a guide to achieving targeted instruction. Curriculum is a factor that determines
the quality and influence of the education system (Apsari, 2018). It incorporates information and
abilities that students must have in that specific field as a significant component. To effectively
fulfill these goals, a curriculum that is tailored to students' needs must be developed.
Simply put curriculum is the total learning experience taught in schools under the guidance of
teachers. For a more in-depth definition of curriculum, it is the methodical reconstruction of
knowledge and experience under the direction of the school to provide the planned and
supervised learning experiences and desired learning objectives for the students' continual and
deliberate improvement in personal social capability.
Although curriculum includes material, students are more engaged when it is contextualized. In
the curriculum-development process, teachers' job is to support students in creating meaningful
connections with the subject matter. The focus and retention of the curriculum will enhance
through active learning, creating a stimulating learning environment. To provide content,
teachers create classes that incorporate simulations, experiments, case studies, and activities.
This participatory method integrates curriculum with real-world activities to fully engage pupils
in learning. The development of the curriculum gives teachers the chance to express their
creativity and personalize the learning environment.
Assessment is a critical aspect of effective teaching and improved education (Shepard, 2000)
cited in (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2002). Educational
assessments can be created for a variety of purposes, ranging from large-scale evaluations of
numerous components of educational programs to determining individual students' mastery of a
specific ability. Understanding assessment results necessitates the user drawing conclusions from
available facts and observations backed by the assessment. Three fundamental assessment ideas
are reliability, validity, and fairness.
Classroom teachers have firsthand experience of instructional approaches and are thus uniquely
prepared to evaluate a curriculum's effectiveness in implementing the best learning strategies for
student success. Based on what the teacher requires from the assessments, he/she can create an
assessment system that includes three types of educational evaluations that serve different
functions depending on when they are administered: diagnostic, formative, and summative
(Miles, 2022).
When considering educational measurements, each evaluation is created for a unique period and
purpose. When an evaluation occurs before to the learning activity, it is referred to as diagnostic
since the results can be utilized to diagnose issue areas to focus on during the upcoming
instruction.
Formative assessment occurs within the learning process because the results can be utilized to
inform what to do next for individuals or groups of students while learning occurs. Diagnostic
and formative assessment for learning are both forms of assessments for learning, which means
you are assessing to support decisions made before or during learning.
Summative evaluations are those that occur after the learning activity and are a summation of the
learning that has occurred.
References
Apsari, Yanuarti. “Teachers’ Problems and Solutions in Implementing Curriculum 2013.”
Acuity: Journal of English Language Pedagogy, Literature and Culture, vol. 3, no. 1, 2018, pp.
11-23.
Cobbold, C. Implementation of the Social Studies Programme in Teacher Training Colleges in
Ghana: An Evaluation. University of Cape Coast, 1999.
Miles, Dr.J., (2022) The 3 Different Types of Assessment in Education. [online] 3 Different
Types of Assessment in Education | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Available at:
https://www.hmhco.com/blog/different-types-of-assessment-in-education [Accessed 14 Nov.
2022].
Mkandawire, B. “Challenges of Curriculum Implementation in Learning Institutions.” Sitwe,
2010.
Mojkowski, Charles. “The Essential Role of Principals in Monitoring Curriculum
Implementation.” NASSP Bulletin, vol. 84, 2000, pp. 76-83.

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2002. Learning and