Radio Commentary
In a publication titled “What Matters Most — Improving Student Achievement,” teachers from across the country tackled the most challenging problems in our classrooms.
A major focus was “high standards.” The authors contended that while considerable energy was invested in creating new standards in recent years, little was done to identify steps needed to reach the standards successfully.They said that getting serious about standards requires three basic conditions:
First, it is essential that teachers, students, and classrooms have the resources necessary to implement the standards — up-to-date technology and materials, libraries, and laboratories.
Second, they noted that implementing standards cannot be solely the work of teachers. Parents, administrators, and the students themselves need to know about standards and expectations.
The third condition for meeting the standards was assessment. They felt it was essential that high-stakes decisions, such as promotion to the next grade, not be made solely on the basis of a single test.
The decision must also take into account two things: assessments crafted by teachers, and also those demonstrated in projects that give real evidence of sustained growth over time.
These are important insights that deserve our attention as we work to help all children meet high standards.