RE: Question 2: Single curriculum

    * Topic: Student Learning
Carol Jago writes onthe topic: Student Learning, a Single curriculum

It is an idealistic notion to assume that by the time students
come to high school that one curriculum will serve all.
Students in Spanish 3 need Spanish 4. Students in biology
need chemistry. Not all students care to read Crime and
Punishment. What we don't want is a public education
system that keeps students who desire advanced content
from having access to it.

My comment: Since there is a documented linear relationship among skills, disciplines, and levels(NAEP and other data) such as Math, English and science, and each subject level becomes increasing complex at each higher level applying the lower level skills of that discipline, it is important that students master the prerequiste skills APPLIED in that discipline. Therefore, if a student is to master algebra, for example, the lower level pre-algebra skills must be mastered to a specific level prior to entrance into this algebra course. The easiest and most effective way to do this is to standardize the final exams to an appropriate textbook level and use a form of this exam as the ENTRANCE TEST TO THE NEXT TEXTBOOK LEVEL. In  other words, a single math curriculum, in which the final for one level becomes the entrance to the next course level, is needed at this school site to define a mesningful standard for entrance and exit to each math courslevel to insure that the students have the minimum level of these pre-requisite skills.  These specific skills can be measure empirically if the final exam is diagnostic- prescriptive at all math levels. In this way any new student coming into this system can be evaluated and placed into the correct course based upon empirically determined criteria.

I know this works because we did it for 23 years. In addition  many other forms of evaluation are involved in this process, so that not only testing is the only critieria to determine this correct placement. However, a single curriculum is needed if a mesning standard for each course level is to be implemnted and evaluatd empirically. This single curriculum then allows the counselors an empircial base to place students correctly into the appropriate course levels. In non sequencial courses, such as history, this  single curriculum is not as critical.