Implementation
of the Content Stardards:
“The Proof is in the Pudding”
by John R. Hodges
In April of 2005, I was in the wrong place at the right time. I was
sitting with Dr. Rebecca Davis and Chris Palacios in Austin, when the
subject turned to finding the right people to apply to be a member of
a writing team to develop benchmarks for the Texas
Adult Education Content Standards, which were adopted from Equipped for
the Future (EFF). They
looked at me and advised me to apply. I was accepted for the math team,
and we met three different times from July to November of 2005. The six
of us on the math team hashed out our differences and came up with the
final product. All that was left was to try it out.
Our main objective during the first field test was to assess the usability
of the benchmarks. It has been suggested that I am a very analytical
person. I am not so sure. It is my belief that I am more of a skeptic
which leads me to analyze almost every minute detail. However, the more
I utilized this new tool, the more convinced I became that it was the
greatest thing I had ever been a part of. Using these content standards
and benchmarks, my life as an instructor became easier.
For six weeks from January to early March of 2006, I field tested the
Use Math to Solve Problems and Communicate standard’s benchmarks
for Levels 4, 5 and 6. Granted, six weeks was not enough time to test
these benchmarks with all students; however, I was able to test all of
them using different benchmarks with different student groups.
It is my professional opinion that these standards and benchmarks will
improve instruction. We all know that many teachers (myself included)
enter adult education by the way of “here is your class and students;
go teach them.” A document like this would have been very helpful
when I first started teaching. With my limited knowledge of how to prepare
a lesson plan, I mostly followed the outline in the text books. With
the benchmarks I was able to create more project-based learning experiences
for my students. An example of a project-based learning activity that
I developed in my class can be found on the Texas Adult Education Content
Standards and Benchmarks for ABE/ ASE and ESL Learners CD-ROM that is
available when you attend an implementation training. It is actually
three lesson plans that start with the basics of measurements through
building a catapult; then shooting the catapult and recording distances
and using that information to form graphs and charts. Finally, students
would use these figures to find mean, median and mode.
During the first field testing of the benchmarks, we discovered some
minor defects and corrections that needed to be made. Those changes were
made at the July 2006 Texas Adult Education Standards Project (TAESP)
meetings. Then, in September, the second field test began statewide.
This test was a lot smoother. I had learned from the previous field test
that it was possible to write my lesson plan first and then match the
benchmarks, or I could use the benchmarks to create a lesson plan.
The most important element to the standards and benchmarks was the implementation
of lesson plans in the second field test. This element required us to
write lesson plans that included student participation in the development
of the lesson plans. This was startling to me at first - students helping
to prepare lesson plans! However, as it turns out, this was an important
ingredient. If students have a say in what is being taught, then it will
be easier to keep them on task. What a novel idea! This led to a Friday
math class totally taught with student chosen topics. After each Friday’s
class, students decided what would be taught the next week. Student participation
in these classes is on the increase. Our students seem to love the extra
attention to their perceived needs. This class is being offered in the
morning and evening.
Either way worked extremely well. In between field tests, I continued
to utilize the standards and benchmarks with my students. The results
in my classes were phenomenal! I had approximately 80% of my students
whose Domain of Significance was math, show gains during the period of
the two field tests. The graduation levels of my classes were 99% of
those recommended to test. The overall average for math was 57 points
above the national average. I cannot in good conscience give all the
credit to the implementation of the standards and benchmarks. However,
I strongly believe it was a major ingredient to the end result.
Finally, as mom always said, “The proof is in the pudding.” In
this particular case, the pudding sure was sweet! I am extremely proud
of the work of the writing teams, and they should be recognized. I was
happy to be included in this elite group of professionals. We must also
remember the tireless efforts of those on the TAESP staff who built this
amazing project from the ground up. It is truly the living document we
aspired to create! It was my honor to serve.
About the Author
Affter serving 22 years in the United States Navy, John
entered his new career in adult education in October of 2001. His degrees
include a M.S. in Education Administration and a M.S. in Curriculum and
Instruction from Texas A&M Corpus Christi. He currently serves as
a member of the TAESP Project, a trainer for the Adult Education Credential
Project, Content Standards Specialist and a trainer for the State Math
Initiatives and in April of 2007 was the third teacher to earn the Texas
Adult Education Teacher Credential.
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