Learning and Performance Standards
Introduction
Our main objective in conducting an informal survey of school age students and colleagues is to describe the students’ familiarity with the Learning and Performance standards, and the teachers’ familiarity with the Common Core Standards and the incorporation of Multiple Intelligences into lesson planning and assessment. Evaluating students and teachers’ familiarity with standards is highly important because the results of evaluation will show if the students understand the goals and objectives that they must work towards in the classroom and if teachers know which content to integrate in the lesson plans or which approaches must be applied to improve learning outcomes for students. Considering these objectives, the succeeding discussion summarizes the outcomes of the informal survey as well as the relevance of the students and teachers’ responses to instruction. Some of the sample questions in the survey questionnaire may be found in the Appendices section.
Analysis and Discussion of the Responses
Discussion of Students’ Responses
The survey questionnaire for the students was structured to determine their familiarity with the Learning and Performance Standards. Twenty students in junior high were included in the sample. Based on the students’ responses, 80 percent of the students are familiar with the Learning and Performance Standards. When asked if the students know and understand what are expected of them in the classroom, 80 percent responded affirmatively. According to the students, they gain knowledge about learning and performance standards from the syllabus given at the beginning of the school year. Apart from the syllabus, the students also noted that the rubric given for each activity and their teachers’ instruction provide them a clear picture of learning and performance standards that they are expected to meet in the classroom. Majority of the students also show understanding of the importance of meeting learning objectives and standards. Out of the 20 students, 8 of them mentioned that understanding the learning and performance objectives is important because meeting these goals would affect their grades. Their grades reflect outcomes of learning and performance measurement or assessment.
Discussion of Teachers’ Responses
The survey questionnaire for the teachers was structured to determine their familiarity with the Common Core Standards and their understanding and incorporation of Multiple Intelligences into lesson planning and assessment. Five teachers were included in the sample. Outcomes of the survey show that all of the five teachers are familiar with the Common Core Standards. This is because they attended a mandatory workshop seminar on Common Core Standards. During the workshop seminar, the speaker introduced and described the Common Core Standards. Furthermore, the teachers participated in activities where they were taught how the Common Core Standards shaped or guided curriculum development, the syllabus, as well as lesson planning. Aside from these activities, some of their colleagues were also tapped to contribute to the development of curriculum resources such as instructional materials and assessment tools. This initiative was part of the state government’s transition into the Common Core …
