Consortia Conference Call

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Consortia Conference Call

• January 18, 2005

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Writing StandardsResolving Conflicts

• Consortia Conference Call
• January 18, 2005
• Regie Stites, SRI International

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Conflict is Unavoidable

• Conflicts among quality criteria
• Conflicts among standards writers
• Conflicts with stakeholders
• TIP Create or adapt a set of guiding
  principles or a statement of purpose for content
  standards to clearly communicate who will use the
  standards and for what purposes

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Conflicts among Quality Criteria

• Quality criteria for standards may work against
  each other keeping the purpose for standards in
  the foreground will help resolve conflicts
  between competing criteria

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Quality Criteria Conflict 1

• Comprehensive/Coherent vs. Clear and intelligible
• Content standards should be informed by research
  and be easily understood by all
• TIPS
• Create or adapt a glossary of key terms from
  research (e.g., alphabetics, register)
• Use exemplars (samples of student work or texts)
  to illustrate terms and make them concrete

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Quality Criteria Conflict 2

• Comprehensive/Coherent vs. Manageable
• Content standards should present a clear
  progression of skills without gaps and be
  teachable within constraints of the system
• TIPS
• Give priority to the teachable that is the core
  purpose of content standards
• Look ahead to professional development and
  identify effective strategies for teaching to the
  standards

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Quality Criteria Conflict 3

• Rigorous vs. Measurable
• Content standards should contain high-level
  skills that can be applied in a variety of
  contexts and specify results that can be measured
• TIPS
• Look ahead to assessment, but dont let testing
  limitations rule out important standards (higher
  order thinking is hard to measure but still
  important)
• Keep in mind the variety of assessment and
  evaluation options, not just standardized tests

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Conflicts among Writers

• Participants in writing standards may find
  themselves at odds on matters of content, format,
  and method having an agreed upon process for
  dealing with conflicts within the team can make
  such conflicts productive

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Conflict Resolution Process

• Adopt or adapt a conflict resolution process
• Example
• EFF Standard Resolve Conflict and Negotiate
• Acknowledge that there is a conflict
• Identify areas of agreement and disagreement
• Generate options for resolving conflict that have
  a win/win potential
• Engage parties in trying to reach agreement on a
  course of action that can satisfy the needs and
  interests of all
• Evaluate results of efforts and revise approach
  as necessary

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Conflicts with Stakeholders

• Conflicts with stakeholders can arise from
  misunderstanding or from rejection of standards
  consensus-building and alignment with other
  standards and benchmarks can be the source of
  validation evidence to refute arguments against
  standards

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Alignment Means Agreement

• Alignment can help with buy in and validation
• Alignment of standards content with instructional
  content
• Alignment of standards levels with instructional
  levels
• Alignment of standards with assessment
• Alignment with external benchmarks

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Some Resources

• Alignment approaches
• Sri Ananda. (2003). Rethinking Issues of
  Alignment under No Child Left Behind.
  http//www.wested.org/cs/we/view/rs/693
• Robert Rothman, et al. (2002). Benchmarking and
  alignment of standards and testing.
  http//www.cse.ucla.edu/CRESST/Reports/TR566.pdf
• External benchmarks
• Adult Literacy and Basic Skills Unit. (2001).
  Adult ESOL Core Curriculum. London The Basic
  Skills Agency. http//www.basic-skills.co.uk
• American Council for the Teaching of Foreign
  Languages. (1986). ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines
  Listening. http//actfl.org
• Breiner-Sanders, K. E., Lowe, P., Miles, J.,
  Swender, E. ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines
  Speaking (Revised 1999). http//actfl.org/files/pu
  blic/Guidelines.pdf
• Breiner-Sanders, K. E., Swender, E. Terry, R.M.
  ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines- Writing (Revised
  2001). http//actfl.org/files/public/writingguidel
  ines.pdf
• Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks. (2000).
  English as a Second Language for Adults. Canadian
  Language Benchmarks 2000. Ottowa, Ontario.
  http//www.language.ca