| |
 Contents:ASDS HomeProject Areas:School-To-WorkTeacher Assessment and Professional DevelopmentHigh Stakes Assessment and AccountabilityStandards to Support Standards-Based Assessment Other:ASDS Project AreasPublications & ResourcesRelated Links
Program Contacts Rabinowitz: (415) 615-3154 |
 |
Standards to Support Standards-Based AssessmentOverview Establishing clear, rigorous standards that specify what individuals should know and be able to do is critical to transforming the way we educate students and assess their performance. Advocates for standards-based education reform call for "high standards for all students," reasoning that setting high standards for everyone is the first step to improving student achievement. Currently, as a nation, we are immersed in defining, adopting, and implementing standards in our schools, classrooms, and in the workplace. In ASDS, much of our work focuses on the development of new assessments to accompany newly developed or adopted standards. However, as assessment developers our technical expertise is often sought in helping to define the essential precursors for those assessments, namely the standards themselves. Since the early 1990s, we have worked on standards at the national, state, and local levels in a range of different content areas, from traditional academic areas (e.g., English/language arts, mathematics, science, social studies) to more newly emerging fields and career-related areas (e.g., telecommunications, health care, agriculture, banking). We have developed and validated standards for different populations, including students, entry-level workers, and professionals.
Across our array of standards-related work, we have identified three key questions that we have attempted to address:
An Example of ASDS Work on Standards: Over the last decade, concern over our nation's global economic status and the role of public education in preparing workers has led to a push for standards-based reform. Two converging reform strategies have emerged: (1) to create voluntary systems of a academic standards for students in kindergarten through twelfth grade, and (2) to create a voluntary system of industry skill standards that specify prerequisite skills for individuals planning to work in certain economic sectors or occupational families. ASDS staff have directed and participated in numerous efforts to develop national skill standards over the last several years, including standards for Healthcare, Human Services, Construction, Printing, Retail, etc. Illustrative of our involvement in the skill standards reform movement is the National Health Care Skill Standards Project. The National Health Care Skill Standards Project was a three-year effort to develop standards, curriculum, and assessment components for the training and certification of health care workers throughout the nation. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor, WestEd led this important effort, convening a national consortium of education, business and labor groups to develop and validate national standards for entry-level healthcare workers. Over 100 health care organizations and educational institutions collaborated in this national effort. WestEd succeeded in achieving broad consensus for the resultant standards, with widespread reported use of these standards in the three years since their publication. The standards as well as a description of their development, validation, and use in various model programs are described in a document for use by policymakers, industry representative and educators.
Utah Core Curriculum, Standards and Assessment Evaluation Project WestEd is conducting an evaluation study of Utah’s core curriculum and core assessment documents in reading/language arts and mathematics for the Utah State Office of Education. This work includes reviewing Utah’s core curriculum and standards relative to agreed-upon criteria for effective curriculum and standards as well as comparing Utah’s curriculum and standards to those of other states. In evaluating Utah’s core assessments, project staff are focusing on the alignment of the assessments to core curriculum and standards, the assessments’ technical quality, and feasibility of assessment implementation and administration. The results of this study will be used to help Utah policymakers and educators refine their curriculum, standards, and assessments, as needed, and to inform any next steps around the design of a comprehensive statewide accountability system. OaklandWorks Industry/Education School-to-Work Partnership WestEd has been contracted by the OaklandWorks Industry School-to-Work Partnership to develop standards for their thirteen career cluster areas. The standards specify in broad terms the knowledge and skills necessary for initial success in each career cluster, and consist of content standards (specifying what a student should know and be able to do) and examples of performance indicators (products or actions and tasks that provide evidence of success). National Skill Standards and Assessment Collaborative WestEd, one of the original 22 pilot national skill standards grantees, has taken the lead in a cross-industry collaboration to 1) develop and pilot-test assessment methods that apply to common standards across industries and 2) develop a common framework and guidelines for assessment and certification for use in education, training, and the workplace. Partnership for Healthcare and Human Services Skills Standards The Partnership for Healthcare and Human Services Skill Standards project is a collaborative effort led by the Human Services Research Institute (HSRI) to integrate workforce development activities and mobilize key players in the healthcare and human services community (e.g., employers, educators, trainers, and employment specialists) through use of National Skill Standards. Technical Assistance to Nevada Language Arts Standards Committee WestEd is providing technical assistance to the Nevada Department of Education in facilitating the work of a statewide committee of teachers, staff developers, teacher trainers, policy makers and community representatives to develop English Language Arts content and performance standards.
This information can be found at
|
