Standards and Assessments

Internet Resources The Goals 2000: Educate America Act supports states and communities in their efforts to improve academic achievement by raising academic standards for all students -- standards that will define what students should know and be able to accomplish as they move through school and graduate into a modern global economy.

Research and experience indicate that when teachers, parents, and other influential adults expect all students to reach high standards, children will learn more and perform at higher levels. Standards discussions typically consider two broad concepts -- content standards, which determine what students should learn and teachers should teach, and performance standards, which determine how students are tested on content. The U.S. Department of Education, other federal agencies, and foundations have made grants to major professional and scholarly organizations to develop model standards in different subjects. National standards are voluntary, not mandatory; states and local communities can modify the national plans or develop their own plans for use in the classroom. In addition to academic standards, the Departments of Education and Labor have determined a need to establish skill standards, to better help secondary education provide students with technical skills and knowledge in order to succeed in various carreers in a global economy. National certification of teachers is also voluntary and will signify highly accomplished teaching based on a specific set of professional teaching standards developed by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. For More Information: Standards, Assessment and Accountablity offers a resource for schools, states and districts from the perspective of the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education Achieve is a resource for governors, business leaders, others seeking to improve student achievement and raise the level of educational standards. Its web site includes annual reports, information on benchmarking and other initiatives, and a national clearinghouse database for researching academic standards. American Association of School Administrators: Current Issues in Assessment and Standards A frequently updated listing of on-line articles on the latest trends in assessment and national standards. Teaching and Learning, Standards and Assessment -- part of the "Ten Elements" for building a local action plan, according to the U.S. Department of Education booklet, An Invitation to Your Community, this chapter specifically addresses local and state standards issues in school improvement. Standards: What Are They? -- from the series Improving America's Schools: A Newsletter on Issues in School Reform, this newsletter is intended to help school, district, and state leaders explore key topics in educational standards. Developing Educational Standards -- An annotated list of Internet sites with K-12 educational standards and curriculum frameworks documents -- including sites that are both supportive of and critical towards standards -- from the Putnam Valley Schools, Putnam Valley, NY. This guide looks at some aspects of standards and assessment, weaving throughout the broader themes of policy, practice, and research: Content Standards Performance Standards Teaching Standards Assessment Additional Resources Regional Resources These links have been compiled as a "starting point" for exploring the vast resources available through the Internet. Inclusion in this guide does not represent an endorsement by the Region 3 Comprehensive Center.

CONTENT STANDARDS

Content standards specify what students should know and be able to do -- what knowledge and skills should be taught and learned in school. Nearly every major subject-matter association is engaged in the process of defining standards; however, with no consensus across groups as to what form "standards" should take or how they should be used, the character, scope, and level of detail provided in standards often vary significantly from one subject area to another. Developing Content Standards: Creating a Process for Change -- This policy brief from the Consortium for Policy Research in Education outlines lessons suggested by past and current efforts to develop standards, drawing on state and national studies. The Council for Basic Education -- CBE's mission is to strengthen teaching and learning of the basic subjects, English, history, government, geography, mathematics, the sciences, foreign languages, and the arts, in order to develop the capacity for life long learning and foster responsible citizenship. State Curriculum Frameworks and Contents Standards -- offered by the U.S. Department of Education, this book of abstracts was compiled as a resource for states and local school districts. Subjects: A number of professional associations and subject matter groups have begun developing voluntary national standards: Arts -- ARTSEDGE (sponsored by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts) presents arts standards, information on state projects to develop arts standards, and other information. English/Language Arts -- the National Council of Teachers of English has information on the English language arts standards co-authored with the International Reading Association. English as a Foreign Language -- The Center for Applied Linguistics, together with the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, have developed a set of ESL Standards. Foreign Languages -- the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages has information on their Standards for Foreign Language Learning: Preparing for the 21st Century. History -- the National Center for History in the Schools at UCLA website presents both the history standards, which have sparked some debate, and materials about the debate itself. Mathematics -- the math standards which the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics has drafted are maintained on the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse (ENC) for Mathematics and Science Education website. Science -- the National Academy of Sciences website has a link to their science standards. Additional material on specific subject standards can be accessed at the Putnam Valley Developing Educational Standards site. Subject content materials that are specific to each state can be found under "Regional Resources," below. back to the top

PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

Performance standards gauge the degree to which students meet content standards; determining performance standards sits in the process between agreeing on content and determining the kinds of assessment that test students' achievement of content standards. In focusing on performance, standards translate visions of improvement into specific parameters for outcomes -- expected outcomes encourage students to strive for higher levels of achievement and provide a benchmark for measuring the success of reform efforts. A number of elements must be considered in setting performance standards: what qualifies as evidence that a standard is met, the means of assessing performance, and distinctions among proficiency levels. Meeting Goal 3: How Well Are We Doing? -- a report from the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, examining the achievement of 17-year-olds and 9-year-olds in math, reading, and science, and recommending steps that parents and schools can take to improve that performance. What Do Student Grades Mean? Differences Across Schools -- a report from the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, examining what student grades indicate about achievement, using data collected about public school students in the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988. back to the top

TEACHING STANDARDS

Education reform calls for teaching standards and a professional body of certified teachers capable of improving teaching and learning. The Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium -- INTASC (a project of the Council of Chief State School Officers) is a consortium of state education agencies, higher education institutions, and national educational organizations dedicated to the reform of the education, licensing, and on-going professional development of teachers. The site has information on the Council and its standards for teachers and school leaders. National Board for Professional Teaching Standards -- works to strengthen the teaching profession and to improve student learning in America's schools. NBPTS is establishing standards for what teachers should know and be able to do, and is developing a new system of advanced, voluntary certification for teachers. National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education -- is the professional accrediting organization for schools, colleges, and departments of education in the United States. The site contains information about NCATE, its different projects, and teacher accrediting. National Commission for Teaching and America's Future -- one of the Commission's goals is to develop a comprehensive blueprint for recruiting, preparing, and supporting a teaching force that can meet 21st-century standards of high educational performance; the site has a policy information center in addition to general information on programs. ERIC Clearinghouse on Teaching and Teacher Education -- this site has information on the Clearinghouse's monographs, bibliographies, and papers, as well as links to full-text digests and info-cards on teaching and teacher education. back to the top

ASSESSMENT

Many educators and policymakers believe that what gets assessed is what gets taught; thus the format of assessment influences the format of instruction. Educational reform efforts have moved large scale assessments away from traditional multiple choice tests to performance assessments that require students to construct an answer demonstrating their skills and knowledge. Teachers can use performance assessment to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of what students know and are able to do. The techniques of assessment vary from writing extended essays to performing mathematical computations; their goal is to measure what is taught in the curriculum. Practical Assessment, Research and Evaluation (PARE). A new on-line journal from the ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation and the Department of Measurement, Statistics, and Evaluation at the University of Maryland, College Park. Provides access to refereed articles on assessment, research, evaluation, and teaching practice, especially at the local education agency (LEA) level. Assessment -- a collection of Critical Issues pathways from North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. A Guide to Performance Assessment for Linguistically Diverse Students -- a handbook on issues relating to assessment practices -- particularly performance assessment -- and linguistically diverse students. ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation -- The ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation links to ERIC Digests and to full-text articles that relate to educational assessment, evaluation, and research (including Assessment and Voluntary National Tests). It also has numerous links to other related Internet sites (organizations, associations, etc.). Creating Better Student Assessments -- from the series Improving America's Schools: A Newsletter on Issues in School Reform, this newsletter is intended to help school, district, and state leaders explore key topics in student assessment. Designing a Sustainable Standards-Based Assessment System -- an article from the Mid-continent Regional Educational Laboratory (McREL) which describes each of the organizational elements of a sustained standards-based assessment system and addresses the ways in which these elements influence its design. National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) -- the NAGB was established by Congress in 1988 to set policy for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP); this web site provides information about both NAGB and NAEP and related publications and information. The National Council on Measurement in Education -- NCME is a professional organization committed to the continual improvement of testing and measurement practices in education. This website contains information about the organization and general announcements. Performance and Portfolio Assessment for Language Minority Students -- a publication from the National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education, describing performance assessment procedures and a portfolio assessment framework for monitoring the language development of language minority students in the upper elementary and middle grades. back to the top

