NORTH CAROLINA STANARDS LIKE OREGON'S \doc\web\97\09\ncarol.txt From: "Bob&Barbara Tennison" To: "Adam Smith" Subject: N. Carolina STW Date sent: Sat, 22 Nov 1997 15:35:35 -0800 Like many other states, North Carolina is searching for appropriate ways to define what public school students and graduates should know and be able to do and how to hold them accountable. In July 1996, the North Carolina Education Standards and Accountability Commission will present benchmark standards for students at grades 4, 8, 10 and 12, in addition to other recommendations. These benchmarks will represent the first formal attempt in North Carolina to hold students accountable for their performance. The Standards and Accountability Commission was created by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1993 to ensure that all graduates of North Carolina public schools have mastered the skills to become productive workers and successful in life. The purpose of the commission is to develop high and clearly defined education standards, specifying the skills and knowledge that high school graduates should possess to be competitive in the modern economy. The commission is also developing fair and valid assessments to assure that high school graduates meet these standards. After lengthy study of education issues and review of research, the Standards and Accountability Commission has recommended: * that North Carolina adopt six competency areas for student proficiency: communications, using numbers and data, problem solving, processing information, teamwork, and using technology * that high school students choose from a College Prep or College Tech Prep curricula with no option for a general curriculum * that the State Board of Education develop broad, general curriculum frameworks for each subject area, leaving local teachers and school systems flexibility for selecting content. As part of the work of the Commission, it has supported 15 teams of teachers that are developing and field-testing authentic assessment tasks. Also, 30 educators across the state have been trained to use authentic assessments with students. Other work of the Commission includes: * designing a model for exit projects for high school students to demonstrate proficiencies required for graduation. * piloting a balanced and rigorous assessment system in four local school systems * designing models for an education system that allows students different amounts of time to complete their high school studies * designing a staff development plan to help teachers and schools carry out the reforms recommended by the Commission ##################### Could over lay this with Oregon and they are almost identical. Oregon benchmarks at grades 3, 5, 8, and 10 and that's about the only difference. BET Bob & Barbara Tennison 78612 Halderman Rd. Cottage Grove, OR 97424-9709 Home: 541-942-0703 Website: http://www.jb.com/~btennison EDUCATION CONSUMERS CLEARINGHOUSE