The Standards-based
Educational System
in 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)
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3)
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5)
6)
Who is responsible for education in the U. S.?
Importance of Standards
Pros and Cons of Standards
History and evolution of standards
Standards for technological literacy
Some current efforts impacting standards in the U. S.
a) Framework for K-12 Science Standards
b) Common Core State Standards
c) 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-fitsall 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
Content
(Standards)
Curriculum
Assessment
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
STL
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 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 Documents
Measuring
Progress:Student
Assessment
Realizing
Excellence:Program
Development
Developing Professionals:
Preservice&Inservice
Planning
Learning:
Curriculum
THE BIG PICTURE
AETL & Measuring
Progress
AETL &
DevelopingProfessionals
STL
AETL &
PlanningLearning
RealizingExcellence
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”)
A Framework for K-12 Science Standards:
Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and
Core Ideas
Board on Science Education,
The National Research Council
July, 2011
www7.nationalacademies.org/bose
• HOW THE FRAMEWORK WAS DEVELOPED:
– NRC convened a 18 person committee in 20092010 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 Purposes
1. 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
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
Design & Systems
A. Nature of Technology
B. Engineering Design
C. Systems Thinking
D. Maintenance and
Troubleshooting
Information &
Communication
Technology (ICT)
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)
Summary
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
Who is responsible for education in the U. S.?
Importance of Standards
Pros and Cons of Standards
History and evolution of standards
Standards for technological literacy
Some current efforts impacting standards in the U. S.
a) Framework for K-12 Science Standards
b) Common Core State Standards
c) 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.org
and
Emeritus Professor of Technology Education, Virginia Tech
dugger@vt.edu
This presentation may be viewed
or downloaded at:
http://www.iteea.org/
Resources/PressRoom/
pressroom.htm