Standards

Standards are benchmarks used in education that are used for teachers and students to reach certain goals. They provide everyone involved to see where they are in terms of education and where they need to be. This helps teachers know what needs to be taught and it helps students see what they have to learn to move up to the next level. It creates an even playing ground for all students, rather than emphasizing the achievements of some students and the struggles and difficulties of others. They came about in the 1983 when education reform was going through some major changes. They were the result of an education summit involving governors and the President in which education goals and requirements were developed for the future. They describe what should be coming from education. As mentioned previously they provide goals for both students and teachers to meet. They can be used as benchmarks to see what is working and what's not. They can also be used to gauge what and how well students are learning the criteria. They help form a framework for curriculum and they help determine what needs to fit into that curriculum. For teachers, they help to see what level students are at in terms of knowledge. What's working, what do they know, what should I be teaching them? These are all questions that can be answered by setting educational standards. They also help to keep everyone on the same page. No one is too far ahead or behind. They allow everyone to work at their own speed and acquire the knowledge that they need. Teachers are better able to tell what needs to be improved upon. For students, they show them what they are being monitored for. They know what they need to focus on. They can use self-assessment to see where their weaknesses are and they are then able to seek help and improve themselves. They are given the responsibility of their own education, therefore they are able to control their own successes. Everything they do in terms of education is a reflection of themselves. They are able to understand the goals that the teacher expects of them and in turn work towards those goals. The standards are different from other education methods, because they provide equal opportunities to everyone. They allow for improvement in all the students, not just the "gifted" students. Students are more encouraged to keep trying and to continue improving themselves, because they aren't being discouraged. Everyone around them also needs to improve, no one person is more successful than anyone else. The standards are set up to see what students know and what they should know rather than comparing them to one another. They are used more as a gauge of knowledge attainment rather than a way to single out students. They are intended to level the playing field in terms of education.
 * What are standards?**
 * A Bit of History**
 * Uses**
 * What do they mean for teachers and students?**
 * How are they different?**

__**What is it?**__ __**The Six Elements**__ 1) Safe and Supported Schools If students are comfortable in their school setting, they will be more willing to engage in activities and education supplying them with a better overall product from their school. They will be more willing to work towards standards. 2) Standards Define what students need to learn and should be able to do, they continually challenge students and teach them to work towards goals. They provide schools and students with anchors of the knowledge that will be most beneficial. 3) Assessment Provides a format for testing the students and determining levels of success. It helps to see what's working and what goals still need to be met. 4) Curriculum Framework This provides with a basis of what needs to be taught and how it should be taught. It allows the goals of standards to be intertwined with traditional education. It provides topics based on grade level and subject. 5) Instruction Provides a model for teaching based off of four main principles: Planning and preparation, classroom environment, instruction, and professional responsibilities. This allows teachers to better understand the most effective elements of teaching and how they should be applied to their own work to better the outcome of their students. 6) Materials and Resources This element combines different topics of education with various teaching methods to produce the best outcome. It combines various units with multi-media content to provide students with a wide range of knowledge, while still focusing on the important areas established by the standards.
 * SAS:**
 * S**tandards **A**lligned **S**ystem. This is a research product that provides six elements for school and district enhancement and improvement. Research has been conducted and published that found out if all six elements are utilized, then schools will only continue to improve in terms of standards.