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Chapter 3 The Curriculum
21
each school. Teachers at each school will develop foundation units
that prepare its students to achieve the Modern Red Schoolhouse
standards.
Capstone units, as an instructional tool, help students to integrate
knowledge across a variety of subjects, ensure that students have
experiences in applying knowledge to real world contexts, and
encourage student conversation about things they know or are learning.
Successful completion of the unit reflects mastery of several standards.
The capstone units are an important component of a carefully
conceived assessment program. They allow students to demonstrate
that they have retained and can use knowledge and skills learned in the
preceding foundation units. They provide teachers with information
regarding a student's readiness to complete subject exams in one or
more areas. Capstone units will be the same in every Modern Red
Schoolhouse; however, they are developed with the advice and
direction of Modern Red Schoolhouse teachers. Initially, approxi-
mately 12 units will be available for each division-primary,
intermediate, and upper. Eventually, more units will be available,
allowing more flexibility in the construction of this portion of the
curriculum. Teachers at each school evaluate their students'
performance on these units and identify work that should be added to
a student's portfolio.
The essential elements of a Hudson unit are the following:
performance objectives, standards that are addressed, and
prerequisites for the unit
student and teacher activities that enable students to master
objectives
parent activities that support student learning
assessment activities to evaluate student mastery of the unit's
objectives
Teachers at participating schools construct Hudson units that reflect
the local culture and interests, state and local standards, as well as the
standards of the Modern Red Schoolhouse. Initially, as schools
develop foundation units, it is expected that the units will be rather
broad to accommodate various student learning styles within the unit.
Over several years, as foundation units accumulate within a school and
are shared across schools, units that combine particular learning styles
or interests with specific Modern Red Schoolhouse standards will
emerge. Then, teachers and students will have access to several
different units addressing the same Modern Red Schoolhouse
standards-allowing for multiple paths to the same standards.
22
Modern Red Schoolhouse
Interdisciplinary Study
Interdisciplinary study is an important tool for achieving many of
the Modern Red Schoolhouse standards. Some standards can be
achieved only through interdisciplinary Hudson units. The following
are examples:
English Language Arts. Each student can explain the
structure of certain passages of literature from various
historical periods and cultures, illustrating the authors use of
syntax, images, figures of speech, literary and cultural
allusions, symbols, irony, and other devices in the context of
history, culture, and literary style.
Geography. Each student can analyze and interpret
databases and case studies as well as use information from
maps to describe the role that regions play in influencing trade
and migration patterns as well as cultural and political
interactions.
Students are often surprised to learn that the world is so
interdisciplinary. In the information-age of today, people are expected
to work together in complex systems and relationships. Education
must prepare students to operate effectively in this interdisciplinary
world.
The interdisciplinary experiences of students should be many and
varied. Sometimes, the units will be formal and predictable. History,
for example, will almost always draw together the arts, sciences, and
geography. Other times, interdisciplinary study will be surprising and
unexpected, arrived at through natural exploration. A unit on diet and
nutrition, for example, may encourage students to delve into chemistry,
biology, or statistics.
Properly constructed, interdisciplinary study should model for
students how various disciplines are to be incorporated into the
intellectual framework of the individual student. At Modern Red
Schoolhouses, students might study with a history teacher who is
knowledgeable about literature and understands how writers of
different times interpreted history for their audiences. They might
study with a physics teacher who understands how modern religions
have accommodated the "big bang" theory.
Hudson units often will be organized around a complex theme such
as "the Renaissance" or "Sound" being taught by one teacher, two
teachers, or a team of teachers who have students in-common.
Students are also encouraged to learn through personal investigation.
Chapter 3 The Curriculum
23
Continuous Progress
As should be evident by now, the Modern Red Schoolhouse design
envisions a new definition of education. Education is no longer to be
viewed as a process-expanding pre-schools, building self-esteem,
introducing more computers, and so on. From now on, education will
be defined by its results. Education happens when children
demonstrate mastery of standards.
Achieving the high academic standards requires new ways of
thinking about time and accomplishment in schools. Achieving high
standards requires that all students master difficult concepts. Students
will not master all of these concepts at the same time. Students are
allowed a degree of flexibility in the time it takes to complete various
Hudson units. Accomplishment is expected of every student, though
not in lock-step fashion.
The Modern Red Schoolhouse will provide the environment, tools,
and coaches to help students achieve these standards. But the effort
and the accomplishment belong to the student. This can only happen
with more individually paced learning.
Individually paced learning does not mean that students learn (or
do not learn) at their own leisure. Rather, it refers to a school
structure that pushes students to experience continuous progress in
their learning. Students neither fall hopelessly behind their classmates
nor sit bored while they wait for classmates to finish their work.
Learning and initiative become nearly synonymous.
This does not necessarily imply that all children in a classroom
work on different material. In fact, we urge schools to move toward
more individually paced instruction in manageable increments. Several
strategies exist to begin the transition. For instance, at the primary
level, schools should consider the following as initial steps:
Performance grouping. Instruction is individualized by grouping
across numerous classrooms. The most positive results in
performance grouping have been documented in teaching reading.
Grouping occurs for ninety-minute periods and must, at a
minimum, involve several classrooms of students. Students are
grouped according to their current performance levels for six to
nine weeks of study. Performance is then reevaluated and new
groups are formed.
Learning teams. Four or five teachers are assigned approximately
100 students of various ages and performance levels for multiple
years. Students are assigned the same advisor throughout the
primary level. However, they are assigned to various teachers on
the team during the course of the day, depending on their
performance level. Fairly sophisticated management of student
progress is required for this strategy.
24
Modern Red Schoolhouse
After-school studies. Students who need additional learning time
or who want to progress faster are offered special after-school
studies programs or are assigned individual projects that can be
pursued independently after school.
Summer studies. Students whose progress lags behind
appropriate expectations may be allowed to work on Hudson units
under the supervision of a parent or mentor. When a student
returns to school in the fall, he or she will complete critical
assessment components to establish the level of mastery obtained
during the summer.
Ungraded classrooms. Using thematic instruction, students,
usually of different ages, work in the same classroom on different
Hudson units covering the same topic, such as ancient civilizations
or American history. Each student will achieve the same high
standards but at different rates and, perhaps, ages.
Schools should consider the following at intermediate and upper
levels as initial steps:
Project-based learning. By the intermediate level, students are
less dependent on teachers to shape and direct their learning
experiences. A portion of the day can be assigned to project-based
learning, where students, alone or in groups, work to complete a
project that addresses one or more Hudson units.
Individual tutoring. Teachers can dedicate time to individual and
small group tutoring for students with special needs.
Student use of computers. By the intermediate level, students
should use the computer as a research tool fairly frequently. They
can access and enter data for analyzing scientific and historical
issues. They can begin to evaluate their own progress in academic
subjects and learn to identify areas of learning that will help
improve their own performance and mastery of essential skills.
Small group tutorials and self-directed learning projects. For
upper-level students, expectations specific to each student will
determine the appropriate learning strategy. As in earlier levels,
mastery of Hudson units will guide the structure of learning.
Multi-Year, Multi-Age Groupings
Students often benefit from having the same teacher two or more
years. Each fall in the United States, teachers waste hundreds of hours
as they learn about the particular strengths and weaknesses of the
students assigned to them. Yet in some European countries, it is
common for a student to have the same teacher for two or more years.
Chapter 3 The Curriculum
25
Students also benefit, academically and socially, from contact with
students of different ages. In addition to critical learning opportunities
that arise when they can give and receive assistance, young children
benefit from the helping roles they initiate in mixed-age groups.
Students of all ages gain critical insights when they have to explain a
particular concept or principle to another person. These things occur
more often in mixed-age groups.
Each Modern Red Schoolhouse will provide these opportunities for
student learning differently. Some may begin with multi-age
homerooms, with teachers being assigned to a homeroom for multiple
years. Subsequently, they may expand these opportunities through
performance grouping or ungraded classrooms.
As evident from the above discussion, the Modern Red
Schoolhouse curriculum is a structure that will allow great flexibility
and creativity on the part of teachers, but at the same time, it will
ensure that every student learns important knowledge and skills.
Continuous Progress in Curriculum Development
Developing a curriculum that allows all students to attain the
academic standards of the Modern Red Schoolhouse is not a one-time
endeavor. Like all professional endeavors, it is a continuing process.
Instructional strategies are revised when students appear to falter.
Content may change to reflect new discoveries in science or new
avenues to illustrate guiding principles. Teachers find that continuous
progress in curriculum requires continued reflection on what students
are learning and should be learning. Collaborative work among
teachers and proper technological support make that endeavor feasible
and often gratifying.
26
Modern Red Schoolhouse
Chapter 4
THE ORGANIZATION OF THE MODERN RED SCHOOLHOUSE
The design for the Modern Red Schoolhouse envisions schools that
lift the constraints of a cumbersome bureaucracy. Schools should be
largely autonomous institutions where principals and teachers can
respond flexibly and creatively to student needs. School staff and local
stakeholders should control essential aspects of school organization
including:
budgeting
staffing and personnel assignments
curriculum details
schedules
teacher/student ratios
time allocated to various subjects
Modern Red Schoolhouses do not allow traditional policies and
practices to limit teaching. For too long teachers have been hampered
because they were unable to answer two questions: How can some
students be given more time to learn without wasting the time of
others? How can a teacher vary the way he or she provides instruction
to some, but not all, of the students? The Modern Red Schoolhouse
will allow teachers to move beyond these questions by organizing the
school to allow for the following:
the incorporation of technology into teaching and assessment
innovations in the use of time and pedagogy
practical and commonsensical solutions to problems
the use of successful organizational practices in pioneering
schools
Schools that choose to participate in this project commit
themselves to an open evaluation of existing governance structures and
roles, staffing and hiring practices, and uses of support services. In
every district that includes a Modern Red Schoolhouse, administrators
and teacher organizations need to develop the side agreements
necessary to allow for organizational flexibility at the participating
school. Changes in organizational practice that have the potential to
improve student learning should always be given the highest priority.
Chapter 4 The Organization of the Modern Red Schoolhouse
27
Providing Continuous Progress For All Students
As discussed in Chapter 3, providing all students with the
opportunity to experience continuous progress in their learning is not
a simple task. It requires organizing the daily routines of school in
ways that allow some students to work on individual or group projects
or tutorial periods during or outside the regular school day. Creative
scheduling of large lectures and small tutorials, computerized
management of student progress, and increased planning time for
teachers may be needed to realize this goal.
Advising teachers are needed to provide continuity and direction
for each student's academic pursuits and to ensure that social services
are provided by community agencies when needed. Each student
should have the same advisor for two to four years. The advising
teacher will receive regular reports from a student's various
instructors-usually through electronic mail-on the progress of a
student, noting where particular problems need attention or particular
successes deserve praise. The advising teacher has primary
responsibility for preparing and monitoring a student's plan of work
through the Individual Education Compact (see Chapter 2) developed
in collaboration with parents and the student.
The Move To Autonomy
While the precise steps that individual schools take to achieve
autonomy will vary, certain organizational changes should be achieved
within three years at every Modern Red Schoolhouse. These changes
include school control over the following areas:
at least 80 percent of the resources consumed by the school
including salaries and positions
hiring and terminations
acquisition and application of resources
classroom ratios, including the authority to obtain waivers or
side agreements
class schedules
curriculum
positions and classifications
The need for such autonomy is based on the evidence that the school
itself, rather than remote authorities such as the district or the state, is
in the best position to understand the education needs of its students
and to know how to best meet those needs. Changes must occur in the
roles and responsibilities of the people involved: principals become
education leaders and executives; teachers develop coaching and
28
Modern Red Schoolhouse
mentoring skills; school stakeholders participate in decisions; and
students and parents take more responsibility for education activities.
The implementation plan should include a schedule for training,
piloting, and fully implementing the advising teacher program and an
alternative school schedule that allows for continuous progress of
students and increased planning time for teachers. The school schedule
should be altered to allow for computer assisted instruction,
interdisciplinary projects, learning beyond regular school hours,
flexibility in the ways students learn, and an extended school year for
those students who would benefit. The advising teacher program
should allow for weekly interaction-perhaps through a homeroom
structure-between student and his or her advisor; for regular
interaction between the advising teacher and a student's
instructors-perhaps through electronic communication and reports
from an instructional management system; and for long-term
relationships between an advising teacher and a group of
students-through multi-age, multi-year homerooms.
New Roles and Responsibilities
Decentralization of authority from school districts to autonomous
schools will change the roles and responsibilities of all concerned. The
principal will be in charge of the school and, in conjunction with the
stakeholders, will make the major decisions concerning the school.
Principals will be both education leaders and executives. Teachers,
parents, and others in the community will have greater opportunity to
participate in school planning and policy making. Teachers will be
able to develop and apply their mentoring, coaching, and leadership
skills. Modern Red Schoolhouses should form site councils composed
of parents, teachers, and others to provide advice to school
administrators. Students and parents will have more responsibility for
the students' education.
To the extent requested by the participating schools, district offices
may provide services such as professional development, school
maintenance, and accounting and disbursing funds. The school district
superintendent has responsibility for assessing school progress in
achieving agreed-upon outcomes. Where progress is unsatisfactory, the
school board, in conjunction with the district office, will be responsible
for implementing assistance programs.
Since the educational needs of students will be the driving force
in making decisions, input and appropriate participation should be
sought from all those with a stake in the outcome: teachers,
counselors, union representatives, parents, students, and the
community-at-large. The principal of the Modern Red Schoolhouse
sets a tone encouraging all stakeholders to look for opportunities to
Chapter 4 The Organization of the Modern Red Schoolhouse
29
improve the system and thereby improve the quality of education. The
principal will establish a collegial working environment in which
collaborative planning and shared decision-making about the
educational needs of students are the rule rather than the exception.
The success of the Modern Red Schoolhouse will be dependent on
the attitudes and competence of its staff. The staffing process should
focus on obtaining teachers who believe all students can succeed.
Only people who want to be at the school are selected. The school
should be staffed with teachers who are willing participants in the
decision-making and mentoring process. Teams composed of both
subject specialists and multi-disciplinary teachers should be assisted by
aides and technical support personnel in team-taught learning
communities. Varying staffing positions-aides, interns, or master
teachers-should be used when the school decision-making body finds
that it will enhance the quality of education the school can provide.
Schools will be accountable to the district in terms of their results:
What have students learned? Do many parents want their children to
attend this school?
Costs
Our estimates suggest that long-term operating costs will increase
to cover the costs of a technology support person, but that other
changes can be accommodated through changes in staffing structures
and in materials purchased. Some personnel changes will increase
costs, but other changes will reduce costs. Reductions in the demands
of district-level bureaucracy will free some staff members to provide
necessary support for technology, for the advisor program, and for
increases in "contact time." Cost savings may also allow schools to
provide a longer school day or year.
