An archived stack of papers: 'content-standards'

The National Standards

In a stack of papers called Reform.

  • Mar
  • 15
  • 2010

The Common Core State Standards Initiative released draft K-12 standards, open for feedback until Friday, April 2, 2010. While you may have your concerns about the notion of moving to national standards, focus on the standards you’ve been given in your feedback. Probably nothing... read more

Can I Get An Interpreter?

In a stack of papers called Instruction.

  • Apr
  • 12
  • 2008

Instead of watching cooking and home improvement shows on PBS, I’m off to the district office. Several other department chairs and I will be working together until early afternoon. We’re creating curriculum maps, laying out all the standards that need to be covered at each grade period in English 1 and 2. I’m sure I’ll be the first to ask what skills those standards translate to... read more

Wasting Time

In a stack of papers called Instruction.

  • Mar
  • 03
  • 2007

I hate wasting time. As with most jobs, there are countless things teachers do every day. There’s a lot to keep track of, progress to make, skills to address, mastery to assess. So when I have to do something that wastes my time, I get angry.

Standards To Students?

One such thing is posting the standards that we are covering each day. This is not something I do, but other teachers... read more

Interpretive Standards

In a stack of papers called Testing.

  • Feb
  • 08
  • 2007

If standards are there to improve the level of education delivered and to act as a kind of teacher report card once we measure student ability to perform those standards, those standards better be exact and not open to interpretation. Good for objective classes, terrible for subjective ones.

Writing Strategies, standard 1.9 says

Revise text to highlight the individual voice,... read more

Trouble With Standards: Part 3

In a stack of papers called Legislation.

  • Jan
  • 22
  • 2007

Here’s the big one, the trouble with English standards, along with a couple of things to consider in making standards better. We need to improve the quality of public education, but we didn’t finish that fight by creating standards and more testing. Keep pushing things forward, please. Most content standards in my state were adopted in 1998. What about in your state? How old are your content... read more

Trouble With Standards: Part 2

In a stack of papers called Legislation.

  • Jan
  • 21
  • 2007

Environment makes a difference in student education and standards don’t take that into account. That’s a perpetuation of the have-and-the-have-not society, yet I believe that’s exactly what education should combat. Also, standards assess students, not teaching. Standards look at the product, not the process. Education is a human system and cannot be treated as if it were merely cogs... read more

Trouble With Standards: Part 1

In a stack of papers called Legislation.

  • Jan
  • 20
  • 2007

Content standards are the road to hell paved with good intentions. I understand why they are there, but they are an accessory to the crime of poor education inflicted on our students. The way they are currently employed, they are part of the problem, not part of the solution.

[Update: I’ve decided to piece this up a bit more. I hope that doesn’t interrupt your regular... read more

Why We Need Realistic Education

In a stack of papers called Reform.

  • Dec
  • 17
  • 2006

College isn’t for everyone. Going to college simply because you feel like you should is possibly one of the biggest mistakes you will make in your life.

College should be a means to an end, not an end in itself.

It’s a nice dream that no child will be left behind, all students will be ready and willing to go to college, and all citizens will be well educated and care about... read more

If Not The CAHSEE, Then What?

In a stack of papers called Testing.

  • Aug
  • 22
  • 2006

The California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) is not perfect. It lacks modifications for special education students. It fails to take into consideration the multiple ways students grow. Nor does it acknowledge the disparity in learning environments that exist across the state. The CAHSEE has problems.

But am I really to believe that it is entirely a terrible idea? Is there nothing good about the... read more

Beyond The Test

In a stack of papers called Testing.

  • Mar
  • 10
  • 2006

The public education system has a rather parochial view of things, at least in California. Think about it. Where are the people who are trying to create the next set of standards? English standards were released in 1998. As far as I know, there’s no date for revising those standards. Are their any people who are trying to improve standardized testing? Is anyone looking into ESEA (NCLB) version... read more