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The Importance Of Standardization Of Education

Decent Essays

The new regulations seem to be highly demanding, but Judy Steiner is a strong proponent for standardization. In her article “Implications of a standards-based curriculum for the teaching-learning-assessment process,” she discusses the importance of national standards and the advantages of setting standards. According to Steiner, “The setting of national standards allows for equal pupil opportunity. First, all pupils are judged by the same standards...Second, national standards clarify what pupils should know at different levels of their education” (9). She also notes that when individual teachers or schools set their own standards, there is a lack of consistency. Standards and assessment provide a way for measuring progress and can also influence early intervention if students are having problems. The purpose of the standards is to set higher expectations for both students and teachers. “Standards in and of themselves are meaningless,” Steiner says. “What is important are the steps that educators and others take to help pupils read them” (12). Standards can only work if schools and teachers find a good way to implement them, using appropriate materials and activities. Though teachers are told what to teach, it is still up to them to choose how to teach it. They are given a roadmap, but they still have a big role in developing curriculum material (Steiner 10). In this type of curriculum, assessment is viewed as a final product and a continual process to exemplify where

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