The Effects of Standards Based Learning and Assessments on Curriculum Development

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Standards-based learning and assessments are bound to have some effect on curriculum development and planning whether it is positive or negative. “Generally, standards based learning refers to establishing what all students should know and be able to do and providing assessments that are aligned with the standards” (Hargrove, Walker, Huber, Corrigan, and Moore, 2004). It is important to determine the effects that standards based learning will have on teaching and learning. The answer to questions of whether or not there will be an observable difference in teaching styles and strategies is of great interest. It is also necessary to determine if there is a true standards-based reform or if teachers are just putting standards by the tests they have already created. The literature review will assist in answering these questions. It will also address the positives and negatives of standards based instruction and assessment.

Standards based learning has been on its way to joining the educational process since the mid-1980’s. It was about this time when the National Commission of Excellence in Education determined that the standards in high schools were lacking, and all students should participate in more rigorous academic classes (Haycock, 2010). Since the college ready push was made, more and more students are enrolling in a greater number of college-level courses while in high school. Many students, however, are still struggling in college and must participate in remedial courses. Leaders from five states, who originally volunteered for developing common standards, “knew that there was a gap between learning expectations at the end of high school and the beginning of college” (Haycock, 2010). It is disheartening to thin...

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...oore, C. (2004, Spring). No teacher left behind: Supporting teachers as they implement standards-based reform in a test-based education environment. Education, 124(3), 567-572.

Haycock, K. (2010, July/August). Building common college-ready standards. Change, 14-19. Retrieved from http://www.changemag.org/Comment%20on%20Recent%20Articles/ Building_Common_CollegeReady_Standards

Moon, T. R., Brighton, C. M., & Callahan, C. M. (2005, Winter/Spring). Development of authentic assessments for the middle school classroom. The Journal of Secondary Gifted

Education, 16(2/3), 119-133.

Phillips, V., & Wong, C. (2010, Fall). Tying together the common core of standards, instruction,

and assessments. Phi Delta Kappan, 91(5), 37-42.

Tienken, C. H. (2011, Winter). Common core standards: The emperor has no clothes, or evidence. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 47(2), 58-62.

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