Building the Foundation for Standards-Based Instruction for All Students
Matlock, L., Fielder, K., & Walsh, D. (2001). Building the foundation for standards-based instruction for all students. Teaching Exceptional Children, 33(5), 68-72.
Abstracted by Barbara Higgins-Dover
In this article the authors link standards-based goals and objectives to district standards including the development of one belief system, increasing the understanding of district standards and developing a working relationship with general educators.
The Foundations: For the past twenty years, educators and parents of students with disabilities have assumed that alternative teaching and learning strategies were required to teach students with diverse learning needs. Alternative curriculums were used while goals and objectives were established in alignment with the student's "perceived level of achievement." It was assumed that students with learning disabilities could only learn to read, write, and compute simple equations. Therefore, teachers used materials and curriculum available in the special education classrooms and provided more instructional time to master various subjects.
One Belief System: The new mandate establishes a belief system "that all children are everyone's responsibility, and meeting the standards is possible for all learners." Once educators agree with this statement, they will have a much more powerful learning strategy.
Understanding District Standards: The IEP team must clearly understand district standards before goals and objectives can be formulated. Teachers must become knowledgeable of appropriate assessment practices with a clear understanding of how curriculum materials and instructional methodologies align with these standards.
Working Relationship: We must engage in activities to facilitate a working relationship with general education. There must be a working relationship between general and special education administration and staff. Teams must include parents, community agency representatives, students, and other partners in education. Teams must identify fears, concerns, and beliefs. Educators must also develop an implementation plan that can eliminate obstacles and identify necessary resources.
*A Model for Developing Standards-Based Goals and Objectives is included in this article. The model encompasses a 5-year design of the Centralia school district's alignment of district and state standards with mathematics curriculum.
Benefits, Cautions, and Challenges: The authors provide several cautions to consider while implementing the practice of writing standards-based goals and objectives:
- Schools and districts should select new assessment practices closely aligned to the standards; current measures may not produce information to determine whether standards are being met.
- District standards may not reflect all required skills for students with learning disabilities.
- Broad-based outcomes may need to be broken down into smaller parts.
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