I have come to the end of my graduate studies and have been inundated with CCCS. I have completed several projects, a bunch of papers, and other activities. The CCCS are probably some of the most ambitious educational documents I have ever seen in my short career in education. I mean...WOW...are you serious? We need to cover all that? The progress indicators are pretty unrealistic as well.
The state of New Jersey has a website that is very well organized; it has an introduction that delineates the recent history of education by initially quoting a Nation at Risk. Here, the CCCS are explained and related to NCLB. The introduction also, describes the implementation, organization, and format of the standards and their respective progress indicators. There are side menus where teachers and parents can access Gifted & Talented Requirements, graduation requirements, CCCS archives, and CCCS search options. Parents and teachers may also get a CD or PDF format of the entire document. Here, if computer/Internet access is available and there is an interest, the community has the ability to view what should be going on in the classroom.
In the main body, there is a link for each of the subject areas; here, the benefits and real world applications of the area are explained. Along with the relatively concise explanations each standard is then broken down along with the strand and/or progress indicators. Also, the scope and sequence of each area is outlined, while charts on how each area can be combined in an interdisciplinary fashion is presented.
Basically, the website present an organized breakdown of the CCCS. If both teachers and parents access the site they can educate themselves quite a bit and also realize how ambitious and slightly unrealistic the standards can be.
Conversely, the website does not explain to neither teachers nor parents how to actually create lessons and activities that would satisfy the ambitious goals prescribed. Moreover, the website does not include any links specifically for parents. For example a link on how a parent can get involved in the child's journey through the standards might be useful.
Overall the website is a detailed source that can help a teacher and parent better serve the community's student. Since the parent's role is important, there should be more information specific to the parents role.
As mentioned earlier the whole document is very ambitious and a bit unrealistic; ergo, these characteristics do not render it very effective teacher/community resource.
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5 comments:
I think that the NJCCCS website is a valuable tool for teachers and parents. Is it the responsibility of the state to tell parents how they can get involved with their child's schooling by providing lessons? I think that information like this should come from the teacher or individual school. I interpret this website to be a tool that parents and teachers can use to explain the CCCS and why the standards were created, which I think this website does well. On the bottom of the page there are link for parents, educators and students which provide additional resources on law and policy, professional development, credentials, assessment, how individual schools measure up, etc. Of course improvements can always be made, but for now I think it is well done.
I must say that you're description of the breadth of the CCCS website is right. I often feel that documents or speaker for that matter is written/said not for the recipient, but for the original creator of the piece of information. Where's the depth in this website? Where is the essence, the usefulness?
I agree with you that this website is very well organized. This website can be very overwhelming. I am use to looking at the standards and I still get overwhelmed. I can only imagine how a parent might feel. I also feel that this website should included helpful tools for teachers and parents on how to implement thses standards.
Well organized doesn't mean well-followed. As we discussed, where are the "curriculum police" or the "standards police" for non teste subjects?
Much like a speed limit sign, unless you are pulled over, most people do not follow the limit.
The website is certainly organized and convenient, I agree. If I step out of my teacher self for a moment, I could even appreciate how impressive it must feel to a regular parent or citizen. It does just boil down to responsibility. Those of us who are so inclined can criticize and resist, but the reality is CCCS are not going anywhere, and thank God they are not. Teachers do need a level of accountability. They need standards to follow. As professionals, we cannot always fall back on the "I don't do it that way" method of dealing with questions. As you said, the state prescribes the curriculum and it is our job to implement it to the best of our ability. I am just really glad that no one is looking over my shoulder because there is no way I can cover it all.
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