During our PLC meeting today, we were considering the best way to assess our students on some non-fiction writing standards. As we discussed this, we realized that even within one standard, there were about fifty different vocabulary words, skills, etc. to which students (and teachers!) are held accountable. Since the new standards come in a smaller package, it seems as though any talk of deciding on your "power standards" and providing focus has completely disappeared. There are a lot of things our students need to know and quickly.
Do you ever feel like it is just too much??
Don't get me wrong, I understand the importance of standards. I absolutely agree with standards-based teaching and assessment. There would indeed be chaos without it.
There are just some days when it feels like our students are asked to learn a lot in one year, and the task of teaching and assessing each standard we are given feels like attempting to do the impossible.
There. A quick snapshot of what I am currently pondering.
Any suggestions?
- How do you find focus in the new standards within your department?
- What are some ways you have found to minimize the stress of assessing all standards?
- In what ways do you hold students and teachers accountable to your standards?
- Other ideas?
Hi Betsy,
ReplyDeleteTo start with I really enjoy reading your posts. Although I am no longer a high school teacher (counselor), I can relate to your frustration with standards. In my first school, they did not have anything set up in regards to meeting the state standards, so I was fortunate enough to be put in charge of remedying that situation. It was a lot of work and it was very frustrating, especially when other teachers then did not follow through.
I think the best thing you can do is to just do your best with what you have. I think the state realizes too that we cannot do the impossible, but they are what we should strive for. It is frustrating as many of those developing these haven't been in a classroom in awhile:)
There is a lot to learn and to be held accountable for. Learning is not easy. Designing learning activities to meet the needs of the various stages your kiddos are at takes a lot of thoughtful time and planning. Hence, teamwork is essential. In this age of SB assessment/testing, being on an island is a detriment to all parties (students and teachers!)
ReplyDeleteBut I think you are right. Identify those standards that your team will give more attention to....the power standards. The test specs provide a lot of helpful information that guide the writing process. If at the 10th grade level 65% of the text is informational, how can we mirror that in our classroom? If 40-65% of the test questions are asking students to identify and analyze key ideas and details or 30-55% ask students to interpret and analyze craft and structure, how can we provide instruction that mirrors those percentages?
The media and language ones are explicitly tested on the MCA's but are an important components of becoming a writer and critcal thinker. When I read through the Media standards I see them very much as the vehicle to analyze/sythesize the other power standards. When I think of it that way, to me, it makes it feel less overwhelming because the standards can and do support one another. Using the question of "what is the enduring understanding or essential learning" for this concept, helps to identify which of the skills is most important at your grade level (because you can't do every single one of them). But when doing the curriculum writing and trying to truly unpack each standard, it can be daunting.
FACS has national standards and I wish I could re-write them. I wish they were course specific but they are not. There are more categorical. So, if we are teaching a Baking and Pastry class - some standards come from the Nutrition standards and some come from Food Service and Production. Next year we'll be offering a new class - Baking and Pastry. I'm just so excited to really dig deep into the standards, unpack them and create enduring understandings and engaging essential questions.
Betsy, even having a team discussion about the curriculum, what each standard really means and how you plan to assess it, is a really great start to the process!!!! Be proud of the work your group has done! Think of the big picture when all the little details seems overwhelming - what is the essential learning we want students to walk away with?