Standards

SAS Ch 3

Standards: Why are they necessary?

p Mars mission (metric, English)

p Computers (Mac, Windows)

p 2000 presidential election

p Everyday life requires standards

n Cooking

n Traveling

n Money

n Etc.

Standards must be supported

p American competitiveness

n Falling behind the rest of the world

n High test scores ≠ economic productivity

p Gap in achievement levels

n High & middle income vs. low income

n Title I – all held to high standard

n Same standard, not the same school support

p Larger goal, more who function and succeed in Information Age

p Low socio-economic areas not meeting standard

p During 1990’s gap widened

Benefits of Standards

p Tchr, more attention to clear expectation for ALL students

p Basic concepts and key learnings

p Involve tchr, admin, parents in developing = ownership

p Reflect shared norms and knowledge

p Break down tchr isolation, collaboration

p Provide a consistent language

p Starting point for curriculum compacting

p Guidelines for curriculum and teaching

p Highlight student performance – point to ways to improve instruction

p Give message – ALL need…

p Change focus from quantity to quality and results

p Encourage professional development

Possible Problems

p Number = “drill and kill”–just the facts

p Tests may drive curriculum “Test prep”

p Create lots of paper work

p All should know is difficult task (change)

p Depth & critical thinking get lost

p Some already met, must wait

p Some stand. Unrealistic, perceived to keep students from passing/grad.

p Don’t meet = dropout

p Can’t explore interesting topics – teachable moment

p Encourage rote memorization

p Some may think all at the same starting point in a grade

p Students are not Standardized! ESL

Standards & Curriculum

p Standards-based curriculum

n Define challenging studies

n Minimum level of achievement

p Help when different teachers different coverage

p Contradictory theories

n Give as much knowledge as possible

n Few major ideas in depth

n Teach process rather than content

Don’t use standards to:

p Prescribe the curriculum

p Make the curriculum a list of skills to be covered

p Pace the curriculum so that every standard is covered for every student with no thought to differentiation

p Ignore learning needs of students who have met the standards

Types of standards

p National

n Organizations

n Some general, some specific

n Guideposts for all educators

p State

n Tied to statewide stand. Test

n Used to align curriculum and instruction

p Content

n Describe skills & abilities

n Goals for individual students

n Expected knowledge & understandings

n Often measured by tests

p Performance

n Use and application, higher thinking

n Action and problem solving oriented

n Often measured by rubrics

Benchmarks

p Guideposts that identify realistic expectations

p Most students

p Age and/or grade level

p Assessment of document

p Specific information and skills

p Performance activities

Standards and Assessment

p Who should assess?

n Standardized test?

n Classroom teachers?

p Document standards – accountability

p Not always a test – other ways?

p Must ensure

n Standards are appropriate

n Valid, relevant, fair, unbiased assess.

n Implementation is reasonable

Mandatory standards

p Make lazy teachers/students perform

p Lack of student motivation

p Low performing schools

n Teachers drill students on standards

n Teach to the standards (or to the test)

n Practice test taking skills

n Little or no homework or in-depth study because students won’t do it

p High performing schools

n Pile on the homework

n Teach difficult subjects in early grades

n Get into the best colleges

p Motivation is more than MUST pass

p Use standards as mile markers passed not as punishment for not making it

Standards & creative teaching

p Opposed?

p Learning facts is not bad or uncreative

p Standards = minimum become = maximum

n Those who met must repeat

n Let those who met work on problem solving, depth topics

Standardized Tests

p Why the emphasis?

n Accountability

p High stakes?

n Look bad, job security?

n Improve 5 pts when above average?

p Diagnostic tool

n Defines strengths and weaknesses

n Growth over time

Uses of Stand. Tests

p U.S. most tested students

p Used to sort, select, rank, determine quality of student, teacher, school

p Grade placement, special needs

p Graduation, college admissions

p Scholarships, graduate school

Actual best uses

n Diagnostic tool

n Data for setting educational goals

n Guide planning for improvement

n Variety of ways of assessing student performance

n Evaluate programs, curriculum and instruction

n Compare and rank schools and students

n Determine eligibility for funding

Better test takers

p Practice test

p Explain format

p Classroom similar

p Teach the content

p Process of elimination

p Relaxation exercises

p Easier first

p Timed activities

p Key words and phrases

p Teach logical & problem solving thinking

Taught and Test

p Curriculum aligned with test

n Ok – if don’t teach to the test

p Aligned can:

n Pace instruction

n Content coverage

n Provide a sampling of instruction

p Curriculum then test

p Test then curriculum (Ark.)

Teaching the test?

p Limit curriculum

p Minimum

p Content not tested not taught

n Some subject areas (Sci. & Soc. Sci.)

p Overlook individual

p Stressful environment

p Reduce creativity

Benefits

n Draws attention to state standards

n Focus schools on improving literacy and numeration

n Curriculum to best meet needs of std.

n Give students a more global perspective

n Standardize what is taught when

n Clarify what expected to learn

n Emphasizes basic proficiency level

n Show mastery of specific skills

n Makes students accountable for content taught

n Diagnose individual strengths and weaknesses

n Patterns of strengths and weakness in a classroom, school, or district

n Unbiased comparison over time

n Can be encouraging to improvers

n Motivate to achieve, good work ethics

n Higher expectation by stud. & tchr.

n Lead to more support for low-performing

n Learn important skills

n If H.O. thinking encourage tchrs to teach H.O. thinking.

Harmful aspects

n Emphasis on test = choppy curriculum

n Limited time for hands-on, projects

n In-depth, extension, enrichment lost

n Don’t promote creativity and critical thinking

n Less likely to use student interests

n Students less likely to discover own strengths & develop them

n Set time frame – no individualization

n Time used for review & practice

n Not good test takers, test anxiety

n Don’t look at the whole child

n Test doesn’t match instruction

n Become “one right answer”, not real

n Don’t think globally, big picture

n Unfair comparisons

n Ethnic bias

n Test doesn’t create change

n Mimic test items cause boring and lower level curriculum

n Not all students present or take certain course

n Tests are not school which should be:

p Challenging and motivating

p Privilege and a joy