Power Standards Introduction

1
Power Standards Introduction

• Presentation to the Woburn Public Schools School
  Committee
• October 27, 2009

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Beginning with end in mind

• To begin with the end in mind means to start
  with a clear understanding of your destination.
  It means to know where youre going so that you
  better understand where you are now so that the
  steps you take are always in the right
  direction.
• (Covey, 1994)

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How does one go about determining what is worth
understanding?
Worth being familiar with
Important to know and do
Enduring Understanding
Wiggins and McTighe, 2000
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The dilemma of standards

• Marzano (2001) found that
• Average 200 broad standards
• 3093 benchmarks
• Feasibility given of days/hours/minutes
• Necessary to lengthen to grades 21-22 prior to
  college
• Increase time or decrease standards
• Source (Marzano and KendallMACREL, Awash in a
  Sea of Standards ,1999)

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With all these standards

• Staff becomes overwhelmed
• Focus on breadth over depth
• Teachers play the blame game
• In the end, students lose out as teachers glaze
  over all the standards and rush to cover all the
  standards

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POWER STANDARDS

• Power standards are prioritized standards that
  are derived from a systematic and balanced
  approach to distinguishing which standards are
  absolutely essential for student success from
  those that are nice to know.
• Ainsworth, 2004

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What is the process?

• Teachers work in grade-level groups to identify
  power standards
• Cross-grade level meetings to review and refine
• Sequencing of standards
• Development of periodic assessments to identify
  student strengths/weaknesses in meeting the Power
  Standards

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Why Power Standards
Power Standards provide a safety net of the
essential skills and knowledge that students
need to learn (know and be able to do) in
order to be successful from grade level to
grade level and in life.