This issue is one in a three-part series by ECS on the status of standards-based reform in the United States. According to the authors, there is no clear-cut answer to the question of whether standards work as a means of improving student achievement and school quality. The little research that has been done in the area of standards-based reform does suggest that standards have the potential to drive improvement. However, standards will be effective only if other components of the education system–such as assessments, curriculum, professional development, and resources—are redesigned around the standards, say the authors. Research also shows that states, such as North Carolina and Kentucky, that have focused on aligning these components to their state academic standards have experienced improved student achievement.
The authors note that there are many unanswered questions about academic standards. These include: 1) How prescriptive or expansive should standards be? 2) How effective are content standards in the absence of performance standards? and 3) What are the consequences of a lack of alignment between standards, assessments, and accountability.
What seems to be certain, according to the authors, is that standards are here to stay. Standards-based reform is founded on the philosophy that all students are capable of achieving and have the right to a challenging and rich education and that the role of schools is to see to it that as many students as possible make it over the high bar. This philosophy has attained widespread support from policy makers, business leaders, and the public. And states have demonstrated their commitment to standards-based reform, with all but Iowa having established standards for at least some subject areas.
To download a copy of this report from the Internet, go to the ECS website: www.ecs.org In the "Quick Search" bar, type in "The Progress of Education Reform."
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