Outlined below (Table 1) are two possible staffing scenarios that
illustrate options a school may encounter. Of course, these options
represent just two of many possible expenditure plans. In the first
scenario, the school would increase the total number of adults who
interact with students, add a technology support person, and reduce the
number of full-time interns. Three teachers would be promoted to
master teachers, perhaps reflecting the need to provide newer teachers
with more support and coaching. In the second scenario, substantial
increases are proposed in part-time teachers and technology
staff-perhaps reflecting the need to provide more technological
support to an older population of teachers.
Start-up costs for a Modern Red Schoolhouse will vary
substantially, depending to a great extent on the degree to which a
school has acquired the technology needed for successful implementa-
tion of the design. For example, an elementary school with no
technology, no experience with elements of the design, and 500
students may need as much as $600,000 in start-up funds. A similar
30 Modern Red Schoolhouse
school with a sophisticated technology system and a strong leadership
team may need as little as $100,000 in start-up funds. During the
planning phase, the design team will work closely with a school to
establish the actual start-up costs for the design.
Table 1
Hypothetical Staffing Options
Current Profile
Option 1
Option 2
# of
Cost
# of
Cost
# of
Cost
staff
staff
staff
Master Teachers, full-time
0
$
0
3
$150,000
0
$
0
at $50,000
Teachers, full-time @
67
2,211,000
60
1,980,000
62
2,046,000
$33,000
Teachers, part-time @
10
100,000
15
150,000
18
180,000
$10,000
Technology Staff, full-time
0
1
30,000
4
120,000
@ $30,000
Interns, full-time @ $9,000
10
90,000
5
45,000
6
54,000
Interns, part-time @ $3,000
5
15,000
15
45,000
5
15,000
Total
92
$2,416,000
99
$2,400,000
95
$2,415,000
Keeping the Goal in Focus
In evaluating staffing and budgeting options, the principal and
school staff should always weigh their options in terms of which one
can do the most to improve student learning. Choosing one option
over another because it is more convenient for teachers or agreeable to
parents is not a compelling reason for change. Instead, options need
to be evaluated in terms of their ability to improve the opportunity that
all students have to attain high academic standards.
Changes in how resources are allocated are always difficult in any
organization, but if everyone can agree on the overall goal, the
discussions can be productive and compromises more easily reached.
In addition, though, to focus on student learning, school personnel
must have access to detailed data on student performance to uncover
real strengths and weakness in the curriculum. Technology, which we
discuss in the next section, can give teachers and principals access to
that data. With a shared goal and hard evidence, changes in
organizational practices can be sensibly evaluated in terms of how they
address the particular weaknesses in student learning.
Chapter 5 Technology
31
Chapter 5
TECHNOLOGY
Technology allows teachers at Modern Red Schoolhouses to
remove the constraints that time has placed on teaching strategies. By
using computer workstations and networks, interactive technologies,
and new communications systems, teachers are able to interact with
their students and assess their students' progress, at any time, from any
place. Classroom walls no longer circumscribe the relations between
teachers and student. A teacher's ability to monitor student progress,
talk with colleagues, find alternative instructional strategies, and
evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum is enhanced with the
proper technology.
At the Modern Red Schoolhouse, the staff uses technology to
teach, to prepare and monitor IECs, to manage student progress, and
to develop and oversee school budgets. This is possible because three
different communication systems eventually will be brought into every
school-a data network, a voice or telephone system, and a video
distribution system.
Systems of Communication
The data system utilizes a Local Area Network (LAN) which
serves to link all classrooms within the building together and with the
outside world. Teacher and student computer workstations are to be
placed in, or near, classrooms, rather than in isolated labs down the
hall. A ratio of approximately six students per classroom computer is
a minimum target, although the number of students per computer may
vary according to age. Computer users are able to send messages or
documents to other computer users via electronic mail on the LAN.
The LAN promotes collaboration between students within a classroom,
between different classrooms within a school, and with other schools
using a modem. Certain resources are available via the school-wide
network; students and teachers will share yet other resources within a
classroom.
Each teacher will have a computer in the classroom that he or she
uses as a presentation and management tool. Just like students'
computers, the teacher's computer is part of the LAN. The teacher's
computer should allow the teacher to create and present multimedia
files, monitor student progress, communicate with colleagues and
students, schedule tutorials, and connect with libraries throughout the
world.
Servers-the "engine" of the LAN-will be used to store databases
and other information, including certain administrative information.
32
Modern Red Schoolhouse
Servers also support bulletin board systems which allow anyone with
access via modem to leave messages or transmit documents from
outside the building. Students and members of the community with
home computers are able to access certain information "published" by
the school.
The voice system will handle telephone-related functions. Ideally,
each classroom should have a phone, voice-mail system, and/or a
homework hotline for communication between parents and the school.
Call and toll restrictions can be programmed into the phone systems
to control unauthorized use of the system.
The video distribution system allows teachers and students to view,
produce, and present video programming. Each school should have a
satellite dish to receive educational programming, such as broadcasts
distributed by NASA, that are beamed long distance via satellite
transmission. Schools are outfitted with video production
equipment-enabling students, teachers, administrators, and parents to
create custom video programming to support community, school-wide,
or classroom activities. Video programming-whethen received via
satellite, in taped versions, or produced in-house-should be available
for viewing throughout the school. Each classroom should have a
television monitor connected to the school-wide video distribution
system.
Uses of Technology
Technology is an essential tool for all of the elements of a Modern
Red Schoolhouse. In the area of standards and assessments, a
computerized means of tracking student progress over time should be
available. Student reports, IECs, and school reports should all be
generated by computer. Ideally, the system should allow for electronic
assessment tools that support the collection, storing, and tracking of
quantitative (e.g., test scores) and qualitative (e.g., videos of
performances, writing samples) data on student learning.
In curriculum and instruction, a number of applications are
possible. Essential, however, is an Instructional Management System
(IMS) that allows teachers to develop, implement, and monitor a core
curriculum. Second, computers are used by students to author texts,
collect data, and assess their own progress in certain areas. A
schoolwide video system should allow classroom access to a variety
of programs (NASA, CNN Newsroom, the Discovery Channel, and so
forth). All of these systems should be further supported by a large
collection software and technology-based courseware and by subject-
specific technology equipment such as specialized equipment in
science rooms, calculators for math, software and tools in music,
computer assisted drafting (CAD) software and tools in vocational arts,
Chapter 5 Technology
33
and additional computers and productivity tools in business education.
In organization and finance, on-line management tools (for
budgeting, scheduling, and data collection) should be available at every
Modern Red Schoolhouse. Daily attendance records should flow
directly from a teacher's workstation to the front office.
Communications within the school should be mostly
electronic-memos from the front office, reports of meetings from
various committees, and information on student progress to advising
teachers are some examples. Students should be able to form informal
study groups through an on-line scheduling system that can notify
interested students and assign a study area for the time that students
are available. To further support administrative, student, and teacher
use, equipment such as a fax machine and laser printers should be
centrally located and readily accessible.
Community involvement in schools will be enhanced through
public cablecasting of school events, such as plays or musical events.
Special pre-school or parent education programming, developed
locally, could be available in clinics, laundromats, or public libraries.
Businesses and other organizations interested in having their employees
tutor or mentor students could be linked electronically to students for
daily conversations.
Parental involvement in education could be similarly enhanced
through homework hotlines, parental access to students' work related
to their IECs, or the linkage of terminals in public libraries to school
curriculum and educational resources.
Technology enhances the number of professional development
opportunities available to teachers. Teachers at Modern Red
Schoolhouses should be able to exchange ideas and curriculum through
computer link-ups such as Internet. Face-to-face video conferences
could be held with university faculty or nationally recognized
curriculum experts. A media library of interviews with national
experts, classroom observations, and student performances on projects
could be available as references to teachers.
These uses of technology do not exhaust its potential to serve the
goals of the Modern Red Schoolhouse, but should provide some initial
insight into the degree to which technology is an essential component
of a Modern Red Schoolhouse.
Acquiring Technology
Given the vast budget implications of implementing complete data,
voice, and video systems within a Modern Red Schoolhouse, the
design team recognizes the need for staggering the purchase of them.
Planning and implementation activities are listed below which support
the installation of a Local Area Network (LAN) and teacher work-
34
Modern Red Schoolhouse
stations as the backbone of the Modern Red Schoolhouse technology
infrastructure. As part of wiring the building during the first year,
appropriate cables should be installed to support data (e.g., computers),
voice (e.g., telephones), and video (e.g., cable television). Once such
wiring exists within a building, additional technology can be phased-in
each year as budgets permit. For example, additional computers can
be connected to the LAN, telephones added to classrooms, and video
programming can be expanded.
The following activities need to occur as part of planning phase:
1. Establish baseline data by completing an equipment/
software inventory and a teacher usage survey.
2. Identify funds to support a part-time, school-based
technology coordinator/trainer.
3. Develop school-based technology implementation plan and
specifications, using the Modern Red Schoolhouse
technology plan as a guide.
During the implementation period, each school will do the following:
1. Acquire and install:
local area network; pull cables for data, voice, and video
at same time
file server(s) and LAN operating software
computer for each teacher and administrator with multi-
media capacity (e.g., a CD-ROM, sound capability, and
adequate memory)
instructional management system (IMS)
management information software (MIS)
electronic-mail software
network modem(s) and supporting telephone line(s)
a core set of instructional and management software (e.g.,
electronic encyclopedia; graphing programs; integrated
productivity tools)
2. Provide and/or arrange for the provision of basic training for all
teachers, administrators, and school staff covering the following topics:
beginning computer fundamentals
utilizing an integrated productivity software package
integrating third party software into the curriculum
basic multi-media applications
utilizing school's e-mail and LAN
utilizing telecommunications in the classroom
electronically managing the core curriculum and assess-
ment using the IMS
Chapter 5 Technology
35
Beyond the first period of implementation, continued on-site
support and training should be provided to ensure that all school staff
can at a minimum: a) electronically manage information concerning
student progress; b) utilize the internal and external communication
systems; and c) provide enhanced instruction and learning. Supporting
technologies, such as video cameras, should be purchased in these
subsequent years. Long range planning should included an appropriate
budget for additional software acquisition and system maintenance.
While exact implementation schedules will vary at each school
depending upon budget constraints and the technology acquired prior
to the project, most plans should seek to complete their major
acquisition within three years.
Using Technology
Technology can transform the learning opportunities of all
students. Two mistakes, however, must be avoided. Teachers must
have the time and training they need to be able to use technology
reliably and imaginatively. Too many times technology is placed in
classrooms or labs without training teachers in its use. Second, the use
of technology for drilling students on arithmetic or reading skills
should be limited. The learning gains are generally too small to be
worthy of the investment. Instead, student use of technology should
focus on providing opportunities for problem-solving, exploration of
different times and places, and communication.
36
Modern Red Schoolhouse
Chapter 6
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
In the story of the little red schoolhouse, community members
helped build the schoolhouse, and they gave the teacher complete
support. Every member of the community worked to make sure it was
a good school. At the Modern Red Schoolhouse, this type of
community support is expected. Local service agencies and religious
and civic organizations should work together to ensure that every child
starts school ready to learn and that any family in distress is provided
needed support. Volunteers play an important role in the life of the
school. Parents, of course, are expected to maintain a conscientious
commitment to their child's education. And, parents should be given
the opportunity to choose the school their children will attend.
Readiness for School
Upon entering school, children need to be healthy, have self-
confidence to take on new challenges and lessons, and good language
skills, so they can ask and answer questions and take part in group
activities. Children also need good social skills, so that they will be
able to get along with other children and listen to adults. Children
who enter school physically healthy, emotionally healthy, and self-
confident, with good language skills, and able to behave and exhibit
good manners, are ready to learn.
Modern Red Schoolhouses facilitate the formation of a consortium
of community agencies and organizations dedicated to ensuring that all
children enter school with an equal chance of succeeding. This
consortium may include churches and synagogues, community-based
service organizations, private agencies, existing pre-school programs,
or other institutions. They specify what parents can do to prepare their
child for school and help parents of all children increase their own
effectiveness.
The focus of the consortium may differ in each community, but all
will rely upon the Modern Red Schoolhouse's Parent Handbook as a
guide in establishing priorities and concerns. A consortium may serve
all children in a community or only those likely to attend a Modern
Red Schoolhouse. Wherever possible, the consortium will be
encouraged to serve all children in a community.
Chapter 6 Community Involvement
37
Support for Distressed Families
Communities should provide a coherent and comprehensive set of
services to families in distress. When necessary, school districts
participating in the Modern Red Schoolhouse project should establish
a multi-agency task force to review existing services for redundancies
and gaps, to formulate a plan to eliminate gaps, and to devise a
strategy to ensure user-friendly support.
A division of labor is required. Schools educate. Only rarely
should they be turned into multi-service community centers. Local
service agencies provide social services. Schools and social-service
agencies should coordinate closely. This way, schools do what they
do best and social-service agencies do what they do best. Children and
families should receive high quality education and support services, as
opposed to finding mediocrity in both.
As a practical matter, this means that Modern Red Schoolhouses
assist at-risk students by attending primarily to their educational needs
and rely on other agencies in the community to address their wide variety
of other needs. Guidance and career counseling, teaching the basics of
good nutrition and hygiene, and physical education are part of every
Modern Red Schoolhouse. Special learning services may also be
included as part of a student's IEC to help him or her overcome the
educational impairments that may accompany poverty, emotional abuse,
or learning disabilities. Advising teachers, who work with the same
group of students for several years in multi-age homerooms, will link
children in need of special services with local social service agencies.
Parental Involvement
Parents should choose the public school their children attend.
Parent information centers should be available to help parents make
informed educational choices for their children, especially when it
comes to choosing a school.
Parents are not simply encouraged to participate in the school and
their children's education. Their responsibilities and contributions are
incorporated into their children's Individual Education Compacts.
Parents know what their children are expected to learn, how the
children are progressing, and what the parent can do to help.
Technology is used to encourage and facilitate regular
communication between parent and teacher. For many parents, this
will be via telephone. For parents with home computers, this can be
done via electronic mail.
Parents assist with instruction. It may be as simple as helping a
child to read or as complex as explaining navigation to Mars. They
may help students who are working on a project or rehearsing a play.
38
Modern Red Schoolhouse
In those cases when a parent is unable to meet his or her
responsibilities, the parent may choose an educational advisor for the
child. The advisor should be authorized to fulfill basic parenting
responsibilities in the school, such as the preparation of the IEC.
Other parents, such as recent immigrants, may need a coach or
advocate who helps them to fulfill their educational responsibilities by
accompanying the parent to school meetings. The assistant or advocate
may be a neighbor; another parent in the school; a fellow church,
mosque, or synagogue member; or a social-services worker. The
community involvement task force should establish ways to identify
parents with these special needs and, as needed, provide assistance in
recruiting volunteers to fulfill these roles.
Volunteer Support in Schools
Volunteers are essential if students are to achieve the high
standards of Modern Red Schoolhouses. We encourage schools to
utilize volunteers to do the following:
augment classroom learning experiences;
provide release time for teacher planning;
extend the school experiences of students who are having
difficulty maintaining satisfactory progress in one or more
subjects;
supplement, as needed, the work of parents in providing out-
of-school experiences which support the curriculum; and
serve as parental advocates or assistants to those parents
requiring them.
