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Definition of Curriculum Compacting—Curriculum
compacting is a procedure used to streamline the grade level curriculum
for high potential students to provide time for more challenging and interesting
work. Curriculum compacting is an instructional technique that is specifically
designed to make appropriate curricular adjustments for students in any
curricular area and at any grade level. Essentially, the procedure involves
(1) defining the goals and outcomes of a particular unit or segment of instruction,
(2) determining and documenting which students have already mastered most
or all of a specified set of learning outcomes, and (3) providing replacement
strategies for material already mastered through the use of instructional
options that enable a more challenging and productive use of the student's
time.
Teachers nationwide indicate that they are committed
to meeting students' individual needs, yet, many teachers do not have
background information to put this commitment into practice. Too often,
for example, some of our brightest students are asked to learn material
they already know, which can lead to frustration, boredom, and ultimately,
underachievement. One strategy that has been proven to be effective in
addressing underachievement is curriculum compacting and replacement of
compacted material, with self-selected work in a high interest area.
This module explains how to streamline or "compact"
curriculum through a practical, step-by-step approach. In it, teachers
can learn the skills required to modify curriculum, as well as techniques
for pretesting students and preparing enrichment options based on individual
areas of interest. Practical issues such as record keeping and how to
use the compacting form are also discussed. These guidelines can save
valuable classroom time for both teachers and students.
Curriculum compacting, as presented in this module,
has been researched since 1975. It can be used with individuals and groups
of students with above average ability in any academic, artistic or vocational
area. Most important, it has been proven to be beneficial. Current research
demonstrates that compacting can dramatically reduce redundancy, and challenge
gifted students to new heights of excellence. It can be particularly meaningful
for high ability students who are underachieving as it provides one clear
way to eliminate work that may be too easy and replace that work with
self-selected opportunities in an area of interest. This approach is based
on the Enrichment Triad Model, developed by Joseph Renzulli in 1977.
To learn to use the two strategies of compacting
and replacing work based on self-selected enrichment projects, you should
review the information on the following pages, and then complete the checklist
on SECTION XVI to ensure you understand these procedures.
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