The national standards in mathematics and English were released this week with little fanfare. There was some mention in blogs I follow, but not as much as I had anticipated. There was also an OSPI press release found here and one in the Washington Post here. Our state is one of the 48 that have joined the initiative. Included in the release is the following statement by Superintendent Dorn.
“I’m pleased to be part of the new standards team,” said Randy Dorn, state superintendent of public instruction. “A common benchmark of standards for all states will make our education system more efficient and cost-effective, and it will give our kids a better chance at competing in a global economy.”
Superintendent Dorn’s comment would lead one to believe that as a member of the team we would be adopting the standards, yet later in the press release we find the following.
. . . The common standards created by the NGO and CCSSO will be examined thoroughly and transparently. Any changes to the state’s standards would not occur for at least two years, and then only after an ample opportunity for public review and comment.
This is good to know because we are in the first year of implementing revised mathematics standards. This means that most school systems are engaged in the alignment process once again and it is good to know that this work will be necessary for at least two years. We have already had to adjust to too many revisions to standards in mathematics and science over the years.
We also know that at the federal level the education department has endorsed the standards and is recommending that all states adopt them. Adoption could also become a requirement or criteria used to qualify for Race to the Top and other federal grant opportunities. This will certainly place our state in a difficult position in the short term if the standards are not adopted for at least two years. It will be interesting to watch how this unfolds over time. There could be pressure to adopt from outside the school community and pressure to preserve autonomy from inside. What advice would you give the superintendent and governor?
3 comments:
Hi,
This is necessary to have some standard in the maths and english.Now they do this and this is really a right move.The less anticipation is matter of discussion.
audiokabel
My advice would be to lead, follow, or get out of the way. You can try to have it both ways (all three in this case) but that just sends mixed signals to districts. Districs will act on incomplete information and, attempting to do what they think is best for students, take action that may end up having been a waste of resources. Every minute we spend engaging alignment work is time spent focusing on the what instead of the how, time spent focusing on teaching instead of learning.
I would remind the Superintendent and Govenror that best practice always happens from grassroots initiatives where people feel empowered to enact real change in the field. If adoption of these national standards (which are extremely detailed, complex, and would take at least two years for staff to be fully trained) helps facilitate that grassroots work, then adopt them, and if you're just adopting more top down directives that get in the way, then forget about it.
I guess, at its core, I have the same perspective as Ethan about this.
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