Volunteers may be recruited from local colleges, groups of retired
persons, or other service-oriented organizations.
Supporting the Modern Red Schoolhouse
The ambitious standards for students enrolled in a Modern Red
Schoolhouse cannot be met solely through the energy and dedication
of teachers and administrators. If the goals of the Modern Red
Schoolhouse are to be attained, they require the support of parents at
home and in the classroom, of community members as committee
members and tutors, of social services agencies to secure health and
welfare assistance, and of political and religious leaders in providing
educational leadership for the entire community. The community
involvement task force is responsible for stimulating this type of
involvement.
Chapter 7 Professional Development
39
Chapter 7
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Implementing the Modern Red Schoolhouse design will require
every participant to take on new roles and to do things in
unaccustomed ways. Giving schools nearly complete autonomy will
require principals and other administrators to develop new skills.
Teachers will need to operate within the structure of the new Modern
Red Schoolhouse curriculum and in a new, technologically rich
environment. To be successful, teachers must reformulate their role as
professionals. They must learn to work in teams with colleagues,
participate more directly in decisions affecting the entire school,
become curriculum innovators, and renew their commitment to the
belief that all students can master challenging curricula. The
implementation of a Modern Red Schoolhouse design calls for new
curricula and assessment tools, new technology and teaching methods,
new decision making and school governance practices, and increased
collaboration between schools and communities.
Professional development is central to the success of any school,
but takes on heightened importance in schools participating in the
Modern Red Schoolhouse project because teachers are compelled to
expand their roles, taking on greater responsibility than is typical.
Only with professional development opportunities and adequate time
to put new ideas into place can teachers succeed in their new roles.
Teachers and schools will vary in their need for training. Prior
local and state initiatives may have given teachers extensive experience
in site-based management or portfolio training. The training provided
by the Modern Red Schoolhouse design team varies accordingly.
During the planning phase, training and consultation is provided
by the design team in each of the six task force areas: standards and
assessment, curriculum, organization and finance, technology,
professional development, and community involvement. Individual
schools and teachers have been, and are, receiving high levels of
technical support as they work to create new materials, establish new
organizational structures for decision making, and take concrete steps
necessary to put new educational practices in place.
Becoming a Modern Red Schoolhouse
During the planning period and the first year of implementation,
the design team has primary responsibility for professional
development. During the planning period, we provide orientation
sessions on each of the core elements-standards and assessment,
curriculum, organization, technology, and professional development;
40 Modern Red Schoolhouse
assist in helping a school to determine training needs and in evaluating
the costs of implementation; and help teams of teachers develop
implementation plans for each of the core elements.
Each summer, institutes are held for teachers at Modern Red
Schoolhouses. They are designed to be responsive to the needs of
participating teachers in developing curriculum and instructional
strategies. In 1993, participants from elementary sites became familiar
with the Core Knowledge curriculum and began developing Hudson
units. In 1994, ten two-day sessions were held for elementary
teachers, primarily on instructional strategies. The sessions covered
the following topics:
Character education in the curriculum
Portfolio assessment
Multimedia in the classroom
Mathematics and science instruction
Strategies for multi-age grouping
Process writing
Creating a continuous progress classroom
The one-computer classroom
Reading instruction through literature
The 1994 institute for middle and secondary teachers focused on
creating curriculum scope and sequences consistent with the Modern
Red Schoolhouse standards, developing new instructional strategies in
each of the disciplines, and writing Hudson units.
Design team and national faculty members provide extensive
consultation with implementing sites as they develop their core
curriculum. In addition to the summer institutes, they are available for
site visits to consult with faculty. As technology permits, school
faculty may want to use electronic mail to consult with team and
national faculty members assigned to them.
Sustaining a Modern Red Schoolhouse
Becoming a Modern Red Schoolhouse is not a short-term
endeavor. It is a life-time endeavor-not because the design is so
complex, but because teaching and learning are so complex. To meet
that challenge, schools must commit themselves to a holistic approach
in professional development, not an individualistic one. That is, the
professional development activities of any one teacher should advance
the mission of the school-in particular, its ability to have students
meet the standards.
We work closely with each school to help them develop a long-
term strategy for professional development that addresses the unique
Chapter 7 Professional Development
41
needs among faculty. The plan may include opportunities for intensive
study, in say, geography; workshops on instructional methods; school
visitations; and media materials for self-evaluation. The opportunities
should, however, reflect a systematic review of teacher interests and
needs as well as student performance.
Professional development opportunities should not be restricted to
workshops or university classes. They may include internships at
corporations or public service agencies and visits to other Modern Red
Schoolhouses. They could include long-term mentoring relationships
with university faculty in, say, geography or history that are
maintained almost exclusively through electronic communication.
It is seldom possible for all teachers to receive all the training that
is appropriate and needed. Special attention should be given, therefore,
to ways in which the training of one can benefit many. Some
strategies that schools may wish to consider are as follows:
asking teachers who attend special training to give a report or
mini-training to their colleagues;
expecting teachers who are part of a team to vary their
specialization, for example, in technology, portfolio assessment,
and reading, so as to provide ongoing support to each other in
their respective areas; and
providing release-time to teachers receiving special training in
subjects such as technology.
At all times, Modern Red Schoolhouses should seek to foster
professional development opportunities that promote the mission and
goals of the school, not simply the particular interests of each teacher.
Finally, sustaining a Modern Red Schoolhouse requires the
development of an adequate induction program for new teachers. Each
school will need to develop a program that orients a new teacher to the
mission and philosophy of the school.
42
Modern Red Schoolhouse
Chapter 8
IMPLEMENTING A MODERN RED SCHOOLHOUSE
Implementation Schedules
Implementation schedules and timelines will vary substantially.
Schools begin the journey to becoming a Modern Red Schoolhouse at
different points, with different resources and skills. For example, a
school that has been using technology consistent with the design will
need less time to complete implementation than a school that has no
computers.
In describing possible implementation timelines, we have generally
assumed a planning period that extends from three months to a year
and an implementation period of two years. Some schools may need
to develop an implementation schedule that covers a longer period of
time, perhaps three years, or in the case of high schools, as much as
four years. Extending changes over a longer period, however, no
matter how pleasant it sounds, can compromise the momentum for
change. We encourage school staff to be realistic, but also to push
changes speedily wherever possible. The press that comes from
commitments and timelines is extremely important-providing
discipline to all groups that are working for change. Whatever the
timelines, evidence of change must be constantly visible to teachers
and the community-reminding all participants that steps in an
important journey are taking place.
Public Engagement
Community-Wide Initiatives
The decision to join the Modern Red Schoolhouse initiative should
be made deliberately and with strong community participation. We
suggest that communities begin with a series of deliberations regarding
what they think their children should know and be able to do.
Using the Modern Red Schoolhouse standards and other standards
documents prepared by national organizations in the various disciplines
as a point of reference, parents, teachers, and members of the civic and
business communities should work together to establish some
consensus about what students should know and be able to do as
graduates of their high schools. Some communities may want to bring
in outside speakers to help parents and other members of the
community gain an appreciation of the issues at stake. Other
communities may prefer to rely on local leadership. Design team
members can be available to help plan these discussions, to provide
speakers, or to provide more detailed information on the design.
Chapter 8 Implementing A Modern Red Schoolhouse
43
Through these deliberations, a community should make an initial
assessment of whether it wants one or more of their schools to become
a Modern Red Schoolhouse. Some communities may propose to add
standards or to alter some of the ones proposed by the Modern Red
Schoolhouse. They may propose these alternatives and still wish to be
part of the Modern Red Schoolhouse initiative. The critical issue will
be the degree to which these changes remain consistent with the
overall assessment system that is part of the Modern Red Schoolhouse
design. The design team can be available to discuss this issue.
Some communities may decide that the Modern Red Schoolhouse
standards are quite different from their own priorities and concerns.
In that case, they would not want to join the Modern Red Schoolhouse
initiative. Even with that conclusion, communities will benefit from
the deliberations by establishing what it is that they do want their
students to know and be able to do.
Some communities and states recently completed the process of
standard setting in academic subjects. In those instances, Modern Red
Schoolhouse standards will likely be fairly consistent, but more
rigorous. Schools within those communities and states can usually
adopt the Modern Red Schoolhouse standards without creating
inconsistencies. Rather they will be introducing higher expectations of
their students in the same academic subjects. In these instances,
secondary schools must give special attention to the existence of feeder
schools with matching expectations to ensure the success of students
entering their school.
Charter Schools and Systems of Choice
Charter schools, or schools within a district already providing
choice, may approach the deliberations on standards somewhat
differently. After a positive review of the standards by teachers and,
as appropriate, the school advisory council, the staff may wish to
survey parents in the community to determine the degree of interest
they would have in sending their child to a school with Modern Red
Schoolhouse academic standards. Again, the Modern Red Schoolhouse
can assist such schools in developing a plan for public engagement that
is targeted to potential parents and students.
If teachers and parents aspire to create a school with the standards
of the Modern Red Schoolhouse, then they will want to consider the
next step, planning for a Modern Red Schoolhouse.
44
Modern Red Schoolhouse
Planning for a Modern Red Schoolhouse
Creating Modern Red Schoolhouses with all of the changes
outlined in earlier chapters requires teachers, administrators, and
parents to participate in most aspects of planning and implementation.
We recommend that each site establish six transitional task forces to
focus on the following design elements:
standards and assessment
curriculum
technology
organization and finance
community involvement
professional development
These task forces provide impetus and direction for change in each
school. Close communication across task forces is absolutely essential.
Modern Red Schoolhouse sites need a steering committee that is
comprised, at least in part, of representatives from each task force.
Each task force should make recommendations for change to the
steering committee, the entire faculty, or the principal-whichever
process appears most effective for their school. This process of review
and recommendation should be established prior to the formation of
the task forces.
If a school has existing committees with assigned responsibilities
in these areas, we encourage the integration of Modern Red
Schoolhouse responsibilities into these committees. With proper
representation from the task forces, an existing leadership council can
function as the steering committee. Confusion and misunderstandings
inevitably will arise if a school has a regular or standing committee
structure that is distinct from committees designed to implement the
Modern Red Schoolhouse design.
For effective organizational practices to be sustained over a long
period of time, the membership should remain fairly stable. We
recommend that members be given three-year staggered terms so that
no more than one-third of the members are new to a committee in any
given year.
For the task forces to function effectively, a school-wide mission
and goals should be established that are consistent with those of the
Modern Red Schoolhouse. Organizational changes should be
considered in terms of how they help the school achieve the mission
and goals. Schools that need help to develop or reformulate their
mission or goals may receive assistance from the design team. In
addition, we are prepared to provide further support in the following
ways:
Chapter 8 Implementing A Modern Red Schoolhouse
45
training facilitators from each task force;
conducting orientation sessions for each task force, clarifying
options and priorities;
providing prototypes of the basic elements of the design that
can be adapted to local environments;
reviewing and helping in the collection of relevant
information; and
helping to solve implementation problems.
Schools or districts that wish to implement the Modern Red
Schoolhouse design should begin with a thorough review of the
strengths and weaknesses in what their students know and are able to
do in terms of the Modern Red Schoolhouse standards. Parents and
other members of the community should join teachers and
administrators in assessing their commitment to addressing whatever
weaknesses are identified.
If a community of parents, teachers, and administrators find they
have such commitment and interest, local stakeholders will identify, in
collaboration with our design team, what steps need to be taken to
allow all children to attain Modern Red Schoolhouse standards. Our
design team will help evaluate training and curriculum development
needs as well as estimated costs. Hudson Institute, NASDC, and local
officials will work together to secure funding and develop an
implementation plan.
Standards and Assessment
Responsibilities of School Task Force. The school task force for
standards and assessment recommends a timeline for implementation
of standards, Individual Education Compacts, student reports, and
school reports. Once these timelines are approved or endorsed, this
task force works to secure their successful implementation. The
timelines should include periods for piloting these elements, for review
and evaluation of the pilot experience, for teacher training, and a date
for achieving full implementation.
Of those tasks, the schedule for implementing the standards is most
critical and complicated. It is critical because that schedule affects a
vast array of activities. It is complicated because establishing
benchmarks for student achievement during the years of transition must
be both realistic and challenging.
The task force also should develop a strategy to provide collegial
review of the assessment components in the Hudson units. The task
force will also consult with the professional development task force to
identify special training needs that should be addressed in the
implementation of the assessment. High school sites need to establish
a timeline for adopting Modern Red Schoolhouse standards and the
46
Modern Red Schoolhouse
watershed assessments as a graduation requirement for their students.
Students must know, before they enroll in a school, what requirements
they must meet for graduation. Finally, the task force must develop
a strategy for communicating the standards to parents, prospective
students, and the community at large.
The task force also should develop a strategy for achieving school-
wide consensus on any special subjects that the school may wish to
emphasize, such as the arts or foreign languages. For instance, should
a school wish to have an international focus, they may wish to have
foreign language requirements that exceed those of the Modern Red
Schoolhouse.
Some members of this task force will serve on the national
advisory boards for the watershed assessments-the capstone units and
the subject exams. Along with teachers from other participating sites,
they advise the design team about the content of the watershed
assessments.
Responsibilities of the Modern Red Schoolhouse Design Team.
Working under the guidance and advice of the teachers on the national
Modern Red Schoolhouse advisory boards, we have developed the
capstone units and the subject exams. We have also developed
prototypes of the Individual Education Compacts (IEC) and the student
and school reports that schools can adapt to their local circumstances.
In each instance, we will provide counsel on implementation, planning,
and training. During the second year of implementation, or, as soon
as a site is ready, we will be available on request to assist the task
force in piloting of the student and school reports as well as the IEC.
We will assist each school in establishing transition benchmarks
for student performance as they move to fully implement the standards.
We will be responsible for ensuring that the repertoire of capstone
units continually expands and that the item pool for subject exams is
maintained and replaced to guarantee the security of the exams.
Teachers at participating sites will continue to serve on advisory
boards for both of these assessment systems.
Review and revision of standards will be done on a five-year
cycle, with teachers from participating sites serving on all advisory
boards. In 1995-96, we will review the standards in the arts.
The contractor for standards and assessment is Advanced Systems,
in Dover, New Hampshire. They have extensive experience in
developing traditional and authentic assessments, most recently having
worked with the Kentucky officials in developing new assessments in
that state.
Chapter 8 Implementing A Modern Red Schoolhouse
47
Curriculum
Responsibilities of the School Task Force. The school curriculum
task force is charged with the general responsibility of developing
consensus around school-wide models of curriculum and instruction.
The task force recommends a timetable for developing foundation
Hudson units that prepare students to meet Modern Red Schoolhouse
standards. The sequence for developing these units differs. For
example, during the first year of implementation, most elementary sites
incorporate Core Knowledge curriculum components across all grade
levels, but not for all subjects and skills. In the second year of
implementation, these sites will integrate those omitted subjects and
skills into existing Hudson units or develop separate units.
