Evaluation in Curriculum Development

To evaluate is to determine the value or worth of

something, and worth is expressed in relation to some type of
criterion.
Types of Criteria:
1. Aims and objective as criteria
2. Achievement standards as criteria
3. Comprehensive, externally developed criteria
4. Locally developed criteria
Steps in evaluating the curriculum
1. Identification of the instructional objective or the
exact learning result desired
2. If necessary, operational statement of these
objectives, that is, specification of the process and
content elements in case instructional objectives are
not precisely stated
3. Selection of instruments for measuring or description
of learning result expected
4. Administration of the instruments and analysis of the
outcomes to determine the extent to which the
expected learning results have been attained
Evaluation may be quantitative or numerical and
qualitative or verbal.
Evaluation thus proceeds from
1. Data collection activities
2. Data analysis
3. Interpretation

Techniques of evaluation
1. Measurement of inputs or antecedent variables
2. Outcomes or results
3. Transactions or processes

Types of evaluation
1. Formative evaluation
- Is done when pupil achievement or written tests
are administered during preliminary tryouts of an
educational program in order to improve a
proposed curriculum.
Inference is considered here as the process
intervening between the objective data seen or heard
and the coding of those data on an observational
instrument.
2. Summative evaluation
- Is terminal evaluation and it involves judgment
of a finished product such as a teaching machine
or a curriculum on the market, and assessing
whether it is better than another or the best
among other of its kind.

A paradigm for systematizing comparative evaluation
proposed by Popham in 1968 consists of the following.

1. Identification of the specific instructional objectives.
2. Grouping the objectives according to (a) those
common to both programs being compared, (b) those
unique to one program, and (c) those unique to the
other program.
3. Development of test items for each category of
objectives.
4. Putting together the three sets of test items in a three-
pat examination.
5. Assignment of values to the three sets of objectives.
6. Assignment of a random sample of students to each
of the two programs being compared.
7. Selection of the appropriate program on the basis of
the performance of the learners on each section of the
examination and the values assigned to each part.

Payoff evaluation is the examination of the effects of the
instrument or curriculum on student learning by comparing the
results of pre- and post-tests or determining the relationship
between the scores of the experimental group and those of
control group on specified criteria.

Another evaluation technique is Intrinsic Evaluation which
refers to the assessment of the educational program or the
curriculum itself. In order to realize such an examination, we
must procure information (1) about the pupil, including his
mental capacity, socio-economic background, and past
performance, (2) about the training and efficiency of the
professional staff, and (3) about societys values, culture, and
problems. Other sources of data are school records, interview,
and questionnaires.

Another technique is the Cost-Benefit Study of an educational
program which is mainly the figuring out of the opportunity
cost, that is, the cost of foregoing the next best alternative.

Marks of a Good Curriculum

Here are some marks of a good curriculum which may be sued
as criteria for evaluation purposes.

I. A good curriculum is systematically planned and
evaluated.
1. A definite organization is responsible for
coordination planning and evaluation.
2. Steps in planning and evaluation are
logically defined and taken.
3. Ways or workings utilize the contribution of
all concerned.
II. A good curriculum reflects adequately the aims
of the school.
1. The faculty has defined comprehensive
educational aims.
2. The scope of the curriculum includes areas
related to all stated aims.
3. Each curriculum opportunity is planned with
reference to one or more aims.
4. In planning curriculum opportunities from
year to year and in each area, teachers
consider the total scope of aims.
III. A good curriculum maintains balance among all
aims of the school.
1. The curriculum gives attention to each aim
commensurate with its importance.
2. The total plan of curriculum opportunities in
the basic areas, school activities, and special
interests reflects careful planning with
respect to all aims.
3. Guidance of each individual helps provide
him with a program which is well-balanced
in terms of his needs and capacities.
4. The school organization, schedule, and
facilities help in giving appropriate attention
to each aim.
5. Classroom activities and schedules are
arranged so as to provide a balance program
of varied learning activities.
IV. A good curriculum promotes continuity of
experience.
1. Provisions are made for the smooth
transition and continuing achievement of
pupils from on classroom, grade, or school
to another.
2. Curriculum plans in areas which extend over
several years are developed vertically.
3. Classroom practices give attention to the
maturity and learning problems of each
pupil.
4. Cooperative planning and teaching provide
for exchanged or information about pupils
learning experiences.
V. A good curriculum arranges learning
opportunities flexibility for adaptation to
particular situations and individuals.
1. Curriculum guides encourage teachers to
make their own plans for specific learning
situations.
2. Cooperative teaching and planning utilize
many opportunities as they arise to share
learning resources and special talents.
3. Time allotments and schedules are modified
as need justifies.
4. In accordance with their maturity, pupils
participate in the planning of learning
experiences.
5. The selection of learning experiences
reflects careful attention to the demands of
the learning situation.
VI. A good curriculum utilizes the most effective
learning experiences and resources available.
1. Learning experiences are developed so that
pupils see purpose, meaning, and
significances in each activity.
2. Needed available resources are utilized at
the time they are relevant and helpful
3. Use of the right learning resources for each
pupil is encouraged.
4. Teachers discriminate wisely between
activities which pupils carry on
independently and those in which teacher-
pupils interaction is desirable.
VII. A good curriculum makes maximum provision
for the development of each learner.
1. The program provides a wide range of
opportunities for individuals of varying
abilities, needs, and interests.
2. Extensive arrangements are made for the
educational diagnosis of individual learners.
3. Self-directed, independent study is
encouraged wherever possible and
advisable.
4. Self-motivation and self-evaluation are
stimulated and emphasized throughout the
learning opportunities of the school.
5. The curriculum promotes individual
development rather than conformity to some
hypothetical standard.
6. The school attempts to follow up its former
students both as a service to them and for
evaluative data.

New trends in Curriculum Evaluation

Glass and Worthen (1972) define curriculum evaluation as the
process of obtaining information for judging the worth of an
educational program, product, procedure, or educational
objective, or the potential utility of alternative approaches
designed to attain specified objectives. In their monograph
supplement to the journal Curriculum Theory Network they
affirm that evaluative activities include the following:
- Determining what ought to be in a program
- Setting up standards
- Looking at the roles of individual involved in the
change process
- Becoming sensitized to political aspects of the
situation
Part two of the monograph presents three comprehensive
frameworks for curriculum evaluation. One is a
curriculum/student monitoring system for the formative
evaluation of school programs. Another collects and analyzed
student progress data. The third uses systems analysis
techniques to aid in future decision-making, extending the
earlier model devised by Daniel Stufflebeam and EgonGuba.

The third part of the monograph treats various aspects of
evaluation methodology:
- The distinction between evaluation and research
activities
- Interdisciplinary contribution to evaluation
- Strategies for optimizing resources
- Instruments for analyzing curricular materials
- Procedure for formative and summative
evaluations

Worner (1972) argues that many principals have failed to
convince parents and boards of the potential of an instructional
program because of vague and imprecise evaluation data.
Planning-Programming-Budgeting System provide the type of
date that help principals in making difficult decision on
program expansion, program elimination and program
maintenance.

A speech prepared by Rush and other (1972) reports a
systematic attempt to train and use classroom teachers and
administrators in the operation of a curriculum evaluation
model. The data indicate that competent professionals can
indeed be trained to play an effective role.

An expected opportunity loss model is advanced by Tanner
(1970) as a decision-making technique. The model formulates
alternatives for decision-making under uncertainty and weighs
the probable or possible opportunity loss.