What is "Scope and Sequence"?

What is "scope and sequence"? This is a term used by professional educators to describe the curriculum of a school. The "scope" is what the curriculum will cover and the "sequence" is how or in what order it will be covered.

In the state of North Carolina (and other states), parents are responsible for the "scope and sequence" of their own homeschool. They must plan the curriculum for the school year for each individual child on their grade level. However, these parents do not have to "teach" each subject. They can hire out "mentors" or other educators, such as tutors. Parents are responsible for the job these mentors, tutors or other educators are doing and for making sure it fulfills their own homeschooling "scope and sequence".

In a public school setting, designing the scope and sequence of the curriculum would be the responsibility of many educators, usually the board of education, principal, vice principal, and occasionally the classroom teacher is involved. In addition, changes in curriculum might be made for different classrooms and different students within that classroom.

Designing a homeschool "scope and sequence" can feel like a big responsibility for homeschool parents from any educational background. This is why I often call homeschool parents the "principal" of their homeschool. You are designing and implementing your own school.

Don't be too overwhelmed by curriculum planning! We can help you check your own "scope and sequence" and make a short-term and long-term plan for completing all subjects and grades. Additionally, for any subjects your students are behind in, we can make recommendations to make up for lost time in school. Make an appointment today!