Designing a Standards-directed School System: Introduction

DESIGNING A STANDARDS-DIRECTED SCHOOL SYSTEM

Introduction

Iowa Teaching Standards

Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL)

Designing a standards-directed school system is a huge, complex, multi-faceted undertaking. The impact on curriculum, instruction, assessment, and eventually the reporting system is often frightening. Before 1999, school district leaders had a choice of whether or not to lead their district into a standards-directed system. With House File 2272 and then the Iowa Teaching Standards (specifically Standards 3, 4, and 5), the choice is merely in selecting the details of HOW to develop a standards-directed education system.

A team of experts, headed by Dr. Robert Marzano, at Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) has completed the most extensive work in the development of a standards-directed system (and all the details involved with the implementation). His over 30 years of research has identified one of the strongest reasons to support a standards-directed education system—the Opportunity to Learn. This is the first school-level factor for school effectiveness. Opportunity to Learn speaks to the equal access for all students to learn what is assessed. The close relationship and impact on student achievement gives this factor added significance in our time of accountability.

Schedule of Development of a Standards-based Education System

For more information read Designing Standards-Based Districts, Schools, and Classrooms by Robert J. Marzano and John S. Kendall.

		Content Standards and Benchmarks Example

		Content Standards and Benchmarks Example

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There is not a "one and only one" approach to developing and implementing a standards-directed education system. A district leadership team has the responsibility of deciding to what degree a district will become standards-directed. What definition will a district select? Will a district decide to write its own definition? Will all departments be expected to operate with the same definition? What components of the definition are presently in effect in the district? What staff development is necessary to have all staff skilled in the aspects of the new education structure? These are just a few of the questions that need to be answered by the leadership team with the help and consideration of the entire staff and community.

Whatever the decision is, keep in mind that the purpose of a standards-directed education system is to guide instruction (and assessment) by providing a common focus. What should students know and be able to do? The answer to this question is for each content area a list of standards, for each grade level a list of grade specific benchmarks for those standards, and for each course a list of course specific benchmarks for those standards. Having a standards and benchmarks document is merely a beginning to the entire process of implementing a standards-directed system. There needs to be a multiple year plan of what staff will accomplish that makes this transformation understandable and manageable by staff and community.

Designing a Standards-directed School System