The process of building or developing a high-quality curriculum must take into consideration several key factors:

1. the mission of the school;
2. the needs and nature of the students who will be learning;
3. statements of what students need to know, understand, and be able to do as reflected in standards recommended by national groups such as the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, National Science Teachers Association, International Reading Association, National Council of Teachers of English, and the National Council for the Social Studies; and,
4. best practices in curriculum development and organization.

In designing the curriculum for Saint Patrick Catholic School, the mission of the school and the document, "Characteristics and Abilities of the Saint Patrick Catholic School Student Upon Graduation," were studied and considered in light of the recommendations of the above-named groups, as well as others, in order to determine goodness-of-fit.

Curriculum documents used successfully in public, independent, and parochial schools at the local, state, and national levels were reviewed to gain a perspective on the range and consistency of content and skills identified at specific grade-levels as well as within discipline areas (history/social sciences, mathematics, science, reading/literature, etc.) Exemplary curriculum, especially that developed by the Center for Gifted Education at the College of William & Mary in the areas of reading/language arts, social studies, and science, provided insight into the kinds of units that would enhance student opportunities to develop lifelong learning skills and a love and appreciation for the connectedness of learning. Additionally, the content and skills addressed in the Educational Records Bureau Achievement Tests were reviewed to determine degree of correlation with the proposed/draft curriculum in the areas of reading and mathematics content, skills, and reasoning.

Any curriculum developed is, by its very nature, a "work in progress" that will improve as teachers implement it and make suggestions for revisions, as well as students engage in the learning experiences derived from it. The curriculum will be reviewed and monitored regularly for quality, effectiveness and relevance.

One exciting feature in the curriculum documents used at Saint Patrick will be the inclusion of resources to extend and enrich the curriculum at each grade level, recognizing that students learn differently, learn at different paces, have different interests and may need different resources.