Curriculum Design & Review Process

CDRP in Science

Curriculum Design & Review Process

Stage 4: Evaluate  How do we know our curriculum is working?  How do we analyze learning results to inform curriculum design & teaching? CDRP in Science

Stage 4: Evaluate  Do we gather learning results regularly and consistently?  Do we record and communicate results?  Do we use learning results to make instructional decisions?  Do we demonstrate that student learning results meet or exceed expectations?

Concept Inventories One Aspect of Evaluation  External to Curriculum  Uniform Among Sections  Professionally Developed  Provides Data

Force Concept Inventory  The Physics Teacher, Vol 30, March 1992  Focused on the Newtonian concept of force  Conceptual, not computational  Timed Multiple Choice: 30 questions in 30 minutes Isaac Newton

Force Concept Inventory At SI  Diagnostic Tool  Does not affect students’ grades  Given after (but not right after) corresponding unit on Newton’s Laws  5 years of data (2004 – 2009) at general, honors, and AP levels

Force Concept Inventory SI Physics: FCI Results from Guessing Proficient Mastery

Force Concept Inventory SI Physics: FCI Results from Guessing Proficient Mastery

Force Concept Inventory SI Physics: FCI Results from Guessing Proficient Mastery

Force Concept Inventory SI Physics: FCI Results from Guessing Proficient Mastery

Force Concept Inventory At SI  Correlation with grades?  Example: Honors Physics  Grading Scale  4 = Mastery  3 = Proficiency  2 = Passing  1 = Not Proficient

Force Concept Inventory At SI FCI Score and Unit Grade in Phys Honors (2007) FCI Score Unit Grade – Newton’s Laws Guessing Proficient Mastery

Force Concept Inventory  Every question & answer choice probes for misconceptions

Force Concept Inventory  Questions correspond to core curricular concepts

Force Concept Inventory Concept Analysis: SI Physics (2007)

Force Concept Inventory Conclusions  Inventories are one piece of the evaluation “puzzle”  Curriculum, not teacher, is best predictor of student performance on inventories Challenges  Renewing curriculum in response to results  Results raise other questions (class size, gender, etc)  Expanding use & effectiveness of inventories  Evaluation through other methods & tools

Concept Inventories Physics  FCI (Force Concept Inventory)  CSEM (Conceptual Survey of Electricity & Magnetism) Chemistry  CCI (Chemical Concept Inventory) Biology  CINS (Concept Inventory of Natural Selection)

Stage 4: Evaluate  Do we gather learning results regularly and consistently?  Do we record and communicate results?  Do we use learning results to make instructional decisions?  Do we demonstrate that student learning results meet or exceed expectations? CDRP

Curriculum Design & Review Process