SPED 301

Curriculum of Children with Special Needs

Shailini G. Gestosani
College of Teacher Education
St. Paul University Iloilo

Framework of Curriculum and

Assessment
Goals
Outcomes

Standards

Educational Goals
Educational goals are based on a shared vision of
the kinds of schools and schooling children will
need to be prepared for the world.
They can be broad statements of philosophy or
mission.
To develop lifelong learners who value themselves,
contribute to their community and succeed in the
changing world.

They can also target specific outcomes for

students.
Facility in using the English language

Learning Outcomes
Desired learning outcomes are derived from and
define the educational goals.
The desired measurable or observable results,
effects or consequences of schooling.
Describe what the students must know, be like and
be able to do to achieve the stated goals.

Standards
Specify the levels and types of knowledge or
performance we expect from students.
Describe the knowledge, characteristics, and levels
of or performance embedded in the outcomes.
Used as objective bases for appraising student
performance and reflect expectations of uniformity
with respect to goals, curriculum and levels of
student achievement.

Two Kinds of Standards

Content Standards
Also called curriculum standards
Describe what teachers are supposed to
teach and students are expected to learn
Performance Standards
Define the degrees or mastery of levels of
attainment
Answer the question How good is good
enough?

Goal

Students completing their education in Yorkers

Public Schools will be prepared to live in a world
that is characterized by a variety of individual
differences and great diversity in social and
natural systems.

Outcome

Understand, value and act to preserve the great

biological and physical diversity of the planets
ecosystems

Standards

Demonstrate an awareness of the concept of

ecosystem.
Be familiar with biological and physical
characteristics of the ecosystem.
Have practical knowledge of how various forces
can upset the balance of nature.
Engage in ongoing ecological activities.
Know local, regional and world topography.
Be knowledgeable consumers.
Be able to participate in the management of
limited natural resources.
Actively contribute toward preserving and
restoring the natural balance of th planets
ecosystem.

Making Curriculum Decisions

Centralized
Decisions made by administrative offices
that all individuals in a system are to follow

Decentralized
Decisions that teachers make

Collective
Decisions made by a group

Individual
Decisions made by individual teachers

Direction of the Curriculum Development

Bottom-Up
Designing curriculum goals and
outcomes from existing curriculum
presented in textbooks and other
references and primary resources

Content Dominated Curriculum

Performance Based Curriculum

Top-Down
Curriculum development
strategy that starts with end-ofschooling outcomes
Outcome Based Education

Content Dominated Curriculum

A bottom-up kind of curriculum
development
Starts with existing curriculum
organized around traditional school
disciplines (subject areas)
Textbook based
Achievement of outcomes through
quizzes and childrens earning passing
grades

Performance Based Curriculum

Centers on what the students do to demonstrate
their understanding and mastery of the material
May stem from existing lessons, units or course
curriculum outcomes
Students may be asked to demonstrate
competence through demonstrations in specific
school discipline (oral reports, presentation of
research papers) or across disciplines through
integrated approach (theme portfolio, dramatic
production )
Final performance tasks may be specified at the
beginning of a major unit or course and
curriculum could be designed from there
Reference source: textbook

Outcome-Based Education
Clearly focusing and organizing every thing in
an educational system around what is essential
for all students to be able to do successfully at
the end of their learning experience
What is most essential for our student to know,
be able to do and be like in order to be
successful once theyve graduated?
outcome of significance
graduates should know and will be able to do
Development of internalized performance abilities
What children will carry with them throughout and
beyond their formal schooling that cannot be developed
inside any single segment of curriculum
Example: research design and implementation

Outcome-Based Education
Students demonstrations or performance of
their learning reflect:
What the student knows
What the student can actually do with what he
knows
Students confidence and motivation in carrying
out the demonstrations

Performance is the goal

Content and literacy support the
achievement of the goal
Teachers and stakeholders of this
curriculum may choose to use SPARDYs
FRAMEWORK as a guide for study

Complexity of Learning Demonstrations

(Spardys Demonstration Mountain)

Framework that directs attention toward the

designing of the goals, objectives, standards and
resulting curriculum that assist students in
accomplishing outcomes as represented by the
top sections of the Spardys Demonstration
Mountain

Spardys Demonstration Mountain

Liferole
functi
oning
Comp
lex
role
perfor
manc
Complex unstructured
e
task performance
Higher order
competencies

Structured task performances

Discrete content skills

Spardys Demonstration Mountain

Portrays a picture of six major forms that student
demonstrate of learning or competence may take
From simple and discrete (bottom of the
mountain) to complex and challenging (top of the
mountain)
These skills are skills that people carry out within
their life responsibilities and roles (top of the
mountain)
Lower sectors content dominated
Intermediate sectors transitional
Top sectors context dominated

Spardys Demonstration Mountain

Implies that each form of competence serves as
a critical enabler for the forms above it.
The higher one climbs..
The more complex and significant the demonstrations
of learning become
The more complex and challenging the settings,
circumstances and contexts within which the
demonstration takes place become
By implication, the greater the degree of self-direction,
motivation and adaptability required of the learner