High schools, on the other hand, likely will need to develop a
strategy that implements the curriculum across all subjects, but
beginning only at one grade level. Given that the Modern Red
Schoolhouse implies changes in what students must do to graduate,
implementation should begin with a ninth grade cohort that enters the
school understanding these new expectations. The strategy for change
at the high school should, then, be consistent with this need. The
implementation schedule should be developed in consultation with the
standards and assessment task force.
The second responsibility of this task force is to develop a
strategy, in collaboration with the school leadership, that will allow the
school to provide continuous progress for all students. For elementary
schools, this often will be a second-year activity, with piloting
activities being done late in the first year. For secondary schools,
arrangements for continuous progress in student learning likely will
need to occur earlier in the implementation period.
The third responsibility of the curriculum task force will be to
initiate and oversee a process of consensus building regarding the core
virtues and workforce skills that the school will seek to instill in
students. Parents and community leaders should join with teachers in
identifying and selecting those virtues-such as honesty, self-
discipline, fairness, and courage-that teachers and parents will
encourage among students. Local business leaders may be involved in
helping to set priorities for workforce skills.
The curriculum task force will work with our team and the school
professional development task force to identify training and curriculum
development needs. This may include, but is not limited to, project
learning, learning centers, and interdisciplinary learning.
Responsibilities of the Modern Red Schoolhouse Design Team. We
conduct summer institutes before implementation years one and two to
assist teachers in developing foundation Hudson units and strategies for
more individualized instruction. For grades one through six, teachers
will rely upon Core Knowledge materials to develop units of instruction.
48
Modern Red Schoolhouse
For grades seven through twelve, curriculum frameworks will be
provided to guide the development of foundation Hudson units. We
assist in the process of initial peer reviews of the units and help each
school establish an ongoing review of learning activities for these
units.
Our team assists in transferring the foundation units into a
computerized instructional management system that will allow for
automated sequencing and scheduling after the first year. As needed,
we help schools develop a diagnostic system that will allow teachers
to provide new students with appropriate learning opportunities.
We provide ongoing consultation, as requested by the curriculum
task force, during the second year of implementation.
Organization and Finance
Responsibilities of School Task Force. Schools will develop their
own site-specific plans for autonomy that are based on generic plans
developed by the design team. To facilitate this process, two task
forces will need to be created: one at the school level and one at the
district level. Districts must provide guidance that will include a
timeline for autonomy, the budget allocation formula, and any
conditions that may be attached to certain aspects of autonomy.
The school-level task force will recommend strategies for using
time flexibly and allowing for schedules that permit more individually-
paced instruction. Establishing a schedule and assignment procedure
for multi-age homerooms monitored by advising teacher will also be
the responsibility of this task force.
In middle and secondary schools, this task force also must identify
any needed changes in the school's instructional supply and materials
inventories to accommodate more individualized learning opportunities.
For instance, the purchasing schedule of chemicals for classroom
experiments may need to be changed.
During the planning period, the district task force should determine
the scope and pre-conditions for autonomy and accountability. The
teachers and principals should revise or develop their general mission
statement. In consultation with other task forces, the school task force
should determine what start-up costs can be anticipated-such as
computer hardware and software, curriculum materials, training, and
so forth.
During the first period of implementation, the school task force
should prepare an autonomy plan that is consistent with that of the
district task force. The district task force should approve the plan, and
the school task force should propose procedures for meeting staffing
needs.
Chapter 8 Implementing A Modern Red Schoolhouse
49
The school task force should propose a plan for implementing
multi-year and multi-age homerooms and advising teacher programs.
The school leadership team should work with teachers to address class
size, grouping of students, and the school calendar and schedule.
Autonomy and accountability plans should be implemented by the
second year of implementation; and the task force should propose
functions that may be outsourced. The school task force should
propose a preliminary budget for subsequent years of operation.
Responsibilities of the Modern Red Schoolhouse Design Team.
The Modern Red Schoolhouse design team can provide technical
assistance in establishing or revising a school's mission, prioritizing
autonomy goals, establishing a school-based management information
system, estimating start-up costs, and in developing long-range
implementation plans. In addition, the design team can assist a school
in identifying waivers and special agreements that may need to be
secured to implement the design.
Arthur Andersen and the Center for Effective Schools have assisted
our sites in developing the organization and finance component of the
Modern Red Schoolhouse.
Technology
Responsibilities of School Task Force. This school task force is
responsible for the following activities:
assessing the current status of equipment and software in the
building and its use by teachers and staff;
reviewing materials relevant to state-of-the-art equipment and
software available for schools and becoming familiar with the
best educational uses of these tools;
developing a local implementation plan for the installation of
new technology and for appropriate training and staff support;
and
monitoring the implementation of this technology and training,
making adjustments to their local school plan as appropriate.
The plan will need to articulate a vision that is consistent with
Modern Red Schoolhouse goals, in order to guide all future decision
making.
A variety of factors will affect the implementation schedule for
technology, including available resources and the current use and
availability of equipment. The Modern Red Schoolhouse design team
has developed a suggested timeline for implementation, which is
included in Chapter 5.
Responsibilities of the Modern Red Schoolhouse Design Team.
The Morrison Institute for Public Policy, at Arizona State University,
50
Modern Red Schoolhouse
serves as the project technology consultant. Staff from the Institute
work with participating schools to complete their initial equipment and
usage inventories and to develop an overall Modern Red Schoolhouse
technology plan. The Morrison Institute will be available to help
school personnel develop school-level technology implementation plans
that focus on meeting first year minimums and establish a vision for
future years. We can provide training in fundamental computer
operations, the use of productivity software, the development of multi-
media curricula, and the integration of third-party software into the
curriculum.
Several instructional management systems have been identified that
are compatible with the Modern Red Schoolhouse design. Depending
on the instructional management system chosen by the school, design
team members can provide training in its use and help develop specific
adaptations needed by the site.
Professional Development
Responsibilities of School Task Force. The school task force on
professional development is responsible for developing the school-wide
capacities needed to achieve the mission and goals of the school. The
task force will need to develop a professional development strategy for
the school.
Initially, our team will provide orientation and training to all task
forces. The school task force will survey teachers and other
committees to determine training needs for subsequent years.
The task force should work in careful collaboration with the
organization and finance task force to determine the most useful
professional development strategies. For example, if the school's basic
organizational plans foresees teacher teams, the professional
development task force might recommend that each team member
acquire unique, specialized training that can be utilized by all members
of the group in such areas as technology, student assessment, and
classroom methodologies.
During the planning phase, the school task force should assess
professional development needs with reference to the school mission
and the Modern Red Schoolhouse initiative. The task force should
compare services available from the Modern Red Schoolhouse design
team with these staff needs, evaluate the impact of the current
professional development program, identify future training needs, and
propose a plan.
The work of this task force is enhanced greatly if it is comprised,
at least in part, of members from other task forces. Then, knowledge
of the issues and problems arising from various elements of the design
can be addressed more readily in the professional development plan.
Chapter 8 Implementing A Modern Red Schoolhouse
51
Responsibilities of the Modern Red Schoolhouse Design Team.
Training and orientation on the essential elements of the design will be
provided to each site during the planning phase and the first year of
implementation. The amount and type of this assistance will vary
depending on the current practices at the site.
During the first year of implementation, the Center for Effective
Schools in Wisconsin assists Modern Red Schoolhouse sites by
providing each professional development task force with materials for
completing a needs assessment of their faculty and, as needed,
assistance in analyzing the results.
We will provide summer training opportunities in curriculum and
instruction that address the needs of a significant number of sites and
will provide information regarding other programs that address the
needs of Modern Red Schoolhouse sites.
Community Involvement
Responsibilities of the School Task Force. The community
involvement task force will develop strategies that increase parental
involvement in student learning-both inside or outside the classroom.
The task force should facilitate the establishment of parental education
programs in the community and help build a network among social-
service organizations that can support the social and emotional needs
of students and their families. The task force should recruit a cadre of
community volunteers who can serve as mentors or instructional
assistants in the school.
Each school task force will need to prioritize these responsibilities
to reflect the needs of their students and the school. In the first year,
they should focus on the issue (or issues) deserving highest priority.
In subsequent years, other issues should be addressed through various
community educational programs.
Responsibilities of the Modern Red Schoolhouse Design Team. We
will assist the task force in developing their priorities and provide
support materials, such as a parent handbook, brochures, and videos,
that can be adapted to local needs. We will assist the task force in
identifying community networks and agencies that should provide
support and assistance to their initiatives.
52
Modern Red Schoolhouse
Chapter 9
Members of the Design Team
Standards and Assessment
Advanced Systems in Measurement & Evaluation, Inc.
Advanced Systems is a leader in the field of alternative assessment,
dedicated to educational reform through constructive test instruments.
With major contracts nationwide, Advanced Systems has developed
and administered to over 750,000 students in 15 states state-of-the-art
assessments including open-response questions, portfolios, and
performance events. Advanced Systems became the contractor for the
Maine Educational Assessment and the Massachusetts Basic Skills
Testing and Educational Assessment Programs. Advanced Systems
was the contractor for the five-year Kentucky Instructional Results
Information System (KIRIS), the largest contract of its kind ever
awarded in the U.S. testing history. In 1993, Advanced Systems
became involved with the New Standards Project, which seeks to
establish a world-class standard of performance for all student in the
U.S. The project is a joint program of the National Center on
Education and the economy and the Learning and Research
Development Center at the University of Pittsburgh. Advanced
Systems provides in-house hand-scoring at its Dover, New Hampshire
headquarters as well as professional development for educators through
training sessions and workshops.
Curriculum
Alan Fraker
Mr. Fraker taught history in public high schools for a number of
years and now teaches history at the Deerfield Academy in
Massachusetts where he served as Dean of Studies. He was the first
high school teacher to direct a National Endowment for the Humanities
summer institute and also the only high school teacher to chair the
College Board's Advanced Placement Test Development Committee
in American History. A graduate of Dartmouth College and Duke
University, Mr. Fraker is the co-author of two books, A First Rough
Draft of History and Document-based Questions in United States
History.
Mr. Fraker has served as a consultant for the MRSH's middle and
upper school curriculum. In his work, he has assisted in assembling
a team of subject area specialists. This team assisted in the middle and
upper school curriculum development summer institute for 1994.
Chapter 9 Members of the Design Team
53
Finlay McQuade
Dr. McQuade, coordinator of intermediate and upper level
curriculum for the Modern Red Schoolhouse, is an international
specialist in curriculum management. His own discipline is English,
a subject he has taught at various levels, including first grade and
college. A Magna Cum Laude graduate of Pomona College, Dr.
McQuade was a Woodrow Wilson Fellow at Harvard University,
where he earned a Master's degree in English. His doctorate in
Curriculum and Supervision is from the University of Pittsburgh. Dr.
McQuade has written teacher guides for the College Board's Advanced
Placement courses on English literature and English language and
served on their Advanced Placement Development Committee. He
serves on the Board of Visitors for the Learning Research and
Development Center at the University of Pittsburgh and has authored
numerous publications, including Profiles of Excellence in Teaching,
an annual publication of the College Board. His latest publication, co-
authored with David Champagne of the University of Pittsburgh, is a
comprehensive book on school improvement, How to Make a Better
School, published by Allyn and Bacon (1994).
Kevin Mattingly
Dr. Mattingly is an international science specialist. Dr. Mattingly,
a native of Indiana where he taught science in public high schools for
several years, currently teaches and serves as a Master of Science and
Interdisciplinary Studies at The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey.
He has extensive experience in teaching Advanced Placement biology
and chemistry courses as well as environmental science, outdoor
leadership, field ecology and bioethics courses for high school
students. Dr. Mattingly directs the Klingestein Summer Program at
Columbia University's Teachers College and has formerly directed
environmental science programs for Cleveland's inner-city children at
the Holden Arboretum and for students from Central Park East and
Bronx Regional at the Mountain School in New York.
For the Modern Red Schoolhouse, Dr. Mattingly assists teachers
in the development of science curriculum and materials for middle and
upper schools.
Kevin Ryan
A former high school English teacher, Dr. Ryan received his
masters in English Education from Columbia University Teachers
College and his doctorate from Stanford University.
Dr. Ryan has been a teacher for over 30 years. In 1989-90, he
received the Boston University Scholar-Teacher Award and the
Outstanding Teacher Educator Award from the American Association
of Teacher Education. He has consulted widely with colleges, univer-
54
Modern Red Schoolhouse
sities, federal agencies, and the state departments of education in such
states as California, New York, Ohio, and Maryland.
The author and editor of 15 books and over ninety published
articles, reports, and reviews, Dr. Ryan's work has appeared in such
journals as the School Review, The Teachers College Record, The
Kappan, and The Journal of Research and Development in Education.
His works include Reclaiming Our Schools: A Handbook for Teaching
Character, Academics, and Discipline (Macmillan, 1992); Teaching
Skills for Elementary and Secondary School Teachers, Multi-media
Materials (General Learning Corporation); Those Who Can Teach
(Houghton-Mifflin, 1995); and Character Development in Schools and
Beyond (Praeger, 1992)
Dr. Ryan also served as the Chairperson of the Policy Panel on
Moral Education for ASCD (Association for Supervision and
Curriculum and Development) which issued Moral Education in the
Life of the School (1988). In 1989, Dr. Ryan organized and became
director of the Boston University Center for the Advancement of
Ethics and Character.
Luther Spoehr
Dr. Spoehr is a specialist for both history and geography. He
received a B.A. from Havaford College and a M.A. and Ph.D. from
Stanford University. After teaching for several years at the collegiate
level, Dr. Spoehr joined the faculty of Lincoln School in Providence,
Rhode Island. He has served as the Chair of the K-12 history
department and the Dean of Studies. He also is a consultant and
teacher trainer for the College Board and was the first American
historian to receive the Advanced Placement's Recognition Award for
excellence in teaching and contributions to the AP program. Dr.
Spoehr co-authored the American Studies hypercard program for the
ACCESS Project at Brown University. Also, at Brown University, he
has conducted workshops at their teacher training institutes. He is the
author of numerous publications which have appeared in such
periodicals as the Saturday Review, Washington Post, Educational
Psychologist, and Reviews in American History. With Alan Fraker, he
has co-authored two books, A First Rough Draft of History and
Document-based Questions in United States History.
Dr. Spoehr assists middle and upper level teachers of the Modern
Red Schoolhouse project in developing history and geography
curriculum and materials and to develop teaching methodologies.
Patte Barth
Ms. Barth, a graduate of George Mason University with a B.A. in
English, is editor and director of publications for the Council for Basic
Chapter 9 Members of the Design Team
55
Education (CBE) and is often called to speak with the press, policy
makers, and educators about educational issues. Ms. Barth's research
includes studies on curriculum policy issues for the American
Association for the Advancement of Science and the National
endowment for the Arts. Ms. Barth has co-authored with Ruth
Mitchell, a book on elementary education which includes standards of
what all students should know and be able to do in order to be
prepared adequately for secondary school. The book, Smart Start, has
sold nearly 20,000 copies. More recently Ms. Barth has worked with
Harriet Tyson on a book titled, Who Will Teach Our Children?
