The Standards-basedEducational Systemin the United States

The Standards-basedEducational Systemin the United States

International Conference on Technology Education in the

Pacific Rim Countries, Nagoya, Japan November 3, 2011

William E. Dugger, Jr.Emeritus Professor, Virginia Tech

&Senior Fellow, International Technology and Engineering Educators Association

Outline of Presentation

1) Who is responsible for education in the U. S.?2) Importance of Standards3) Pros and Cons of Standards4) History and evolution of standards5) Standards for technological literacy6) Some current efforts impacting standards in the U. S.a) Framework for K-12 Science Standardsb) Common Core State Standardsc) National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)

7) Impact of Standards in the U. S.

• The Constitution of the United States grants the Federal Government no authority over Education, the 10th Amendment applies:

• "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

Importance of Standards in U. S.

• In a recent survey of policy makers, standards were acknowledged as the central framework guiding state education policy.*

* Massell, D. (2008) The current status and role of standards-based reform in the United States. Washington, DC: A Paper prepared for a National Research Council Workshop on Assessing the Role of K-12 Academic Standards in the States.

What is a standard?• A standard is a written statement or

statements about what is valued that can be used for making a judgment of quality.

(ITEA/ITEEA, Standards for Technological Literacy, 2000,2002,2007)

Why are Standards Important?*• Standards are guideposts for schools. Teachers,

parents and students use them as a tool to focus on what students are expected to learn in each grade and each subject.

• These standards become the basis for the way teachers are trained, what they teach and what is on state standardized tests that students take.

• For example, a first-grade math standard may state that by the end of first grade students are expected to count by 2s, 5s and 10s to 100.

*GreatSchools, Inc. <http://www.greatschools.org>

The Pros of Having Standards*

• National standards would raise the level of expectations for all.

• National standards would assure that all American students meet international levels of achievement.

• National standards would make it easier for students to adjust to a new school when they move from one state to another.

* http://www.greatschools.org

The Cons of Having Standards*

• Education has traditionally been a right of the states. The United States has a long history of "local control" of schools that would be hard to change.

• National standards would create a one-size-fits-all framework. The needs within each state are different. National standards would not take into account the cultural and geographical diversity of our country.

• National standards would discourage innovation and creativity in the classroom.

*http://www.greatschools.org

Types of Standards

➽Content Standards: Subject–matter descriptions of what students should know and be able to do.

➽Performance Standards: Concrete examples and explicit definitions of what

students have to know and be able to do to demonstrate proficiency in the skills and knowledge outlined by the content standards (more like passing scores on a test).

Three Essential Ingredients in the Educational Process

Standards-based education reform has more than 20 year history in U. S. • 1994 – Elementary and Secondary Education Act

(ESEA) enacted a standards-based vision into federal law (Clinton administration).

• 2001 – No Child Left Behind Act (Bush (administration) (Revised in 2007)

• 2010 – Proposal to modify No Child Left Behind to raise academic standards by linking them to state standards and benchmarks in reading and mathematics (Obama Administration).

Evolution of Educational Standards in the U. S.

• STANDARDS FOR INDUSTRIAL ARTS CURRICULUM PROJECT (VIRGINIA TECH, 1980, FUNDED BY U. S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION).

• DISCONTENT WITH EDUCATION IN EARLY 1980’S– “A NATION AT RISK REPORT” (U. S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, 1983).

• CURRICULUM AND EVALUATION STANDARDS FOR SCHOOL MATHEMATICS (NATIONAL COUNCIL OF TEACHERS OF MATHEMATICS, 1989)(REVISED IN 2000 AS PRINCIPLES AND STANDARDS FOR SCHOOL MATHEMATICS.

• BENCHMARKS FOR SCIENCE LITERACY (AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE, 1993).

• NATIONAL SCIENCE EDUCATION STANDARDS (NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL, 1996)(CURRENTLY UNDER REVISION)

• OTHERS (ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS, HISTORY, ART, GEOGRAPHY, MUSIC, ETC.)

Evolution of Educational Standards in the U. S. (Continued)

• TECHNOLOGICAL LITERACY FOR ALL AMERICANS: A RATIONALE AND STRUCTURE FOR THE STUDY OF TECHNOLOGY (ITEA/ITEEA, 1996)(REVISED IN 2006 AS TECHNOLOGICAL LITERACY FOR ALL: A RATIONALE AND STRUCTURE FOR THE STUDY OF TECHNOLOGY).

• STANDARDS FOR TECHNOLOGICAL LITERACY: CONTENT FOR THE STUDY OF TECHNOLOGY (ITEA/ITEEA, 2000, 2002, 2007)

• ADVANCING EXCELLENCE IN TECHNOLOGICAL LITERACY (ITEA/ITEEA, 2003)• ADDENDA TO STL AND AETL:

– MEASURING PROGRESS: ASSESSING STUDENTS IN TECHNOLOGICAL LITERACY (ITEA/ITEEA, 2004).

– REALIZING EXCELLENCE: STRUCTURING TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMS (ITEA/ITEEA, 2005).

– PLANNING LEARNING: DEVELOPING TECHNOLOGY CURRICULAR (ITEA/ITEEA, 2005).

– DEVELOPING PROFESSIONALS: PREPARING TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONALS (ITEA/ITEEA, 2005).

Technology for All Americans: A Rationale and Structure for the

Study of Technology (1996)

www.iteea.org

Revised in 2006

Available on CD

from ITEA

Standards for Technological Literacy (STL)(ITEA/ITEEA, 2000,2002/2007) presents the content for what every student should know and be able to do in order to be technologically literate.

www.iteea.org

STL

STL Standards:

• STL Standards are 20 written statements about what is valued that can be used for making a judgment of quality.