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Websites Voluntary National Tests: 4th Grade Reading - 8th Grade Mathematics -- the U.S. Department of Education's explanations of the Voluntary National Tests, including their rationale, testimonies, contracts information, content frameworks, public meetings announcements, and full-text reports. Sites Offering Academic and Skill Standards -- a U.S. Department of Education listing of other sites with materials on academic and skill standards. Research Skill Standards Resources -- a bibliography from the U.S. Department of Education on skills standards and assessment. The Fall and Rise of Standards-Based Education -- A National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) Issues in Brief. Education Week on the Web -- maintains an archive of articles pertaining to standards and assessment. From the home page, select "The Archives," and then search using the term "standards" or "assessment." Organizations American Federation of Teachers -- this site offers position papers on standards, a state-by-state progress report on setting standards, excerpts from exams taken by students in other countries, and more. Council of Chief State School Officers -- CCSSO represents and works on behalf of the public officials who lead state education agencies. The site contains policy statements, links to state education agencies, and special programs, as well as information specifically on teaching and content standards. Council of Great City Schools -- CGCS represents the nation's largest urban public school systems. Online information reports the activities of the Council's 49 member districts. Links lead to CGCS's newsletters, press releases, council reports, and more. Mid-continent Regional Educational Laboratory -- McREL is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of education for all students. The site has a section of standards-related documents, in addition to links to other standards-related sources on the internet. National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing -- funded by the U.S. Department of Education, CRESST conducts research on important topics related to K-12 educational testing. NCES/National Assessment of Educational Progress -- education assessment staff creates, designs, develops, implements and reports on the National Assessment of Educational Progress at the national level and coordinates assessment and related data collection activities with the states. The staff also conducts a variety of other related education assessment studies. National Institute on Student Achievement, Curriculum, and Assessment -- one of five Institutes created by the Educational Research, Development, Dissemination, and Improvement Act of 1994. Located within the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) at the U.S. Department of Education, the Institute's purpose is to research core content areas, curriculum framework development, and assessment development. The website has information on standards, grants, and research centers. New Standards Project -- the New Standards Project is a voluntary association of states and school districts committed to school restructuring through establishing high standards for all students; the site is currently under construction. back to the top

REGIONAL RESOURCES

Delaware: New Directions -- Content Standards from the Delaware Department of Public Instruction, containing introductory material and standards and framework documents in English/language arts, math, science, and social studies. Curriculum Consumers Information Service -- in conjunction with educators across Delware, CCIS is cataloging curriculum to Delaware's standards to provide teachers with materials which effectively address Delaware's standards and its vision of reform. The Center is producing, collecting, adapting, cataloging and disseminating standards-based instructional materials for K-12 classroom teachers. Maryland: Final Report: Perceived Effects of the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program -- a technical report in PDF format from CRESST. Maryland School Performance Report --The Maryland School Performance Program requires collection of data on an annual basis to provide accountability on the state, school system, and school levels. The analysis and interpretation of these data provide the basis for school improvement efforts and consequences on each level. New Jersey: Core Curriculum Standards -- availble as an HTML document as well as in PDF format. New Jersey Mathematics Standards and Curriculum Framework -- available, with additional information, on the New Jersey Mathematics Coalition site. Ohio: Standards for Ohio Schools -- a large document containing proposed standards for Ohio. Discussion Guide to the Standards for Ohio Schools -- a document in PDF format, summarizing the mission and goal of the Ohio standards. Guide for Standards for Ohio Schools -- a brief discussion of the principles and status of the Ohio standards. . Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Academic Standards -- contains a discussion of the backgrounds behind the standards, as well as the reading, writing, and mathematic standards in PDF format. Pennsylvania System of School Assessment Handbooks--guides to state assessments in art, science, technology, mathematics, reading and writing. back to the top