| (Click
here for a list of previous articles to read.)
One Size Doesn’t Fit All: Evaluating Religion Curriculum
by Kate Ristow
Don’t you just love to read bulletins from other parishes to see what’s going on? They say so much about the parish’s spirit and ministry. A large boxed announcement in a bulletin I saw recently caught my eye. It read, “Textbook Evaluation Committee Meeting.” It listed the specifics of the gathering and urged committee members to bring the books they were reviewing, along with their completed evaluation forms to the meeting. The announcement spoke volumes about how seriously the parish takes its responsibility to choose the best religion series for its parish and school children.
As Spring approaches, most catechetical leaders are already actively engaged in planning for the upcoming year. An essential element in that planning is evaluating your present religious education series and deciding whether or not to use it for another year or to explore other programs. Here are a few tips to help you with this important process.
• First Things First. Look at the series you are currently using with fresh eyes. Do the photos and art look dated? Notice the copyright date. Is it current? Is the program in conformity with the Catechism of the Catholic Church? Recall why you chose this series for your parish or school: what approach and features most appealed to you? Is the series is still meeting your needs? Get feedback from catechists and parents on what they like best about the program and how it is working for the children, families, and staff. Review diocesan catechetical guidelines to determine how effectively your series meets these goals. Gathering all this information will help you determine if it’s time for a change.
• Decide what you are looking for in a religious education program. Are you interested in a series that focuses on a specific doctrinal theme each year and incorporates the four pillars of faith from the Catechism of the Catholic Church into the learning process? Perhaps you want a series that introduces the timeless truths of our Catholic faith—doctrine, Scripture, and the liturgical year—every year to enable students to integrate and apply what they are learning. Or you may want a series that teaches a central catechetical theme on each grade level through Scripture stories and real life stories that help children learn to know, love and serve God and others.
• Narrow your search by studying the mailings and catalogs from religious education publishers that come across your desk. They are an excellent source for learning about the overall approach and features of different programs. Based on your careful reading of what is currently available and matching the features up with your “wish list” for the ideal series, request review packs of the programs you want to examine more closely.
• Involve Others. Although the catechetical leader, in collaboration with the pastor, is ultimately responsible for choosing the most effective program for any parish, choosing a religious education series should not be a solitary endeavor. Form a committee of parents, experienced and new catechists, and members of your Religious Education Board to assist in curriculum evaluation. If your pastor is not able to be part of the process, consider inviting a permanent deacon with a special interest in the faith formation of young people to join the committee.
• Develop a Process. During the initial committee meeting, establish a timetable for the review process. In addition to circulating the new texts you have received, make copies of your present series available to the committee for review. Distribute an evaluation tool for everyone to complete as they study the materials. Set realistic deadlines for committee members to rate their assigned resources before exchanging them for another committee member’s materials. This will keep the process moving along and allow the entire committee to evaluate a wide variety of texts and guides.
• Compare Notes. At subsequent meetings of the committee, discuss the pros and cons of each series in light of your particular needs. Typically, this will winnow the selection process down. At this point, you may want to arrange for on-site presentations from a publisher’s representative or view together a DVD about one or more programs in which you are interested. You will also want to consider other factors—the quality of the program website, cost of the texts, what resources you can expect to receive at no charge, and the level of service you can count on from the publisher.
• Decide! Work with the committee to reach consensus on the best series for your parish students. If conflict arises, remind the committee that you are doing the Lord’s work. Let the words of St. Benedict guide you: “Whatsoever good work you undertake, pray earnestly to God that He will enable you to bring it to a successful conclusion.” Thank committee members for their perseverance and diligence and, with a twinkle in your eye, invite all of them to sign on as catechists for the coming year so that they can observe, first-hand, what a remarkably wise decision they have made!
|
If you would like to receive this newsletter
through email,
click here. |
|
