Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/standards-based-practices/5021622/
The 2009 Program for International Student Assessment showed that the United States ranked 24th out of 34 countries in ‘mathematics literacy’ and 11th in ‘reading literacy’ (Fleischman, Hopstock, Pelczar, & Shelley, 2010). Many organizations, including the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, came together to discuss these low rankings and to address the issue of different states using different standards. Subsequently, the Kindergarten through 12th Grade Common Core State Standards has been adopted by 45 states and the District of Columbia. The Standards provide a uniform platform across most states for elementary and secondary education. The early childhood profession needs common standards for birth through pre-Kindergarten. Dr. Lilian Katz initiated a discussion of this issue in her article that discussed Standards of Experience. In this article we have extended the ‘standards’ discussion by examining early care and education standards and the need to ‘deepen’ children’s learning.In the January/February (2013) issue of Exchange, Dr. Katz proposed eight Standards of Experience that children should have ‘much of the time’ and that are meaningful because they “. . . form the basis for lifelong dispositions to participate in one’s community and society responsibly and helpfully.” These experiences include: ...