Curriculum Planning

Introduction
Earlier the standards were there to define academic learning goals at K-12 level. But, in the current era educators learned that standards are not enough unless they ensure to increase students ' performance. Therefore the concept of Curriculum mapping came into force by (Jacob, 1997) so that teachers can translate the standards into actual classroom practice as what and how they teach and assess students ' performance. Curriculum mapping is the process of recording what content taught in the classroom, school or district over a period of time and the data provide a summary of a full cycle. Educators and administrators find mapping as an important tool to allocate resources to the program and access teaching responsibilities (Holycross, 2006).
Objectives
The objective of curriculum mapping is that to align curriculum and assessment with standards at classroom, school and district level. Its emphasis on building three Cs: Communication, Circular Dialogue and Coherency. It necessitates teachers to play an active role in making curricular decisions because a good education is the composite effort of an entire series of teachers and students meets from the first day of kindergarten to graduation days later.
Positive outcomes of Curriculum Mapping
There are several outcomes of curriculum mapping which help in the sustain development of students. It increases communication between students, teachers and parents with the task to accomplish both curriculum alignment and curriculum focused school improvement. There are various benefits noticed where the concept of mapping implemented in schools :-
Aligning Curricular to Standards and Assessment
Curriculum mapping made great focus on the alignment of curriculum and assessment with standards through the district. It helps the teachers to identify the gaps exists in standard addressed and determine the appropriate sequencing of concepts and skills. The gap analyzed can be filled with innovative teaching strategies to retain good result at all levels.
Building Staff Capacity
Curriculum mapping in itself is a professional development program which helps to build staff capacity for continuous improvement. As the teacher is involved in the development of teaching related activities to improve students ' performance across the schools experience real professional growth.
Developing Relationships and Communication
Curriculum mapping is a useful device for communicating between students, teachers and parents about the detailed activities takes place in the classroom. It keeps parents informed about the students ' work and their expectations and what they can do to improve their performance at home.
Using Resources Effectively
The teachers in curriculum mapping analyze their maps and compare it with students result to identify the effectiveness of plan and ways to effective use of resources. Thus, it helps one other teacher to use the resources in an effective manner.
Conclusion
From the above discussion we can conclude that curriculum mapping is a tool in the hand of educators with which they become active participants in improving teaching and learning. It also encourages students to increase their creativity by engaging them in different practices.

References
Holycross, J. (2006). Curriculum Mapping—An Essential Tool for Curriculum Development. The Journal of Physician Assistant Education, vol 7, p. No. 4. Retrieved from <http://www.paeaonline.org/index.php?ht=action/GetDocumentAction/i/25408
Jacobs, H., H. (2009). The Curriculum Mapping Planner: Templates, Tools, and Resources for Effective Professional Development [Paperback]. Retrieved from <http://www.amazon.com/The-Curriculum-Mapping-Planner-Professional/dp/1416608745>

References: Holycross, J. (2006). Curriculum Mapping—An Essential Tool for Curriculum Development. The Journal of Physician Assistant Education, vol 7, p. No. 4. Retrieved from &lt;http://www.paeaonline.org/index.php?ht=action/GetDocumentAction/i/25408 Jacobs, H., H. (2009). The Curriculum Mapping Planner: Templates, Tools, and Resources for Effective Professional Development [Paperback]. Retrieved from &lt;http://www.amazon.com/The-Curriculum-Mapping-Planner-Professional/dp/1416608745&gt;