Academic-based curricula are the first step in facilitating student learning. These help to establish what a student needs to know and makes goal-setting easier. For example, history standards about the American Revolution might indicate that when the year is finished, students will be able to make connections between political ideas and economic interests, as well as be able to compare and debate the arguments of the imperial policy of the time. Ground these standards and goals in the core competencies of English, math, science, and history. These four core subjects provide the basic knowledge for students to function within the community. While other subject areas that may focus on creativity or development may be important, they take second place to the traditional academic subjects. Be sure to focus on the knowledge and skills that students should be learning in each of the disciplines at the different grade levels. Detail what they will know and what skills they will achieve that can be applied elsewhere. Clearly outline what needs to be covered each year, so that teachers can set deadline goals to ensure material is not left out.
Keep the amount of allotted time in mind. Your written standards should make up roughly 60 to 80 percent of the curriculum, while the rest should be filled in with non-core class opportunities and other activities implemented by the schools and teachers. This helps to provide the more hands-on learning experience and makes the standards and goals more flexible, so that they are more likely to be reached. However, these standards should be rigorous and comparable to other national standards of countries leading the world in education. Keep in mind that national goals call for American students to be first in the world at math and science by the end of the century. This can only be done if the requirements for each class are steadily increased. Try to use international comparisons. For instance, consider whether or not your standards prepare an American high school graduate to the same level as a German Abitur receiver.
After each year, analyze how students have performed to see if they have come close to your standards. Falling severely short would indicate that perhaps your standards are too rigorous, while greatly exceeding would indicate they are not rigorous enough. Compare the evaluations to the standards and make adjustments in the appropriate direction to continue moving forward. To do this, set up performance levels to help students, parents and educators evaluate student progress. In the U.S., this is usually a letter grade scale.
Do not dictate how something should be taught, only what should be learned. Students and teachers differ in their styles and methods of learning. Since not everyone is the same, flexible teaching abilities allow for more students to reach the standards and goals. Write them so that they combine knowledge and skills. To do this, your goals and standards should include things like analyzing and comparing. Students should not just be able to recite facts, but also use the information to draw new conclusions or understand new concepts.
Go back at the end and read through your completed standards. They should be easily understandable and written in clear language. This helps to eliminate confusion and provides a more consistent set of requirements for schools across your district. If it helps, compare your standards to other top performing schools to see how they measure up, and feel free to borrow ideas that you think may be beneficial to your students.