Comments on: I’m Not Sure ‘Local Control’ Is A Good Idea https://bluecerealeducation.com/blog/im-not-sure-local-control-good-idea/ Sun, 04 Jun 2023 20:23:42 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.2 By: Rick Cobb https://bluecerealeducation.com/blog/im-not-sure-local-control-good-idea/comment-page-1/#comment-77 Tue, 24 Mar 2015 11:54:44 +0000 http://localhost:8888/bluecerealwp/blog/im-not-sure-local-control-good-idea/#comment-77 Standards as Comfort Food
I was about as upset with the standards tumult as I was when Hostess temporarily ceased production of Twinkies. It’s good to know that the snacks I grew up loving are back, but the truth is I don’t visit that aisle in the store very often.

I wonder to what extent the same can be said about standards. For years, we had PASS and tests over PASS. In fact, with the exception of our social studies state tests – which have switched to OAS – we are still testing over PASS. Our science tests won’t cover the re-written standards until 2015-16, and then only if the legislature doesn’t jettison the standards, the tests, or both.

The state can tell us what the standards are. They can even promulgate an approved list of textbooks that are allegedly aligned to them. Ultimately, the teacher in the classroom makes the decision of what and how to teach. Standards give us the illusion of alignment – maybe a framework for it. In and of themselves, though, they are not an aligned curriculum. Any two teachers’ interpretation of the standards will vary by at least a small amount. Statewide, to a great extent. Whether we have national or state standards or complete local control, this will be true.

Now where’s that Twinkie.

]]> By: Mrs. Waters https://bluecerealeducation.com/blog/im-not-sure-local-control-good-idea/comment-page-1/#comment-12 Sat, 17 Jan 2015 05:44:05 +0000 http://localhost:8888/bluecerealwp/blog/im-not-sure-local-control-good-idea/#comment-12 Leave it up to the professionals!?!
How about we ask the university education schools to devise standards — they could even collaborate across the nation — and then teach those standards to the people in their teacher preparation programs? Then, those teachers could go out into the schools of our nation and use their best professional judgement to teach, remediate, or build upon those standards based on the abilities of the children in front of them.

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