STANDARDS

In today's world, we seem to be standards driven.  What does this mean?  We can understand the concept of standards better if we ask, instead, the question what are desired outcomes? 

What will a well educated student look like?  What skills and knowledge should a student possess at Benchmarked points in his/her education?  How will we, the teachers, know when the student has attained the desired goals?  What constitutes competency on the part of the student and what is evidence shows advanced proficiency?

In a similar fashion, we need to ask what constitutes a caring, proficient educator?  What are the desired knowledge competencies, values, and dispositions of the true professional educator - the individual we refer to as the teacher?

Student standards are defined by the State of New Jersey in the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards (NJCCCS).  These can be accessed by the following link:

NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards

Teachers should strive to meet and exceed the standards descibed in the NJ Professional Standards for Teachers (NJPST).  Teacher standards can be accessed by the following link:

NJ Professional Standards for Teachers

A good teacher asks himself/herself:

Am I addressing the NJCCCS when I plan a lesson?  Which ones and how?  Are there cross-content areas being addressed?

Which NJPST am I demonstrating when I plan and teach each lesson?  Where can I improve and strengthen my skills?