Resources that are recommended by an Adventist Union or Conference education
comittee are directly approved as CIRCLE database entries, noting the classification
or recommendation. All other submissions by educators online or entries by CIRCLE
staff are reviewed using the following guidelines.
CIRCLE's vision is to connect Adventist educators with quality curriculum and
instruction resources of any type: printed, media, internet, or other. While
resources such as lesson/unit plans, course outlines and handbooks may be in
printed form, many are also available online. In such cases, both sets of
screening criteria would apply.
Sub-topics:
Online resources include any website that gives information about or provides (free or at a fee) educational products or services, programs, institutions, and/or professional associations. These questions are asked in evaluating online resources:
- Does it uphold Adventist philosophy of education?
- How reliable/accurate is the information at this site, from a Christian world-view?
- Is this a comprehensive source, with links to further quality resources on this topic?
- How valuable will the site be to Adventist teachers? administrators? School Board members? students? parents?
- Is the site content attractively organized, easy to use, and current?
All internet links in the CIRCLE database are checked monthly. When
deadlinks are checked, every one is investigated and the resource is
re-evaluated, ensuring that as websites change, the content is reviewed
again, and deleted if it no longer meets these criteria.
While the following criteria are primarily designed to evaluate curriculum guides, texts and supplements, handbooks and manuals, they also provide guidelines for screening the following instructional tools: tests/assessments, journals, research reports, lesson or unit plans, lecture notes or presentations, course outlines, handbooks/manuals, administrative forms, trade books, visual aids (pictures, charts, maps), multimedia (CDs, videos) and computer software.
Content; Appropriateness
- Upholds Adventist philosophy of education
- Unbiased (geographic, gender, cultural)
- Researched, field tested where appropriate
- Accurate information, well referenced
Learner Support; Developmental Appropriateness
- Vocabulary/reading level aligned with target level
- Format and concepts appropriate/attractive to target level
- Individual and group needs addressed
Educator Support
- Alignment to Adventist curriculum where appropriate
- Feedback from Adventist educators considered
- Organization, ease of use
- Includes options for adapting to learning styles, individuals/groups, multiple intelligences
- Assessment options facilitate creative teaching
Once approved, the following details are researched and entered:
- appropriate level - grade, higher education or adult/lifelong as applicable
- language - English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese are cmost frequently entered; more languages are added as Christian educators build collections in their language in CIRCLE, and teachers volunteer or are regionally supported to process resources in additional languages
- origin - is this developed by Adventist, Christian or other/secular individuals or entities?
- audience - suitable for teachers, administrators, school board members, students and/or parents or other learners in informal or professional training
- author - or editor, if available
- publisher - with order information for published resources, and as a credibility reference
- resource type - as noted in online and other resources above
A resource that seems inappropriate for one education level may have been selected for its suitability to another. Use the powerful
CIRCLE filters to focus on your specific grade level or area of interest.
Website content and format can change after a site has been evaluated, to the extent that it no longer meets our criteria. While every effort is made to keep the database current and upholding Adventist principles of education, if you find any material that concerns you, feel free to
contact us.
