Standards

Let me premise this post with a statement. I'm not an expert on standards, but I do have a strong dislike for the misuse of standards. I do believe standards are important. Without standards important concepts would be lost. Teachers who don't feel confident with scientific concepts rely on standards to guide them. Unfortunately, administrators use standards as regulatory law. Many high school teachers are required to write the standard they are teaching on wipe boards outside their classrooms. Administrators feel students need to visually see the expectations/standards for that day's lesson. If you have ever met a teenager, you already know they won't and don't read those wipe boards. Maybe it's an accountability thing. Teachers need accountability, but I don't believe wipe boards are the answer. Writing the standards outside teacher classrooms becomes a chore rather than a teaching tool. The Indiana standards for Environmental Education are fairly progressive, but are seen by many as unnecessary paperwork.