Summary, Option A:
Why Use SFAA/Benchmarks and National Science
Education Standards?
Estimated Time: 10 minutes.
List of Materials
Sample Presentation
Display TRANSPARENCY: Why
Use Nationally Developed Learning Goals? showing
only the question at the top.
Presenter: You’ve had a chance to work with SFAA and
Benchmarks and to examine how they compare to national standards.
Some of you may be thinking, "But isn’t education the mandate of individual
states? Most states are in the process of developing state frameworks that
recommend what students should know and be able to do. So why should a
state or district group make use of SFAA, Benchmarks, and the
Standards to guide reform?"
Take some responses from the group.
Uncover the rest of the transparency.
Presenter: Here are a few reasons we think are worth considering:
-
They focus on a nearly common set of explicit learning goals
to clarify where instruction should be headed.
-
They provide guidance in reducing the amount of curriculum content
so that there is time to learn important ideas well.
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They emphasize connections and identify a coherent set
of goals to serve as a solid foundation for continued learning.
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They recommend, based on existing research, developmentally appropriate
goals for all students.
In fact, several states—for example, California, Michigan, Maryland, Georgia,
Rhode Island, Colorado—have made extensive use of Science for All Americans,
Benchmarks
, and national standards in developing their state frameworks.