TEA Curriculum Design & Development 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A principal wants to ensure curriculum coherence across grade levels. Which approach BEST achieves vertical alignment?
- Using identical textbooks in every grade
- Mapping prerequisite skills and concepts from K-12 to build progressively (Correct answer)
- Having all teachers follow the same pacing calendar
- Purchasing a nationally recognized curriculum package
Correct answer: Mapping prerequisite skills and concepts from K-12 to build progressively
Vertical alignment requires mapping how concepts and skills build systematically across grade levels to ensure progression.
Question 2: When conducting a curriculum gap analysis, a principal discovers that TEKS standards for 7th-grade science are not being addressed in any unit. What is the FIRST action the principal should take?
- Purchase new textbooks immediately
- Reassign the science department head
- Convene a curriculum mapping session with science teachers to identify where gaps exist (Correct answer)
- Notify the TEA of the deficiency
Correct answer: Convene a curriculum mapping session with science teachers to identify where gaps exist
The first step is gathering accurate information by working with teachers to pinpoint exactly where coverage gaps exist before taking corrective action.
Question 3: Which curriculum design model emphasizes beginning with the desired learning outcomes and then planning instruction and assessments to meet those outcomes?
- Tyler Rationale
- Backward Design (Understanding by Design) (Correct answer)
- Spiral Curriculum
- Direct Instruction Model
Correct answer: Backward Design (Understanding by Design)
Backward Design, developed by Wiggins and McTighe, starts with identifying desired results before designing learning experiences.
Question 4: A principal notices that students consistently score lower on application-level items than recall items on state assessments. Which curriculum adjustment BEST addresses this pattern?
- Adding more drill-and-practice worksheets for memorization
- Increasing the proportion of higher-order thinking tasks in daily instruction (Correct answer)
- Reducing the number of standards taught each year
- Focusing solely on TEA-released test items for instruction
Correct answer: Increasing the proportion of higher-order thinking tasks in daily instruction
Incorporating higher-order thinking tasks aligns instruction with the application-level cognitive demands students encounter on assessments.
Question 5: Under Texas law, which document serves as the legal framework specifying what students are expected to know and be able to do at each grade level?
- Campus Improvement Plan (CIP)
- Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) (Correct answer)
- Instructional Materials Allotment (IMA)
- Texas School Safety Center Guidelines
Correct answer: Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)
The TEKS are the state-mandated curriculum standards that define required content and skills for each grade level and subject in Texas public schools.
Question 6: A principal is reviewing a newly adopted curriculum unit and finds that it addresses content standards but includes no formative assessment checkpoints. What is the BEST recommendation?
- Approve the unit since TEKS coverage is met
- Embed formative assessments at key instructional points to monitor student understanding (Correct answer)
- Replace the unit with a test-prep program
- Require teachers to create summative exams only
Correct answer: Embed formative assessments at key instructional points to monitor student understanding
Formative assessments embedded throughout a unit allow teachers to adjust instruction in real time based on student understanding.
Question 7: Which type of curriculum refers to what is actually taught in classrooms as opposed to what is officially written in district documents?
- Null curriculum
- Taught curriculum (Correct answer)
- Written curriculum
- Hidden curriculum
Correct answer: Taught curriculum
The taught curriculum is the content and skills teachers actually deliver in classrooms, which may differ from the written or intended curriculum.
TEA Curriculum Design & Development 2
A principal wants to ensure curriculum coherence across grade levels.
Which approach BEST achieves vertical alignment?