Texas Adult Education Standards Project
Taskforce Meeting Report
Overall, the TSCF taskforce meeting was well received by the participants. Through the course of the meeting, many participants demonstrated some understanding about the difference between content standards and performance standards. The benefits of using the TSCF reported by the participants included being able to track learners’ progress, staying informed about learners’ levels during transition, and structuring classes. However, the weaknesses of the TSCF were also reported. Taskforce members pointed out that the lengthy TSCF checklist does not have a clear explanation for application, and it is not aligned with assessment instruments.
Many participants also questioned whether TSCF standards are content standards. After sessions of small group work, some practitioners realized that TSCF standards are not content standards; some TSCF standards may be performance standards, and some may be competency statements. Several participants stated that even though the TSCF standards are not content standards, they still serve as a very useful checklist in the classroom, and having a useful tool for classroom practices is very important to local program staff. Many of the participants suggested a possible solution for standards development in adult education by restructuring, revising and reorganizing the TSCF to include content standards, performance standards and competency statements.
Other suggestions include involving practitioners and adult learners in the process of standards development, aligning standards with NRS requirements and mandated assessment instruments, supplementing teaching materials for implementation and providing professional development for effective application. Based on the recommendations from the taskforce meeting, focus group meetings by adult learners, practitioners, and experts in adult education, standards development and implementation will be conducted in the program year 2004-2005 to (1) acquire feedback for standards development and implementation, and (2) revise the TSCF for pilot-testing during the 2005-2006 program year.
Beginning in September 2004, Texas will also participate in a national consortium of states supported by the U.S. Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE). With seven other states, Texas will be engaged in the process of developing, implementing, and aligning content standards for their ESL programs. Texas LEARNS and TCALL will continue to engage adult education practitioners in the process of content standards development and their implementation in Texas.
Taskforce Meeting Agenda
Day One, Wednesday, July 7th
12:00-1:00 p.m. Registration - Lobby
1:00–1:40 p.m. Introductions, Acknowledgements, and Remarks - Violet Crown
1:40-2:10 p.m. Presentation of data / survey results, followed by Q&A - Violet Crown
2:10-3:10 p.m. Three Snapshots of TSCF Implementation, followed by Q&A - Violet Crown
- Harris County Department of Education
- Northeast Texas Community College
- Northside Independent School District
3:10-3:25 p.m. Break - Atrium II
3:25-4:10 p.m. Reaching Agreement on Common Definitions - Violet Crown
4:10-4:40 p.m. Facilitators: Experience and Expectations- Violet Crown
4:40-5:20 p.m. Q&A - Violet Crown
5:20-5:30 p.m. Advanced Organizer for Day Two / Announcements - Violet Crown
Day Two, Thursday, July 8 th
7:30-8:30 a.m. Breakfast - Atrium II
8:30-10:15 a.m. What Do Content Standards Look Like? What Should They Do?
- Violet Crown
- Ohio and EFF – Brenda Bell
- Massachusetts – Heide Spruck Wrigley
- Arizona – Lesley Tomaszewski
- Virginia’s Future Directions – Roberta McKnight
10:15-10:30 a.m. Break - Atrium II
10:30-12:00 p.m. How Does TSCF Measure Up? - Violet Crown
12:00-1:00 p.m. Lunch - Atrium II
1:15-3:00 p.m. How do we get where we want to be?
- Mountain Laurel, Lantana, and Redbud
3:00-3:15 p.m. Break - Atrium II
3:15-5:00 p.m. How do we get where we want to be?
- Mountain Laurel, Lantana, and Redbud
Day Three, Friday, July 9 th
7:30-8:30 a.m. Breakfast - Atrium II
8:30-9:25 a.m. Group Presentations / Recommendations for Further Standards Development - Violet Crown
9:25-10:30 a.m. Reaching Agreement for Statewide Implementation and Next Steps
- Violet Crown
10:30-10:45 a.m. Break - Atrium II
10:45-12:00 p.m. Wrap Up: Texas LEARNS Responds to Taskforce Recommendations
(Joanie Rethlake, TCALL staff) - Violet Crown
Glossary of Terms
Below is a list of terms used to describe several concepts currently being discussed, reviewed, and examined by adult education practitioners and researchers. Please read them carefully, check the one you believe best matches your understanding, and/or create your own. This is an important part of your preparation for the taskforce session July 7–9.
Standards-based education ...
