Let’s look at some of these chapters and modules a bit closer, starting with
Chapter 4, Preliminary Considerations.
Before investing extensive time in reviewing the suitability of curriculum content, first
consider some important general characteristics of the curriculum, such as its accuracy,
acceptability, feasibility, and affordability.
You might eliminate many curricula early in the review process if they don’t meet one
or more of these considerations, saving time that is often wasted reviewing materials
that don’t meet your needs.
This chapter contains the tools needed to help you analyze
and score these preliminary considerations.
To assess each category, guiding questions are provided in the HECAT.
There is also a chart for organizing comments and a score sheet
for rating the curriculum content.
You can use these forms to record results of your curriculum analysis.
The forms also serve as a quick reference of your curriculum’s strengths and weaknesses.
The Accuracy Analysis helps you rate the accuracy of the health, medical,
and scientific information in the curriculum.
Example questions to consider when analyzing accuracy include:
Does the curriculum use accurate and appropriate terminology?
Are data, information, and sources of information current?
Are statements of fact based on data and sound science rather than
anecdotal information or subjective opinion?
Are sources of data clear and credible?
Are they from a reputable public health or professional source?
If information is medically inaccurate, subjective, outdated, or not sound, use the Accuracy Analysis
Chart to describe the errors, what needs to be done to correct the errors,
and the degree of difficulty and cost to do so.
For example, our review team found an outdated statistic on page 13 of the curriculum
that was more than 15 years old.
It should be easy to find a more current statistic.
It may take time to research, but this should be a relatively low-cost fix.
After the accuracy review is complete, score the curriculum based on its accuracy and the
degree to which the correction of any errors can be reasonably completed.
In our example, the curriculum scores a “3” because of some minor problems
that should be easy to correct.
A review of a different curriculum might find that many statistics or statements
of fact could not be verified.
Therefore, the curriculum would score lower and be eliminated because of its
high probability for being biased or inaccurate.
The accuracy analysis score will be transferred to the Overall Summary Forms,
which will be explained later in this training.
Next, the Acceptability Analysis helps you rate the appropriateness of the curriculum
as it relates to the norms of the community, state and local policies, avoidance of bias
and stereotypes, and the health education needs of the students.
Some example questions to consider when analyzing acceptability include:
Do pictures and graphics avoid promoting biased or stereotypical perceptions of individuals
or groups on the basis of personal characteristics such as race, ethnicity, gender,
religion, culture, age, or sexual orientation?
Does the curriculum address the health problems that affect youth, families, and the community?
Does the curriculum reflect cultural perspectives and beliefs found in families,
the school, or the community?
The Acceptability Analysis Chart is completed in a similar way as the
Accuracy Analysis Chart.
If text, pictures, graphics, or other materials are unacceptable, describe them and what needs
to be done to correct the problems.
Determine the Acceptability Analysis Score based on the overall
acceptability of the curriculum.
This score is also transferred to the Overall Summary Forms.
The Feasibility Analysis helps you determine if the curriculum is feasible
to implement in the classroom.
It is based on the amount of instructional time available in the school day and throughout
the year, and also the ease of implementation by most health education teachers.
Unlike the previous categories, only two questions need to be
considered during the Feasibility Analysis.
Can the curriculum be reasonably implemented by most health education teachers and
others who might use this curriculum?
Can the curriculum be implemented within the available classroom or instructional time?
Once these questions are addressed, along with any notes to justify the responses, determine
the Feasibility Analysis Score and transfer the score to the Overall Summary Forms.
Last is the Affordability Analysis.
This assessment allows you to determine if your school district can afford the curriculum
in terms of: Initial materials costs,
Implementation costs, and Sustainability costs.
Questions to be answered during the Affordability Analysis include:
What are the additional financial costs related to implementing the curriculum?
What funds are available for purchasing and implementing the curriculum?
What changes are needed in staffing, facilities, or schedules to ensure lessons
can be implemented as written?
Based on these factors, determine an Affordability Analysis Score.
As with the previous analyses, this score is then transferred to the Overall Summary
Forms that will be discussed later in this training.
However, common sense dictates that if a curriculum is costly, it might
not be considered or scored further.
This important review of preliminary curriculum considerations is encouraged to make sure
the curricula meet local community needs and requirements of your state or school district.
Remember, completing these preliminary analyses help eliminate incomplete, inappropriate,
and inadequate curricula from your list.
Completing this review will speed up the overall curriculum selection process by focusing initial
analysis on issues that typically get mixed in with a content review.
Looking at these issues separately and using them to narrow curriculum choices will
save everyone time in the end.