Finding the Right Curriculum: Top 6 Considerations Schools Should Look For

By David Harding

Schools are inevitably faced with the task of selecting a curriculum, whether they are a new school just starting out or an established school looking to update their current curriculum. To assist schools in this process, Evie Piedt, ACSI's Textbook Training Senior Coordinator, explained that the Purposeful Design Publications department provides schools with a "textbook adoption rubric" to evaluate ACSI, or any, curriculum. This rubric is an additional offer of support to aid schools in their decision-making process. 

Piedt emphasized that there are several key components that schools should consider when evaluating curriculum. These areas include: 

1. Alignment with the school’s mission, vision, and values
2. Adherence to best practices, standards, skills, and current research
3. Ease of navigation and visual appeal
4. Whether included assessment materials provide sufficient information for teachers to be able to assess student understanding, identify areas of weakness or misunderstanding, and modify instruction to meet student learning needs
5. Whether the digital components provide significant value for the content in the areas of instructional delivery, student engagement, and ease of navigation
6. Whether the curriculum elements fall within the school’s budget