Discussion Post #1 Claim: Why is a Standards-based education problematic?
Evidence: Evidence can be found in the textbook titled Teaching Today: An Introduction to Education, Edition Nine.
• The textbook defines a Standards-based education as “an attempt to develop clear, measurable descriptions of what learners should know and be able to do as a result of their education” (Armstrong, et al., 20).
• Elliot Eisner, an education specialist, states that one of the goals of a standards based education is to hold schools accountable (Armstrong, et al., 20). He also suggests that proponents of Standards-based education “Inappropriately view schooling as something like a horse race or an educational Olympics” (Armstrong, et al., 21). This type of curriculum emphasizes competition rather than focusing on the individual student’s unique talents and abilities.
• C. Thomas Holmes also opposes standards-based education, claiming “Standardized test results should be used for identifying areas in curriculum that need improvement, not for holding students accountable” (Armstrong, et al., 21).
Evidence: The Teaching Today, Edition Nine textbook briefly outlines three major proponents of a standards-based education.
• The Shift of Local Control: Traditionally, decisions about schools have been made at a local community level (Armstrong, et al., 21). With a Standards-based education, the local needs are overlooked and decisions are made on a national level. Some argue that this is an
Standardized testing has become the main component in determining a student’s capability. A test should not determine if the student has a mind that is above average. In the article titled “Standardized Testing: Undermining Equity in Education”, it states, “Qualities such as a student’s sense of citizenship, ethics, confidence/self-esteem,...respect for others, self-discipline,...are not seen in standardized tests.” Every student is unique and has
The third standard is, teachers understand and use varied assessments to inform instruction, evaluate and ensure student learning. To apply this standard in my practice I will have to try give the students assessments to see if they understand the content that they are required to know. To demonstrate that I am adhering this standard, I will have to make sure that I create an assessment that I can use to test the students and to see if I am teaching them the way they need to be
Today, many states and schools systems are adopting a standards based education system. In fact, according to Common Core Standards Initiative (2014), forty-three states, the District of Columbia, four territories, and the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) have adopted the Common Core State Standards. The premise is that if all critical subject areas follow a standard from state to state, that all students will receive the same and fair education. The Vermont State Board of Education saw a need and a value in implementing such a system. As such, the Board created a strategic plan to implement a framework of standards that would eventually adopt the common core standards. This paper will discuss the strategic plan created by the Vermont Board of Education and evaluate whether or not the goals of the plan were met through the Framework of Standards.
Education in the United States is in an abysmal state. It continues to spiral downward as students and educators fail to meet standards. The standards are then altered on a patchwork basis throughout the states. The goal is no longer to have a high standard educational system. The goal now is to maintain the status quo, allowing students and educators to strive for the minimum. There is no common approach to achieve success. Incipit Tragoedia, in comes the Common Core, agreed upon by educators, politicians, and
This article is about how using standards and assessments do not fully measure the educational quality of the students. It also suggests that the standardized assessments promise something that is not possible with all students. It is important to keep the standardized assessments simple and not go to deep into each subject.
From the word ‘core’ reveals that the Common Core State Standards has higher chances of success than other educational initiative where other improvement determinations have failed. The standards characterise one of the most promising developments in the struggles made to improve a nation’s transformation. The Common Core State Standards are not intended to replace any other standards that might be considered as weak or strong. Rather, they seek to reinforce all other standards in use by enhancing an integrated model of literacy in stating the details of content required for students in terms of grade (Drake, 2012).
Many people in the United States are concerned with the role that standardized testing has on education. Most of them have very strong views on this subject and as it usually happens with large-scale issues these views are very diverse and often opposite. Some claim that standardized testing is the best way to determine student’s skills and qualities because they are equally designed for everyone and not biased. Others, on the other hand, argue the fairness of these tests. They believe that test scores do not represent student’s knowledge. What is certain, in my opinion, is that this subject needs more attention followed by actions that will actually make difference in the education system.
What is the purpose of the standards and how do they impact that educational community?
The Common Core Standards engage a standards-based education. The standards guide teachers to prepare students for what they are expected to learn to succeed in life. It is essential that teachers understand the expectations and implications of the standards, so teachers can help students achieve educational goals by designing specific educational plans that align with the core standards. Furthermore, tailoring the curriculum will help to build relevant skills students are argued to integrate in college and their future careers.
Summary In One Size Fits Few: The Folly of Educational Standards, the author Susan Ohanian closely studies the establishments and effects of standards-based classrooms in the U.S. Each year educators experience the joys and frustrations of using standards and standardized assessments as the primary means of monitoring student achievement. Many educators believe classroom standards are beautiful, but should it be the driving force of the school? Susan Ohanian provides readers with a personal perspective on the major impact educator officials have placed on teacher and students with the use of standards.
Even with this law, there is still a vast difference in the quality of the many different state standards. The educational standards were meant to set goals for teaching and learning. Standards include a set of competencies and the level of educational achievement that demonstrates when the child should gain appropriate knowledge. They include an extensive list of skills and sub-skills that coincides with the appropriate grade level.
There are many articles on how standardized tests do not accurately measure the quality of a student’s education. The majority of them summarize the pressure put of teachers to teach standardized tests, rather than to teach material that would correlate with and help students to understand the material on standardized tests.
Welner (2014) states that “standardized assessments are linked to curriculum standards and performance standards and tied to specified consequences” (p. 39). Welner discuses that the standard-based testing in American schools are a mess and need to be untangled because of the consequences of underperformance. Schools are defunded, teachers and principals are laid off, and schools are marked as ‘failing’. There needs to be a reform in schools that need academic improvement and the way to figure out which schools need development is by testing the students. Jones & King and McLaughlin & Overturf provide different feedback on standard-based testing. According to McLaughlin & Overturf (2012), “Using formative assessments is not only an effective way to monitor student progress, but also a viable way to glean information for planning future instructions” (p.157). In order for teachers to know if their lessons are effective or not, teachers give standard-based tests and assessments to their students. Without tests, student progress cannot be tracked in a concise manner. Jones & King (2012) agree that by building new assessments and curricula, American schools are redefining success (p.37). That success can also come at a price when dealing with more rigorous standards that are new to the
In this day and age-standardized tests have become the sole way of testing kids, and it's affecting our educational system and schools. As stated by Education Week, an American education news site, every state requires some sort of standardized test that students must take. Our nation is no longer just looking at how kids learn and grow to see if they are achieving. They are measuring this achievement or competency through a test. Additionally, according to the Washington Post,”The average student in America’s big-city public schools takes some 112 mandatory standardized tests between pre-kindergarten and the end of 12th grade” (Valerie Strauss). As important as standardized tests have become, the question begs again, “Which school provides students with the skills needed to learn and perform on these tests”. While both year-round and public schools benefit its students, year-round schools focus on student retention, while public schools focus more on standardized tests.
To begin with standardized testing creates several critical problems for students and for the education industry. These tests are created to test over particular things. In the end these types of tests are only limited in the amount of knowledge that can be tested toward students. For example, “Standardized exams offer few opportunities to display the attributes of high-order thinking, such as analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and creativity.” (“Standardized Testing Has Serious Limitations”). Even though these tests are able to attack certain subjects at the core, they still leave out very valuable and critical information that all students should know. In