Standards-Based Approach

Prepared by: M’barek EL-farhaoui

Content • What is a standard?

• Types of standards

• The 5 C’s

• Teacher and Learner Roles

• Performance-based assessment

• Some characteristics of Standards-based

classroom

• Claims in favor of the SBA

• Criticism  

What is a standard? A statement of what students should know and be able to do and demonstrate at the end of the process of the language study.

Synonyms:

learning outcomes, learning objectives, learning targets, competencies

Standards should be clear, straightforward, observable, measurable, and well-articulated.

Types of standards:

are statements about what learners should know and be able to do with English.

show us how the learners have achieved the standards targeted. They refer to how learners are meeting a standard and show the learner’s progress towards meeting a standard.

These standards tell us how well learners should perform

Content standards :

Performance standards:

Proficiency Standards:

The five Cs

The SBA is concerned with developing the following five areas:

Communication

Learners will communicate in both oral and written forms, interpret both oral and written messages, show cultural understanding and present oral and written information to various audiences for a variety of purposes .Three modes of communication are involved here: the interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational communication.

Culture Learners will gain deeper understanding of their culture(s) and other cultures in terms of their perspectives (e.g. values, ideas, attitudes, etc.), practices (pattern of social interactions), and products (e.g. books, laws, music, etc).

Connections

Learners will make connections with other subject areas.

Comparison

Learners will gain awareness of cross-cultural similarities and differences (in terms of both languages and culture).

Communities Learners will extend their learning experiences from the EFL classroom to the outside world through activities such as the use of the internet. They will therefore be made aware that they live in a global world..

To help learners attain the prescribed standards in the five Cs areas, teachers should provide opportunities to:

1 - develop the ability to think through:

• Problem-solving;• decision-making;• critical, creative, and analytical thinking;• imagining places, times, and situations different from their own;• developing and testing hypotheses;• transferring their English language learning competencies to other learning situations.

2 - develop communication skills through:

• constructing and defending an argument;

• working effectively in duos/-groups;

• communicating plans and processes for reaching goals;

3- foster their connections with their community through:

• being able to recognize their responsibilities and rights as citizens and acting accordingly;

• being willing to work hard and being long-life learners;

• contributing to the aesthetic and cultural life of their community in any way they can;

Teacher and Learner RolesThere is a radical shift of the roles both teachers and learners should play in the classroom: The learners should be active partners in the learning operation.

the teacher is no longer considered as a purveyor of knowledge or wielder of power, his or her status does not emanate from his hierarchical authority, but from the good relationship with his/her learners. The teacher’s roles: Agent of change facilitator of learning Diagnostician Learner trainerCollaborator/coach

Coordinator of the learners Classroom researcher Consultant/adviser Language learner

PERFORMANCE BASED ASSESSMENT

The standards-based approach to the teaching of English requires performance based assessment.

A measure of assessment based on authentic tasks that necessitate that learners demonstrate what they can do with English.

A measure of how learners activate their knowledge and skills to solve problems.

It requires that learners demonstrate specific competencies and apply them in simulated real-life situations according to specific standards.

It is criterion-referenced; that is, scores on criterion-referenced tests provide information on what testees know and can do with English. It does not determine who is the best, but it helps learners do their best.

It involves regular and continuous assessment. Therefore, it can occur whenever the teacher needs information about the adequacy of the learner’s present learning for subsequent teaching.

Parents and teachers can see which standards students have mastered and which ones they need more remedial work on.

It is more valid than conventional assessment in that it is authentic; it replicates situations that the testees may encounter in real life, Grades reflect the level of proficiency on specific standards for each subject area.

As performance goes up, the grades reflect the new level of mastery. Thus, teachers, students, and parents are able to see a student’s growth over time.

Some characteristics of Standards-based classroom Classroom climate is characterized by respectful behaviors, routines, and discourse. Classroom practices and instruction honor the diversity of interests, needs, and strengths of all learners. The teacher ensures that all components of the lesson (e.g., learning activities, assessment, homework) contribute to the lesson objectives and to student mastery of the standard(s). Learning time is maximized for all students.

Instruction activates students’ prior knowledge and experience, and supplies background knowledge. Students respond to opportunities provided by the teacher to make connections between the lesson and personal experience.

CLAIMS IN FAVOR OF SBA SBA proponents endorse measuring outputs rather than inputs and requiring that student demonstrate learning rather than just showing up. The adoption of measurable standards is seen as a means of ensuring that the content and skills covered by the standards will be a high priority in the education of students. The standards-based education approach rejects the inevitability of inferior performance by disadvantaged groups; it rejects the idea that only a few can succeed. All students are capable of continuous improvement. All students will complete rigorous academic coursework so that they leave high school prepared for university or technical training, without remedial courses.

Students should be measured against a fixed yardstick, a finish line, rather than against other students.

CRITCISMI- Inappropriate outcomes

• Standards can be set too low: SBA’s opponents fear that the focus on achievement by all students will result in "dumbing down" the definition of academic competence to a level that is achievable by even the weakest students. • Standards can be set too high: Others object that the standards are too high, and thus inappropriate or too challenging for all but the brightest students, to the extent that even good students would perform significantly below the stated standard and be held back or required to take additional instruction.

II- Extra burden on instructors and educational institutionsIII- Relegating the learners’ cognitive skills by focusing solely on their observable performance/behavior

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