News Standards: Teachers Providing Input
- By Robin Gee
- Department of Public Instruction
Teacher input continues to play an important role in creating meaningful
academic standards for Wisconsin students. Although teacher participation
has been ongoing, State Superintendent John T. Benson is seeking additional
comments from teachers as the first phase of the standards-setting process
comes to a close at the end of this month.
"The only way to ensure that Wisconsin's students have the skills
and abilities to be successful in this rapidly changing technological
world is to set clear, high academic standards," Benson said.
In fact, the superintendent includes standards-setting in his biennial
budget proposal and is seeking public input on a preliminary set of standards
in 12 subject areas (see chart).
Teachers have been involved in drafting the standards since the earliest
discussions. Starting last spring, teachers joined other educators, parents,
businesspeople and community members on task forces to draft a first set
of standards intended to encourage public discussion. Through their involvement
on the various subject task forces, teachers helped write the initial
content and performance standards drafts and are piloting tasks to create
student work projects to be used as examples for setting proficiency standards.
"Above all, we want the standards to be practical tools, applicable
in real classroom situations. Teachers must find them useful in setting
and reaching academic goals. The only way to do this is to obtain solid,
critical feedback from teachers throughout Wisconsin," said Deputy
State Superintendent Steven B. Dold.
DPI has published the first standards in three brochures and three tabloid
draft documents. Each brochure and each tabloid describes four of the
12 subject area standards. The tabloids include response forms teachers
and the public can use to send their comments to the DPI. The department
held a series of public forums across Wisconsin in October and early November
and distributed standards materials to schools, libraries and other locations.
Benson encourages teachers to send in comments on the standards by the
end of November for use in compiling a second set of draft standards planned
for early January. The first set of model academic standards is scheduled
for publication in March 1997.
Materials can be picked up at schools, libraries and other sites, or
by contacting Jill Ness at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction,
P.O. Box 7841, Madison, Wisconsin 53707-7841 or by calling (608) 267-1284
or toll-free at 800-441-4563. The information covered in these materials
is also available through OnWEAC's "Education
Resources" section.
Posted October 29, 1996