On the evaluation of curriculum reforms

Abstract

The paper considers the current international trend towards standards-based evaluation in a historical and comparative perspective. Based on a systematization of evaluation perspectives and tools, two basic patterns of curriculum control are discussed: process evaluation, and product evaluation. Whereas the first type has dominated the Continental European context for two centuries or more, and the latter type the English-speaking world for most of the 20th century, the last two decades have brought about a situation in which both types are more and more intertwined. The paper discusses thehistorical preconditions, empirical findings, and possible prospects around this development.