Curriculums For Schools: 3 Design Concepts and Everything You Need to Know

Curriculums for schools are overarching plans that organize a set of courses and lessons to encourage holistic development for each student. A proper curriculum builds on past knowledge so that students learn more effectively.

Academic levels of school curriculum are often divided into the following academic categories:

• Pre-elementary
• Elementary School
• Middle School
• High School

Stages of Curriculum

Pre-elementary

In pre-elementary school (including preschool and pre-kindergarten), student ages fall between one to five, and the curriculum mostly teaches classroom setup. The emphasis in this stage is on building the fundamentals: understanding letters and numbers. This introductory phase is crucial for another, more subtle aspect of human growth—the first instances where students form bonds with each other and their teachers. Socializing and performing group activities fosters collaboration and teamwork within the student’s mind. Thus, this curriculum involves a balance of work and play.

Elementary School

The skills learned within elementary school help students assimilate to the basics of school learning. The students are aged six to eleven and enrolled in grades kindergarten to five. The curriculum branches into five or six different subjects including English, mathematics, social studies, science, fine arts, foreign language, or physical education. Students also learn to ask questions and develop curiosity about the world around them. In this stage, the coursework helps build upon inquisitiveness.

Middle School

Middle school consists of grades six to eight. During these interim years, the students become accustomed to the individual specializations of each discipline: science expands into physics, chemistry, and biology; social studies branches into history, civics, and geography; and mathematics develops subsections such as algebra, trigonometry, and geometry. Here, the curriculum has to include homework and continuous formal and informal evaluation through various means such as class tests, group discussions and projects, and yearly examinations.

High School

High school classes encompass grades nine through twelve though in some cases middle school and even elementary school students who are gifted in a certain subject area are put on an accelerated track to take specific upper-level high school courses. This stage witnesses a profound change in the curriculum where the syllabus within each subject expands significantly. The concepts become more complicated, and the need to learn discipline for self-study and self-evaluation increases. Coursework leans towards a more interactive approach with rigorous practice and revision.

As students reach grades eleven and twelve, students have more freedom to choose their preferred courses of specialization. The curriculum revolves around the elective stream and emphasizes the depth of the knowledge rather than the vastness of the syllabus. Higher-order thinking exams and tests are facilitated within the curriculum to provide the students a platform to assess their cognitive abilities.

Why is Curriculum Important?

A quality curriculum creates systematic support to ensure the different components of the school framework, namely the teachers, governing body, and students, are bound together to facilitate efficient growth. Aligning the components of curriculum aims to ensure aims to ensure each child in a school system, regardless of teacher or school, receives a substantially similar learning opportunity.

Types of Curriculum Design

A written curriculum often includes the learning targets, learning activities, and assessments for students to master, but the design of the curriculum can vary.

1. Standard-Based Curriculum

The standards-based curriculum is a traditional curriculum design based on standards defined by the state or district. Standards-based curriculums typically divide into subject areas to address learning targets.

2. Problem-Centered Curriculum

A problem-centered curriculum contemplates problems to be investigated and addressed by the students.  It attempts to achieve relevancy with cross-curricular ideas and connecting to students’ experiences. A problem-centered curriculum creates opportunity for students to demonstrate creativity, collaborate, and highlight their individual voice.  

3. Student-Centered Curriculum

A student centered curriculum accounts for the prior knowledge, individual needs, and goals for an individual student.  

Beware of the Other Curriculums

Regardless of the type of curriculum that is designed and developed, there is more to be considered with the written curriculum than the set of learning targets, learning activities, and assessments. How the curriculums listed below interact with each other have a significant impact on student achievement and need to be carefully considered and scrutinized. Please note, these curriculums are not always in alignment with the written curriculum and each other. In fact, they are frequently misaligned, which creates challenges for both teachers and students.

1. Supported Curriculum

The supported curriculum is what the district provides to support learning. It includes tools, resources, and learning opportunities in and out of the classroom. Textbooks, field trips, software, technology, and other novel approaches to engage students are available. Teachers and other course participants are included in the supporting curriculum.  

2. Assessed Curriculum

A curriculum that has been assessed is often referred to as a tested curriculum. It includes quizzes, tests, and other methods of evaluating a student's progress.  Presentations, portfolios, demonstrations, and state and federal standardized examinations are examples of possible evaluation procedures.

3. Recommended Curriculum

This type of curriculum is based on the recommendations of educational specialists. Nationally recognized academic professionals, policymakers, lawmakers, etc. can submit curriculum recommendations, which  focus on the content, skill sets, and tools teachers should use in the classroom.

4. Hidden Curriculum

Although a hidden curriculum is not intentionally implemented, it has a significant impact on what students learn. Implicit standards, unstated expectations, and cultural norms and values are generally not expressed or officially noted in this type of curriculum.

For students from diverse backgrounds or cultures, a disguised curriculum can be difficult to acclimate to or make them feel adversely judged.

Time, money, and resources allocated within a school or district can also impact a hidden curriculum. If students are taught French, instead of Spanish or Arabic, as part of their schoolwork, they may conclude that French is a more valuable language to study.

5. Excluded Curriculum

The excluded curriculum is another name for the null curriculum. Teachers and curriculum specialists frequently assume particular skills or concepts are unimportant or unnecessary to address.

Intentional or not, omitted learning goals can shape students just as much as what is included. Students may not be informed about a current disagreement among experts in the subject or may not be urged to critically consider a text. As a result, the null curriculum has the potential to perpetuate bias and unequal power dynamics.

In Summation

A quality written curriculum is important in defining the learning outcomes for students. While there are different stages and approaches to curriculum design, the more clearly the curriculum describes the expectations for students, the more supported teachers are in working together to create high-quality learning experiences. In addition to establishing a reference point for equitable learning experiences, it should also drive inquiry within the district to identify misalignment with other curricula that may hamper student growth.