Aligning (Mapping) Curriculum with Standards
Standards are written to allow educators to make decisions on behalf of each individual child. At the local/site/classroom level, teachers should share the ways in which they interpret the standards. Sometimes teachers do this by identifying how the curriculum connects with specific standards or desired learning and development outcomesa process called alignment or mapping. Commercially produced curricula for early childhood may include written documentation of this process. For example, the Creative Curriculum includes documents that connect the objectives, dimensions, and performance indicators of the program with the specific domains and domain elements that Head Start programs are mandated to meet. Table 5.3 provides a selected example.