More or Less

We are knee deep in a new standards movement. But it's really nothing new. If Ramar the cave boy didn't master the benchmark of killing the saber tooth tiger, the ramifications were clear for the entire clan. No longer is it so simple. A search for standards reveals thousands of them from hundreds of sources. The current movement is focused on remodeling national standards which translates to revamping school standards, which translates to re-focusing classroom instruction so students can succeed on tests that measure those standards.

At some level the idea of common standards makes sense. The early grades are primarily custodial in nature in that educators are the guardians and teachers are the distributors of content. Core knowledge and mastery of reading, writing, and numeracy are the essential foundations of all further learning. The problem is that once students master this, schools continue to deliver content in the same old way. It's not that we need more standards and harder tests or fewer standards and less testing. It's that we need more relevant assessments for today's learners.

Consider this idea: Once students demonstrate mastery of core knowledge they progress to more authentic, applied, interactive learning where critical thinking, creativity, communication, productivity, and accountability are supreme. Yes, the challenge is in assessing these, but it is worth the challenge and it is time to rise to it.

21st Century Assessment
Despite the fact that assessment has been around since the dawn of civilization, we are still using standardized tests to measure isolated bits of content knowledge. Even though we are living in a global economy where technology has dramatically changed peoples lives, we persist in testing rather than assessing.
21st century learners need to develop newer proficiencies including critical thinking, problem solving, innovation, communication, collaboration, global citizenship, self-direction, and information/media literacy. New metrics need to be developed to measure these new competencies. The response to these renewed learning outcomes must be an increased emphasis on multiple measures of a wide range of skills and knowledge. We are just at the start of this new paradigm that will make us more responsive, positioned for change, and globally competitive. Learn more about this topic at:
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills: http://www.p21.org/
Measuring Skills for the 21st Century: http://www.educationsector.org/research_show.htm?doc_id=716323