Deck 11: School Curricula and Standards

Question 1

According to the text, the most useful definition of curriculum is _______.

A) the academic offerings of the school
B) all the experiences in a child's life
C) the experiences, both planned and unplanned, that affect the education and growth of the child
D) all the educational experiences with the exception of the extracurricular program

Answer 1

the experiences, both planned and unplanned, that affect the education and growth of the child

Question 2

The curriculum that refers to what a school intends to teach students is called the _______.

A) implicit curriculum
B) explicit curriculum
C) null curriculum
D) functional curriculum

Answer 2

explicit curriculum

Question 3

The intellectual processes and content that schools do not teach is referred to as the _________.

A) null curriculum
B) functional curriculum
C) implicit curriculum
D) explicit curriculum

Answer 3

null curriculum

Question 4

Educational research indicates that students are less likely to participate in extracurricular/ cocurricular programs in _______.

A) smaller school districts
B) rural schools
C) certain geographic regions
D) larger schools

Question 5

The nation's schools teach what the _______ believes young people should learn to be successful.

A) School Board
B) Society
C) federal government
D) curriculum developers

Question 6

Students who believe they belong in school academically and socially, are engaged in learning, and don't let intellectual or social setbacks derail them are exhibiting characteristics of _____.

A) mindfulness/meditation skills
B) academic tenacity
C) psychological resourcefulness
D) higher order thinking

Question 7

The benefits of Transcendental Meditation include all the following except_________.

A) Improved brain functioning
B) Improved verbal and analytical thinking
C) Improved heart rate
D) Improved academic performance

Question 8

Ideally, curriculum planning should focus on the _______.

A) macro level
B) micro level
C) age and developmental levels
D) macro and micro levels

Question 9

The curriculum that places primary emphasis on the logical order of the discipline students are to study is called the _______.

A) subject-centered curriculum
B) null curriculum
C) student-centered curriculum
D) integrated curriculum

Question 10

Each of the following are among the agencies and people outside the school that are involved in the curriculum development process except_______.

A) textbook publishers
B) software writers
C) federal government
D) state government

Question 11

According to the text, a standard is _______.

A) a level of knowledge or skill that is necessary for a specific task
B) a level of knowledge necessary for obtaining a job after high school
C) a level of knowledge necessary to move a student to the next grade level
D) a level of knowledge necessary for good grades on report cards

Question 12

The MetLife Survey of the American Teacher found that a significant majority of teachers _______.

A) believe that academic standards in schools are too low
B) view absenteeism as a major problem
C) think that student behavior is out of control
D) believe that academic standards are high

Question 13

One of the following statements most accurately reflects the meaning of "standards-based education" (SBE), specifically _______.

A) using corporate business practices to manage K-12 schools
B) placing more control of school curricula in the hands of classroom teachers
C) basing curricula, teaching, and student assessment on rigorous standards
D) returning schools to the more demanding student behavioral expectations of the past

Question 14

According to the text, state departments of education, school districts, and schools routinely use standards developed by professional associations as guides for _______.

A) developing curricula and assessments of student learning
B) determining criteria for high school graduation
C) establishing grade promotion criteria
D) setting minimal standards for exceptional learners

Question 15

When teachers within a specific grade level coordinate instruction across disciplines and examine their school's curriculum to ensure that course content and instruction mesh across and/or within subject areas, they are said to be concerned with _______.

A) internal validity
B) curriculum frameworks
C) horizontal alignment
D) curriculum resource development

Question 16

Vertical curriculum alignment occurs when _______.

A) subjects are connected across grade levels so that students experience increasingly complex instructional programs as they move through the grades
B) instructional methodologies are connected across grade levels so that students experience increasingly vague instruction as they move through the grades
C) teachers coordinate instruction across disciplines and examine curriculum to ensure that course content and instruction are compatible
D) school administrators coordinate instruction across disciplines and examine curriculum to ensure that course content and instruction are compatible

Question 17

Proponents of adopting national standards cite _______ as a reason supporting their position.

A) the U.S. population's linguistic sameness
B) social mobility in the United States
C) the already existing commonality of curriculum in the states
D) the absence of racial and cultural diversity in U.S. society

Question 18

According to the author of your text, the use of educational sanctions for poor performance by schools may _______.

A) significantly improve education in the United States
B) not improve schools, but will do nothing to harm students
C) lead to much more student-friendly classrooms
D) present some risk of harm to students

Question 19

Describe three expectations students have of academic standards.

Question 20

Discuss what is meant by "performance standards" and why they require teacher judgment.