• Standards represent fundamental concepts.• The goal for students is to meet all of the standards

from Grades K-12. • STL Standards were written around five major

organizers or categories.

The Five Major Organizers (Categories) in STL

• The Nature of Technology (3 Standards)• Technology and Society (4 Standards)• Design (3 Standards)• Abilities for a Technological World (3 Standards)• The Designed World (7 Standards)

Advancing Excellence in Technological Literacy: Student Assessment, Professional Development,

and Program Standards (AETL)(ITEA/ITEEA,2003)*

• AETL is based on STL & provides the means for implementing STL in K-12.

• AETLcontains three separate but interrelated sets of standards.– Student Assessment Standards (K-12)– Professional Development Standards – Program Standards (K-12)

*www.iteea.org

Addenda DocumentsAddenda Documents

Measuring Progress:Student

Assessment

Realizing Excellence:Program

Development

Developing Professionals: Preservice&Inservice

Planning Learning:

Curriculum

THE BIG PICTURETHE BIG PICTURE

AETL & Measuring Progress

RealizingExcellence

AETL & DevelopingProfessio

nals

AETL & PlanningLearning

STL

Some Current National Efforts Impacting Education in the U. S.

• A Framework for K-12 Science Standards• Common Core State Standards• National Assessment of Educational Progress

(“The Nation’s Report Card”)

www7.nationalacademies.org/bose

A Framework for K-12 Science Standards:Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and

Core Ideas

Board on Science Education, The National Research Council

July, 2011

• HOW THE FRAMEWORK WAS DEVELOPED:– NRC convened a 18 person committee in 2009-

2010 to develop a framework– Draft of framework was released in summer of

2010 for first review– Committee revised draft based on input received– Framework went through NRC review process

also with more than 20 experts providing detailed comments

– Committee revised framework in 2011– Final framework was released in July 2011

• Dimension 1: Scientific and Engineering Practices

• Dimension 2: Crosscutting Concepts That Have Common Application Across Fields

• Dimension 3: Core Ideas in Four Disciplinary Areas:– 1. Physical Sciences– 2. Life Sciences– 3. Earth and Space Sciences – 4. Engineering, Technology, and the Applications

of Science

Framework for Standards

• The Framework for K-12 Science Standards: Practices, Crosscutting Ideas, and Core Ideas is now being used to develop the next version of the National Science Standards.

• This work is currently being done by Achieve Inc. (www.achieve.org).

Common Core State Standards

National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and

Council of Chief State School Officers

2010

www.corestandards.org

Common Core State Standards(Continued)

• Standards for English-language arts and mathematics • Grades K-12 • Developed in collaboration with a variety of stakeholders

including content experts, states, teachers, school administrators and parents.

• The standards establish clear and consistent goals for learning that will prepare America’s children for success in college and work.

• Forty-four states have stated that they will adopt these standards.

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)(“The Nation’s Report Card”)

2014 Technology and Engineering Literacy Framework

www.naeptech2012.org

NAEP 2014 Technology and Engineering Literacy Framework

• What is NAEP? • Evolution and Background• Process of Framework Development– Steering Committee– Planning Committee

Overall Purposes1. Develop the recommended framework and specifications for NAEP

Technology and Engineering Literacy Assessment in the U. S.

2. Recommend grade levels are 4, 8, and 12 for the “probe” assessment. The 2014 assessment will be at the 8th grade.

3. Recommend important background variables associated with student achievement in Technology and Engineering Literacy that should be included in NAEP Assessment.

4. The assessment will be entirely computer-based.

Major Assessment Areas

Technology & Society

Design & Systems

Information & Communication

Technology (ICT)

A. Interaction of Technology and Humans

B. Effects of Technology on the Natural World

C. Effects of Technology on the World of Information and Knowledge

D. Ethics, Equity and Responsibility

A. Nature of Technology

B. Engineering Design

C. Systems Thinking

D. Maintenance and Troubleshooting

A. Construction and Exchange of Ideas and Solutions

B. Information Research

C. Investigation of Problems

D. Acknowledgement of Ideas and Information

E. Selection and Use of Digital Tools

Teaching to the Test

• There is some concern in the U. S. that states and local school districts are using the content in the state and local “high stakes tests” as a basis of curriculum. This is because some states and local school districts want their students to score as high as possible on these tests, so teachers are encouraged to teach their students to learn the content in the test rather than in the standards.

Impact of Standards in the U. S.

• Developing and using standards to provide the content for what every student should know and be able to do in a subject is a dynamic and changing process.

• Standards give us structure. They give us guidelines and foundations.

• Standards provide uniformity across the school curriculum.

Impact of Standards in the U. S. (Cont.)

• Since its beginning, standards have served as a basis of educational reform across the nation as educators and policy makers respond to the call for a clear definition of desired outcomes of schooling and a way to raise student success in terms of these outcomes.*

*( National Research Council. (2002). Investigating the Influence of Standards: A Framework for Research in Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education. Washington, DC: National Academy Press)

Summary1) Who is responsible for education in the U. S.?2) Importance of Standards3) Pros and Cons of Standards4) History and evolution of standards5) Standards for technological literacy6) Some current efforts impacting standards in the U. S.a) Framework for K-12 Science Standardsb) Common Core State Standardsc) National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)

7) Impact of Standards in the U. S.

Thank you!William E. Dugger, Jr.

Senior Fellow and Former Director

Technology for All Americans Project

International Technology and Engineering Educators Association

wdugger@iteea.organd

Emeritus Professor of Technology Education, Virginia Tech

dugger@vt.edu

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