Dictionary of Curriculum and Evaluation (Paperback - 2009)

This Dictionary of Curriculum and Evaluation is perhaps the first Indian dictionary written on curriculum and evaluation. It is a practical guide and reference work in language curriculum and evaluation.

The Dictionary is divided into three parts. Part I includes 6 discussion papers, 3 each on curriculum and evaluation which provide support material for users, in these two disciplines. These papers describe in brief the nature, purpose and scope of each discipline reflecting the major constructs, academic issues and focal points of reform.

Part II consists of the main reference material intended to give short definitions of selected terms—which cover all the four major curriculum components as well as cognitive and non-cognitive areas of assessment—ranging from achievement and ability testing to—interests, attitudes and personality testing. Besides, many terms from the related fields of educational statistics, educational research and psychometrics—having relevance to the measurement theory—are also included.

Part III of the book contains a list of 120 acronyms and abbreviations relevant to these disciplines as well as various organisations referred to, for ready reference of the users.

The book includes over 1550 entries covering all the curriculum components as well as areas of educational evaluation. An attempt has been made to select all the significant terms, define them in a simple, concise way—reflecting their central meaning—and present them in a lucid, easy-to-use manner. By and large, the terminology selected has international use, application and accessibility.

It is expected that curriculum developers, examination agencies, evaluators, teacher educators and those who follow special courses in curriculum and evaluation through regular or corresponding courses would find this book handy for reference, while teachers under training and those in service would find it useful as a material resource and for reference purpose.

Pritam Singh, former Professor and Head, Department of Measurement and Evaluation, N.C.E.R.T., has a rich experience of 40 years in the field of education with specialisation in curriculum and evaluation. A gold medallist in M.Ed. from Punjab University, he took his Doctorate Degree from Delhi University and joined London University as a Commonwealth Fellow to specialise in curriculum development and evaluation.

Besides teaching in postgraduate teachers’ training colleges of Punjab University, he worked as Evaluation Officer in Himachal Pradesh Education Department. At N.C.E.R.T. he was actively engaged in planning, organising and conducting training courses in curriculum and evaluation for teachers, teacher educators, paper setters, examiners and key persons of various examination boards in India. At the international level he planned, organized and conducted internship and training programmes for UNESCO and UNDP fellows from various countries. As a UNESCO consultant on curriculum evaluation he visited Mauritius twice and Afghanistan once as consultant on examination techniques.

Dr. Singh has to his credit about 100 papers, monographs and other evaluation-related conceptual material besides about 10 publications pertaining to foreign assignments on testing, curriculum, evaluation and examination reform. The books written by him include: Pupil Evaluation; Towards Better Question Papers; Towards Better Questions; Dynamics of a Question and Handbook of Measurement and Evaluation.