Curriculum Mapping: 4 Steps To Implement

Curriculum mapping is a planning tool that ensures students are taught the learning targets of the course. Although a curriculum map can be created in different ways and have different appearances, it is typically a visual representation of the complex curriculum that allows instructors to assess the timing of instruction and assessment. An effective curriculum map also helps educators identify connections between learning targets and potential gaps in the curriculum structure.

What Do We Mean by Curriculum Mapping?

Curriculum mapping is a comprehensive method of diagramming learning objectives, activities, resources, and assessments in a course or grade level. It is a tool that helps educators identify and fix omissions, misalignment, and redundancies in a course. Curriculum mapping assists in enhancing the overall coherence of a learning program and its effectiveness. A good curriculum map considers the learner's abilities, learning objectives, the expectations for mastery, and course material. In addition, good curriculum maps:

  • are purposefully developed and well-organized
  • are organized to identify alignment (or misalignment) between courses, lessons, grade levels, and subject areas
  • clearly define learning goals and outcomes
  • ensure there are no educational gaps
  • are well aligned with the curriculum and learning targets

How to Begin with Curriculum Mapping?

A curriculum map often looks like a spreadsheet where the rows in your spreadsheet display the months or weeks in a grading period, and the columns exhibit data introduced in that timeframe. When the mapping is completed, it presents you with a detailed view of a class’s educational requirements, the timing for instruction and assessment, and if you require new learning resources to meet the standards. It provides an overview of the class in one glimpse. It likewise provides teachers and administrators with instant insight into what you require to remain successful in classroom education and management.

Below are some steps you need to follow for effective curriculum mapping.

  • Select a software platform.

Choosing the most efficient software is a good first step in curriculum mapping. Luckily, there is a dynamic market for curriculum mapping software today. Curriculum mapping software is far more efficient than an Excel sheet or Word document. It makes organizing and scheduling lessons, units, assignments, and assessments to meet various learning standards effortless for teachers. Good curriculum mapping software allows you to catalog and store your map for future use, and should be accessible by the curriculum authors, administrators and the public as well. Curriculum mapping software should also make collaborating with your teacher team very simple too. The best products on the market also allow for analytics to help teachers and administrators check for alignment to standards and other reporting features that make the curriculum maps a living document easily revised.

  • Keep it collaborative.

The strongest curriculum maps are created with a team because of the complex nature of the process and all the variables that must be considered. Incorporating new requirements and resources, and analyzing student data are best accomplished in collaboration with the team to keep the curriculum maps relevant. Curriculum mapping software that allows you to discover, transfer, edit, save, and share your curriculum maps with teachers and administrators is important. Simple accessibility makes collaboration more possible and productive.

  • Dive deep with learning targets.

Course standards are the foundation for your curriculum map. After choosing the course, deeply analyze the required standards and work collaboratively to create specific learning targets to represent the content students will be accountable for mastering. In some courses, for example, history, the learning standards lend themselves to a sequence based on time. In other courses, like English Language Arts (ELA), the presentations of standards can be sequenced in numerous different ways. Regardless of the course, consider the manner in which learning standards will best work together to ensure student learning.

  • Don’t forget the students!

Even when the standards set the stage for your curriculum map, you must consider your students' needs. The amount of time needed for students to master the content can vary greatly from student to student. The time variable is one of the most difficult to control in a school, particularly because of the rigid nature of school calendars. The learning needs and prior knowledge of students should guide decision-making throughout the process.

Understanding Different Types of Curriculum Mapping

Educators approach curriculum mapping in different ways. The two different types of curriculum mapping are:

  • Horizontal Mapping

Horizontal mapping considers one subject area and grade level. So, when adopting a horizontal mapping process, you must map your curriculum for the entire school term or year. It enables teachers to prepare for suitable pacing to fulfill all the criteria for that subject or grade level.

  • Vertical Mapping

Vertical mapping considers the grade levels below and above. Vertical mapping helps locate educational voids, repetitions, and misalignments.

Top Advantages of Curriculum Mapping

  • Help create an organized path

Curriculum mapping creates a road map for educators and learners to follow during a course. It describes the beginning and the endpoint of the learning as well as the different milestones that learners must accomplish on the way.

  • Better alignment with standards

International, national, state, or local standards have been created and adopted by every learning organization in order to provide a uniform and quality learning experience for students. Even the best standards can be somewhat ambiguous. Curriculum mapping assists in defining the standards and aligning them with their course objectives.

  • Improve collaboration and communication

A curriculum map assists educators in understanding the content standards and learning targets, it also improves collaboration and communication. Used as a collaborative tool, educators from both like and different courses can deeply examine and design curricula to ensure the highest levels of learning.

  • Map student’s learning

A curriculum map represents the various milestones a learner needs to accomplish on their learning journey. As students move through the course, a well-planned curriculum map can emphasize the objectives they require to thrive. It further explains the expectations from the learners and assists in making improvement tangible.

  • Improve learning experience

A high-quality curriculum map enhances the students’ learning experience. It aligns standards and is carefully organized to meet student needs. Thoughtful planning and collaboration improve the student learning experience.

In a Nutshell

The curriculum mapping process aligns the planned instruction with standards and accounts for the learning needs of students. It supports good collaboration and communication between educators. With readily available curriculum mapping software, this complex work can be more efficient and effective than ever.  

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Kim Tunnell, Ed.D.