State Adult Education Content Standards Policy Implications

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State Adult EducationContent Standards Policy
Implications

• 2005

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What are Content Standards?

• Stated expectations of what students should know
  in particular subjects and performance levels
• Content standards define for teachers, students,
  schools and communities not only what is expected
  of students but what schools should teach

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Impetus for Content Standards?

• No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requires states
  to develop content standards for the K-12 system
• A Blueprint for Preparing Americas Future
  stresses the importance of states developing or
  adapting state content standards for adult
  education in reading and language arts,
  mathematics and English acquisition

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Why Content Standards?

• Unlike K-12, most states do not have content
  standards for adult education
• Content standards are clear statements of what
  learners should know and be able to do at
  specific points along an educational pathway
• Content standards should provide local programs a
  clear sequence of learning activities leading
  to high school completion and readiness for
  college

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• Increasingly states are issuing formal basic
  skill certifications which document adult learner
  mastery at prescribed levels of achievement.
  These certificates are especially useful to
  verify and acknowledge skill level gains for
  students lacking a secondary school completion
  credential.

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• In terms of readiness for employment, it is vital
  that state content standards be aligned with the
  skills standards workers need to succeed and
  advance in their careers. State content standards
  should also be developed in concert with national
  skills standards efforts such as the
  Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC).

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Aligned Assessments

• Not only does the Blueprint emphasize content
  standards, but it stresses the importance of
  states having standardized assessments that are
  in alignment with state content standards to
  ensure that states can assess accurately student
  learning

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Alignment with Assessment is Key

• Aligned assessment is a corner- stone of
  standards-based education
• If assessment, content, and instruction are
  aligned the assumption is that adult learner
  achievement will improve

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The CASAS System Formula for Success
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Where do CASAS States Stand?

• CASAS states have over 300 Context Standards
  (CASAS competencies are contextual applications
  of content standards)
• CASAS states have over 180 compre- hensive,
  standardized assessments (aligned with CASAS
  competencies) to measure the application of
  content standards

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Guidance from CASAS Consortium Member States

• CASAS utilized the services of Consortium member
  states to assist in developing a comprehensive
  list of basic skills content standards from a
  variety of states and sources (in addition to CA)
  that have now been aligned to CASAS competencies
  and assessments

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QUESTION 1 What are your state goals for using
standards?

• Create research-based standards as part of the
  adult education system that will help students,
  teachers, and programs.
• KEY AREAS
• Professional Development

• Use standards along with continuous and
  structured professional development
• Professional development will be perceived as
  helpful and increase professionalism of the
  field.
• Support professional development for part-timers
  and share best practices.

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• ALIGNMENT
• Align standards with assessment, curriculum, and
  instruction
• Align standards with other frameworks and
  standards (e.g., post-secondary)
• Tighten standards so they are measurable, but
  without teaching to a test
• Develop content standards that are appropriate,
  comprehensive and aligned
• CONSENSUS/BUY-IN
• Obtain learner buy-in and understanding of the
  standards
• Create bottom-up support seek buy-in from the
  beginning of the process to build consensus

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• UNIFORMITY AND USABILITY
• Create standards that are informative, useful and
  user-friendly so that the standards dont just
  sit on a shelf
• Use standards to create a common language and
  ensure uniformity and flexibility across programs

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QUESTION 2 What impact do Adult Education
content standards having on other state systems?

• Standards should drive and focus these five
  systems.
• Professional Development

• Explain to teachers what standards are and how to
  implement them
• Reduce teaching to the test
• Provide a more descriptive framework so standards
  are more flexible

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• Professional Development

• Level the playing field
• Know basic skills to teach and assess reduce
  seat of the pants
• Raise credibility among politicians and the
  public
• Define outcomes
• Promote alignment with other systems and form a
  complete cycle
• Match the assessments with standards. This is a
  challenge because there are a limited number of
  assessments available.

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• Workforce
• Political

• Improve relationships with businesses and higher
  ed/post secondary

• Affect value systems
• Increase competition among programs for resources
• Produce political implications

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• Instructionflexibility, documentation

• Raise the bar in curriculum and instruction
• Needs to be descriptive more than prescriptive to
  give teachers flexibility
• Burden of paperwork and documentation

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QUESTION 3 How are standards in adult education
the same or different from K-12 standards?

• .
• SIMILARITIES

• Standards are driven by values and
  accountability.
• Standards are a common language, part of
  policy.
• Standards-based reform in K-12 and adult
  education needs resources, time, money, and
  people to support it.
• Standard-based movements have raised expectations
  and focus on outcomes and high achievement.
• System for dealing with accommodations, failing,
  flexibility, etc.

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• .
• DIFFERENCES
• Adult Education

• Adult education needs to focus more on workforce
  and ASE role of standards in WIA
• Adult education is delivered in multiple
  venues-jails, classes, labs, on-campus/off,
  workplaces and through distance education. The
  amount of time in the classroom and structure of
  the classroom are different.
• The adult education population brings more
  diverse experiences, goals, and age ranges to
  consider.
• Adult education standards are driven by NRS,
  funding and outcomes.
• Adult learning goals are individual and unique
  compared to K-12 goals.
• Language used in adult education is different.

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• .
• DIFFERENCES
• Adult Education

• Processes within the state department of
  education/school systems differ(e.g., adult
  education provides an opportunity to involve
  students as stakeholders in reform).
• Adult education has more issues with
  unpredictable/ inadequate funding.
• Adult education deals with full-time needs in a
  part-time system.
• K-12
• K-12 standards are more concise and content
  specific.
• Different audience in K-12, especially parents
• Appropriate assessments may be different.