Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/281716
ISEA Communiqué • isea.org March 2014 3 OPINION How can we provide educators with ample room to set meaningful curriculum and actually assess what we are teaching? March 2014 – Vol. 51, No. 5 the ISEA Communiqué (iSSn 0019-0624) is published seven times a year (monthly except July & August; plus combined in october/ november, december/January, and April/ May) by the iowa State education Association, 777 third St., des Moines, iA 50309, 515- 471-8000 or 1-800-445-9358. $3.87 of membership dues is for a year's subscription; for nonmembers, the annual subscription is $10. periodical postage is paid at des Moines and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address corrections to iSeA Membership Records, 777 third St., des Moines, iA 50309. Advertising: to advertise, contact tamara Kuhn at 515-471-8026 or email tkuhn@isea.org. iSeA makes no representations regarding advertised products or services that are not endorsed by iSeA or neA Member benefits. Duplicate mailings? to stop duplicate mailings to the same household, contact Kimberly hupp at 515-471-8000 or email khupp@isea.org. President: tammy wawro Vice President: Mike beranek Treasurer: tom Mclaughlin NEA Directors: Ray feuss, Joshua brown Executive Director: Mary Jane cobb Editor: tamara Kuhn Visit us on the Web at isea.org the saying "All i Really need to Know i learned in Kindergarten" is the title of a wonderful book by Robert fulghum which can be applied to a set of common core standards as well. in iowa, the common core is known as the iowa core State Standards which were adopted in 2010. the iowa core State Standards specify what students should know and be able to do at each grade level, and by extension, what should be taught at each grade level so there is symbiosis. twenty years ago, when i began my teaching career, i actually believed there was a list of what every 5th grader ought to know and be able to do. After all, i had purchased a book at barnes and noble about what kids should know! however, once i actually got in the classroom, i was handed a large list of academic "indicators", curriculum books, literature circle books, foSS kits, and a report card that didn't really match what any of my students needed to know. i spent a great deal of time writing long and tedious comments that could explain what we were learning and where the student was in that journey -- for each content area! back then, i was lucky enough to work with a team of creative teachers who believed in a project- based approach to learning and assessing students' growth. however, the work and the enormous amount of time it took to see what the content was in our outdated curriculum, tie it to math and language curriculum maps, and place it under a theme that was interesting to students made this a daunting task. while the process was worth every minute because students were engaged and assessed in meaningful ways, the one thing that has always bothered me was the fact that while we were teaching this way, i couldn't define exactly what core learning needed to take place. Speaking, listening, and critical thinking skills were easily measured, but i must admit, the content was hit or miss. Also to my surprise, in my first year of teaching, was the fact that i really had no idea what my students were required to know for the iowa test of basic Skills. back then, i approached itbS in a non-threatening manner; after all i "couldn't" know what was on the test, so to me it was truly just an indicator of general learning and school-wide progression. what a difference a few years and ramifications of a "little" federal law can have on this calm testing demeanor. So, how do we combine the best of both worlds? how do we ensure students learn what content they need to know, and ensure they not feel out of the loop when moving from school district to school district or from state to state? how can we provide educators with ample room to set meaningful curriculum and actually assess what we are teaching? the iowa State Standards or the common core, whatever term is used, is purely a core set of competencies our kids should have, no matter where they live or who they get for a teacher. the obligation on the part of our policymakers for this to truly be significant is to give educators enough time to work on meaningful curriculum that includes the minimum core standards and allows us the freedom and creativity to implement it. Much of the issue over the core curriculum has revolved around how we are going to measure our work. by law, iowa must have an assessment with rules guiding what grades and what content. it is clear, however, that the iowa core State Standards need to be separated from whatever tool iowa decides to use as its statewide assessment for federal reports. currently our assessment is not measuring what we are teaching, and so, last year, the General Assembly legislated a statewide task force to study how to fix this problem. the Assessment task force meets on a regular basis and is well-represented by educators including me and other iSeA members. the task force discusses the state's needs and is charged with recommending a new state assessment for public and accredited nonpublic schools. we will examine past, present, and future options for accountability with our recommendations due by All I ever needed to know by Tammy Wawro, ISEA president, twawro@isea.org - 9 - 9 - 9 Untitled-2 1 11/16/09 7:33:41 PM - 9 Continued on page 4