- is a "system
of instruction focused on student learning of content standards. The
system aligns programs of instruction and assessment with the content
standards."
http://www.cde.state.co.us/action/standards/pdf/gloss.pdf
- is a "process
for planning, delivering, monitoring and improving academic programs
in which clearly defined academic content standards provide the basis
for content in instruction and assessment. In standards-based education,
the standards help to ensure that students learn what is important,
rather than allowing textbooks to dictate classroom practice. Student
learning is the focus of standards-based education. Standards-based
education aims for a high and deep level of student understanding that
goes beyond traditional textbook-based or lesson-based instruction.
Although standards define individual skills, standards-based education
does not promote a skill-by-skill methodology. Multiple standards can
and should be integrated in instructional activities."
http://ims.ode.state.oh.us/ODE/IMS/SBE/FAQ/ims_standardsbased_education.asp
| Standards-based education | ________________________________________________ |
| ____________________________________________________________________________ | |
| ____________________________________________________________________________ | |
Evidence based education ...
- is the "integration
of professional wisdom with the best available empirical evidence in
making decisions about how to deliver instruction."
http://www.ed.gov/nclb/methods/whatworks/eb/edlite-index.html
| Evidence-based education | ________________________________________________ |
| ____________________________________________________________________________ | |
| ____________________________________________________________________________ | |
Curriculum ...
- is "best characterized
as a description of what should take place in the classroom, delineating
in greater detail the topics, themes, units, and questions contained
in the content standards. Curriculum serves as a guide for instruction.
Unlike content standards, curricula can vary somewhat from region to
region or program to program, provided they focus on delivering the "big
ideas" and concepts that the standards require learners to understand
and apply."
http://www.ade.az.gov/adult-ed/Documents/AEStandards/ProjectOverview.pdf
- is "the way
content is designed and delivered. It includes the structure, organization,
balance, and presentation of expected or recommended study topics that
address content standards and meet local expectations. A curriculum
contains three primary elements: substance, purpose, and practice.
Substance communicates what should be taught. It is the field of instruction.
Purpose communicates why a topic should be taught. It is the context of instruction.
Practice communicates how a topic should be taught (and learned). It is the methodology of instruction, (including the methodology of collecting and using evidence of students’ learning to inform and to adjust instruction)."
http://www.ode.state.oh.us/academic_content_standards/definitions.asp
- is a set of courses
constituting an area of specialization. (Merriam Webster Dictionary)
http://www.odccwd.state.or.us/CCWDFiles/Word/abs/AdultSecondaryProgram.doc
| Curriculum | ________________________________________________ |
| ____________________________________________________________________________ | |
| ____________________________________________________________________________ | |
A content standard ...
- defines "what
a learner must know and be able to do. It is written in jargon-free
English so instructors and adult learners can understand it."
http://www.ade.az.gov/adult-ed/Documents/AEStandards/ProjectOverview.pdf - describes "the knowledge and skills that students should attain - often called the "what" of "what students should know and be able to do." They indicate the ways of thinking, working, communicating, reasoning, and investigating the important and enduring ideas, concepts, issues, dilemmas, and knowledge essential to the discipline." http://www.ode.state.oh.us/academic_content_standards/definitions.asp
- is a statement that defines "what one is expected to know and be able to do in a content area; the knowledge, skills, processes, and other understandings that schools should teach in order for students to attain high levels of competency in challenging subject matter; the subject-specific knowledge, processes, and skills that schools are expected to teach and students are expected to learn." http://www.tesol.org/assoc/k12standards/it/10.html
| A content standard | ________________________________________________ |
| ____________________________________________________________________________ | |
| ____________________________________________________________________________ | |
A performance standard ...
- "defines "how
good is good enough" to meet the content standard. … [it]
indicates how competent or adept a learner demonstration must be to
show attainment of the content standard."
http://www.ade.az.gov/adult-ed/Documents/AEStandards/ProjectOverview.pdf - is a concrete statement
of "how well students must learn what is set
out in the content standards - often called the "be able to do" of "what
students should know and be able to do." Performance standards
specify "how good is good enough." They are the indicators
of quality that specify how adept or competent a student demonstration
must be."
http://www.ode.state.oh.us/academic_content_standards/definitions.asp - is a specification "of "how
much" students should know and be able to do. Thus, while content
standards shape what goes into a curriculum, performance standards
set benchmarks… that shape expectations for educational outcomes,
provide a basis for measuring learning outcomes, and provide the criteria
for imposing rewards and sanctions."
http://www.iu13.org/ipq/stites.pdf
| A performance standard | ________________________________________________ |
| ____________________________________________________________________________ | |
| ____________________________________________________________________________ | |
Assessment ...
