Last week the American Federation of Teachers released a report on state academic standards. In Sizing Up State Standards 2008, the AFT analyzed state standards in English, math, science and social studies. States met the AFT criteria if their standards were clear, specific and content-focused. If 8 pages is too daunting, here's the press release.Coming out on top -- with a perfect score -- in the AFT analysis was Virginia. Not bad for a right-to-work state! The laggards that "lacked clear criteria for any grade or subject" were Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. So I'm guessing this group doesn't get an 'A' for effort?
More important than its ranking of the states are the report's recommendations for improving content standards and its recommendation that states provide instructional guidance and teacher resources to help teachers bring the standards into the classroom.
As I mentioned in this recent post ("Teaching To The Test"), one of the benefits of a coherent set of academic standards is that it enables teachers to prepare their students for assessments without resorting to explicitly teaching to the test, or "drill and kill," as the AFT calls it. Clear standards can also help teachers make informed decisions about their professional development and allow them to work together to address student needs. That sure beats Underwater Basket Weaving.
Maybe because this topic isn't as sexy as high school exit exams or performance pay, I haven't seen much coverage of this report. But academic standards should be the engine that drives the k-12 train.
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