The first step in any good curriculum analysis is to determine student needs. Does the proposed or implemented course match what students need to learn at this developmental level? If not, what changes need to be made to make the class a better fit for student needs? This stage should consider developmental norms, community needs, redundancy in existing coursework and background student knowledge.
Next, policy decisions must be made. What sort of funds and materials are available? How important is this course information, compared to others already in the curriculum? Do new materials need to be acquired? How many students will be in each class? What is the ideal amount of pupils per class? Once these factors are determined, funds can be budgeted and disbursed.
Before a new curriculum is disbursed to mainstream classrooms, it should be tested in a pilot program. This allows you to gauge how accurately the course's pacing estimate is, and if the amount of materials per student is accurate. It also may bring unexpected issues in implementation to light, and allows you to adapt them before spending a large amount of funding. Standardized testing and authentic assessments, such as portfolios, should be used to gauge student achievement in the pilot goals. Interviews can also be conducted with teachers and students for more thorough feedback. A successful pilot program gives you the green light to mainstream the curriculum throughout the school district, and an unsuccessful one should be evaluated to determine the cause of failure. This assures planners of a more successful next attempt.
Once the curriculum has been developed, it must be implemented, and data collected on its efficiency. Most schools do this through standardized testing, but also other assessments, such as portfolios and running records, when appropriate. Finally, after metrics have been gathered, projected goals can be measured against achieved academics.