Graduate Certificate in Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

Professional educators must have the knowledge and skill to make important decisions regarding what students learn and how they will learn it to ensure student success. In this course, education professionals engage in a research-based process for designing and mapping curriculum that motivates students and promotes academic success. Beginning with the end in mind, education professionals identify clear learning goals and big ideas, create authentic assessments, and develop essential questions to guide effective instructional planning and ongoing assessments using their district or state standards and/or benchmarks. They also apply the curriculum design process to a subject area they teach, keeping in mind the influence of learning environment, family involvement, and social development on the design process.

Education professionals in this course examine the historical and contemporary perspectives on assessment, including trends in high-stakes assessment and accountability. They learn types and purposes of assessment as well as how to use assessments effectively. Education professionals also analyze strengths and weaknesses of various assessment methods and use ongoing assessments to guide decisions that will improve student performance. They explore and discuss data collecting and analysis, grading, record-keeping, and reporting. Additionally, they learn the importance of student self-assessment and the best ways to support their students in monitoring learning and reflecting on how to improve personal performance.

The practice of differentiating instruction is a way for educators to meet diverse learning needs and preferences without having to individualize instruction for every student. In this course, education professionals learn how to differentiate five instructional elements—content, product, process, affect, and learning environment—according to  students' interests, readiness, and learning profile. They explore flexible grouping and managing the differentiated classroom. Using their classroom curriculum, they plan and implement differentiated lessons and align them to important learning goals, essential questions, and formative and summative assessments while ensuring that their instruction includes meaningful applications of knowledge. Education professionals also learn how to draw on resources, such as staff, community members, and educators, to support the "whole" child in the learning process.

The focus of teacher leadership expands from self to students, increasing the sphere of influence of the teacher leader to the classroom context in this course. Education professionals concentrate on advancing their expertise in the field of teaching by increasing their knowledge and skills in three key areas: knowledge of learners and learning; knowledge of subject matter and curriculum goals; and knowledge of effective teaching models, strategies, and practices. They learn to apply this expertise in the classroom in ways that directly affect the learning and achievement of their students.