Types of Curricula in School

Allan Glatthorn
Allan Glatthorn described seven types of curriculum operating in the school.
1. Recommended Curriculum
- Is that which is recommended by scholars and professionals.
- Recommended curricula are typically formulated at a rather high level of generality.
2. Written Curriculum
- Is intended primarily to ensure that educational goals of the system are being
accomplished; it is a curriculum of control.
- It is an important component of authentic literacy the ability to read, write, and
think effectively.
3. Taught Curriculum
- Is the delivered curriculum, a curriculum that an observer sees in action as the
teacher teaches.
4. Supported Curriculum
- Includes those resources that support the curriculum – textbooks, software, and
other media.
5. Assessed Curriculum
- Is that which appears in tests and performance measures: state tests, standardized
tests, district tests, and teacher-made tests.
6. Learned Curriculum
- Is the bottom-line curriculum, the curriculum that students actually learn.
7. Hidden Curriculum
- This is the unintended curriculum. It defines what students learn from the physical
environment, the policies, and the procedures of the school.

Characteristics of a Good Curriculum

1. The curriculum is continuously evolving.
2. The curriculum is based on the needs of the people.
3. The curriculum is democratically conceived.
4. The curriculum is the result of a long-term effort.
5. The curriculum is a complex of details
6. The curriculum provides for the logical sequence of subject matter.
7. The curriculum complements and cooperates with other programs of the
community.
8. The curriculum has educational quality.
9. The curriculum has administrative flexibility.