STANDARDS, STANDARDS, EVERYWHERE…:DO STANDARDS= “STANDARDS-BASED INSTRUCTION”?

Bill Moore, Policy Associate, SBCTCDirector, Transition Math Project (TMP)bmoore@sbctc.edu 360-704-4346

“Multiplying the Options” conferenceEverett Community College June 2010

WHY STANDARDS?

Are standards important in education, and if so, why?

How, if at all, do standards shape and influence your work as a teacher, and which standards do you use?

What do you see as the real (or potential) negatives of state-level defined standards?

CRMS/K-12 CROSSWALK

COMMON CORE HIGH SCHOOL MATHEMATICS STANDARDS

Key areas of emphasis:

Applying mathematical ways of thinking to real world issues and challenges

Developing a depth of understanding and ability to transfer understandings to novel situations

Using mathematical modeling as well as the use of mathematics and statistics to analyze empirical situations and improve decisions

5 conceptual categories:

Number and Quantity, Algebra, Functions, Geometry, and Statistics and Probability

A STANDARDS COMPARISON:LOOKING AT FUNCTIONS

College Readiness Math Standards, Common Core

1. What do you find surprising here?

2. How are these standards reflected in the math courses at your school?

Reviewing example problems:Reactions, comments?

http://www.am.dodea.edu/ddessasc/aboutddess/standards/standardsbased.html

SUPPORTING STANDARDS OR A TESTING INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX?

Teacher support through professional “communities of practice”

MEANINGFUL STANDARDS-BASED INSTRUCTION

We put an enormous amount of energy into

changing structures and usually leave

instructional practice untouched…

Richard Elmore, 2002

“The standards come alive when teachers study student work, collaborate with other teachers to improve their understanding of subjects and students’ thinking, and develop new approaches to teaching that are relevant and useful for them and their students.” Linda Darling-Hammond, 1997

QUESTIONS/COMMENTS?