Deciding What to Teach and Test: Developing, Aligning, and Leading the Curriculum

by Fenwick English

"This book makes the reader think deeply about the role of curriculum planning and its connection to assessment in this age of accountability."
―J. Jeannette Lovern, Associate Professor of Curriculum and Instruction
Eastern Kentucky University

"For educators who want students and schools to be successful, this book provides a clear and proven process to accomplish this goal. It is succinct, yet packed with what′s really important to create, develop, assess, and lead curriculum."
―Jane McDonald, Education Consultant in Leadership Development

The classic book on curriculum alignment―with new guidance for today′s educational leaders!

The issue of balancing testing, curriculum design, and teaching practices is a pressing one for today′s schools. Now in its third edition, this influential book on developing and aligning curriculum is updated with new insights on providing effective curriculum leadership, increasing student success, and closing the achievement gap.

Addressing the fundamentals of curriculum design in the context of a standards-based environment, Fenwick W. English focuses on how administrators and teachers can best collaborate to create a high-quality curriculum for all students. Readers will

Guidance on curriculum mapping and other user-friendly toolsNew information on differentiating teaching, learning, and assessment to meet the needs of special education students, English language learners, and othersAdditional content on addressing cultural differences in curriculum content and assessment practicesA new chapter on the challenges educators face in their roles as curriculum leaders

Genres: Education

168 pages, Paperback

First published June 28, 2010

Reviews

[Rebekah Tate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed my time with Fenwick. He understands curriculum, the school system, students, and teachers better than many others I’ve read. He poses great points and gives explicit guidance in how to truly weave what is written, taught, and tested!

[Shawn Upton · Rating 1 out of 5]

Worst book I've had to read so far at Stout. This should've been a 5 page blog post on the unfair nature of hidden curriculum and that biased value based judgments have no place in developing curricula.

Instead, the author drones on about this fair point for 130 pages and offers nearly no practical advice on how to solve this prevalent problem. The conversation instead turns to frontloading vs. backloading and the pros and cons in making this decision. How does one do frontloading/backloading well? Welll...English never gets to that part. Instead you get "culturally arbitrary" redefined for you for the 77th time, just in case the previous 76 times didn't sink in.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title for this resource is somewhat misleading. You might expect an outdated text talking up the benefits of standardized testing. English instead explains the reality and even makes a pretty strong argument as to why testing is a poor indicator of school success. Yet he chooses to encourage curriculum alignment with why is taught and tested. An interesting take on the development of curriculum and instruction.

[Angel Leggore · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this was a required read for one of my grad classes, I found that it really opened my eyes to so many of the flaws in our current education system. It’s brilliantly written and explains harder concepts in manageable pieces.

[Katy Albright · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for one of my courses this semester, and thought he had several interesting points regarding curriculum. I was fascinated by how political much of this book was. It also caused me to question what I truly believe about curriculum as a Christian educator!

[Yoselis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Explains the theory of curriculum well enough. Wish it was updated seeing as it’s a decade old at this point. Doesn’t go into specifics but it is a small book.

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

for a class. Fontloading, backloading, blah blah blah (stuff I already knew)

[Jennifer]

Plodding through this for a summer class. This man knows how to repeat himself and beat a dead horse. Like so many education books, he doesn't say much new but does try to make it seem like he's innovative. Of course, this is new for my school district.