What is curriculum? Answers will vary.  “The term curriculum refers to the lessons and academic content taught in a school or in a specific course or program. In dictionaries, curriculum is often defined as the courses offered by a school, but it is rarely used in such a general sense in schools. Depending on how broadly educators define or employ the term, curriculum typically refers to the knowledge and skills students are expected to learn, which includes the learning standards or learning objectives they are expected to meet; the units and lessons that teachers teach; the assignments and projects given to students; the books, materials, videos, presentations, and readings used in a course; and the tests, assessments, and other methods used to evaluate student learning. An individual teacher’s curriculum, for example, would be the specific learning standards, lessons, assignments, and materials used to organize and teach a particular course.” (https://www.edglossary.org/curriculum/ )

At the state level, the New York State Education Department (NYSED) has the responsibility to create standards that reflect what students should know as a result of instruction delivered by trained educators (http://www.nysed.gov/curriculum-instruction). Teachers in New York State have curricula they must follow in order to meet standards that are passed into law and adopted by the NYSED. NYSED has adopted curricular support for educators by making resources available to assist local school districts in developing and implementing local curricula.