Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Core Curriculum Content Standards

The State Board of Education first adopted the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards in 1996. The standards describe what students should know and be able to do upon completion of a thirteen-year public education and provide local school districts with clear and specific benchmarks for student achievement in nine content areas. In my opinion, I think this is an excellent start to providing students in New Jersey with an equal education across the state. New Jersey updates the standards every five years. I think that updating the standards every five years is a great way to make sure that our students in New Jersey are able to compete academically with the ever-changing demands of the workforce and world. The 2009 standards reflect current research, exemplary practices, national and state standards, and standards from other countries. They were drafted by taskforces consisting of educators and experts recognized for their content area expertise and for demonstration of excellence as practitioners in their respective fields. I think it is extremely valuable that each content area includes standards and cumulative progress indicators that are aligned with the knowledge and skills needed for post-secondary education and the workplace. These are key contributions and indicators in making sure that not only are the standards relevant but influenced by individuals with a strong understanding of the content skills needed for life.
I have long believed that using standards to drive instruction allows teachers and students to be on the same page by specifying how teachers and students will meet their educational goals by describing specific concepts, sequence, and possible instructional materials. An example showing the value of standards driving instruction at the state level is NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards, which aim for a high and reflective level of student understanding. These standards articulate the higher levels of learning for which teachers, schools, and districts are being held accountable through measures such as the expectations for a 21st century education, state testing, and report cards. When teachers align classroom instruction and assessment with the standards, they strive to ensure that their students will meet these high demands. I believe that educators using the standards are better prepared to track student performance and focus instruction to meet the specific needs of all students.
Most research agree that standard driven instruction, describes what matters by providing clarity and a fixed point of reference for students and teachers to guide instruction that is focused on student learning. As I mentioned, NJCCCS help to ensure equal educational opportunities across the state while identifying needs of struggling students. Done well, standards can be an important tool for equity: if all kids are required to meet the standards, all schools must work to make children reach them. This provides a clear playing field so there’s not advantage for schools composed of a majority of middle class; college-bound students achieve, but also disadvantaged students too. Many professionals and experts state that standards provide a strong focus for learning, when implemented correctly. This focus helps to create a strong personalized educational plan for students. Plus, I think the standards help to focus the curriculum so that there is progressive learning across the schools and up and down the grade levels.
Demonstrating student learning is a complex task for teachers. Teachers need professional development opportunities to develop their own understanding of the content areas and their understanding of how students learn in these areas. So although standards help educators take a step towards a set of common goals, these statements do not tell teachers if the standards are effective nor does it provide guidelines for effective instruction. Appropriate professional development about standard driven instruction is necessary to support teachers’ learning, which focuses on improved student outcomes.
Standards provide a focus for reform efforts in which all students must reach a certain level. Teachers can see how well students are doing by looking at their progress towards standards. Focus is one of the greatest benefits of standards; publication is another. Looking at standards, everyone can see what schools are aiming to teach and what students must learn. What must be learned isn't a secret, kept for a small portion of the student population and hidden from the rest. Since standards provide a focus, they provide a yardstick for evaluating all aspects of schooling like:
Ø Is this a good textbook? It must provide opportunities to meet the standards.
Ø Is this a worthwhile staff development workshop? It should provide teachers with techniques for getting students to learn using the standards.
Ø Is this a good supplemental resource? It should enhance students learning to attain standard objectives.
Ø Do all resources, materials, schedule, personnel assignments help our students achieve the standards?
Have you ever asked yourself, “How can standards help students to learn better?” In an ideal world, students learn better in a standards-based environment because everybody's working towards the same goal.
Ø Teachers know what the standards are and choose classroom activities that enable students to achieve the standards.
Ø Students know the standards, too, and can see scoring guides that embody them. The students can use them to complete their work.
Ø Parents know them and can help students by seeing that their homework aligns with the standards.
Ø Administrators know what is necessary to attain the standards and apportion resources and buy materials to ensure that students are able to reach the prescribed standards. Schools communicate the standards to parents via newsletters, etc.

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