Importance Of Curriculum Evaluation

Introduction

Curriculum is defined as the sum of all experiences, which are to be provided in an educational institution. According to Wheeler (1967) curriculum means the planned experiences offered to the learners under the guidance of the school. Curriculum has been defined by Tanner & Tanner (1975) as the planned guided learning experience and intended learning out-comes formulated through a systematic reconstruction of knowledge and experiences under the auspices of the school for the learner’s continuous and willful growth in academic, personal & social competence. Evaluation goes much deeper than measurement. Curriculum evaluation refers to the process of studying the merit or worth of some aspect, or the whole of a curriculum. Wiles

Curriculum evaluation is a necessary and important aspect of any national education system. It provides the basis for curriculum policy decisions, for feedback on continuous curriculum adjustments and processes of curriculum implementation.

The fundamental concerns of curriculum evaluation relate to:

• Effectiveness and efficiency of translating government education policy into educational practice;

• Status of curriculum contents and practices in the contexts of global, national and local concerns;

• The achievement of the goals and aims of educational programmes.

Curriculum evaluation aims to examine the impact of implemented curriculum on student (learning) achievement so that the official curriculum can be revised if necessary and to review teaching and learning processes in the classroom. Curriculum evaluation establishes:

• Specific strengths and weaknesses of a curriculum and its

In the Technical Scientific approach, there are many different curriculum models. However, Tyler (1949) is the model we will use to evaluate the document. So we will be using Tyler’s curriculum model to study and evaluate a microcosm of the form three mathematic national curriculum guide in Dominica more specifically the topic of money under the subject strand of measurement.

Overview of the model

The Tyler Model, developed by Ralph Tyler in the 1940’s, is the quintessential prototype of curriculum development in the scientific approach. Most curriculums have been developed directly or indirectly using this model or one of the many variations.

Tyler did not intend for his contribution to curriculum to be a lockstep model for development. Originally, he wrote down his ideas in a book Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction for his students to give them an idea about principles of making a curriculum. The brilliance of Tyler’s model is that it was one of the first models and it was and still is a highly simple model consisting of four steps. Namely:

• Determine the school’s purposes (