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Curriculum Mapping

Curriculum mapping is a process for collecting and recording curriculum-related data that identifies core skills and content taught, processes employed, and assessments used for each subject area and grade level. The completed curriculum map then becomes a tool that helps teachers keep track of what has been taught and plan what will be taught.

Creating and working with curriculum maps is a 7-step process involving:

• Phase 1: Data collection.
• Phase 2: A review of all maps by all teachers.
• Phase 3: Small mixed group reviews, in which groups of five to eight diverse faculty members share individual findings
• Phase 4: Large group comparisons, in which all faculty members gather to examine the findings of the smaller groups.
• Phase 5: Identification of immediate revision points and creation of a timetable for resolution.
• Phase 6: Identification of points requiring additional research and planning, and a timetable for resolution of those points.
• Phase 7: Planning for the next review cycle.

The purpose of a curriculum map is to document the relationship between every component of the curriculum. Used as an analysis, communication, and planning tool, a curriculum map

• allows educators to review the curriculum to check for unnecessary redundancies, inconsistencies, misalignments, weaknesses, and gaps;
• documents the relationships between the required components of the curriculum and the intended student learning outcomes;
• helps identify opportunities for integration among disciplines;
• provides a review of assessment methods; and
• identifies what students have learned, allowing educators to focus on building on previous knowledge.

Bear in mind that curriculum maps are records of implemented instruction -- of what has been taught during the current school year. Projection maps, or pacing guides, on the other hand, project what will be covered in the future.

To learn more about curriculum mapping, explore these Web sites:

• Curriculum Mapping
• Curriculum Mapping 101
• Curriculum Mapping Overview
• Curriculum Mapping Primer
• Curriculum Mapping WebQuest
• Guide to Curriculum Mapping
• Pittsylvania County Schools Instruction Page (Click Curriculum Mapping)

To create your own curriculum maps, check out these resources:

• Greece Central School District Curriculum Mapping Site
• Mapping Software Online
• NCREL Curriculum Mapping Website

To extend your understanding of curriculum mapping, visit these Web sites:

• Curriculum Map Review Guidelines
• Curriculum Mapping
• Curriculum Mapping: A Process for Continuous Quality Improvement
• Curriculum Mapping as Professional Development
• Lakeville Area Schools Curriculum Mapping
• The Need for Calendar Based Curriculum Mapping

To see examples of school and district curriculum maps, visit these Web sites:

• Blanchard Memorial School Curriculum Map
• Kentucky Department of Education
• Marysville, Washington, School District
• Montvale, New Jersey, Public Schools
• Sample Curriculum Maps from Curriculum Designers
• Spotsylvania, Virginia, County Schools
• Utah Education Network

Article by Linda Starr
Education World®
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