CURRICULUM PLANNING
- the process whereby these arrangements of curriculum plans or learning are created. It is the
process of preparing for the duties of teaching, deciding upon goals and emphasis, determining
curriculum content, selecting learning resources and classroom procedures, evaluating the
process, and looking toward the next steps.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. discuss different curriculum sources and influences;
2. analyze different levels of curriculum planning; and
3. identify different roles of teachers and school administrators in curriculum planning.
3 Major Curriculum Sources
1. Society
 To understand the cultural, socio-economic, and political condition of the people
 It is important in developing a relevant and responsive curriculum.
2. Learners
 Alignment of the curriculum to the needs and nature of the students.
3. Discipline or Subject Matter
 A guide that should be taught
4 Elements of Curriculum
1. Goals
2. Content
3. Learning Experiences
4. Evaluation
Curriculum Influences
3 Major Factors that Influence Curriculum Development
1. External
2. Internal
3. Organizational Influences
External Influences
Society/Government Discipline
Associations; Marketplace/Alumni
Organizational Influences
Program Relationships, Resources,
Governance
Internal Influences
Faculty, Students, Discipline, and
Program Mission
Figure: Factors Affecting Academic Planning (Stark & Lattuxa, 1997)
Academic Plan
Identified Curriculum Influences
Table 1.
 Student/ Learners
 Collage Philosophy, Vision and Mission
 K-12 Basic Education Curriculum
 Admission and Retention Policies, and School Rules
 Faculty Members
 School Administrators
 Requirements from the Government Agencies
 Licensure Examinations (for Higher Education)
 Accreditation Standards
 Market Demand
 Alumni and Funding Sources
 Media and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)
 Church and Church-related Agencies (for religious schools)
 School Facilities and other Resources
 Other Disciplines or Courses and Programs offered by the School
 Student Services
Student/ Learners
 Most influential among the different curriculum influences especially in designing the
implemented curriculum.
School’s Vision, Mission and Core Values
 Very influential factors in developing the curriculum. They are the basis in developing the four
elements of the curriculum.
Admission and Retention Policies
 The third influential factor is the admission and retention policies. These policies set the
standard of what kind of students are admitted and what are the things they need to do as
students of the institution until they graduate.
Faculty Members
 Faculty members bring with them their educational background, experiences, expertise, and
personal, professional, and political views on the institution. They also have different interests,
teaching styles, and philosophies, which influence the way they plan, develop, and implement
the curriculum.
 In basic education, teachers take the role of a second parent to their students.
 In the college level, teachers are seen as experts in their fields. They are expected to know
more about their subjects.
 Teachers, as recognized by Stark and Latucca (1997), are a major influence in curriculum
development. They are the key implementers of the curriculum. The success of any curriculum
and instruction highly depends on them. Teachers are expected to be experts in the content
of the subjects they teach. They should also be experts in pedagogy.
School Administrators and Board of Trustees
 The influence of school officials and the school bureaucracy in curriculum processes were
recognized by several curriculum scholars like Wiles and Bondi (2006), and Stark and Latucca
(1997), among others. School administrators, including the colleges, and universities. Apart
from setting and approving rules for the school, they board of trustees, play an important role
in providing curriculum leadership in schools, administer the planning, implementation, and
evaluation of the curriculum. The administrators then serve as the curriculum and
instructional leaders. They provide administrative and leadership support for the
implementation of the curriculum. Their abilities and skills as curriculum leaders and managers
are essential in curriculum development, implementation, and evaluation (Wiles & Bondi,
2006). Oliva (2005) considered them as part of the entire team of curriculum workers in an
institution.
 The academic preparation and previous experiences of the administrators can also be noted
to influence the development of the curriculum.
Accrediting Agencies
 Accrediting agencies are equally influential in basic education and in higher education. Like the
DepEd and CHED, the accrediting agencies set the necessary standards for curriculum,
instruction, faculty, and facilities, and influence how the curricular programs are governed.
Accrediting agencies determine the quality of the courses being offered in an institution. As
such, many schools especially private schools try their best to improve the governance and
implementation of their various curricular and co-curricular programs.
 Some accrediting agencies in the Philippines are the Association of Christian Schools, Colleges,
and Universities Accrediting Agency Incorporation (ACSCU-AAI), Philippine Accrediting
Association of Schools, Colleges, and Universities (PAASCU), and the Accrediting Agency for
Chartered Colleges and Universities in the Philippines (AACCUP). These accrediting bodies are
in charge of evaluating the quality of education for each member institution based on criteria
set by the accrediting agency.
