Two important goals came from that commission:
(1) By the year 2000, American students will leave grades 4, 8, and
12 having demonstrated competency in challenging subject matter including
English, mathematics, science, history, and geography; and every school
in America will ensure that all students learn to use their minds well,
so they may be prepared for responsible citizenship, further learning,
and productive employment in our modern economy.
(2) By the year 2000, U.S. students will be first in the world in science
and mathematics achievement.
These and other goals were outlined in the State of the Union of 1990. Congress established the National Education Goals Panel (NEGP) and the National Council on Education Standards and Testing (NCEST). These two groups were charged with addressing unprecedented questions regarding American education such as, What is the subject matter to be addressed? What types of assessments should be used? What standards of performance should be set?
A set of national standards and various state standards was developed. In 49 of 50 states, including Alaska, students must be able to demonstrate those standards in order to pass a proficiency test in the 4th and 8th grades and at graduation. Only those students who can demonstrate the knowledge required by the standards will be promoted or graduated.
One company which has done extensive work on standard development is Mid-continent Regional Educational Laboratory (McREL). McREL researchers have surveyed and consolidated the many national-and state-level efforts to identify what K-12 students should know and be able to do. They consulted 116 national- and state-level documents that address standards and benchmarks in various subject domains. This effort produced 255 standards and 3,968 accompanying benchmarks.
IMSkool uses these standards to teach students for grades 6,7, and 8.
One concern is the sheer volume of the knowledge identified as important
for students to learn prior to graduating from high school. In an effort
to address this issue, McREL obtained the services of the Gallup Organization
to survey the American public regarding the relative importance of the
standards across a variety of subject areas. IMSkool
uses this ranking to determine which standards are included in the curriculum
given the limitation of instructional time.
Read more about McRel and the development of Standards at this site.
Content Knowledge
-- McREL
Go to Curriculum Content (sites listed below) to read IMSkool standards for each subject. These standards enable students to review prior knowledge and content at their grade level. Students may print standards which cover current studies to check their progress. They are also encouraged to use these standards to pursue additional study of the subject with internet or print resources. These standards are also used as a 'report card' to determine the level of mastery a student has reached for each standard covered during the school term.
IMSkool Home Page may be viewed at:
IMSkool
Home Page
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Village/5342/
Full curriculum content may be viewed at:
Math
Language
Arts Science
History
This page and links it contains may be viewed at:
IMSkool
Standards