On Lofty Goals and Accountability We Agree--and Little More

Public schools throughout California are administering the Stanford 9 exams, reviving debate over such topics as standards, accountability and merit-based pay.

People are reacting to the “new” standards movement in positive and negative ways. As a teacher, I ask, “How am I served by these content standards? Are they an answer to our teaching / educating problems?”

I say yes. With the teaching standards newly mandated for California classrooms, finally we can offer the students, parents and community a game they can win. They can win because they all know the outcomes they are responsible for.

Without assessment to establish and enforce accountability, poorly educated students would continue to pass from grade level to grade level. Knowing the content on which my students will be assessed allows me a more complete opportunity to prepare them with the knowledge necessary to perform academically; not just content, but meaning and understanding as well.

One common criticism is that standards force teachers to “teach to a test.” Our country, capitalist and democratic as it is, is outcome oriented. Many groups prepare for an end of the year assessment. Sports teams practice for the championship game; political candidates pass or fail on election day.

As an educator, I embrace the content standards. They push me to teach more information for a higher level of student understanding and comprehension. What an opportunity in this era of information exchange!

Standards do not hinder my teaching. Instead, they give me freedom to teach my content subject--world and U.S. history--to the highest level possible. I know what game I am playing so I can play to win.

When goals are set and worked toward, magic happens. At the beginning of the 1960s, John F. Kennedy stated unequivocally that the United States would send a man to the moon by that decade’s end. This objective set a standard for American education. It was real, practical, meaningful and, most importantly, it was measurable.

This represents the freedom that standards allow. What Stephen Covey, author of “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,” describes as “beginning with the end in mind” allows us as leaders to determine what we need to do to accomplish our goals. Teachers, students and parents finally know the goals or benchmarks; now we can do everything in our power to teach so that our goals are reached.

Like most people, I enjoy every win. I have set goals and have visions for the way I want my life to be. I live by the standards I have set for my home, my family and myself. Students must know and understand more because of the changing skills and behaviors our communities are demanding.

Historically, California public schools have encouraged the memorization and regurgitation methodology. It is time to change to a more complete view of education in which teaching goals and learning goals are defined and refined throughout the school year.

This can only happen when we all understand exactly, in no uncertain terms, what we are responsible for.

The standards are here and the assessments are being administered. Content standards acknowledge the end point. There are no surprises, no pop quizzes, no room for students or parents to say, “I didn’t know what was going to be on the test.”

Now they will ask us instead, “If you knew what content was going to be assessed, why didn’t you do everything you could to teach it?”