Archived: The Educational System in the United States: Case Study Findings

Curriculum Development
At some middle schools and high schools we visited, teachers worked together
within their departments (math, science, language arts) to develop courses, review
and select textbooks, and devise exams. For example, at East Middle School, team
leaders met with other teachers of the same discipline to talk about the best
instructional methods, implement the curriculum, and order materials and books.
Teachers at Hamilton also worked as teams. Those teaching the same course met
at least twice a year with course leaders to discuss changes in materials, text-
books, exams, and modifications in the curriculum. In addition, the exams at Ham-
ilton were created by all who taught a given course. This cooperative scenario
however, was not evident at every school we visited. Many teachers developed
courses on their own, often using textbooks chosen by others.
Teachers also varied greatly in their degree of reliance on textbooks for in-class
instruction. While districts and schools often provided guidance on textbook
selection, the autonomy of teachers within their classrooms contributed to diverse
practices in the ‘‘delivery’’ of the curriculum to students. This was obvious in the
variety of the comments we heard from teachers. At South Central High School,
for example, a science teacher indicated that he based the curriculum for his
course on the textbook and also used the quizzes and tests which accompany the
text. In contrast to this, the chairman of the science department at Hamilton High
said that although the school had explicit criteria which the faculty must consider
when choosing a science textbook, he ‘‘encouraged his faculty to not rely so
heavily on the textbook.’’ A math teacher at Hamilton said that in her class the
textbook was optional. It was available as a source of reference and about 25 per-
cent of the class chose to use it, but she preferred students to construct their
own textbook from handouts and exercises used in class.
Generally, we found that teachers in Metro City schools that received higher lev-
els of community support, financial and otherwise, often relied less on textbooks
as the sole source of the curriculum. This was true at the elementary as well as
the secondary level. In West City, district guidelines had a significant influence
on the instruction of classes, but teachers were encouraged to go beyond the text-

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books. According to one teacher at West Elementary School, ‘‘teachers are given
a list of books which they can use to accomplish the state and district goals. They
are also encouraged to look for other supplementary material to use in their class-
room instruction.’’
Assessment
The assessment process was generally discussed by teachers and administrators as
a set of assessments which exists on two levels, standardized exams at one level
and in-class curriculum-based assessments, such as tests and quizzes, at another
level. While these tests typically serve different purposes, most teachers, prin-
cipals, and even parents recognized that these two very different forms of assess-
ment were not totally unrelated to one another.