Progress and resistance in teacher education published in 1994 by
Jossey-Bass.
Core Knowledge Foundation
The Core Knowledge Foundation is a non-profit organization that
aims to help schools achieve greater excellence and fairness through
helping children establish strong, early foundations of knowledge.
Founded in 1986 by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., a professor at the University of
Virginia and author of Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs
to Know, the Core Knowledge Foundation conducts research on
curricula and offers model content guidelines in the Core Knowledge
Sequence, a guide to about 50% of a school's curriculum in grades K-6
(guidelines for grades 7-8 are forthcoming). The Sequence articulates
a body of specific knowledge in World and American Civilization,
Language Arts, Geography, Science, Math, and the Fine Arts. The
foundation developed the books in the Core Knowledge Resource
Series such as, (What Your First-Sixth Grader Needs to Know). Each
book outlines and offers excerpts of the prescribed curriculum for each
grade in all subjects. The Core Knowledge Foundation also works
with a growing network of schools by providing training, model
lessons, guides to resources, and networking opportunities, including
an annual national conference. Currently, over 100 schools in 29
states are in varying phases of implementing Core Knowledge
programs.
The foundation serves as advisor to the MRSH in the area of
curriculum development and offers continued support in the
development of improved resource materials for effective classroom
instruction.
Organization and Finance
Arthur Andersen & Company
Arthur Andersen and Company, one of the largest management
consulting firms in the nation advises the Modern Red Schoolhouse in
the area of organization and finance. Arthur Andersen himself was an
56
Modern Red Schoolhouse
educator and the company has traditionally made assisting schools a
priority. Through its "School of the Future" initiative, the company
has designed new organizing principles for schools, and developed
training programs based on Total Quality Management, cooperative
learning, and authentic assessment which it makes available to
American schools nationwide. In fact, the consulting firm has worked
with every state in various schools and school districts.
Arthur Andersen assists Modern Red Schoolhouses in developing
their own autonomy plans and identifying considerations in changing
the way schools are organized. Arthur Andersen also provides training
on school-based budgeting and direct technical assistance in
implementation
Karen Reynolds and Suzette Brown
Reynolds and Brown began their careers as public school teachers
in the Indianapolis area. Karen Reynolds has also been an
administrator in elementary and middle schools, a central office
administrator and a manager in the corporate world. Combining their
experience in education and business, they serve as consultants to the
corporate, education and not-for-profit communities.
Reynolds and Brown work with civic groups such as the
Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce in educational programs (Partners
in Education, Learn About Business, and the Parental Involvement
Program) and the National Association for Community Leadership in
leadership training for community leaders. They specialize in helping
administrators, team leaders and the entire teaching staff learn to
design, manage and implement significant changes in their schools.
They help educators develop effective behaviors and strategies in high-
leverage areas such as communicating, decision-making, conducting
effective meetings, handling conflict and team building so that every
staff member's strengths are used to the maximum advantage to create
the desired and necessary changes.
Leonard Finkelstein
A former science teacher, principal, director of alternative
programs, and superintendent in Philadelphia, Dr. Finkelstein is an
educational and corporate consultant specializing in organizational
analysis and improvement; training of teachers, administrators and
managers; community affairs; experiential learning; and computer,
science, and energy education. He also served as the Director of the
Parkway Program, Philadelphia's nationally recognized "High School
Without Walls." He has served as an adjunct faculty member in the
areas of teacher and administrative preparation at the Bank Street
College, University of Pennsylvania, and Temple University among
others. He was elected to the Executive Board of the World Council
Chapter 9 Members of the Design Team
57
for the Talented and Gifted Children representing the United States.
He serves as a consultant to school districts, regional research
laboratories, state departments of education, universities, and
corporations throughout the United States. Most recently, he has
worked with the Indianapolis Public Schools as an advisor to the
Board of Commissioners, the administrative leadership group, and the
teachers' organization to bring diverse groups together so they might
develop concepts of shared decision making and school based
management.
Dr. Finkelstein offers assistance to Modern Red Schoolhouse
principals in the areas of effective leadership and management skills.
Technology
The Morrison Institute for Public Policy
The Morrison Institute provides research and guidance to the
project in technology and overall project design. Based at Arizona
State University in Tempe, Arizona, the Institute has a broad range of
experts on education reform initiatives, including technology-based
projects. For the MRSH project, Morrison Institute focuses on helping
schools utilize technology as a means to accomplish reform goals in
the areas of pedagogy, curriculum, instruction assessment, and
communication. This involves educating participants on the latest
school technology trends, developing an overall project technology
plan consistent with these trends and MRSH design elements, and
assisting schools in the creation of their own technology teams and
school-specific implementation plans. The Institute also works with
schools to assess their current levels of technology usage and to
identify training needs for school personnel engaged in using current
technologies. Morrison Institute does not sell or install hardware or
software; such services, as well as technology training and support, are
handled by school/district/based personnel and local vendors who have
the ability to provide immediate on-site assistance. Instead, Morrison
Institute helps school personnel to "add value" to the education process
by helping them understand and plan for appropriate technology
applications. This in turn, helps to bridge the gap between those who
understand technology systems and equipment (i.e., "techies") and
those who desire to utilize such systems to impact student learning.
Community Involvement
Ursula Davis
Ursula Davis, a graduate of Hampton University with a masters
degree from Bank Street College, is known nationally as an expert in
the area of early childhood education. An advocate for all children,
58
Modern Red Schoolhouse
Ursula has spoken out vigorously on early childhood issues and
practices both in this country and abroad. She currently serves on
many boards that represent the interests of parents and children.
Ursula has served as Early Childhood Director in Community
School District 4 in New York City. During her tenure, she was
responsible for all Early Childhood programs in 25 schools from pre-
Kindergarten to third grade. She has also served on the New York
City Chancellor's Commission on Minimum Standards regarding
qualitative evaluation. In 1991, Ms. Davis was appointed as Deputy
Director of the Mayor's Temporary Commission on Early Childhood
and Child Care in New York City. In this capacity she worked to
evaluate and effect changes within the various systems and agencies
serving our youngest citizens.
Additionally, Ms. Davis is a writer and editorial consultant for
several magazines for children, parents and educators including Pre-K
Today, Let's Find Out, and My First Magazine.
Ms. Davis has been involved in assisting each district in the
creation of a Pre-School Consortium focusing on the needs of children
before they enter the Modern Red Schoolhouse in an attempt to pro-
active to the needs of our incoming students. Involved in this group
are various components of our community.
Wade Horn
Dr. Horn is a child psychologist and is currently the Director of
The National Fatherhood Initiative. Dr. Horn received a B.A. from
The American University in Washington, D.C. and a M.A. and Ph.D.
from Southern Illinois University. Beyond his extensive work with
children as a child psychologist, he was also the Commissioner of the
Administration for Children, Youth, and Families at the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. As Commissioner, Dr.
Horn was responsible for the national Head Start program as well as
many other programs for children and families.
For the Modern Red Schoolhouse, Dr. Horn provides expertise in
the area of pre-school readiness and education for children with
disabilities.
Jeffrey Rosenberg
Mr. Rosenberg is a specialist in communications and public
relations. He is currently the president of Rosenberg Communications.
He has also been the Director of Communications and the Director of
Children with Attention Deficit Disorders (CH.A.D.D.) and at the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. A graduate of Western
Maryland College, Mr. Rosenberg co-authored with Dr. Horn the
Modern Red Schoolhouse pre-school handbook and assisted with the
writing of the parent activities book.
Chapter 9 Members of the Design Team
59
Professional Development
National Center for Effective Schools
The National Center for Effective Schools (NCES) brings a wealth
of knowledge about reforming schools from the Wisconsin Center for
Education Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison,
Wisconsin. The mission of NCES is to build schools' and districts'
capacities to implement and sustain meaningful change so that both
quality and equity are present in all educational programs. NCES
technical assistance and training generally involves helping schools
formulate a clear mission, goals and objectives, develop a sense of
teamwork and collegiality, clarify roles and responsibilities, understand
the need for and use of data to guide educational decisions, understand
the process of change, and formulate a belief that all students can learn
challenging curricula. The Center has worked successfully with school
districts in the U.S., as well as in Canada, Guam, Malaysia, the Virgin
Islands, Saudi Arabia, and Hong Kong to help them develop strategies
for successfully implementing school change.
NCES presently offers teachers at Modern Red Schoolhouses
various professional development opportunities as well as assistance in
planning for training that is geared toward teacher needs.
Florence Johnson
Dr. Florence Johnson is Director of the National Center for
Effective Schools in the Wisconsin Center for Education Research at
the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin. Her work
as director involves coordinating the implementation of the Effective
Schools Process, the School-Based Instructional Leadership (SBIL) and
the Management Information System for Effective Schools (MISES)
programs in schools across the U.S. and internationally, and designing
and conducting research on school reform. She has conducted
research, written and presented findings on a variety of educational
topics related to professional development and school improvement.
The National Center for Effective Schools is a not-for-profit
organization located within the Wisconsin Center for Education
Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, whose mission is to
help schools and districts develop the capacity to implement and
sustain successful school improvement so that both quality and equity
are present in all school programs.
Before joining the University of Wisconsin, Dr. Johnson was
Director of Human Relations for the Milwaukee Public Schools. In
that position she was responsible for planning, coordinating, and
administering professional development programs and support for
teachers, principals, parents, and community members. She served as
an elementary school teacher for a number of years in the Milwaukee
60
Modern Red Schoolhouse
Public Schools. She has conducted professional development training
for educators in 20 states. Dr. Johnson received her Ph.D. degree at the
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with majors in educational
administration and curriculum and instruction.
Dr. Johnson, as the development specialist working with the Modern
Red Schoolhouse (MRSH) project works with professional development
task forces to help them clarify their mission and goals and develop a
strategic long-range plan for professional development for their
individual school.
Hudson Staff
Sally B. Kilgore
Senior Research Fellow
Director, Education Policy Studies and the Modern Red Schoolhouse
Dr. Kilgore, with a doctorate in sociology from the University of
Chicago, has published extensively on the organization of schooling and
achievement. Her recent work focuses on science and mathematics in
secondary schools. Dr. Kilgore's work has appeared in leading scholarly
journals, including the American Sociological Review, Harvard
Education Review, and Sociology of Education. In the early 1980's, she
co-authored High School Achievement with Thomas Hoffer and the noted
scholar James S. Coleman.
Dr. Kilgore has served on the editorial boards of the American
Education Research Journal and Sociology of Education. She has served
on numerous national advisory boards; currently she serves on advisory
boards for the Center for Excellence in Education and the National
Center for Education Statistics at the U.S. Department of Education.
Between 1986 and 1988, Dr. Kilgore served as Director of the Office
of Research for the U.S. Department of Education. Her other
administrative roles include co-principal investigator of a National
Science Foundation study of mathematics and science achievement and
associate vice-president for research and advanced studies at the
University of Cincinnati where she served before coming to Hudson
Institute.
Dr. Kilgore served on the faculties of Emory University, University
of Cincinnati, and Huston-Tillotson College, where she was chairman of
the sociology department.
Bruno V. Manno
Senior Fellow, Associate Director of the Modern Red Schoolhouse
Hudson Institute
Bruno Manno, an experienced education practitioner and policy
analyst, serves as a consultant to organizations and jurisdictions on a
variety of issues in education policy, research, and practice.
The Modern Red Schoolhouse
Primary, Intermediate, and Upper
Level
Standards
The Hudson Institute
5395 Emerson Way
P.O. Box 26-919
Indianapolis, IN 46226
Modern Red Schoolhouse
Academic Standards
Primary, Intermediate, and Upper Levels
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
Preface
i
English
Primary
1
Intermediate
5
Upper
10
Geography
Primary
16
Intermediate
18
Upper
20
History
Primary
22
Intermediate
25
Upper
29
Science
Primary
35
Intermediate
38
Upper
42
Mathematics
Primary
47
Intermediate
49
Upper
52
Foreign Languages
Primary
55
Intermediate
57
Upper
59
Health & Physical Education
Primary
61
Intermediate
63
Upper
65
Fine Arts-
Visual Arts
Primary
67
Intermediate
69
Upper
71
73
75
77
79
81
84
Primary
Intermediate
Upper
Primary
Intermediate
Upper
Drama
Music
PREFACE
The little red schoolhouse of yesteryear, at least as idealized in American memory, was an
institution that drew people together for common purposes, to share in one of the most important
responsibilities of any community: readying the next generation to take its place in that community by
socializing the young, transmitting the culture, and equipping future workers, citizens, and parents with
essential knowledge, skills, and habits. The Modern Red Schoolhouse intends to reinvent some of the key
virtues and values of the little red schoolhouse in a modern context and with a modern mission-to be a
place where all children will learn and achieve academic standards that are truly world class.
This is not to say that all children will learn in the same way, or at the same time, or at the same
pace. To this challenge, Modern Red Schoolhouse offers a set of teaching methods tailored to identify and
nurture the potential that exists in every child. The Modern Red Schoolhouse standards are high. But they
come with the expectation that all children will be afforded many routes towards their attainment. Like its
nineteenth-century namesake, the Modern Red Schoolhouse does not lose sight of the fact that mastery of
subject matter is the only acceptable goal for all children, wherever they may come from and however they
may learn.
The standards documented here will be met by Modern Red Schoolhouse students in eight core
subjects defined as English language arts, geography, history, mathematics, science, the arts, foreign
languages, and health and physical education. The Modern Red Schoolhouse curriculum consists of
Hudson Units-both Foundation Units and Capstone Units. Foundation Units are developed or selected at
each school for the primary purpose of instruction, although Foundation Units also include some built-in
assessment. Capstone Units are developed by Advanced Systems, Inc., assessment contractor for the
Modern Red Schoolhouse, in collaboration with teachers at cooperating schools. Their primary purpose is
to assess students' academic progress, but because they are integral to curriculum, they also include some
built-in instruction. Schools will arrange a series of Hudson Units to meet the individual learning needs of
each student. All the performance objectives of all the Hudson Units successfully completed by each
student will lead that student to achievement of the standards. All the Capstone Units, supplemented by
examinations in each subject, form a Watershed Assessment of the standards which signal students'
readiness to move to the next level of schooling.
All Modern Red Schoolhouse students are expected to meet the standards that follow with a few
modest qualifications. The foreign language standards assume that students will become proficient
speakers of two languages: English and one other. This does not preclude students from pursuing study of
a third language; in fact, they are encouraged to do so. The arts encompass three arts disciplines: visual
arts. music. and drama. Students are expected to meet standards for all three through the intermediate
level. Advanced level students will achieve the advanced standards for one arts discipline of the student's
own choosing.
The Modern Red Schoolhouse standards are the result of two years of the combined thinking of
teachers, administrators, community members, and national subject specialists. During the design phase,
representatives of participating school districts began to identify high standards in eight core subjects. The
College Board's Advanced Placement standards were used as an initial benchmark to help participants
articulate what students should know and be able to do at the time of graduation from high school.
