EDITORIAL: Standards Aid in Restructuring for Student Success
Anne Lee
Historically, our educational system reflects the needs of society. However, today we find ourselves trapped in
a system that was designed to meet the needs of a postwar era. Educational success for today’s students means more
than academic excellence. Employers tell us that they need people who can apply knowledge, solve unusual problems,
and work in teams. So what will this new system look like? How do we organize for student success? What are we
doing right and what needs to be changed?
Since the 1980’s a series of reports have told us that American schools are in need of reform. A Nation at Risk
is one of the best known of these. It recommends changes in areas including content, and standards and expectations
for students. In 1996 with the release of results from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS),
educators were once again challenged to raise standards and continue school reform so that American students can
be competitive in the 21st century.
While there is no one solution that ensures success for all students there is increasing support for a new paradigm
that includes the following perspectives:
- educational success is not about teaching but about student learning;
- success cannot be measured by grade point average alone; and
- students must meet an agreed upon set of standards that equip them to function in our society.
This new paradigm includes standards as the foundation of authentic student learning and success. Simply put, standards
are clear expectations of what all students should know and be able to do. Standards are the “drivers” of the system.
We need to start with what a student needs to know and be able to do (the standard) and build from there. Assessment
is a partner to standards and should be developed before course content. Deciding how you are going to know if
a student has met the standard and what performance indicators to use, ensures the system’s accountability.
Implementing a standards-based curriculum will result in radical changes in our educational system and many traditional
ways of operating will need to be altered. This is a process that takes time, and should not be done in isolation.
The involvement of key stakeholders is critical in planning and implementing this system. Students, parents, teachers,
administrators, community members and business people, and policy makers all need to be included in the process.
There is a role for everyone in the system, and it works well only when everyone is involved.
Standards are the focal point around which schools can organize for student success and can help move schools toward
an agreed upon vision for the future. (See page 3 for a list of resources to assist in developing a standards-based
system.)
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