Professional Education · Curriculum and Instruction
Curriculum Development — Part 2 of 3
Improvement vs. Change, and the Seven Types of Curriculum
Curriculum Improvement vs. Curriculum Change
Two terms the LET frequently uses to test precision rather than recall:
- Curriculum improvement — enriching or modifying aspects of an existing curriculum without altering its fundamental philosophy or structure.
- Curriculum change — a more substantial shift altering the curriculum’s underlying conception, structure, or direction.
If a scenario describes a school tweaking a reading program without overhauling its philosophy, that is improvement. If a scenario describes a wholesale shift in educational philosophy or structure — such as the shift from the old Basic Education Curriculum to K-12 — that is change.
Exam Tip: Ask yourself: is this just polishing something that already exists, or is this a completely new direction? That question alone usually tells you which term applies.
Sample LET Item — No. 1
A Grade 6 science teacher replaces an outdated textbook with a newer edition that covers the same topics in the same sequence, using the same teaching philosophy. Which concept does this illustrate?
A. Curriculum change, because new materials were introduced.
B. Curriculum improvement, because the underlying philosophy and structure remain the same.
C. Curriculum evaluation, because the school is assessing textbook quality.
D. Curriculum implementation, because a textbook is being used in class.
Answer: B
Swapping a textbook for a newer edition while keeping the same topics, sequence, and philosophy is a modification of an existing element, not a shift in the curriculum’s underlying conception — that is the textbook definition of curriculum improvement. Choice A is the most common wrong answer because “new materials” sounds like change, but the stem explicitly states the philosophy and sequence stayed the same, which rules out change. Choices C and D each name a real curriculum-development term, but neither matches what is actually being described in the stem; the exam often plants accurate vocabulary in the wrong slot to test whether you are matching the concept or simply recognizing a familiar word.
Key Terminologies You Must Recognize on Sight
| Term | Working Definition |
| Written Curriculum | The official, documented curriculum — guides, syllabi, and DepEd-issued curriculum maps. |
| Taught Curriculum | What the teacher actually delivers in the classroom; the lived implementation of the written curriculum. |
| Supported Curriculum | The resources (textbooks, materials, technology, facilities) that enable the taught curriculum. |
| Assessed Curriculum | What is tested — the portion of the curriculum appearing in quizzes, exams, and other measures. |
| Hidden Curriculum | The unwritten, often unintended values, norms, and behaviors students absorb from the school environment. |
| Learned Curriculum | What students actually internalize — not always identical to what was taught or assessed. |
| Recommended Curriculum | Curriculum proposed by experts, professional organizations, or government bodies (e.g., DepEd, CHED). |
Exam Tip: These types are commonly tested through scenario items: a stem describes a situation, and you must name which “curriculum” is in play. A teacher unintentionally modeling punctuality is the hidden curriculum in action — not the taught or written one.
Sample LET Item — No. 2
Although the DepEd curriculum guide does not explicitly teach respect for elders, students in a certain school consistently greet teachers with “Magandang umaga, Ma’am/Sir” because every teacher models this daily. This is an example of which type of curriculum?
A. Written Curriculum
B. Assessed Curriculum
C. Hidden Curriculum
D. Recommended Curriculum
Answer: C
The behavior (greeting elders respectfully) is never written into the official curriculum guide, yet students absorb it purely from consistent teacher modeling — this is the precise definition of the hidden curriculum: unwritten, often unintended values and norms picked up from the school environment. Choice A is the most tempting wrong answer because a DepEd guide is mentioned in the stem, but the stem specifically says the guide does not include this content, which eliminates Written Curriculum. Watch for negations like “does not explicitly teach” in the stem — they are often the exact clue pointing you toward hidden curriculum.
Coming Up in Part 3
Next, we cover the four content selection criteria, the three theorists you must know by name, the Philippine historical and legal context, and the current trends of localization, contextualization, and indigenization.