Although students in the Modern Red Schoolhouse will reach these standards at different rates and
therefore at different ages, the three levels are roughly equivalent to what students should know and be able
to do at the end of grades 4, 8, and 12.
i
Successive drafts of the standards were reviewed by the Modern Red Schoolhouse Standards and
Assessment Task Force. This document is the result of considerable revision by a team of subject
specialists, all with broad experience in setting high standards and helping students to achieve them. Their
joint experience includes work for the Advanced Placement program, the Council for Basic Education, the
National Council of Teachers of English, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Mathematical
Association of America, the National Science Teachers Association, and a combined hundred years in
classrooms at all levels. Drafts of the standards have been reviewed by subject specialists at Advanced
Systems, Inc. and teachers in member schools, whose suggestions have prompted additional revisions. The
greatest challenge offered by these standards-raising student achievement to meet them-will be
addressed through innovative curriculum and not by lowered expectations.
While the Modern Red Schoolhouse standards are unique, they are not inconsistent with the
recommendations of professional associations striving for excellence in education. We have borrowed
heavily from other sets of standards developed in recent years in the great national effort to reform
America's schools. We are indebted to the work of the National Assessment Governing Board whose
National Assessments of Educational Progress in language arts, geography, mathematics, science, and the
arts helped inform the standards. We drew from the College Board's various teacher's guides to their
Advanced Placement courses. Publications from the following professional associations informed the
development of the standards in their respective disciplines: the Association of American Geographers, the
Bradley Commission on History in Schools; the National Center for History in the Schools (UCLA-NEH);
the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics; the American Association for the Advancement of
Science; National Standards in Foreign Language Education project; and the National Association for
Sports and Physical Education.
In addition to these, the standards have been informed by the U.S. Department of Education's
"James Madison" series and the U.S. Department of Labor's SCANS reports. Standards for the primary
and intermediate levels were also informed by E.D. Hirsch's "Cultural Literacy" inventory and Smart Start
by Patte Barth and Ruth Mitchell.
We are indebted especially to the work of the following authors and associations:
In English language arts:
Barth, P. and R. Mitchell. Smart Start. North American Press, 1992.
Gadda, G., E. Jensen, F. McQuade, and H. Wilson. Teacher's Guide to Advanced Placement Courses in
English Language and Composition. The College Board, 1985.
McQuade, F. Teacher's Guide to Advanced Placement Courses in English Literature and Composition.
The College Board, 1993.
Reading Framework for the 1992 and 1994 National Assessment of Educational Progress. National
Assessment Governing Board, U.S. Dept. of Education.
Reading and Thinking: A New Framework for Comprehension. Massachusetts Department of
Education, 1987.
Writing Framework for the 1992 National Assessment of Educational Progress. National Assessment
Governing Board, U.S. Dept. of Education.
In Geography:
Geography Framework for the 1992 and 1994 National Assessment of Educational Progress. U.S. Dept.
of
Education, 1992.
Geography (K-6 and 7-12): Themes, Key Ideas, and Learning Opportunities. Geography Education
National Implementation Project, 1989.
Guidelines for Geographic Education. Association of American Geographers, 1984.
ii
In History:
Historical Literacy. Bradley Commission on History in the Schools, 1989.
History-Social Science Framework. California Department of Education, 1988.
Holt, T. Thinking Historically. The College Board, 1990.
National History Standards Project. National Center for History in the Schools, UCLA-NEH Research
Program, ongoing.
In Mathematics:
Edwards, E.L. Algebra for Everyone. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 1990.
Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics. National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics, 1989.
Mathematics Assessment: 1994 National Assessment of Educational Progress. Submitted to the National
Assessment Governing Board by The College Board, 1992.
Meiring, S.P., R.N. Rubenstein, J.E. Schultz, J. de Lange, and D.L. Chambers. A Core Curriculum:
Making Mathematics Count for Everyone: Addenda Series, Grades 9-12. National Council of
Teachers of Mathematics, 1992.
Silver, E., J. Kilpatrick, and B. Schlesinger. Thinking through Mathematics: Fostering Inquiry and
Communication in Mathematics Classrooms. The College Board, 1990.
In Science:
Fulfilling the Promise: Biology Education in the Nation's Schools. National Research Council, 1991.
National Committee on Science Education Standards and Assessment. National Research Council, 1993
(draft).
Project 2061: Science for all Americans. American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1989.
Science Framework for the 1994 National Assessment of Educational Progress. National Assessment
Governing Board, U.S. Dept. of Education.
Science and Technology Education for the Elementary Years. National Center for Improving Science
Education, 1989.
Scope, Sequence, and Coordination of Secondary School Science. The Content Core: A Guide for
Curriculum Designers. National Science Teachers Association, 1986.
The Modern Red Schoolhouse has also integrated character education into the academic
curriculum of its students. In his essay "Character Education in Our Schools" (published separately by
Modern Red Schoolhouse), Kevin Ryan of Boston University discusses the need for character education
and the attempt by the Modern Red Schoolhouse to effectively address this issue. However, discussions
about dealing with this subject are best made with the community. Therefore, individual schools are
advised to develop their character education programs with the help and guidance of the school's parents
and communities. In preparing the curriculum, especially in health and physical education, we encourage
educators to review not only the standards enumerated here, but also Kevin Ryan's essay. It discusses in
more detail the reasons for character education and the specific goals of the Modern Red Schoolhouse
program. This essay can be obtained separately from the Hudson Institute.
The Modern Red Schoolhouse standards are anchored in beliefs and principles that most
Americans today-as they did a century ago-know to be true and valid. We believe that standards can
serve as an anchor for those principles while at the same time preparing graduates to take their place in the
communities of the twenty-first century.
Sally B. Kilgore, Ph.D.
Director
iii
Modern Red Schoolhouse
iv
English Language Arts Standards
Primary Level
A. Performance Statement: Each student can decode unknown words through a variety of
strategies.
Standards:
1.
Each student can pronounce and decode unknown words using letter-sound relationships
and knowledge of word structures.
2.
Each student can infer the meaning of unknown words in an unfamiliar reading passage
by examining known words, syntax, or grammar in the context of the passage.
3.
Each student can use a dictionary.
B. Performance Statement: Each student can identify facts, place events in sequence, draw
inferences, make judgments, and describe the details and content of a variety of literary
and non-literary texts, including narratives, stories, poetry, expository texts, articles, and
instructions.
Standards:
1.
Each student can distinguish fiction from nonfiction, realistic fiction from fantasy,
biography from autobiography, and poetry from prose.
2.
Each student can recall events in order, identify the main ideas, describe the setting, and
summarize critical details from a variety of classic and contemporary children's literature.
3.
Each student can draw from a reservoir of archetypal stories-including major myths,
folk tales, and narratives from the United States and cultures worldwide-in order to
describe conventional characters, plots, and themes; understand common allusions and
metaphorical phrases; make predictions; and relate experiences to his or her own life.
4.
Each student can draw from a reservoir of general knowledge about the world and
familiarity with common forms of written communication-such as newspapers,
instructions, maps, and textbooks-in order to derive meaning from and respond
appropriately to texts.
5.
Each student can combine ideas drawn from classic and contemporary stories, identify
cause and effect, and compare and contrast characters or events, relating these to other
works and student's own experience-for example, by discussing the messages of Beauty
and the Beast or Dickens's Scrooge.
1
6.
Each student can use common allusions from fairy tales, fables, biographies, etc. (e.g., the
Emperor's clothes, the boy who called "wolf") when writing or speaking about other
topics.
7.
Each student can describe personal reactions to literature, citing reasons ("I like this book
because ...") ") and comparisons to other works.
8.
Each student can select and read a text for information, summarize it, and connect new
information to prior knowledge.
9.
Each student can describe the author's voice in a text (e.g., first-person narrative, an
editorial) and infer the author's purpose and the main ideas expressed.
C. Performance Statement: Each student can construct meaning from oral messages
communicated in various setting for various purposes, including speeches, lectures, and
group discussions.
Standards:
1.
Each student can identify and explain the purpose of an oral communication.
2.
Each student can respond to one or more speakers by expressing appropriate ideas,
opinions, and questions.
3.
Each student can select and summarize accurately the key points and main ideas from an
oral presentation such as a story or speech.
4.
Each student can explain how a speaker has used inflection, eye contact, and gestures to
reinforce the speaker's message.
D. Performance Statement: Through writing, each student can communicate opinions,
ideas, information, and messages using various forms, including letters, simple reports,
narratives, and essays. Each student can write creatively and expressively.
Standards:
1.
Each student can write for a variety of audiences following the conventions of standard
English and/or by using informal language as appropriate.
2.
Each student can write a report, essay, or letter which has a clearly identifiable purpose; is
well organized; recalls events or situations accurately, clearly, and sequentially; and
contains illuminating details and descriptions
3.
Each student can write from draft to final product, revising content when necessary to
clarify or make improvements.
2
4.
Each student can write a narrative that describes a complete experience, is well
developed, contains descriptive words and phrases, and has a beginning, middle, and end.
5.
Each student can write a story that establishes a main character distinct from other
characters, has a clearly defined plot, contains a setting, and has details which advance
the plot.
6.
Each student can create simple poems using different forms including rhymed couplets,
haiku, limericks, and free verse.
E. Performance Statement: Each student can orally communicate information, opinions,
and ideas effectively to various audiences, in various contexts, and for various purposes.
Standards:
1.
Given a choice of familiar topics, each student can speak extemporaneously, volunteering
an organized set of appropriate ideas, opinions, and/or questions in response.
2.
Each student can construct and present a report which summarizes ideas and information
about a specific topic.
3.
Each student can give instructions, relate a personal experience, and/or create a fictional
story using concrete details and descriptive language.
4.
Each student can participate in discussion by listening attentively, respecting the opinions
and feelings of other people, and responding coherently.
5.
Each student can use inflection, eye contact, and gestures to reinforce his or her message.
F. Performance Statement: Each student, working individually or in groups, can form a
question, conduct an investigation, and report the results coherently and accurately with
convincing evidence.
Standards:
1.
Each student can formulate a question on a topic of interest and plan and conduct an
investigation which attempts to answer it.
2.
Each student can use more than one source or method of investigation, including library
resources, interviews, and computer databases.
3
G. Performance Statement: Each student can demonstrate a basic knowledge of the
structure of English.
Standards:
1.
Each student can distinguish between formal and informal English and use the different
forms appropriate to situation and purpose.
2.
Each student can edit his or her own work for accurate spelling and proper use of
standard English.
3.
Each student can create and edit written work on a computer.
4
English Language Arts
Intermediate Level
A. Performance Statement: Through oral and written responses, each student can
demonstrate the ability to analyze the structure and construct the meaning of a variety of
literary and non-literary texts written for various purposes at various times in history,
including literature of interest to students and other printed materials they encounter in
everyday life.
Standards:
1.
Given an unfamiliar passage to read, each student can identify and explain the type of
information conveyed, the main ideas, the way the text is organized, and the relationship
of parts to the whole.
2.
Each student can read for a variety of purposes-to make a decision, follow directions,
select and record information, analyze an argument, gain understanding, or enjoy a good
story, for example-and use strategies of reading and note-taking appropriate for each
purpose.
3.
Given a purpose for reading and responding to a text, each student can select, summarize,
paraphrase, analyze, and evaluate relevant passages.
4.
Each student can draw on a broad base of prior knowledge about the genres of literature
-the structure and conventions of essays, epics, fables, myths, plays, poems, short
stories, and novels, for example-when constructing the meaning of a text.
5.
Each student can draw on a broad base of knowledge about the themes, ideas, and lessons
of religious texts and classical literature-for example, knowledge of the Bible, the
Koran, and works by such authors as Homer, Cervantes, Shakespeare, Dickens, and
Twain-when reflecting about life and literature.
6.
Each student can evaluate the reliability of information conveyed in a text, using external
criteria-such as knowledge of the author, topic, or context-and internal criteria-such
as, analysis of logic, evidence, propaganda, or diction.
7.
Each student can explain how an author has used figures of speech, information,
incidents, character, and conflict to create an effect, thesis, or theme.
8.
Each student can describe conflict and the resolution of conflict in literature both in
concrete terms related to plot and in abstract terms related to theme.
5
9.
Each student can explain and defend critical opinions about a text, informally in a
discussion with peers and formally in a well-organized speech or essay.
10.
When asked to read and respond to the writing of other students, each student can provide
helpful information at various stages of the writing process.
B. Performance Statement: Through oral and written responses, each student can
demonstrate the ability to analyze the structure and construct the meaning of oral
discourse delivered in various contexts for various purposes, including speeches, lectures,
and discussions on topics of current interest to students.
Standards:
1.
After hearing an oral communication for the first time, each student can identify and
explain the type of information conveyed, the main ideas, the way in which the
communication was structured, and the relationship of parts of the whole.
2.
Each student can listen for a variety of purposes and use strategies of listening and note-
taking appropriate for each purpose.
3.
When constructing the meaning of an oral communication, each student can employ prior
knowledge about the speaker or speakers, the content, and the context in which the
communication takes place.
4.
Given a purpose for listening and responding to an oral communication, each student can
select, summarize, and analyze appropriate segments.
5.
Each student can evaluate the reliability of information conveyed in speech, using
external criteria-such as knowledge of the speaker, topic, or context-and internal criteria
-such analysis of logic, evidence, propaganda, or diction.
6.
Each student can explain how a speaker has used figures of speech, information,
rhetorical techniques, and non-verbal cues to create an effect, thesis, or theme.
7.
Each student can explain and defend critical opinions about an oral communication
informally in a discussion with peers and formally in a well-organized speech or essay.
8.
When asked to listen and respond to practice speeches delivered by other students, each
student can provide helpful information at various stages of composition.
6
C. Performance Statement: Each student can communicate information, opinions, and
experiences effectively when writing for various audiences, in various genres, for various
purposes.
Standards:
1.
Each student can employ a variety of strategies-lists, freewriting, word maps, and
outlines, for example-to evaluate, revise, and develop a topic within permissible limits.
2.
Each student can determine the purpose of a piece of writing, identify an appropriate
audience, and develop a plan to fulfill the purpose.
3.
Each student can choose a genre-story, poem, letter, personal narrative, or persuasive
essay, for example-and use the conventions of the genre to further the purpose of the
writing.
4.
Each student can develop a composition through a series of drafts, using critical reading
and responses of others to guide the process of revision.
5.
Each student can produce a coherent and complete composition, containing sufficient
detail to fulfill its purpose, language appropriate for its audience, and a structure revealed
through clear coordination and subordination of ideas.
6.
Each student can write narratives showing a sequence of events through concrete detail
and descriptive language, yet at the same time illustrating a more abstract insight or
theme.
7.
Each student can write stories that contain major and minor characters and a coherent
plot, all realized in narrative and descriptive detail.
8.
Each student can use literary and cultural allusions, imagery, and various figures of
speech to communicate actual or imagined experiences to an audience.
9.
Each student can construct a coherent argument and cite reliable evidence.
10.
