The primary purpose of this study was to determine the fit between program elements described in curriculum texts that are used to identify program designs and those elements of a program used in classroom settings to teach or implement a program. A secondary purpose was to identify and describe qualitative research techniques that are usable to analyze, classify and assess program or curriculum designs. Ten graduate students (all educational practitioners) provided the researcher a written report that included the data used for this study. The students identified and selected a scholastic program for investigation and spent approximately one month studying the program of their choice. Programs were classified into one of five designs or program configurations: (1) the specified competency design; (2) the discipline/subject matter design; (3) the social activities and problem design; (4) the process skills design; and (5) the individual needs and interest design. Students also identified the curriculum elements they used to characterize that program. The researcher established the accuracy of students' curriculum classification and discussed and critiqued the written reports. Results show that different programs can be accurately analyzed and assessed by educational practitioners. (LMO)