What is Curriculum Mapping?
Curriculum mapping is the formal process of aligning national, state, and local standards to determine what should be taught, when it should be taught, and how it should be assessed. Moving from state to state or even county to county can show the variance in how this type of data is handled.
Curriculum maps may be called crosswalks, pacing guides, or other planning systems although this is not accurate. Think about how maps are generally defined. One definition of maps in Miriam Webster says maps are “a diagram or other visual representation that shows the relative position of the parts of something.” A good curriculum map does not predict it collects and analyzes. Like how areas are surveyed first through various methods, curriculum maps survey the materials and methods used by the teacher. Lesson planning and pacing happens in preparation for teaching, curriculum mapping happens after the learning: the learning outcomes.
Tips for Using Curriculum Mapping
Keep Accurate Records
This is more than just storing the lesson plans. Keeping a record of the actual learning activities presented, the assessments utilized, and the adjustments made during the presentation of learning is paramount.
- Did the learning have the intended outcome for all students?
- What sort of changes had to be made?
- Were supplemental materials/resources required?
- How many students did not obtain mastery?
- Is it clear why they didn’t?
- Did they achieve mastery later?
There are several ways to catalog these types of records but using a PowerPoint or Google Slides is one of the easiest ways to stay organized. Once formatting has been established, it is simple to copy several slide templates and enter information. Curriculum mapping should happen after every formative assessment, regardless of the format. If the assessment is supposed to be a true measure of learning, then it should be mapped.
Have a Consistent Method
There should be training or professional development before curriculum mapping begins. Maintaining consistency will be challenging if there isn’t a specific method, system, practice, or procedure. It is just as important that the chosen method matches the needs of the students and staff being surveyed. If the students are assessed weekly or if classes are larger than 30, then the mapping method should be simple and short to maximize time. If the students are assessed less frequently or classes are smaller, then the method can be more intricate. Particularly if students are assessed less frequently, according to the mapping results, there should be a suggestion or option that indicates more frequent testing is needed, even if they are smaller tests. Also, if curriculum mapping efforts have more than five steps, there may be too many steps that can lead to confusion.
Assuming data is already collected, the most important steps include:
1. Disaggregate data by race, gender, and learning status. Trends in these areas can quickly show biases.
2. Identify the strongest and weakest points the class as a whole shows.
This shows potentially what went well and where learning may have missed the target.
3a. Classify which students are in the bubble between mastery and developing. What sort of efforts will get them over the edge?
3b. Analyze if the same students are below mastery after each assessment.
These students may need additional supports.
3c. What is happening with students who are reaching mastery? These students should not be used as support for weaker students, they deserve their own learning experiences.
4. Analyze whether the available resources were adequate for all students. This may be the reason certain students aren’t being successful.
5. Consider how the current learning connects to prior and future learning. Are the vertical and horizontal learning efforts connecting or is there a gap somewhere in the learning?
Being mindful of where and how the learning is and is not happening is at the heart of curriculum mapping. Whatever questions a team chooses to address should directly address student learning and learning lags.
Use the Information
Don’t fall into the trap of gathering data just for the sake of gathering data. This is important work; when done with fidelity, it will not only track weakness but will give a clear guide of what is working. Curriculum mapping should be included in school improvement plans, in-house professional development, and especially pre/post planning. Just like a surface map, these maps can be used for planning, but only because someone took the time to lay out the details first.
Unlike lesson plans which can often be static, curriculum maps should show where and how change has happened and needs to happen. This process and effort can guide schools to the small improvements that close gaps, accelerate learning, and ensure no child is left behind.
Do What Works for Your Students
When starting out, instinct may say to purchase a program that another building claimed had positive effects. Or possibly a school with a similar population has one that really works well for them. However, curriculum mapping does not require a fancy program. It does need solid recording efforts. It does need consistency. It needs an open mind and a willingness to be vulnerable to make room for improvement. It needs collaboration. And it needs a clear set of collective goals.
A strong curriculum map will show that students have met their milestones and that the teachers’ efforts are effective. What success looks like behind the data will vary immensely building to building and sometimes even classroom to classroom. Figuring out which data collection process is the best fit may take some time, but the end result will show how much it is worth it.
Don’t Forget to Research
Even though we are still in the midst of the global pandemic, there is constantly evolving research on how the brains, learning habits, and socialization of kids are evolving. Pay attention to what research is saying about teacher burnout. Be mindful of the research about the learning gaps from virtual learning. Everyone is in a brand-new space and there is so much learning happening. If the data being collected looks strange, if there are serious inconsistencies, if something just doesn’t balance there may be new research to explain it.
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