Return-Path: <nifl-4eff@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id e9JGke905843; Thu, 19 Oct 2000 12:46:40 -0400 (EDT) Date: Thu, 19 Oct 2000 12:46:40 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <39EF2336.507E3656@sri.com> Errors-To: rgspacone@aol.com Reply-To: nifl-4eff@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-4eff@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-4eff@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: Regie Stites <regie.stites@sri.com> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-4eff@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-4EFF:1225] EFF and Systemic Reform X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.7 [en] (Win98; I) Status: O Content-Length: 5409 Lines: 121 A number of the questions that have been posted to the list ask about the mechanisms through which the EFF standards and assessments can contribute to improvements in instructional quality and outcomes. These questions were asked at the program level, but I would like to begin my response by working down from the systemic level. One of the key strengths of EFF is the foundation that it offers for standards-based reform of the adult language and literacy educational system. I described the components of an ideal model of standards-based systemic reform in the article I wrote for Focus on Basics. Here's a snippet from the conclusion of that piece: "According to the ideal model of standards-based reform, all forms of standards -- content, performance, and opportunity-to-learn -- should be aligned. To bring practice closer to the ideal, we must somehow connect EFF, NRS, and NAAL as well as state level standards. This will not be easy, but will offer many benefits. First, coherent content standards can provide a clear vision of what every adult should know and be able to do. Performance standards and related assessment matched to this vision provide the tools for individual learners, literacy programs, and everyone to monitor progress toward goals. Opportunity-to-learn standards may be especially critical for a system of education (adult literacy) that is chronically underfunded." I wrote the FOB article with applications of standards and assessment in large-scale accountability and reporting systems in mind. But I would argue that effective alignment of learning goals and instructional objectives (which can be described in a generic way by content standards) with measures and expectations for learning outcomes (which can be described in a generic way by performance standards) is a key indicator of educational quality at all levels. Another way to put this is to say that teaching to the test is not a bad thing, as long as the test in question measures knowledge and skills that learners (and others) recognize as important goals for learning. Opportunity-to-learn is also a critical piece of the quality equation at the program level. A good system of educational standards should support teaching and learning in at least three ways. Content standards should help to clarify long-term learning goals for learning and to situate particular learning objectives on a pathway leading to long-term goals. Performance standards should help to establish milestones on the pathway that both teachers and learners can use to mark progress and plan further learning. Opportunity-to-learn standards should help to develop a better understanding of the time and resources that teachers and learners will need to make reasonable progress toward learning goals. Debbie Tuler asked about what pieces of the EFF framework should be used for what purposes. My general response is that the EFF role maps, standards, common activities, and eventually performance continua and benchmarks of performance are part of an integrated framework that can help teachers to align learners' goals with curriculum design and teaching practices and with measures of learning progress. Admittedly, this is a tall order for the teacher and the fact that curriculum and assessments used to inform instruction are poorly aligned with the standardized tests used for external reporting and accountability makes the job even harder. To improve on the current 'misaligned' system, progress needs to be made at both the program level and the systems level. As indicated by Ronna Spacone's question, substantial investment in staff development is the starting point for alignment at the program level. Staff development should provide teachers with the models, support, and guided practice they need to be able to apply the EFF framework to aligning learning goals with teaching practice and with measures of learning at the program level. At the same time, work is needed at the level of accountability systems to better capture results that matter. Regie Regie Stites, Ph.D. Education Researcher Center for Education and Human Services SRI International Menlo Park, CA e-mail: regie.stites@sri.com voice: (650) 859-3768 EFF has only recently begun the long and hard work of developing an assessment framework (elaborating performance continua for each standards, establishing benchmarks for levels of performance, selecting and developing tasks to measure performance on the standards, and combining all this into a qualifications framework). In this context, I would respond to Sue Barton's question about "the most pressing public policy issues affecting the implementation of EFF into a program" by saying that the first priorty should be garnering broad-based support (and involvement) for developing an assessment framework that supports measures of meaningful results in adult learning and establishes reasonable expectations for resources needed to support such results. Beyond this the other public policy supports that need to be in place to make EFF work at the program level include accountability structures that are aligned with learners' goals and program curricula, expanded professional development opportunities for teachers, expanded access to high-quality learning opportunities for students, and the resources and political will to make all this possible.
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