Each student can use a computer for writing and revising drafts, integrating graphic and
numerical information into text, and sending and receiving files.
7
D. Performance Statement: Each student can communicate information, opinions, and
experiences effectively when speaking to various audiences, in various contexts, for various
purposes.
Standards:
1.
Each student can participate in a discussion by listening attentively, respecting the
opinions of other people, using language appropriate to the context, responding
coherently, and otherwise contributing to the purpose of the group.
2.
Each student can employ a variety of strategies-lists, freewriting, word maps, and
outlines, for example-to evaluate, revise, and develop a topic within permissible limits.
3.
Each student can determine the purpose for speaking in various contexts, appraise the
needs and expectations of an audience, and develop a plan to fulfill the purpose.
4.
Each student can make appropriate decisions about substance and style and use the
conventions of public speaking to help fulfill the purpose of a speech.
5.
Each student can develop a speech or lecture through a series of drafts, using practice
delivery and the responses of a trial audience to guide the process of revision.
6.
Each student can produce a coherent and complete presentation, containing sufficient
detail to fulfill its purpose, language appropriate for its audience, appropriate visual aids,
and a structure revealed through clear coordination and subordination of ideas.
7.
Each student can relate narrative showing a sequence of events through concrete detail
and descriptive language, yet at the same time illustrating a more abstract insight or
theme.
8.
Each student can use literary and cultural allusions, imagery, various figures of speech,
inflection and tone of voice, non-verbal devices and gestures, humor, and visual aids to
reinforce the message of a speech or lecture.
9.
Each student can construct and deliver a coherent argument that accurately summarizes
the ideas and opinions of other people, evaluates those ideas and opinions, advances the
student's own ideas and opinions, and cites supporting evidence.
10.
Each student can use a computer for planning a speech or lecture, integrating graphic and
numerical information, and projecting visuals during delivery.
8
E. Performance Statement: Each student can formulate questions that might be answered
through various methods of investigation, organize and conduct an investigation, and
integrate discovered information into oral and written reports using appropriate
conventions for preparing a manuscript.
Standards:
1.
Each student can formulate questions and conduct an investigation that produces relevant
information.
2.
Each student can use the research tools made available in the school and other local
libraries, including encyclopedias, almanacs, dictionaries, card catalogs, indexes to
periodicals, and computerized databases.
3.
Each student can take notes, keep track of sources, and formulate alternative strategies for
finding and recording information.
4.
Each student can follow conventions for the preparation of a manuscript.
F. Performance Statement: Each student can demonstrate knowledge of the structure and
history of English through reading, listening, writing, and speaking.
Standards:
1.
Each student can evaluate the use of words and phrases according to the context and
purpose of a communication.
2.
Each student can evaluate the use of syntax, figurative language, and rhetorical structures
according to context, purpose, and related linguistic conventions.
3.
Each student can find information that is helpful in evaluating the use of English by
consulting dictionaries, style sheets, handbooks, editing software, and other sources of
information.
4.
Each student can proofread, edit, and revise a manuscript.
5.
Each student can describe parts of speech and fundamental rules of syntax and apply this
knowledge in written and oral work.
9
English Language Arts
Upper Level
A. Performance Statement: Through oral and written responses, each student can
demonstrate the ability to analyze the structure, language, and content of complex
literature written in various countries during various historical periods and to read
critically the non-literary documents and articles associated with other disciplines.
Standards:
1.
Each student can draw on a broad base of knowledge about American, British, European,
and non-European literature and recognize the conventions associated with the literature
of certain historical periods and cultures.
2.
Each student can draw on a broad base of knowledge about the great themes of literature
-for example, themes of initiation, love and duty, heroism, illusion and reality,
salvation, death and rebirth-and explain how these themes are developed in specific
works from various historical periods and cultures.
3.
Each student can draw on a broad base of knowledge about great works-images and
ideas, episodes, characters, quotations, and so on-when reflecting about life and
literature.
4.
Given an unfamiliar work of literature, each student can identify details of language,
setting, point of view, plot, character, and conflict and explain how the author has
organized these details to produce a dominating effect, impression, or theme.
5.
Each student can explain the structure of certain passages of literature from various
historical periods and cultures, illustrating the authors' use of syntax, images, figures of
speech, literary and cultural allusions, symbols, irony, and other devices in the context of
history, cultures, and literary style.
6.
Given an essay, each student can identify its central idea or ideas and explain how the
author has developed the essay through coordination and subordination.
10
7.
Each student can distinguish fact from opinion in an article, identify propaganda
techniques and fallacious reasoning, and integrate knowledge from the article into prior
knowledge about the topic.
8.
Each student can identify a topic of personal interest, identify major authors who have
written about the topic, develop an agenda for reading, and become knowledgeable not
only about the topic itself, but also about the language and conventions of discourse in
which discussion of the topic is framed.
9.
When asked to read and respond to the writing of other students, each student can provide
helpful critiques, suggestions, and informed appreciation at various stages of the writing
process.
B. Performance Statement: Through oral and written responses, each student can
demonstrate the ability to analyze the structure, language, and content of oral discourse
delivered in various contexts for various purposes, including speeches, lectures, and
discussions in other disciplines.
Standards:
1.
After listening to a speech, lecture, or discussion, each student can identify the central
ideas and explain how these ideas were developed through related constituent ideas.
2.
Each student can distinguish fact from opinion in a speech, lecture, or discussion, identify
propaganda techniques and fallacious reasoning, and integrate knowledge gained into
prior knowledge of the topic. By asking questions, each student can elicit information to
help this process of understanding and integration.
3.
Each student can identify a topic of personal interest and seek out speeches, lectures, or
discussions about the topic, either recorded or live. Through listening and reading, each
student can become knowledgeable not only about the topic, but also about the language
and conventions of discourse in which discussion of the topic is framed.
4.
When asked to listen and respond to practice speeches delivered by other students, each
student can provide helpful critiques, suggestions, and informed appreciation at various
stages of composition.
11
C. Performance Statement: Each student can communicate information, opinions, and
experiences effectively when writing for various audiences, in various genres, for various
purposes.
Standards:
1.
Each student can employ a variety of strategies for developing and organizing ideas,
resulting in knowledge, opinions, or insights that are worth communicating to an intended
audience.
2.
Each student can develop a piece of writing that conveys knowledge, opinions, or
experiences to an intended audience, using rhetorical structures that divide complex
thoughts into simpler thoughts, transitions to help an audience follow the logic, and
language the audience can understand.
3.
Each student can summarize verbal and numerical information, expand or reduce the
summary by adding or omitting detail, and incorporate information at an appropriate level
of generality into an essay or report, using relevant conventions of documentation and
format.
4.
Each student can construct a coherent argument that advances an opinion, accurately
summarizes an opposing opinion, refutes the opposing opinion, and cites persuasive
evidence.
5.
Each student can write stories with a coherent plot, distinct characters, and conflict
resolved through the action characters.
6.
Each student can write in a mature style characterized by adequate vocabulary, an
unaffected "voice," a variety of sentence structures, clear coordinating and subordination
of ideas, and rhetorical devices that reinforce meaning.
7.
Each student can develop a composition through a series of drafts, using critical reading
and the responses of others to guide the process of revision.
8.
Each student can use a computer for writing and revising drafts, integrating graphic and
numerical information into text, sending and receiving files, and laying out a publication.
12
D. Performance Statement: Each student can communicate information, opinions, and
experiences effectively when speaking to various audiences, in various contexts, for various
purposes.
Standards:
1.
Each student can participate in or lead a discussion effectively by being prepared,
understanding the purpose of the discussion, listening attentively and respectfully to
others, asking questions, and offering relevant and reliable information.
2.
Each student can employ a variety of strategies for developing and organizing ideas,
resulting in knowledge, opinions, or insights that are worth communicating to an intended
audience.
3.
Each student can develop a lecture or a speech that conveys knowledge, opinions, or
experiences to a selected audience, using rhetorical structures that divide complex
thoughts into simpler thoughts, transitions to help an audience follow the logic, language
the audience can understand, and figures of speech that reinforce meaning.
4.
Each student can deliver a lecture or a speech with confidence and poise, using eye
contact, gestures, visual aids, and appropriate interaction with members of the audience
through questions and answers.
5.
Each student can summarize verbal and numerical information, expand or reduce the
summary by adding or omitting detail, and incorporate information at an appropriate level
of generality into a speech or a lecture using relevant conventions of documentation and
format.
6.
Each student can construct a coherent argument that advances an opinion, accurately
summarizes an opposing opinion, refutes the opposing opinion, and cites persuasive
evidence.
7.
Each student can use a computer and presentation software for preparing and enhancing
the delivery of a speech or a lecture.
13
E. Performance Statement: Each student can formulate questions that might be answered
through various methods of investigation, organize and conduct an investigation, and
integrate discovered information into oral and written reports using appropriate
conventions for preparing a manuscript.
Standards:
1.
Each student can formulate questions and conduct an investigation that produces relevant
information.
2.
Each student can use the research tools made available in school and college libraries,
take notes, keep track of sources, and formulate alternative strategies for finding and
recording information.
3.
Each student can conduct interviews, take notes or otherwise record oral information, and
summarize or transcribe oral information as needed.
4.
Each student can write and administer questionnaires, organize data received from
questionnaires, and employ statistics to support all inferences drawn.
5.
Each student can incorporate verbal, visual, and numerical data into oral and written
reports, citing sources according to convention, and taking care to distinguish between
data and inferences drawn from data.
F. Performance Statement: Each student can demonstrate knowledge of the structure and
history of English through reading, listening, writing, and speaking.
Standards:
1.
Each student can evaluate the use of diction, syntax, figurative language, rhetorical
structures, and linguistic conventions according to the context and purpose of a
communication.
2.
Each student can edit a manuscript to correct problems of usage, grammar, spelling,
punctuation, format, and style.
3.
Each student can find information that is helpful in evaluating the use of English by
consulting dictionaries, style sheets, handbooks, editing software, and other sources of
information.
14
4.
Each student can summarize the history of English using specific words and literary
changes that have taken place.
5.
Each student can draw inferences about values, attitudes, and point of view by analyzing
a writer's or a speaker's use of English.
6.
Each student can edit and revise a manuscript to improve content and organization.
15
Geography Standards
Primary Level
A. Performance Statement: Each student can locate particular places on earth, identify
spatial patterns on the earth's surface, and describe physical characteristics and human
processes that shape these patterns.
Standards:
1.
Each student can construct models or sketch maps of his or her own state, the United
States, and the world; and label continents and oceans of the world, and the countries and
major cities of North America on unmarked maps.
2.
Each student can compare and contrast information on maps drawn to different scales.
3.
Each student can use fundamental geographic vocabulary to identify basic geographic
patterns and phenomena and to describe a cultural or environmental issue from more than
one perspective.
4.
Each student can use number and letter grids to plot specific locations, sketch simple
maps, and describe and/or draw landscapes.
5.
Each student can use aerial and other photographs, satellite images, maps and globes,
media, and computers to solve simple problems.
6.
Each student can identify major land and water formations on a map of the student's state,
using appropriate terminology.
B. Performance Statement: Each student can explain how earth's natural and human
systems are connected and interact.
Standards:
1.
Each student can identify and describe basic human systems (for example, political,
economic, transportation) that are located in different parts of the student's city or
community.
2.
Each student can illustrate ways people depend upon, adapt to, and modify the
environment (for example, farming, commercial fishing) and explain positive and
negative consequences of both physical and man-made changes.
3.
Each student can compare ways humans have adapted to different climates, focusing on
clothing, housing, methods for heating and cooling, etc.
16
4.
Each student can locate the habitats of certain plant and animal species on a world map,
show where their populations are either flourishing or are in decline, and give reasons for
their health or endangerment.
5.
Each student can describe some environmental, economic, and/or cultural issues in own
community; identify arguments both for and against; and take and justify a position.
6.
Each student can examine a natural catastrophe (hurricane, earthquake, flood, brush fires,
etc.) and describe its impact on individuals and communities.
7.
Each student can compare past and present technologies related to energy, transportation,
and communications in own community, and describe and evaluate the effects of the
changes on people's lives.
C. Performance Statement: Each student understands how spatial connections among
people, places, and regions affect the movement of people, goods, and ideas.
Standards:
1.
Each student can give examples of the movement of people, goods, services, and ideas
from one place to another; give reasons for current and historical migration; and, working
in groups, map immigration into own community over time.
2.
Each student can explain how people and communities are both independent and
interdependent.
3.
Each student can identify occupations and industries in different parts of own state and
give geographical reasons for their presence.
4.
Each student can explain the causes and effects of major migrations.
5.
Each student can describe characteristics and regional interconnections that define the
student's own region of the United States.
6.
Each student can describe distinguishing characteristics of urban, suburban, and rural
areas, focusing on how people's needs are met.
17
Geography
Intermediate Level
A. Performance Statement: Each student can locate particular places on earth, identify
spatial patterns and arrangements around the earth's surface, and describe the physical
and human characteristics and processes that shape these geographical features.
Standards:
1.
Each student can use a map or globe to locate natural regions such as mountain ranges,
deserts, and rivers; human regions-such as nations or cities; and patterns of climate and
vegetation.
2.
Each student can use geographic vocabulary and references (distance, direction,
proximity, boundaries, scale, latitude and longitude, and different map projections) to
locate and describe specific places and regions.
3.
Each student can define and give examples of the physical characteristics of places-for
example, land forms, coastline, soils, flora and fauna.
4.
Each student can define and give examples of the human characteristics of places-for
example, languages, religion, politics, economics, and social structure.
5.
Each student can use maps, globes, atlases, and almanacs to identify and assemble
geographic information about a particular place or region.
6.
Each student can analyze geographic information about a particular place or region to
understand the impact of its physical characteristics on its human history.
B. Performance Statement: Each student can explain how the earth's natural systems
(hydrosphere, lithosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere) and human systems (economic,
social, political, and religious) are interrelated.
Standards:
1.
Each student can locate selected natural resources (minerals, plants and animals, forests,
fossil fuels, among others) on a map and identify their worldwide distribution.
2.
Each student can identify and describe the world's major ecosystems (rain forest, savanna,
desert, for example) and the range of human adaptations (nomadic pastorals, terrace
farming, shifting cultivation, etc.) which provide food, clothing, and shelter from these
ecosystems.
18
3.
Each student can identify, research, analyze, and present a case study examining the
effects of technology on the local environment-for example, a new highway that brings
economic vitality along with more automobile emissions.
4.
Each student can illustrate the widespread, systemic nature of environmental change
through the examination of a major environmental modification-for example, the
eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines and its effect on world climate, or the
impact of the construction of Disney World in Orlando on the surrounding areas of
Florida.
C. Performance Statement: Each student can trace the movement of people, goods, and
ideas around the globe and discuss the ways through which this motion continuously
defines and/or connects the world's regions.
Standards:
1.
Each student can follow the migration of a population, a resource, a commodity, a
disease, or an ideology around the globe while identifying the "push-and-pull" factors
that either accelerated or impeded the process.
2.
