Maisie DeMass

ED433
Standards Discourse
09/14/14

There are several topics and issues that are constantly in the spotlight for
discussion and review in the world of education. One of the most common of these is
the role that standards play in our teaching. There are several sets of standards that
we must familiarize ourselves with in order to ensure that our students are
receiving the information to help them become as successful as possible in our
content different areas.
The Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium, or INTASC
Principles are designed to establish what pre-service teachers are expected to learn
before they begin a job in a classroom. The INTASC Principles help to ensure that all
new teachers are performing at the same, high level, regardless of their content
area. For example, a social studies teacher would be held to these standards just as a
foreign language teacher would. I consider these standards to be the umbrella to the
other, more content-specific standards that teachers incorporate into their lessons.
The next set of standards is the Content Area Specific Professional Standards
for teachers. These are related to the INTASC standards in that they lay out what a
pre-service teacher needs to know and be able to relay to their students, but within
their specific content area. The members of a content areas professional community
determine these standards. For example, as a foreign language content area, I would
be expected to adhere to and meet the standards determined by the American
Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language, or ACTFL. These standards are still
specific to pre-service teachers as well as teachers as they determine what
particular elements of our content area we should be learning about in our
university courses, as well as be familiar enough with teaching methods and content
in order to best meet each and every students needs. I consider these standards to
be the transition from the teacher-centered INTASC Principles to the standards that
are set for students as these involve teachers taking their students into
consideration when creating lesson plans.
After standards that relate to teachers, we transition into standards that
apply to our students knowledge and understanding of the content. These are the
Content Area Specific Content Standards for K-12 learners. These standards
determine what our students need to know and be able to do within a content area.
Professionals in the content area; for example, ACTFL, determine these standards,
just like they do the Content Area Specific Professional Standards. These standards
dont have to be specific, as theyre not the standards that have to be met for any
standardized testing. Since there is no one big test for foreign language content, the
standards serve as guidelines that our students should be meeting to be considered
proficient in a language. Not only do they include language skills, but also elements
of culture in order to promote a wider perspective on global communities.
Finally, we must be familiar with the state-level content standards for
Indiana. These standards determine what we must teach in K-12 classrooms and
cite within our lesson plans. These are the standards on which the big standardized
tests are based. These standards are the most specific set of standards and are
subject to change based on the politics occurring in the world of education.
Maisie DeMass
ED433
Standards Discourse
09/14/14