Are schools in the United States preparing students for life and work in the 21st century?  If schools within a state have a difficult time aligning their local curriculum to the state standards, then how aligned are the fifty states?  Are some students receiving a more rigorous second grade curriculum than their peers in other states?  Does an A+ in Algebra I mean the same in Massachussetts as it does in Mississippi?  Should the United States adopt national standards, or should states continue to develop the standards and objectives for public schools?

According to the Center for American Progress, "With more than 50 different sets of standards, there is no national measure/yardstick/ standard/benchmark for academic achievement at each of the grade levels. NCLB requires that states hold districts and schools accountable for getting all their students to 'proficient' achievement levels, but allows them to adopt their own definitions of 'proficiency.'"

"With the pressure to increase student performance, there has been counter pressure for states to game the system by lowering both standards and proficiency definitions...

...Only national curriculum standards and national definitions and measures of student performance at proficiency levels can prevent this behavior."

Do you agree with this statement? 

References:

The Case for National Standards, Accountability and Fiscal Equality
Center for American Progress (November 2005)

Additional Resources:

Achieve

NAEP: A Common Yardstick

 


Comments

Rodney Trice
03/02/2009 14:45

I don't agree with the assertion that the lack of national standards is pushing states toward lower expectations. In fact, I see states raising the bar on what they require students to know and be able to do.

While I do agree with the notion of establishing national curriculum standards (and examinations) as one step toward fixing a multitude of problems in public ed, it cannot be done without also critically examining student access to quality educational opportunities.
-R

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