Aligning Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

Administrators and all school leaders need to ensure that assessment of student learning is aligned with both the the school’s curriculum and the teachers’ instruction (Drake, 2007). When assessments are well constructed and implemented, changes in the nature of teaching and learning will occur. Aligning assessment with teaching and learning can lead to a richer, more challenging curriculum, foster discussion and collaboration among teachers within and across schools; create more productive conversations among teachers and parents, and focuses stakeholders’ attitude on increasing student achievement (Connelly, 2007). 

For curriculum goals to have an impact on what happens in classrooms, goals must be clear and concise. To be effective and gather useful data, students must be assessed on knowledge and skills they have acquired. Often assessments that are generic, state produced, and other standardized tests may not accurately measure students’ knowledge as they are familiar with the assessment questions. This is also true with the assessment makeup. If the teacher drills on short answer questions but then the assessment is an open ended assessment this may cause the student frustration.

When the curriculum is rich and rigorous, the assessment must be as well. Assessments must tap the breadth and depth of the content and skills of the curriculum. Also assessments must become more challenging on each successive grade. The solid foundation of hardships and skills developed in early grades should evolve into more complex skills in later grades (Bulach, Lunenburg, & Potter, 2008). 

The premise that assessment drives curriculum and instruction, perhaps the easiest way to improve instruction and increase student achievement is to construct better assessments. Use assessments that require students to use facts, rather than recall the facts (Bulach, Lunenburg, & Potter, 2008).

To prepare students to think more critically and less on remembering facts and terms, teachers can instruct students to identify what is significant in the context of the lesson. Teachers may model their critical thinking processes in the classroom, during instruction, through assignments, in preparing for assessments (which do not always have to be paper and pencil exams), and in the context of the assessment itself. 

If schools require teachers to submit lesson plans, then teachers should also submit their assessments. Administrators should make sure that what is being assessed is being taught. Lesson plans generally do not show this so submitting the assessments themselves will give the administrator a more accurate picture of the alignment (Bulach, Lunenburg, and Potter, 2011). 

With the high stakes in testing and accountability it is imperative that teachers align what is being taught to the curriculum and what is being assessed. 

Written by Les Potter, Ed.D.

Les Potter is a retired educator with 35 years in US K-12 education (28 in administration), 10 years in higher education and 8+ years in international education. Currently Les is working as a consultant and living in Cairo, Egypt. He may be reached at: [email protected]

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