More on Standards
Types of Standards
Content standards and performance standards are two types
of standards commonly referred to when discussing academic
standards.
Content standards are statements
about what students should know and be able to do, what they
might be asked to do to give evidence of learning, and how
well they should be expected to know or do it. Content
standards are important because they:
- set high levels of learning and performance for all
students.
- serve as a basis for assessment across the curriculum.
- focus on what is important in each curriculum area.
Performance standards measure
how well a student's work meets the content standard. They
usually include varying levels of proficiency and frequently
examples of student work are provided for each level or a
rubric describing what student work must consist of to get
a certain score.
The DoDEA Curriculum Content Standards:
- Delineate
what matters - define the importance of skill,
knowledge and performance in key content areas.
- Provide clarity and a fixed point
of reference for students and teachers:
- provide a set of clear and rigorous
expectations for all students.
- provide
clarity to teachers on what content and skills to
teach at each grade-level.
- provides a common set of expectations
and helps educators identify and measure what students
know and can do.
- Guide instruction so that
it is focused on student learning - Standards
serve as a basis for instructional planning that ensures
all teachers first consider what they want students to
know and be able to do as a result of their instruction.
- Provide
a common language to have conversations with students,
parents, colleagues -
In order for teachers, students, parents and administrators
to clearly communicate about student performance, there
needs to be a common language by which to engage in conversations
about performance. Standards provide the basis for this
common language.
- Help ensure
equal educational opportunities - provide
a level of consistency to the educational experiences
provided in all schools and districts within DoDEA.
- Assist in
identifying struggling students - students
who are struggling can be identified early and provided
with the targeted assistance that they need to become
successful.
Why are standards necessary?
- Standards serve as rigorous goals for teaching and learning.
- Setting high standards enables students, parents, educators,
and citizens to know what students should have learned
at a given point in time.
- The absence of standards has consequences similar to
lack of goals in any pursuit. Without clear goals, students
may be unmotivated and confused.
- Contemporary society is placing immense academic demands
on students. Clear statements about what students must
know and be able to do are essential to ensure that our
schools offer students the opportunity to acquire the
knowledge and skills necessary for success.
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