How best to teach the youth of America?  The ever-present question of how to develop strong readers, writers, mathematicians, and thinkers still looms over the American educational system.  In hopes of finding an answer to this question, the educational system has been experimenting with a variety of reforms, one of which is Standards-Based Education.

Academic standards identify specific skills and levels of competency that all students must possess in order to move through the educational system.  It is suggested that through maintaining high academic expectations, which are assessed through formal tests, students will perform at higher levels.  In addition, having set standards will encourage schools, teachers, and students to become more responsible for the learning and achievement of the students.

The following are links that provide general information about standards-based reform:
 
 

Standards-Based Reform:  What is Missing?

• Cloud-Cuttweiler and McEvoy give an interesting discussion on the process of “bringing the standards to life.”  In the site they go betyond the rationale for standards and instead reflect on the practical necessities of making the standards work.  Specifically, the focus is on professional development for teachers and student academic support.

Nationwide Issues in Education

• The site includes a general description of issues facing nationwide education. Specifically, Standards-Based Education is discussed.  The site includes information on what Standards-Based Education is and how it was developed.

Effective Strategies for Teaching Students

• This site lists and describes a number of different national efforts towards reform.  Examples of such reforms are:  Coalition of Essential Schools, Accelerated Schools, Co-NECT schools, and the Efficacy Institute.

Making Standards Matter 1999: Executive Summary

• "Making Standards Matter" is an annual report by the American Federation of Teachers that analyzes the quality of the academic standards in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, and monitors the extent to which those standards are driving educational reform. In this edition of "Making Standards Matter," they provide commentary on each state's standards, highlighting areas of strength and pinpointing weaknesses that must be addressed to improve the standards. They also report on states' activities and intentions to assess whether students are meeting the standards, whether states are providing extra academic help to students who are having difficulty meeting the standards, and whether states are attaching meaningful consequences to the standards so that students and others take them seriously.

Research on the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities and Limited English Proficient Students in Large-Scale Assessment

• This web site provides a searchable database of abstracts collected on current and recent research and policies concerning the inclusion of limited English proficient (LEP) students and students with disabilities (SD) in large-scale assessment.

CRESST:  National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing

• Funded by the U.S. Department of Education and the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST) conducts research on important topics related to K-12 educational testing.  This web site has numerous links and a searchable database of important issues related to school reform.

http://cresst96.cse.ucla.edu/

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