C urri c ul um Ba se d o n Sta nda rds an d S cal es | 15
Prioritizing Standards Independently If your school or district is not shifting to standards-based learning, you can do so independently. We must mention that this method of prioritizing standards is the least recommended, as it perpetuates variation in what students assigned to different classrooms learn. If standards are prioritized separately teacher by teacher, building by building, a pervasive lack of consistency occurs. However, if you are ready to move to standards-based learning but your district and your building are not, then this may be your only option. Follow the same process as outlined previously (page 12) to evaluate each standard according to the priority criteria. However, since you do not have colleagues to discuss results with, you will now want to check your thinking with an outside source. For example, you could look at the websites of districts that post their priority standards online. Many districts do this, including the City of Saint Charles School District in Missouri (www .stcharlessd.org), Wichita Public Schools in Kansas (www.usd259.org), and Rutland City Public Schools in Vermont (www.rutlandcitypublicschools.org). Another comprehensive set for comparison is the Critical Concepts produced by Marzano Resources (n.d.a). The Critical Concepts include lists of essential topics for English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. Once you have identified priority and supporting standards, the next step is to create the documents that will guide your use of those standards through every step of the learning ahead—high-quality proficiency scales. That is the subject of the next section.
Proficiency Scales Proficiency scales are the way that priority standards come to life in a classroom—for teachers, students, and parents. Scales allow users to see, in detail, the specific knowledge and skills that must be mastered at varying levels of proficiency. The scale is a clear road map for all. As a teacher, you need a thorough understanding of the concept of proficiency scales and how they are developed, as you will use them for all the rest of the standardsbased learning processes and products.
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make initial decisions about which standards are most essential for students by assessing each one against the five aforementioned criteria and discussing the results with your colleagues. After completing an initial draft of priority standards, as a design team participant, you will pilot the use of priority standards in your classroom and begin to align them to your curriculum resources. Additionally, you may be tasked with obtaining and reviewing feedback from colleagues not serving on the design team about the prioritization work. In some cases, this may be done through a survey instrument; in others, it may mean you are tasked with taking the draft version of the priority standards back to a meeting with your site, content-area, or grade-level teams for review, discussion, and feedback. Afterward, you will bring your colleagues’ feedback back to the design team to incorporate or refute.
