7 Examining our Curriculum
Introduction
Now that we’ve learned about the importance of culturally responsive and inclusive curriculum and materials, we’ll examine a sample curriculum.
Scorecard
Let’s take a look at the scorecard we’ll use for this process.
This scorecard was adapted from the scorecard developed by the Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and Transformation of schools “to help parents, teachers, students, and community members to determine the extent to which their schools’ English Language Arts curricula are (or are not) culturally responsive” (Bryan-Gooden et al, 2019, pg. 3). In creating and using this tool, the hope is that “this process will provoke thinking about how students should learn, what they should learn, and how curriculum can be transformed to engage students effectively” (Bryan-Gooden et al, 2019, pg. 3).
| Statements | Excellent (+2) | Acceptable (+1) | Unclear (-1) | Unacceptable (-2) |
| 1. Curriculum highlights non-dominant populations and their strengths and assets, so that students of diverse race, class, gender, ability, and sexual orientation can relate and participate fully. | ||||
| 2. The curriculum communicates an asset-based perspective by representing people of diverse races, classes, genders, abilities and sexual orientations through their strengths, talents and knowledge rather than their perceived flaws or deficiencies. | ||||
| 3. The curriculum does not communicate negativity or hostility toward people of marginalized backgrounds through verbal or nonverbal insults, slights or snubs. | ||||
| 4. Curriculum and instructional activities promote or provoke critical questions about the societal status quo. They present alternative points of view as equally worth considering. | ||||
| 5. The curriculum recognizes the validity and integrity of knowledge systems based in communities of color, collectivist cultures, matriarchal societies, and non-Christian religions. | ||||
| 6. The curriculum presents different points of view on the same event or experience, especially points of view from marginalized people/communities. | ||||
| 7. The curriculum provides avenues for students to connect learning to social, political, or environmental concerns that affect them and their lives and contribute to change. | ||||
| 8. The curriculum encourages students to take actions that combat inequity or promote equity within the school or local community |
Adapted from Bryan-Gooden, J., Hester, M., and People, L. (2019). Culturally Responsive curriculum scorecard. The Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools. https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/sites/default/files/2020-12/CRE%20Scorecard%20Revised%20Aug%202020.pdf
Scoring categories
Text in this section is taken from Bryan-Gooden, J., Hester, M., and People, L. (2019). Culturally Responsive curriculum scorecard. The Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools. https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/sites/default/files/2020-12/CRE%20Scorecard%20Revised%20Aug%202020.pdf
Decolonization, Power, & Privilege: Items 1, 2, and 3
This section focuses on understanding relationships among people, worldviews, resources, ideas, and power dynamics. Historically, public school curricula reflected Eurocentric ideas and culture, while the contributions and philosophies of other groups were excluded, minimized, misrepresented, or relegated to a small portion of the curricula. A culturally responsive curriculum centers sources of knowledge, experiences, and stories of diverse groups of people.
Centering Multiple Perspectives: Items 4, 5, and 6
Centering multiple perspectives means affirming, valuing, and sustaining the worldviews of historically underrepresented peoples as the central focus in educational materials or curricula.
Connect Learning to Real Life & Action: Items 7 and 8
One of the most essential components of CRE is connecting or relating learning to students’ real life experiences, communities, and cultures. Culturally responsive curricula should encourage students to connect to experiences beyond their own, examine their own perspective and privilege, and develop a critical consciousness about systems of oppression in order to take action against them.
Scoring Guidelines
Text in this section is taken from Bryan-Gooden, J., Hester, M., and People, L. (2019). Culturally Responsive curriculum scorecard. The Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools. https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/sites/default/files/2020-12/CRE%20Scorecard%20Revised%20Aug%202020.pdf
After reading the explanation for the scorecard provided in the previous section, please use the following categories to indicate how satisfied you are with the curriculum.
Very Satisfied (+2)
If you are very satisfied, you should be able to provide an abundance of specific examples (stories, passages, illustrations, quotes, assignments, etc) from the curriculum to show how and why the statement is accurate. It is clear that the text was designed to be culturally responsive. Score this with two points.
Satisfied (+1)
If you are satisfied, you should be able to provide some evidence from the curriculum that the statement is accurate. The text may not have been designed to be culturally responsive, but elements of CRE are apparent in most of the text. Score this with one point.
Unclear (-1)
If you are unclear, it is not evident to you whether there is evidence from the curriculum that the statement is accurate. Score this with -1 points.
Not Satisfied (-2)
If you are not satisfied, you feel that there is little or no evidence in the curriculum that the statement is accurate. There is little or no evidence of cultural responsiveness. Score this with negative 2 points.
Apply the Scorecard
We will now apply the scorecard to a sample curriculum.
Review the list of materials in this English 101 course. Use the scorecard to score the course.
Reflect
After reviewing and scoring the sample curriculum, reflect on the process using the following prompts:
Assessing your own curriculum
Now that we’ve looked at an example curriculum, let’s turn our focus to the curriculum and materials of one of your own courses. Select a course that you have developed curriculum and selected materials for and plan to teach in an upcoming semester. Then, use the scorecard to evaluate it for cultural responsiveness.
Action Planning
After reviewing and scoring your curriculum, consider what changes you might make to it to make it more culturally responsive. Develop an action plan with at least three steps for updating your curriculum. Submit your action plan in the Assignments section of the course.
Reflection 3
Continue to assess your curriculum in your other courses and in subsequent course offerings.
Summary
In this section, we’ve examined a sample curriculum, examined our own curriculum, and considered the importance of making sure materials reflect students’ experiences. Continual review of course materials is a key competency of culturally responsive educators.