Week 1 - Standards

http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/standards/index.html

This week, we explored a website on academic standards. In respect to academics, standards are essentially what students should know and what they should be able to do. Standards are the goals of education and guide what the teachers teach to their students. They apply equally to all students at all levels.

When implementing standards in a classroom, the expectations of the students need to be very clear from the beginning. Getting students to the standard level involves allowing and encouraging students to question, reflect, analyze, experiment, discuss and write.

In the United States, the states have typically had state standards that differed from state to state, but there has not been a national standard. I believe that this is currently changing with the implementation of Common Core, though. This change will get students, teachers and parents on the same page nationally, but will require teachers and administrators to align their curriculum with the new standards. Teachers will need to work together in the months and years ahead to implement the Common Core standards.