WK 12 Module Viii Educ 211

CURRICULUM EVALUATION
Introduction
The success of curriculum development and implementation depends on the actual definition of
the end result or objectives of the project. This is important because it makes it possible to judge
the extent of its success. In this lesson we will discuss the concept of curriculum evaluation, its
importance and then look at the major types of curriculum evaluation formative and summative.
Topic Objectives
By the end of the topic you should be able to:
 Define the concept of curriculum evaluation
 Explain the importance of curriculum evaluation
 Explain the difference between formative and summative evaluation
 Relate the concept of evaluation to curriculum design and development
Ideas of curriculum Evaluation
Before discussing on curriculum evaluation let us first remind ourselves the meaning of
‘curriculum’. It refers to all the planned learning experiences offered to a learner by the
educational institutions, together with the experiences that the learners encounter the process of
the implement. Writing or preparing depends on the present needs of the society. The needs of
the learner(s) and the needs of the society in future.
Having reminded ourselves the meaning of the curriculum lets now define curriculum
evaluation.
Curriculum evaluation
Refers to the process by which a judgment is made of the worth of a curriculum. That is its
appropriateness for the individual and the group the organization offering it or the society within
which it operates.
Bloom (1956) offers that evaluation as the making judgment about the value for some purpose,
ideas, works, solutions, methods and materials. It involves the use of criteria as well as
standards for appraising the extent to which particulars/aspects are accurate, effective,
economical or satisfying.
Curriculum evaluation can also be defined as a process or cluster of processes that people
perform in order to gather data information that will enable them to decide whether to accept
change or eliminate something in the curriculum or in textbook.
NB: Curriculum evaluation is one of the area in which teachers often do least well.
The definition above can be divided into three:

(a) The collection and provision of data for the sake of facilitating decision making at
various stages of curriculum development.
(b) A process of ascertaining the areas of concern selecting appropriate information and
analyzing it in order to make a summary of the data. Decision makers use this to select
between alternatives.
(c) A process of judging suitability of the actual being shown by the learner.
With regard to student evaluation it is important that we define two other related concepts that
could be confused with evaluation. These are assessment and measurement.
(i) Assessment: Is a process which will show whether there has been a change
in student behavior .e.g. assessing student teacher to find out whether he she
has learnt teaching skills.
(ii) Measurement: means using number to assign a meaning to events or objects
e.g. you use number to grade student work or you use numbers to indicate the
number of times student engages in a certain behavior.
One very important purpose of curriculum evaluation is quality control.
The evaluator should undertake the responsibility of improvising education curriculum at their
formative stages as well as their post formative stage i.e. summative.
Carefully selected sample of students, classrooms schools, course/subjects should be periodically
and systematically surveyed to find out whether a new curriculum at a particular point in time
continues to do well.
Who is a curriculum evaluator?

The roles of curriculum evaluator include:
(a) Assumes the major responsibility of discovering whether or not a particular
programme continues to be effective in achieving educational objectives.
Weaknesses are observed, the evaluator should determine the causes and advice.
(b) The evaluator should be able to identify the cause or some of deterioration if any
through careful data collection and analysis sometimes the cause of deterioration
may be evident e.g. teachers failed to implement the recommended methods of
teaching in the right ways. Without knowledge of source and cause of detoratoin
it is very difficult to work out any effective solutions or remedy to be problem.
The evaluation should answer the questions why and under what conditions is a
partial curriculum or teaching methods not effective.
(c) When the source or course of deterioration is identified and measures are taken to
improve the effectiveness of a programme, method, the evaluator should keep
proving to decision makers and curriculum developers with relevant and
appropriate inform as to which measures are effective.
Decision making emanating from curriculum evaluation should be guided by some
principles. These includes
- Curriculum decisions should be made on educational reasons not for non educational
reasons.
- Curriculum decision of permanent nature should be made on the basic of the best
available evidence
- Curriculum decisions should be made in the context of broadly conceived aims of
education
- Curriculum decisions should be made within a context of previously made decisions and
needs for additional decision making.
- Curriculum decisions should be made by achieving the needs of learners learning
processes, demands of the society, requirements of local community or the nature and
structure of subject matter to be learned.
- Decisions should be reached cooperatively by persons who are legitimately involved in
the effects, with participation of all the stakeholders.
- Decisions should take into account new facts of human life e.g. new knowledge
- Decisions should take into account learners differences and abilities
- Consider how decisions will be communicated to the relevant stakeholders.
Criteria of Evaluation
The evaluation of learning behavior as part of programme evaluation is guided by the following
criteria
(a) Consistency with objectives e.g. if one of the objective of a course is to understand
principles, then the evaluation should assess measure of understanding not memorization
of facts.
(b) Validity: it means that there should be an agreement between what the evaluation
instruments (e.g. examination and tests) measure and the function it is supposed to
measure. The test measures what it is set out to measure.
(c) Reliability: implies that evaluation instrument should give the same results when
administered at different times and places.
(d) Continuity: Evaluation should be continuous process in an integral part of the
curriculum development and classroom instruction
(e) Comprehensiveness: this means that all the objectives of the curriculum can be
evaluated. All objectives cognitive and lower levels can be evaluated
NB: Evaluation provides feedback and on the basis of the feedback, weaknesses in the
curriculum can be identified and addressed.
Types of Evaluation
(a) Summative Evaluation

Early approach to curriculum evaluation is centred on the determination of outcome as being a
central concern of the evaluation process. It is done at the end of the implementation e.g.
terminal exams, such as K.C.S.E and K.C.P.E. This approach is also called product evaluation,
summative or product evaluation. This evaluation is carried out during large scale
implementation of the curriculum plans in schools. This evaluation is used to pass judgment as
to the value or worth of the resulting programme. i.e. the worth of the outcome. In simple terms
summative evaluation assess the overall effectiveness of the finished product.
(b) Formative evaluation.

This is evaluation guides and promotes development of the curriculum. It is about provision of
periodic feedback while the curriculum is being implemented. Its main objectives are:
(i) To detect and predict defects in procedure design.
(ii) To provide information for programmed decisions.
(iii) To maintain a record of procedure as it occurs.
See this: When the cook tastes the soup that is formative evaluation, when the guests taste the
soup that is summative evaluation, summaries Robert State an evaluation theorist. Formative
evaluation results will improve our confidence in the curriculum and ensures that our summative
or product evaluation will assess a program that is working as its designer wanted.
Summary
In this lesion we have discussed the various concepts of curriculum evaluation, the importance of
curriculum evaluation and lastly the formative and summative types of curriculum evaluation.
We observed that the purpose of curriculum evaluation is to provide a basis for decision making
about the needs for and direction of learning. The outcome of the evaluation process assists
schools in improving student learning, implementing key learning areas, syllabus and promoting
curriculum support services.
Revision Questions
(i) What is curriculum evaluation?

(ii) Explain the role played in curriculum development by formative evaluation
and summative evaluation?
(iii) State 6 principles of curriculum decision making.

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CURRICULUM EVALUATION

Ideas of curriculum Evaluation

The definition above can be divided into three:

Who is a curriculum evaluator?

(a) Summative Evaluation

(b) Formative evaluation.

(i) What is curriculum evaluation?

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