Deep Curriculum Alignment: Creating a Level Playing Field for All Children on High-Stakes Tests of Accountability

by Fenwick W. English, Betty E. Steffy

Overview

Why do testing and accountability efforts in today's schools fail? In Deep Curriculum Alignment, English and Steffy explore the flaws in state mandated testing, advocating a more comprehensive approach to teaching and testing. This highly practical book will guide you into a deeply aligned curriculum that produces academic results and a level playing field. Each chapter covers principles of testing and curriculum building, and concludes with a summary of the key concepts presented. The authors survey various studies, present the ethical dilemmas involved in testing, and present a step-by-step guide to pedagogical parallelism and alignment.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780810839717
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	03/27/2001
Series:	Scarecrow Education Book Series
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	168
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.35(d)

About the Author

Fenwick W. English is the R. Wendell Eaves Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership and program coordinator of the Educational Leadership Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Betty E. Steffy is a Professor in the Graduate Faculty at the Iowa State University Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. They are the authors of several books, including Curriculum and Assessment for World-Class Schools (Scarecrow Education 1997).

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Facing the Scourge of the Test Score Zeitgeist Chapter 2 Understanding the Dynamics of the Playing Field Chapter 3 Initiating Actions to Level the Competitive Playing Field Chapter 4 Engaging in Deep Curriculum Alignment Chapter 5 Creating a Viable Alternative to Testing as Mass Inspection Chapter 6 Index

Editorial Reviews

In 31 years of teaching and observing and coaching, the processes of teaching and learning have never been more on target since we deeply aligned our curriculum using the process defined by Dr. English...deep alignment of the curriculum is leveling the playing field in Victoria.

Dr. Jan Jacob

A well-written, thoroughly researched, and highly readable work, Curriculum Alignment challenges educators in K-12 and higher education by raising the level of discussion about ways the curriculum should be aligned to what students need to know.

Charles J. Russo

Finally, we have a resource available which will map the critical issues surrounding deep alignment and its pivotal role in leveling the playing field for all students.

Carolyn Martin

Our association has sponsored numerous seminars and conducted more than fifty curriculum management audits in Texas schools using the standards developed by Fenwick English. Fenwick English and Betty Steffy are respected authorities in the field of curriculum management. I invite school leaders who are interested in attaining the highest levels of performance to look deeply into their latest book to learn how curriculum alignment can elevate student achievement in a high-stakes environment.

Johnny L. Veselka

…English and Steffy now have provided administrators with the "how" to complement the "what" and "why."

School Administrator - (2001)

A must read! After applying Dr. English's principles of curriculum alignment, our state assessment scores showed impressive gains. Math scores doubled and even tripled in some schools, stabilizing at levels above state averages.

Dr. Joseph Gasper

English and Steffy strike a major blow at the mythology that has handicapped educational leaders in the nation's public school systems for decades. This book is a "must read" for district and school-based instructional leaders who know that we cannot work any harder, so we must work smarter, to achieve the gains that our public experts and our children deserve.

Harvey W. Perkins

Fen English and Betty Steffy skillfully weave theory into practice. They help school practitioners make sense of the political forces at work in today's educational scene. With today's emphasis on testing, school leaders are hell-bent to increase test scores, often creating two school systems in the process—one for the haves and one for the have nots. This book tells us how to remedy the situation.

Jack Jenkins

...English and Steffy now have provided administrators with the "how" to complement the "what" and "why."--(2001) "School Administrator"

A must read! After applying Dr. English's principles of curriculum alignment, our state assessment scores showed impressive gains. Math scores doubled and even tripled in some schools, stabilizing at levels above state averages.--Dr. Joseph Gasper, assistant superintendent, Newaygo County, Michigan

A well-written, thoroughly researched, and highly readable work, Curriculum Alignment challenges educators in K-12 and higher education by raising the level of discussion about ways the curriculum should be aligned to what students need to know.--Charles J. Russo

English and Steffy strike a major blow at the mythology that has handicapped educational leaders in the nation's public school systems for decades. This book is a "must read" for district and school-based instructional leaders who know that we cannot work any harder, so we must work smarter, to achieve the gains that our public experts and our children deserve.--Harvey W. Perkins, Ed.D., assistant superintendent for Instruction, Newport News Public Schools, Virginia

Fen English and Betty Steffy skillfully weave theory into practice. They help school practitioners make sense of the political forces at work in today's educational scene. With today's emphasis on testing, school leaders are hell-bent to increase test scores, often creating two school systems in the process--one for the haves and one for the have nots. This book tells us how to remedy the situation.--Jack Jenkins, professor, Department of Educational Leadership, Policy and Foundations, University of Florida

Finally, we have a resource available which will map the critical issues surrounding deep alignment and its pivotal role in leveling the playing field for all students.--Carolyn Martin, district assessment coordinator, Fayette County Public Schools, Kentucky

In 31 years of teaching and observing and coaching, the processes of teaching and learning have never been more on target since we deeply aligned our curriculum using the process defined by Dr. English...deep alignment of the curriculum is leveling the playing field in Victoria.--Dr. Jan Jacob, assistant superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction in Victoria, Texas

Our association has sponsored numerous seminars and conducted more than fifty curriculum management audits in Texas schools using the standards developed by Fenwick English. Fenwick English and Betty Steffy are respected authorities in the field of curriculum management. I invite school leaders who are interested in attaining the highest levels of performance to look deeply into their latest book to learn how curriculum alignment can elevate student achievement in a high-stakes environment.--Johnny L. Veselka, executive director, Texas Association of School Administrators

From the Publisher

…English and Steffy now have provided administrators with the "how" to complement the "what" and "why." (2001)

School Administrator

A well-written, thoroughly researched, and highly readable work, Curriculum Alignment challenges educators in K-12 and higher education by raising the level of discussion about ways the curriculum should be aligned to what students need to know.

Charles Russo

…English and Steffy now have provided administrators with the "how" to complement the "what" and "why." (2001)

School Administrator Magazine