Ultimate outcome of schooling: life-role

functioning

Life role functioning

Being a citizen, employer, employee, parent

and family member
Life role is a set of responsibilities and actions
that define an individuals position within the
societys economic, political and social
relationship
Taught through demonstration of complex role
performances

Complex Role Performances

Student demonstrate competence in skills of

living and lifelong learning with
responsibilities and actions represented by
the top of mountain

Complex Role Performances

Implementers
and Performers

Can apply basic and advanced ideas, information, skills, tools

and technologies as they carry out the responsibilities
associated with life roles
Grasp the demands of a particular situation and use available
resources to get things done

Problem finders
and Solvers

Can anticipate, explore, analyze and resolve problems,

examining underlying causes from variety of perspectives and
developing potential solutions

Planners and
designers

Develop effective methods and strategies for resolving issues

and problems

Creators and
Producers

Seek new possibilities for understanding or doing things and

who transform those possibilities into original, workable products
or processes that change the operating environment

Learners and
Thinkers

Develop use cognitive tools and strategies to translate new

information and experiences into sound action
Use their repertoire of knowledge and strategies to extend their
capabilities for successful action by assimilating, analyzing and
synthesizing new experiences

Listeners and
Communicators

Can grasp and express ideas, information, intentions, feelings

and concern for others in ways that are clearly understood and
appreciated
Accurately comprehend and use words, pictures, gestures,
deeds, styles, symbols and mannerisms to receive and convey
thoughts

Teachers and
mentors

Can enhance the thinking, skills, performance orientations and

motivation of others through the explanations they provide, the
counsel they give, and the examples they set
Share information, time, perspectives and skills at their disposal

Supporters and
contributors

Invest time and sources to improve the quality of those around

them

Team Members
and Partners

Contribute their best efforts to collaborate endeavors and who

seek agreement on goals, procedures, responsibilities, and
rewards, setting aside personal preferences in order to
accomplish mutual aims

Leaders and
Organizers

Can initiate, coordinate and facilitate the accomplishment of

collective tasks by perceiving and designing intended results,
determining how they might be accomplished, anticipating
roadblocks, and enlisting and supporting the participation of
others to achieve results

Complex Unstructured Task

Performances
Call on students to invent or create projects,
products or processes
Integrates knowledge from different disciplines
and sources
Students define the parameters of the project,
criterion or standards and mode of execution
Activities are competency-dominated and there
is less emphasis on conducting them in authentic
context

Higher Competencies
Broad group of demonstrable processes
requiring the complex manipulation of
information, concepts and language
Forms of demonstration include analyzing
concepts and their interrelation, proposing
solutions to multifaceted problems, using
complex arrays of data and information to make
decisions, planning complex structure, processes
or events and communicating effectively with
public audiences

Structured Task Performances

Highly structured by teachers
Includes a range if demonstrations that depends
on the degree of cognitive demand needed to
carry each task
Usually follow a set of instructions or steps
Forms of demonstration include writing a paper
explaining a certain topic, carrying out laboratory
experiment and comparing its results with
established theory

Discrete Content Skills

Simplest demonstrations of competence

Cover small segments of the curriculum that are
highly structured by teachers
Examples: identification, labeling, spelling,
carrying out mathematical operations

Curriculum Structure

Curriculum Structure
Fitzpatrick emphasizes the importance of
aligning curriculum by establishing a scaffold
linking the day-to-day planning of teachers to
outcomes
This alignment provides general and special
educators with common ground for
communicating about curriculum outcomes for
students with and without disabilities and for
curricular decision making

Curricular Options

General curriculum without modifications

General curriculum with modifications
Life skills curriculum
Curriculum in modified means of
communication and performance

General Curriculum without

modifications
Curriculum presented to students with or without
identified special education needs and is the
primary curriculum offered in schools
Includes core curriculum traditionally structured
by discipline (major subjects), electives, basic
academic skills (reading, writing, etc) and crossdisciplinary curriculum

General Education Curriculum with

Modifications
Include some areas in the specified general
education curriculum but attention is given to
adapting or modifying the curriculum in ways to
allow certain students with disabilities and
special education needs to gain knowledge, skills
and understanding from it
Adaptations/modifications: complexity of task,
types of demands the task requires, strategies to
support student participation in the task and the
mastery of the task

Life Skills Curriculum

Focuses on skills that are commonly learned by
general education peers through observation
and participation in school, home and community
activities and experiences
Requires specific and systematic instructions for
mastery by students with special needs
Includes academic skills (reading recipes,
balancing personal checkbooks), daily and
community living skills (personal grooming,
budgeting), and transition skills

Curriculum in Modified Means of

Communication and Performance
Stems from the need for intensive and/or
specialized student preparation for
communicating and performing that make it
possible for students to participate in other
curricular options
Includes use of assistive technology and
modified means for performing tasks (using
gestures)

Thank you.
Shailini G. Gestosani
sgestosani@spuiloilo.edu.ph