Curriculum Compacting

Curriculum Compacting

Curriculum Compacting for the Gifted Learner

A strategy to differentiate instruction

Overview

Curriculum compacting is a time saving differentiation strategy that eliminates repetition of mastered content and enriches or accelerates learning in meaningful ways.

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Implementation of Curriculum Compacting

Set your instructional goals.

Identify your high level learners.

Material and Instruction Replacement

Pros and Cons of Curriculum Compacting

pros

cons

• higher student engagement
• appropriate challenge and pacing
• time efficient method
• streamlined teacher implementation

• district policy may prohibit acceleration
• materials and staff may not be available

• more teacher training is needed in identifying the broader range of materials and resources needed for compacting

VS

Helpful Resources

Experts and Resources

The Compactor

Step 3- Replacement

Now you are going to compact the curriculum! In choosing your pre-test questions in step 2, you consequently identified the material to replace, which would be repetition for these students, and not a productive use of their time. You now insert materials, activities, and instructional options that meet student needs for challenging content, faster pacing, self-directed learning, and real-world application of skills. Some ideas for this phase would be enrichment, acceleration (depending upon district policy), cooperative learning, temporary flexible small groupings, peer tutoring, and teacher assistance tasks such as reviewing and evaluating student work, community service, self-directed mini-lessons, apprenticeships, special topic seminars, or working with a mentor. You will need to determine the availability of materials and staff in order to follow through, but it is more important to first consider challenge level and need.

Step 2- Identify Your High Level Students

In this step, you will utilize assessment to determine those who have mastered or nearly mastered the content to be taught, and need challenge beyond your target and expected outcomes. Tools such as formative and standardized assessments, class participation, and previous tests or classwork will help shine a light on those who are high achievers. Developing a pretest will help hone in on the specific content for your instructional goal. A pre-test will identify those who have mastered a certain skill in a content area and need enrichment, and gaps for your usual high achievers. This is important to know to so your compacting is an effective differentiation tool to meet the needs of all your students needing challenges. Teacher guides and curriculum generally have ready-made pre-tests, and this is a great time saver. Assessing prior to teaching every skill is not time saving, so if you are able to choose only the highest level and most necessary questions from your pre-test, you will accomplish your goal of identification of those truly ready for a more rigorous challenge. When developing these pre-tests, you are essentially determining what material you will be replacing in the next step. Something to consider is the main resource you have for your students: the textbook. Research has shown that textbooks over the past decade or more have gradually lost rigor in order to be more accommodating to the lowest performers. The reading level is lower, and the content is repeated multiple times. This further alienates our higher achieving students who need access to higher level and new content. Due to this, it is most important for teachers to compact curriculum and replace content as needed to meet student needs.

Step 1- Set Your Target and Expectations

You are already doing this! Set learning targets for your class. Determine the goal for grade level instructional content and the expectations for learners to demonstrate understanding. Look at your TEKs for the content, and use things like your scope and sequence, and teacher's guides to determine your expected outcome for instruction. Be sure to recognize if this is repeated material. Add in what you expect students to DO in order to show understanding of the content. One of the most helpful parts of this step of the process is that it supports teachers in determining what needs student have, and eliminating unnecessary and repeated content based on those needs.

Curriculum Compacting Research and Experts

Peer Coaching and Simulations

• Starko, A. J. (1986). It’s about time: Inservice strategies for curriculum compacting. Mansfield Center, CT: Creative Learning Press.
• Joyce, R. B., & Showers, B. (1983). Power in staff development through research in training. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Research Study on Strategies and Replacement Activities for Curriculum Compacting

• University of Connecticut NEAG School of Education, Renzulli Center for Creativity, Gifted Eduation, and Talent Development, Curriculum Compacting: A Systematic Procedure for Modifying the Curriculum for Above Average Ability Students

Rigor in Textbooks

• Altbach, P. G., Kelly, G. P., Petrie, H. G., & Weis, L. (1991). Textbooks in American society. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
• Bernstein, H. T. (1985). The new politics of textbook adoption. Phi Delta Kappan, 66(7), 463-466.
• Chall, J. (1967). Learning to read: The great debate. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
• Chall, J. S., & Conard, S. S. (1991). Should textbooks challenge students? The case for easier or harder textbooks. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.