Page 21 - Standards for K-12 Engineering Education

Standards for K-12 Engineering Education?

8 STANDARDS FOR K–12 ENGINEERING EDUCATION?

lished Science for All Americans (AAAS, 1989). Both publications supported further standards-
based reform.
There are three generally accepted reasons for adopting educational standards: to ensure
quality, to define goals, and to promote change (NCTM, 1989). Standards are also often
considered to be statements of equity, that is, the expectations they express pertain to all students
(e.g., NRC, 1996; Schoenfeld, 2002). This report focuses on content standards, though several
other types of standards have been developed (Box 1-1).

BOX 1-1
Types of Educational Standards

Content Standards—a description of the knowledge and skills students are expected to
have mastered by the end of their schooling. Content standards describe learning
outcomes, but they are not instructional materials (i.e., lessons, classes, courses of
study, or school programs).

Teaching Standards—a description of the educational experiences that should be
provided by teachers, textbooks, and educational technology. Teaching standards relate
to the quality of instruction and sometimes emphasize unique features, such as the use
of integrated instructional sequences.

Teacher Professional Development Standards—a description of subject-specific and
pedagogical knowledge and skills teachers are expected to attain through professional
development experiences. These standards provide guidelines for all parties involved in
teacher preparation, including schools of education and policy makers who determine
requirements for teacher certification.

Program Standards—criteria for the quality of school education programs. Program
standards are guidelines for designing programs, in keeping with content, teaching, and
assessment standards, and descriptions of the conditions necessary to ensure that all
students have appropriate learning experiences.

Assessment Standards—requirements for assessments used to measure student
achievement and opportunities to learn. Assessment standards provide guidelines for
teachers and state and federal agencies designing assessment tasks, practices, and
policies.

Performance Standards—a description of the form and function of achievement that
show what students have learned. Performance standards, usually described in relation
to content standards, sometimes identify levels of achievement for content standards
(e.g., basic, proficient, advanced).

Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.