Another thought on the issue of resistance.  Last year I attended a
conference where the keynote speaker spoke about standards based
education.  She did a quick survey of the audience to bring out the
number of us who think "standards based" is the same as "standardized."
To many "standardized" has negative connotations; the idea that
education becomes a "one size fits all" endeavor, all the same, boring,
inflexible (pretty much like it happens when every student has to take a
standardized test.)  

My suggestion is that whenever we can do professional development we
emphasize the difference between standards-based and standardized.   

federico

Federico Salas-Isnardi, Assistant State Director
Texas LEARNS
6005 Westview Dr.
Houston, TX 77055
Direct: 713-696-0719
Toll Free: 866-696-4233
Fax: 713-696-0797
 
The State Office of Adult Education and Family Literacy

-----Original Message-----
From: specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of JURMO at ucc.edu
Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2008 11:00 AM
To: specialtopics at nifl.gov
Subject: [SpecialTopics 964] Re: Implementing State
AdultEducationContentStandards: Louisiana

Thanks to everyone so far for the informative discussion about the Why's
and How's of standards as a tool for reforming adult basic education at
the state level.  My guess is that some readers who are new to the
notion of "standards" might be wary of being forced to use some
standards developed by others.  (Or some might have had a bad experience
with "standards.") 

Rather than seeing standards as a framework of content and best
practices that programs can adapt to the particular learners they serve,
some might feel that standards are something rigid and irrelevant or too
cumbersome.  Several people in this discussion have mentioned
"resistance to change" as a challenge in the development of standards-
based systems.  Does anyone want to comment on what the sources of such
resistance are and strategies for responding to this resistance? 

Paul Jurmo
Union County College
New Jersey

-----Original Message-----
From: specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of David J. Rosen
Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2008 10:43 PM
To: specialtopics at nifl.gov
Subject: [SpecialTopics 961] Implementing State Adult
EducationContentStandards: Louisiana

Colleagues,

Please continue to post questions for Judy Franks, Pam Blundell and  
Miriam Kroeger. Don't be shy now : - )

Thursday I would like to welcome Raye Nell Spillman who will report  
on her experience in implementing adult education content standards  
in Louisiana. Raye Nell will answer the same questions I asked Pam,  
Judy and Miriam to address and perhaps, if she wishes, add other  
information based on the questions we have asked other guests .

For those who have just joined the discussion, and others, you will  
find the messages already posted in the discussion archives at

http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/specialtopics/2008/date.html


David J. Rosen
Special Topics Discussion Moderator
djrosen at comcast.net






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