- defines "the
nature of evidence required to demonstrate that the content standard
has been met. For example, assessments may include essays, solutions
to a mathematical problem, or answering questions in reference to a
reading passage."
http://www.ade.az.gov/adult-ed/Documents/AEStandards/ProjectOverview.pdf * - is "the method
used to collect evidence of what a student knows or is able to; an
opportunity to determine if a student has learned something; a written
test or an observation of what the student can do or knows."
http://www.cde.state.co.us/action/standards/pdf/gloss.pdf * - "any means of
evaluating student performance. Any method used to collect evidence
of what a student knows or is able to do. Assessments might include
quizzes, tests, demonstrations, teacher observations, etc."
http://www.cde.state.co.us/action/standards/pdf/sbeclsrm.pdf *
*( - 
)
| Assessment | ________________________________________________ |
| ____________________________________________________________________________ | |
| ____________________________________________________________________________ | |
Accountability ...
- refers to the act
of taking information and using it to achieve results within a system
of consequences, standards, and measures.
http://www.k12.hi.us/~waialae/teachercontract/definitions.htm
| Accountability | ________________________________________________ |
| ____________________________________________________________________________ | |
| ____________________________________________________________________________ | |
Questions & Answers during the Taskforce Meeting
Taskforce members raised several questions during the meeting, and the following responses were provided by the state office and/or discussed among the participants.
Q: When is the roller coast ride [standards development and implementation] to end?
Standards development and implementation is a process, and there is no final document at the present time. The local programs may continue to use whatever framework, standards, and/or checklist that works for the program. No standards or framework will be mandated at this time.
Q: When and how will students be involved in this process [for standards development and implementation]?
Students need to be informed about the standards development and implementation, and adult education teachers and administrators should keep students updated about the process as they return to the program. TCALL research team will conduct focus group meetings with some adult learners in Fall 2004 regarding their needs as they enroll in the literary programs. Teachers and administrators are encouraged to recruit adult learners for focus group meetings.
Q: How important is it to have consistency [regarding standards implementation]?
Taskforce members indicated that it’s very important to have consistency.
Q: How do we [administrators] show progress on the checklist when applying for funding?
There is no need to report progress on the checklist at this point. The checklist may be used as an information tool for teachers to keep track of students’ progress on the areas taught.
Q: How valuable is Literacy Completion Point (LCP) to students?
This is for students and teachers to decide.
Q: Who are the customers?
Adult education students, teachers, administrators, and the workforce commission are the customers of standards development and implementation, and they will be involved in the process of developing and implementing standards.
Q: Since we adopted Florida Curriculum Frameworks (FCF), why haven’t we adopted the assessment and lesson plans?
Only the checklist from the FCF was introduced and piloted in Texas. The Texas Standardized Curriculum Framework (TSCF) was modified from the FCF checklist and is currently being reviewed. As a result, no assessment and lesson plans have been adopted.
Q: Will TABE and BEST be required before new assessments are developed?
TABE and BEST will still be mandated, and students’ performance
Evaluation Form
TSCF Taskforce Meeting Evaluation
Which of the following best describes your current role (chose one):
| □ Administrator | |||
| □ Full-time instructor teaching: | □ ABE | □ ESOL | □ ASE/GED |
| □ Part-time instructor teaching: | □ ABE | □ ESOL | □ ASE/GED |
| □ Other |
On this topic, I would consider myself:
| □ An Expert | □ Skilled/Knowledgeable | □ A Novice |
Please circle the number you agreement with in each statement and comment to clarify your response.
1. The training materials used were of excellent quality.
| Strongly Disagree | Disagree | Agree | Strongly Agree |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
Comments:
2. The workshop was well organized and had clear objectives.
| Strongly Disagree | Disagree | Agree | Strongly Agree |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
Comments:
3. The facilitators had in-depth knowledge of the topic.
| Strongly Disagree | Disagree | Agree | Strongly Agree |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
Comments:
4. The facilitators created a positive learning environment.
| Strongly Disagree | Disagree | Agree | Strongly Agree |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
Comments:
Please respond to the following:
I want to learn more about ...
Perceived obstacles for statewide implementation of the content standards are ...
Other comments and suggestions ...
