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Making Sense of Standards and Assessments

Three new books from the NEA Professional Library can help you make more sense of how to implement standards-based learning and assessment with your students.

In Kansas this is particularly important, since state assessments are based on explicit curriculum standards for student learning and since local assessments are also requirements of QPA.

The first book, "Assessing Learning in the Classroom," by Jay McTighe and Steven Ferrara, discusses principles of effective classroom assessment, illustrates a variety of assessment approaches and methods, and provides a framework for planning.

"Classroom Assessment for Student Success," by Richard J. Stiggins, addresses the issues of motivating students for assessments, developing teachers' assessment literacy, and enhancing professional development to increase teachers' assessment skills. Stiggins also proposes a plan for expanding teachers' vision of the relationship between assessment and effective schools and provides a map to help move from current ways of assessing to the expanded vision.

In "Implementing Standards-Based Education," Robert J. Marzano and John S. Kendall provide a brief history of the standards movement, then offer an indirect and a direct approach to implementing standards. They include chapters on reporting student performance and grading, designing rubrics, and organizing the curriculum around standards.

Each book is accompanied by a study guide, which could be a framework for teacher study groups to use these materials.

The books are available for purchase from the NEA Professional Library (1-800-229-4200) for $5.95 (McTighe/Ferrara and Stiggins) and $7.95 (Marzano/Kendall).

In addition, three sets are available for check-out from the KNEA Instructional Advocacy Educators' Resource Library (contact resource@knea.org).