Evaluating the alignment between the Grade 9 mathematics Annual National Assessment and the TIMSS test items

In the study reported on here I evaluated the alignment between the Annual National Assessment (ANA) and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Theoretical perspectives were drawn from the Survey Enacted Curriculum (SEC), while quantitative correlational methods were used to determine the alignment between ANA and TIMSS using 2 variables in the assessments, topics and cognitive levels. The research design was the correlational prediction design. The evaluation revealed that the Porter’s alignment index between ANA and TIMSS was 0.657 in 2012, 0.728 in 2013 and 0.681 in 2014. Statistically, this was significantly low at the Alpha level of 0.05, in accordance with Fulmer’s critical values at 20, 60 and 120 standard points. The low statistical significance of the alignment indices justifies discrepancies in topics and cognitive levels for ANA and TIMSS, justifying misalignment in what was tested in the two assessments. It is recommended that alignment studies be sanctioned frequently by the ANA developers as one of many measures to gauge the performance of the curriculum both in a national and international context.

Exploring EFL Teachers’ Perceptions of Enacted Curriculum in Jordan: Towards Integration Curriculum Development with Teacher Education

This study investigated EFL teachers’ perception of the enacted curriculum, the status of the intended curriculum, and the challenges faced by teachers, while implementing the curriculum. A qualitative design was used and 15 teachers were interviewed to discover their perceptions of the enacted curriculum. Our results revealed that there is a misalignment between the intended curriculum and the enacted curriculum Participants continued to teach in a manner, which was inconsistent with the curriculum reforms, and teachers faced several challenges, that compelled them to teach in a traditional manner.

Analysis of Alignment between National Curriculum of Education and Textbooks at Higher Secondary Level in Punjab-Pakistan

This study was conducted to identify the degree to which the objectives of higher secondary level national curriculum of Education were aligned with the textbooks in Punjab- Pakistan. The study was done by reviewing the national curriculum of Education and Textbooks for grade XI and XII so as to find the degree of alignment. The quantitative analysis was done by using Surveys of Enacted Curriculum (SEC) method. In quantitative analysis the content of the textbook was analyzed with respect to student learning outcomes [SLOs] given in the curriculum. It was found that content in the Education-XI and XII textbook were not aligned to a desired level. Alignment Index (AI) of Education XI and XII textbook were 0.61 and 0.50 respectively. This misalignment was not same for all the categories of cognitive domain. The outcomes of the study revealed that there were some gap between curriculum and textbooks. The study lays great implications in the sense that it provides feedback to curriculum developers and textbook writers to consider alignment between curriculum objectives and textbook content. The study suggests adequate training for the curriculum and textbook developers to ensure alignment between national curriculum and textbooks.