Hello Ronna,

It is useful for states to have content standards.  It would be more  
useful if, as a nation, we could agree on _national_ content standards.

I wonder if you can explain why the U.S. Department of Education does  
not endorse national content standards, such as Equipped for the Future.

I also wonder if you -- or anyone -- can tell me if there is a set of  
common adult education content standards (not endorsed national  
standards as such, but a set of standards that are common to several  
of the best sets of state standards, or common to all the states'  
standards.

I am asking because I think some content developers, especially those  
who develop online content, would find adult literacy education  
(including ESOL and numeracy)  more attractive as a market if we were  
all working from the same set of content standards. I also believe  
that, with a world economy, there are actually international content  
standards in some areas, and I am concerned that while other  
countries _are_ developing world standards adult education curriculum  
content, we may not be.

Your thoughts, please.

Thanks,

David

David J. Rosen

On Sep 25, 2006, at 8:33 AM, Kohring, Aaron M wrote:


> Greetings all,

>

> Today begins our guest discussion on the U.S. Department of  

> Education's

> efforts to support state-level adoption and institutionalization of

> content standards for adult learning.  Please welcome our guest Ronna

> Spacone from the Department's Office of Vocational and Adult Education

> (OVAE), Division of Adult Education and Literacy (DAEL).

>

> I am re-posting the introductory information below.

>

> If you wish to forward this message to others who are not currently

> subscribed, they can participate by signing up for the list at:

> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Contentstandards

>

> Aaron

>

> Aaron Kohring

> Moderator, National Institute for Literacy's Content Standards

> Discussion List (http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/ 

> Contentstandards)

>

> ************************************

>

> For the past several years, the U.S. Department of Education, OVAE,  

> has

> used National Leadership Activity funds to provide technical  

> assistance

> and support to states already committed to standards-based education

> reform.

>

> OVAE's efforts to promote the implementation of state-level content

> standards began with the Adult Education Content Standards Warehouse

> Project, operated by the American Institutes of Research (AIR),

> 2003-2005.  The project included:

>

> 1.	Technical assistance and networking for state collaborative

> working groups or consortia in 14 states,

>

> 2.	The development and publication of "A Process Guide for

> Establishing State Adult Education Content Standards" and

>

> 3.	The development of the Adult Education Content Standards

> Warehouse (AECSW) Website.  The AECSW site provides universal  

> access to

> existing state standards as well as nationally developed content

> standards in the areas of reading, mathematics, and English language

> acquisition.  Since it was launched in May 2005, eleven states and  

> CASAS

> and Equipped for the Future have contributed their standards for

> posting.  The site also serves to disseminate the "Process Guide for

> Establishing State Adult Education Content Standards" as well as the

> professional development materials that were developed for the State

> Standards Consortia project.  In preparation for our listserv  

> discussion

> next week, I invite you to please visit the AECSW Website located at:

> (http://www.adultedcontentstandards.org), which AIR continues to  

> operate

> with OVAE.

>

> In September 2005, with the conclusion of the State Standards  

> Consortia

> activities, OVAE funded a new activity to identify how best to  

> continue

> to support states committed to the implementation of standards.  A

> six-month planning project was then conducted by MPR Associates, Inc.,

> along with partner organizations Design Perspectives and World

> Education.  Planning activities included a literature review of

> noteworthy practices, an evaluation of the electronic warehouse,  

> and an

> assessment of the needs of states to support standards-based  

> education.

> Twenty-four states chose to participate in the project.  Based on the

> results, OVAE has moved ahead and made plans for a new project  

> scheduled

> to begin next month.

>

> As in the past, the new activities will provide opportunities for

> interested states to work together and learn about standards-based

> education.  The project is expected to focus especially on the

> implementation of standards, including: how to translate standards  

> into

> classroom instruction and curriculum and how to assess the

> implementation of standards to guide instructional improvement and

> program practice.

>

> I invite you to learn more about the Department of Education's efforts

> to promote state-level adoption of content standards and to ask

> questions about these activities during the listserv discussion.   

> Please

> refer to the various sections of the AECSW Website

> (http://www.adultedcontentstandards.org) including the Guide,  

> Warehouse,

> and Field Resources as well as the OVAE DAEL Website located at:

> (http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/AdultEd/index.html).

>

> I look forward to an interesting, engaging discussion and  

> appreciate the

> opportunity to take part.  Thanks.

>

> Ronna Spacone

> Education Program Specialist

> Office of Vocational and Adult Education

> U.S. Department of Education

> Ronna.spacone at ed.gov

>

>

> ----------------------------------------------------

> National Institute for Literacy

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> ContentStandards at nifl.gov

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David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net