Abstract
An overview is provided of curriculum management and "mapping," an auditing technique for assessing the content, time, and sequence of the taught curriculum as reported by the teacher. The general notion of management is first discussed in terms of three basic kinds of activities: defining purpose and mission, configuring available resources (people, time, and material), and using feedback to make necessary adjustments. The concept of curriculum is then defined etymologically as a means to a specific end (which must be clearly defined). The curriculum is conceived and discussed in terms of three "circles": the real (i.e., taught) curriculum, consisting of time and content; the written or prescribed curriculum; and the tested curriculum. These three circles get out of alignment because of design problems (breakdown between prescription and test), delivery problems (breakdown between prescription and teaching), or sequence problems (between teaching and testing). Curriculum mapping, then, is a method for bringing these three circles into alignment by monitoring the taught curriculum to evaluate the overall program. Examples are provided, along with a detailed "implementation kit" for curriculum mapping. (TE)