Government Policies and Agencies
 The respondents identified government policies and agencies as most influential in curriculum
planning and development. In basic education, the Department of Education issues
Department Orders (DOS) and memoranda that serve as guide for all public and private
schools in the country. The Department of Education also prescribes the official curriculum for
basic education and issues the guidelines for operations for private schools.
 For tertiary education, the CHED, through its series of memorandum orders, prescribes the
minimum general education and professional courses, course credits, and course descriptions
to be taken by the students. The CHED also prescribes the faculty qualifications, facilities, and
other requirements for the implementation and administration of the courses.
Market Demands (General)
 Market demands or the needs of the society are very influential in planning and developing
curriculum. It is imperative that students are prepared in terms of knowledge, values, and skills
to meet the needs and demands of different institutions in the society. For example, graduates
are expected to develop or possess 21st century skills. They are expected to be technologically
literate. They are also expected to develop various literacies including functional literacy.
Schools are expected to develop graduates that can be assets and good citizens of the society.
Alumni
 The alumni are also considered as one of the external influences on curriculum development.
The alumni are very helpful in terms of donating money to support programs for students,
faculty scholarships, professorial chairs, facilities, and financing students' activities. Besides
financial help, their comments or their evaluation feedback based on their previous
experiences as students are very useful information for improving the implemented
curriculum of the school. The alumni are the living testimony of the curriculum or the quality
of education offered by a particular school. Media and Information and Communications
Technologies (ICT)
Media and Information and Communications Technologies (ICT)
 are two of the external curriculum influences. The presence of technology, especially the
Internet, enables students and teachers to access almost all the information they need for
teaching and learning. This allows students and faculty members to access online journals,
papers, and other information from the Internet to be used for teaching and learning.
Technology connects the school to the global community.
 In as much as ICT is changing the landscape of schooling, it is also changing how the courses
are planned and implemented, especially how the content of the curriculum will be put
together. Although it is expensive to have full ICT integration in schools, school administrators
try their best to achieve this goal. Computers, LCD projectors, Internet facilities, and other
forms of technology are made available for instructional purposes in the school.
The Church and Church-related Agencies
 For religious schools, the different religious orders and the church play an important role in
school. Many religious institutions serve as extension programs or mission programs of the
churches and religious orders that established them. The schools also offer institutional
requirements such as Bible subjects, theology, and Christian Living subjects. These subjects
are required to all students. Religious schools also offer retreats, chapel services, and other
religious activities to their students.
School Facilities and Other Resources
 School facilities and other resources are very important in the implementation of the
curriculum. The respondents explained that school facilities like classrooms, libraries,
laboratories, ICT equipment, dormitories, school clinics, counseling offices, canteen, chapel
for sectarian schools, and laboratories are very useful in providing quality education, especially
in implementing the curriculum.
Student Services
The last among the influences are the existing student services or existing student support systems
institutionalized by the schools. Among these services are the following:
 Campus Ministry - helps in the spiritual nourishment of the students in sectarian schools
 Guidance and Counseling Services - provides professional help to students with various
personal and psychological concerns
 Health Services - responds to various health-related concerns of the students through a clinic
with full-time health workers
 Financial Assistance and Scholarships - provides financial assistance to deserving students
 Student Affairs Office - guides the students in organizing activities and provides all forms of
support for the academic and personal development of the students in the school
These curriculum influences and sources are very important in curriculum development. Responding
to these curriculum sources and influences helps curriculum workers and developers in planning,
developing, and implementing a relevant and responsive curriculum for different learners and schools.
They help everyone involved in and affected by a curriculum understand the context in which one is
developed. Moreover, when evaluating a curriculum, these curriculum sources and influences are the
ones that are looked into and reviewed.
IN A NUTSHELL
Reflections on Curriculum Planning
Curriculum planning is an essential part of curriculum development. It sets the tone for curriculum
development activities. In curriculum planning, we are taught to examine the needs and demands of
the society, understand the nature of the discipline and structure of knowledge, and analyze the nature
and needs of the learners.
Knowledge about the learners - helps us to understand that curriculum must respond to the nature,
needs, interest, learning styles, and thinking preferences of every learner. It makes us realize that the
purpose of the curriculum is not just to develop knowledge and skills but for the holistic development
of every learner.
Knowledge about the society - helps us to realize that a curriculum must be made relevant and
responsive to the needs and demands of the society. A curriculum should be context-based and it must
uphold social values and edify democratic principles of the society.
Knowledge about the discipline of subject matter- helps us to understand the different disciplines,
subjects, and academic fields. It enables every curriculum worker to understand essential contents
that should be covered in a particular discipline.
There are also different curriculum influences: organizational, internal, and external influences.
Understanding these curriculum influences helps us appreciate the educational and social context
where each curriculum is developed and implemented.