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Understanding Standards-Based Education
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Understanding Standards-Based Education
A Practical Guide for Teachers and Administrators

Edited by:

November 2007 | 176 pages | Corwin

"Just what the educational doctor ordered. Written in an easy-to-understand format, this guide contains excellent explanations and valuable models, guidelines, checklists, unit designs, and lesson designs to help teachers implement standards-based education in their classrooms."
—Vaughn G. Rhudy, Teacher
Shady Spring High School, WV

"Zagranski, Whigham, and Dardenne tame the beast of accountability for principals, teachers, and parents by articulately defining what is really expected. A real guide for demystifying the complex world of standards-based education."
—Erica Ann Faginski, Principal
Michael E. Smith Middle School, South Hadley, MA

Transforming your curriculum into a standards-based model: What every educator needs to know!

This comprehensive handbook offers a data-driven curriculum design process to help educators meet today's standards of performance and assessment. Based on decades of hands-on experience, Richard Zagranski, William T. Whigham, and Patrice L. Dardenne provide a clear set of expectations and responsibilities for stakeholders at all three levels of the educational pyramid: teachers, teacher leaders/coordinators, and administrators. Their user-friendly approach, which both incorporates and looks beyond NCLB, shows readers how to take a standard, transform it into a performance objective, and design a corresponding assessment piece. The text includes:

  • Standards-based guidelines and action plans
  • Ready-to-use charts, rubrics, and templates
  • Real-world examples and assessment methods
  • Step-by-step instructions to ensure sustainability
  • Chapter summaries and a glossary for easy reference

Understanding Standards-Based Education leads educators through a well-defined course of curriculum revision and presents all participants with specific, need-to-know information for accomplishing mandated goals.


 
List of Figures
 
Preface
 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Authors
 
1. Introduction
Relevant Versus Relative

 
The Problems

 
The Solution

 
Content and Intent

 
 
2. Traditional Versus Standards-Based Education
What Everyone Needs to Know

 
What Most People Need to Know

 
What Some People Need to Know

 
How Do We Get There From Here

 
Questions for Reflection

 
Summary

 
 
3. Accountability
Raise the Drawbridge, Flood the Moat

 
Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!

 
Accountability 101

 
What Everyone Needs to Know

 
What Most People Need to Know

 
What Some People Need to Know

 
Summary

 
 
4. Performance Objective
Touching All the Bases But Getting Thrown Out at Home

 
What Everyone Needs to Know

 
Defining Performance Objectives

 
Performance Objective Tips

 
What Everyone Needs to Know

 
What Most People Need to Know

 
What Some People Need to Know

 
Summary

 
 
5. Performance Assessment
What? Where? Why? How?

 
Summative and Formative

 
Eliminate A and D; Guess B or C

 
What Everyone Needs to Know

 
Assessment Strategies

 
From Standard to Assessment

 
What Most People Need to Know

 
What Some People Need to Know

 
Summary

 
 
6. Data
What Is Data and From Where Does It Come?

 
The Standards-Based Model and Data

 
What Everyone Needs to Know

 
Form Versus Function

 
Simplicity Is the Key

 
Student Portfolios

 
What Most People Need to Know

 
What Some People Need to Know

 
Summary

 
 
7. Unit Design
Units Create Focus

 
What Everyone Needs to Know

 
Aids for the Educator

 
Measuring Success

 
What Did You Do in School Today?

 
What Most People Need to Know

 
What Some People Need to Know

 
Summary

 
 
8. Lesson Design
Hey, I Just Follow the Curriculum

 
Questions to Ask

 
Where There's a Need, There's A Way

 
What Everyone Needs to Know

 
Lesson Design Steps

 
The Transfer and Retention of Learning

 
Lesson Design Planner

 
What Most People Need to Know

 
What Some People Need to Know

 
Summary

 
 
9. Differentiation
Teaching Versus Learning

 
Differentiation Defined

 
Learning Styles Versus Teaching Styles

 
What Everyone Needs to Know

 
Differentiated Step Lessons: Method 1

 
Sample Step Lessons Using Method 1

 
Differentiated Step Lessons: Method 2

 
Sample Step Lessons Using Method 2

 
Differentiated Classroom 101

 
What Most People Need to Know

 
What Some People Need to Know

 
Summary

 
 
10. Scaffolding
Defining Scaffolding

 
What Everyone Needs to Know

 
Tools to Develop Understanding

 
The Three P's of Scaffolding Pieces: Problems, Projects, and Presentations

 
Model Behavior

 
Sample Lesson With Scaffolding

 
What Most People Need to Know

 
What Some People Need to Know

 
Summary

 
 
11. Instructional Grouping
Grouping Defined

 
What Everyone Needs to Know

 
Grouping Size

 
So, What If Grouping Strategies Are Not Working? Jump Ship or Row to Shore?

 
What Most People Need to Know

 
What Some People Need to Know

 
Summary

 
 
12. Brain-Based Learning
What Everyone Needs to Know

 
The Male and Female Brains

 
Engage the Brain

 
Strategies for Meaningful Learning

 
Sample Lesson

 
Am I Doing It Right?

 
What Most People Need to Know

 
What Some People Need to Know

 
Summary

 
 
13. Reporting Progress
What Everyone Needs to Know

 
What Most People Need to Know

 
What Some People Need to Know

 
Easy...Easier...Easiest in Grading Systems

 
Summary

 
 
Glossary
 
References
 
Index

"As an administrator who must continually train staff and as an instructor, I find this book invaluable for its examples of various teaching tools and methods."

Sandra M. Chessey, Adjunct Professor/Assistant Vice President for Finances and Administration
Western New England College
  •  
Key features
  • A collaborative and respectful stance toward teaching, learning, and accountability that both incorporates and looks beyond No Child Left Behind.
  • Includes a brief overview of NCLB accountability requirements appropriate for all educational stakeholders
  • Features a data-driven plan of action and assessment for transforming traditional educational curriculum into standards-based curriculum
  • Every chapter provides templates, charts, rubrics, and checklists for each stakeholder at each of the three levels of responsibility as well as step-by-step instructions to ensure sustainability of the standards-based system.
  • Instructional approach incorporates best practices from direct instruction (Madeline Hunter), brain-based learning, differentiated instruction, and formative and summative student assessment. 

For instructors

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