Each student can explain, with the help of diagrams and maps, how linkages are created
through movement, using local (e.g., school bus routes), state (e.g., high school
basketball broadcasts), or national (e.g., the sale of commodities) examples.
3.
Each student can define and explain the characteristics of a region (the school district,
township, "The Rust Belt," or Appalachia, for example) as well as those elements that
distinguish the home region from other comparable regions.
4.
Each student can describe, explain, and map relationships among local regions-for
example, among neighborhoods in a town, or among regions producing various crops.
19
Geography
Upper Level
A. Performance Statement: Each student can locate particular places on earth, identify
spatial patterns and arrangements around the earth's surface, and describe the physical
and human characteristics and processes that shape these geographical features.
Standards:
1.
Each student can use a map or globe to locate complex natural features (such as river
systems, continental divides, and watersheds), historic and cultural features, and regions
(such as the Fertile Crescent, the Great Wall of China, and the European Economic
Community).
2.
Each student can use geographic vocabulary to describe basic physical structure (such as
continental drift, plate tectonics, volcanism) and human population (such as demographic
characteristics, birth and death rates, doubling time, emigration and immigration) of a
place or region.
3.
Each student can compare and contrast the physical characteristics of places and regions
in different parts of the world (for example, mountains and plains, humid and dry areas,
hot and cold regions) and the physical patterns and processes (for example, atmospheric
winds, ocean currents, weathering and erosion) that shape them.
4.
Each student can compare and contrast the human characteristics of places in different
parts of the world and the cultural processes (for example, enculturation, acculturation,
assimilation, diffusion) that shape them.
5.
Each student can use demographic tables and charts, primary and secondary sources, and
special purpose maps and projections to identify and assemble historical and
contemporary geographic information about a particular place or region.
6.
Each student can analyze historical and contemporary information about a place or
region, develop hypotheses to explain its physical and human changes over time, and
organize an argument with narrative and cartographic evidence.
20
B. Performance Statement: Each student can explain how the earth's natural systems
(hydrosphere, lithosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere) and human systems (economic,
social, political, and religious) are interrelated.
Standards:
1.
Each student can locate concentrations of selected natural resources on a map and show
how their unequal distribution generates trade, encourages interdependence, and shapes
economic patterns.
2.
Each student can identify major human adaptations to the world's many ecosystems and
can discuss the cultural systems (economic, social, political, and religious) that have
developed and evolved to meet changing environmental conditions throughout history.
3.
Each student can identify, research, analyze, and present a balanced national or
international case study (historical or contemporary) that demonstrates the intended
and/or unintended effects of technology on the environment-for example, the economic
and environmental effects of moving from deep-shaft to strip mining in Appalachia.
4.
Each student can demonstrate how an environmental change in one region can affect
other places around the globe-for example, the impact of El Nino on commercial fishing
and agriculture in the western hemisphere.
C. Performance Statement: Each student can trace the movement of people, goods, and
ideas around the globe and discuss ways through which this motion continuously defines
and connects the world's regions.
Standards:
1.
Each student understands the general dynamic of geographic movement and can predict
the changes resulting from a major population relocation, an epidemic, a natural disaster,
a media broadcast, or the transportation of raw materials and finished goods.
2.
Each student can produce a flow map showing both the rate and scope of movement of a
particular product (for example, oil tankers, wheat exports) around the globe during a
specific period of time.
3.
Each student can produce a sequence of flow maps, charts, and diagrams to demonstrate
historic changes through time, such as the traffic on a major trade route, the quantity of a
commodity moving from place to place, and the dissemination of an ideal or a belief like
capitalism or Christianity.
4.
Each student can identify and explain the many criteria (physiography, vegetation,
politics, economics, administration, among others) that define a region and draw multiple
maps of the world using a series of these regional locators.
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History Standards
Primary Level
A. Performance Statement Each student understands what is meant by historical inquiry,
recognize major historical events and place them in chronological order, understand and
explain various perspectives concerning major historical events, and obtain historical
information from different sources.
Standards:
1.
Each student can use reference books, maps, and interviews to examine historical events,
and present findings in a variety of ways, such as photographs, paintings, cartoons,
architectural drawings, models, graphs, charts, or maps-as well as in essays or oral
presentations.
2.
Each student can obtain historical data, organize historical information chronologically;
distinguish between past, present, and future time; explain simple cause-and-effect
relationships; and evaluate conflicting evidence about an historical event.
3.
Each student can identify present economic, social, and political conditions in his or her
own town, region, or state and compare them to the past.
4.
Each student can trace the history of an important public or school issue, identify and
summarize opposing views, and explain reasoning for each.
B. Performance Statement Each student can identify characteristics and accomplishments
of major world civilizations in such places as Europe, Africa, the Americas, and Asia. Each
student can show an understanding of how selected cultures are represented in the beliefs
and practices of the United States and how they have helped to form a national heritage.
Standards:
1.
Each student can show a basic understanding of North, Central, and South American,
European, African, and Asian cultures as seen through their literature, customs, art,
religion, and history by describing, for example, the form and purpose of such things as
the Great Pyramids, the Roman roads, the Crusades, the English Parliament, the Great
Wall, and the League of the Iroquois.
2.
Each student can describe the contributions of various world cultures including their
folklore, holidays, and ceremonies to the student's state and national history and show
also an understanding of the world's major migrations of people and their effects on state
and national heritage.
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3.
Each student can describe similarities, differences, and relations among the various
cultures in the community and can compare the present community with one found in
earlier civilizations.
4.
Each student can show a basic understanding of the role played by religion and civic
values in the history of his or her own state and nation and describe how that role is
similar to, or different from, an ancient civilization, such as Greece or Egypt, and a feudal
society found in Europe or China.
5.
Each student can describe some major discoveries in science and technology and show an
understanding of their social and economic effects.
C. Performance Statement Each student understands how democratic values came to be,
along with the essential institutions at the federal, state and local levels that preserve and
support these values, including especially those embodied in the U.S. Constitution, local
and state frameworks of government, and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
Standards:
1.
Each student understands the significance of key U.S. documents-such as the
Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and Bill of
Rights, and the Emancipation Proclamation-and important American symbols, like the
flag and the Statue of Liberty-and can discuss the central democratic values and ideas
embodied in both documents and symbols.
2.
Each student can discuss the contributions of major national figures-such as
Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Martin Luther King Jr.-and show a basic
understanding of how these individuals helped promote democratic values and ideas.
3.
Each student can explain important local, state, and federal governmental functions and
the roles of the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government.
4.
Each student can identify ways citizens of the United States can influence and participate
in governmental decisions at the local, state, and national levels-for example, by
running for office, voting in general elections, signing an initiative, speaking at hearings,
etc.
5.
Each student can give examples of ordinary people-such as James Armistead, Lydia
Darragh, Sybil Ludington, and Nathan Beman-who have displayed particular courage
or sense of responsibility in helping the common good in the community.
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D. Performance Statement Each student can identify major figures and events in American
history and that of their own state, and can show a basic understanding of their
significance.
Standards:
1.
Each student can relate the contributions of major historical figures in the United States—
including leaders in politics, civil rights, economy, international affairs, science, arts, and
exploration-and put them in the proper time and place. Each student can discuss the
biographies of a few such figures.
2.
Each student can compare present life in own community or region to life in the remote
and more recent past, beginning with the life of indigenous peoples and discuss how and
why it has changed.
3.
Each student can place his or her state or region's history into the context of major events
in American history, for example, the period of exploration, the Revolution, Civil War,
industrialization, etc.
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History Standards
Intermediate Level
A. Performance Statement Each student can gather historical information from a variety of
primary and secondary sources, evaluate the sources, analyze and evaluate different points
of view, and construct coherent narratives explaining historical continuity and change over
time.
Standards:
1.
Each student can construct a chronology of major events in American and world history.
2.
Each student can collect, interpret, organize, and evaluate information about a specific
issue or problem in American or world history from a variety of primary and secondary
sources.
3.
Each student can construct, evaluate, and revise an argument to explain the causes and
consequences of an important event in American or world history.
4.
Each student can describe broad themes or patterns in American and world history and
explain the significance of these themes by referring to specific events.
5.
Each student can generate an historical question of personal interest, develop and
demonstrate understanding of the historical context in which an answer might be found,
and construct a coherent written narrative to answer the question.
6.
Using appropriate computer technology, each student can incorporate visual and
quantitative data into oral and written presentations.
B. Performance Statement Each student can make comparisons to demonstrate
understanding of the social, cultural, religious, and ethnic heterogeneity of American and
world societies, past and present; outline the beliefs and practices of principal religions;
and show how ideas, beliefs, attitudes, and values are projected through representative
works of art, science, and literature.
Standards:
1.
Each student can identify and describe ideas, ideals, practices, traditions, and beliefs that
unify the civic culture of the United States and compare such concepts to their
counterparts in other nations.
2.
Each student can identify the periods of immigration for various ethnic and cultural
groups, their destinations, and their reasons for coming to the United States.
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3.
Each student can describe the contributions of various ethnic, social, and cultural groups
to American life and how they have helped to form a shared national heritage and civic
culture.
4.
Each student can identify, describe, and compare ideas, ideals, practices, and beliefs of
selected cultures and nations in various regions of the world.
5.
Each student can outline beliefs and practices of the principal religions of the world and
assess their influence on American society.
6.
Each student can describe and explain beliefs, ideals, and viewpoints expressed in
important examples of art and literature in the United States and compare such works to
those of people in other countries.
C. Performance Statement Each student can describe and explain the political, legal, and
constitutional heritage of the United States, referring to important events and documents,
and explain the roles played in a representative democracy by political and legal
institutions, their officers, and individual citizens.
Standards:
1.
Each student can distinguish and summarize the powers of federal, state, and local
governments in the United States and the roles of the legislative, executive, and judicial
branches.
2.
Each student can identify the essential debates throughout U.S. history regarding the
proper jurisdiction-federal, state, or local-for certain social and economic issues and
suggest their implications for current political debates.
3.
Each student can describe and explain the effects of important historical events, people,
and demographic changes on American law and government.
4.
Each student can identify important historical events and judicial decisions that affect
contemporary political ideas, policies, and legal practices.
5.
Each student can identify the rights and responsibilities of citizenship in the United States
and compare them with those of another democratic nation.
6.
Each student can describe and discuss the significant instances of tensions and
collaborations among various majorities and minorities in the United States.
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D. Performance Statement Each student can compare and contrast major economic
systems, summarize the economic development of the United States, describe how the
nation responded to fluctuations in economic well being in the past, and provide examples
of interdependence and competition in the international economy.
Standards:
1.
Each student can identify different economic systems, and can explain and evaluate how
each addresses such basic economic questions as: what is produced? how is it produced?
and for whom is it produced?
2.
Using the basic economic questions, each student can describe the historical changes in
the U.S. economic system and their relation to other historical events.
3.
Each student can summarize and discuss the positive and negative effects of important
scientific discoveries and technologies on the quality of life, the environment, and the
economy.
4.
Each student can recognize and describe complex competitive and interdependent
economic relationships among modern nations.
E. Performance Statement Each student can understand issues and events in United States
history from the perspectives of people past and present and recall, select, and apply
relevant and accurate historical knowledge.
Standards:
1.
Each student can recall, select, and apply knowledge of New World exploration which
linked people from Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
2.
Each student can recall, select, and apply knowledge of the American Revolution,
focusing on events which precipitated the move towards independence.
3.
Each student can recall, select, and apply knowledge of the major individuals, issues, and
events leading to a federal system of government in the Constitution and its subsequent
application and modification in the Early Republic, including the development of a two-
party system.
4.
Each student can recall, select, and apply knowledge of the events which contributed to
growth during the first half of the Nineteenth Century of various American regions—
North, South, and West-each with its distinct geography, economy, and way of life.
5.
Each student can recall, select, and apply knowledge of major individuals, issues, and
events of the Civil War, the end of slavery, and Reconstruction.
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6.
Each student can recall, select, and apply knowledge of post-Civil War industrialization.
7.
Each student can recall, select, and apply knowledge of the migration to the American
West and the relations of migrating people to indigenous people.
8.
Each student can recall, select, and apply knowledge of the response of national reform
movements-Populists, Progressives, Grangers, American Federation of Labor, Knights
of Labor, etc.-to rapid American urban and economic growth.
9.
Each student can recall, select, and apply knowledge of the emergence of the United
States as a world power in the Spanish-American War and the two World Wars.
10.
Each student can recall, select, and apply knowledge of major individuals, issues, and
events that influenced American character and lifestyle during the Twenties and the Great
Depression.
11.
Each student can recall, select, and apply knowledge of major individuals, issues, and
events of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union.
12.
Each student can recall, select, and apply knowledge of the expansion of civil rights in
the 19th and 20th centuries.
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History Standards
Upper Level
A. Performance Statement Each student can choose a topic of interest, generate historical
questions about it, gather relevant information from a variety of primary and secondary
sources, evaluate the sources, analyze and evaluate different points of view, then develop,
write, and present an historical paper.
Standards:
1.
Given a set of primary and secondary documents related to a significant historical
question, each student can analyze the documents, assess their relevance and value, make
comparisons, integrate knowledge of the documents with prior knowledge, and come to a
reasoned conclusion about the issue.
2.
Each student can gather data from a variety of sources (e.g., letters, diaries, newspaper,
speeches) that express different points of view on the same issue or event and incorporate
these data into a reasoned summary.
3.
Each student can select certain historical events and, using data gathered from a variety of
sources, explain their relationship to or effect on the modern world.
4.
Each student can select people, documents, works of literature, cultural artifacts, and art
objects and explain their importance to political, economic, social, or cultural trends.
5.
Using information gathered from primary and secondary sources, each student can
develop a historical paper on a topic of interest and present the paper for review by
teachers and fellow students.
6.
Using computer technology, each student can incorporate visual and quantitative data into
historical analysis.
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B. Performance Statement Each student can make comparisons to demonstrate
understanding of social, cultural, religious, and ethnic heterogeneity of American and
world societies, past and present; outline the beliefs and practices of principal religions;
and show how ideas, beliefs, attitudes, and values are projected through representative
works of art, science, and literature.
Standards:
1.
Each student can explain the origins, central ideas, and global influence of major
religious traditions, including Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, and Christianity.
2.
Each student can describe and analyze beliefs, ideals, and viewpoints expressed by
important works of art and literature in other societies, place them in historical context,
and compare them to works of American art and literature.
3.
Each student can describe patterns of scientific development in various regions of the
world and discuss how these developments reflect variations in beliefs, attitudes and
values.
4.
Each student can describe and analyze the ways cultural and social groups are defined,
identify contributions by certain groups, discuss how the definition and structures of
groups have changed over time, and make explicit comparisons to similar groups
elsewhere in the world.
C. Performance Statement Each student can describe and analyze the legal, political, and
constitutional heritage of the United States; refer to important events, ideas, and
documents; analyze the roles played in the American political system by political and legal
institutions, their officers, and individual citizens; and compare the American system to
various political systems in the past and present.
Standards:
1.
Each student can identify, cite, and discuss important historical documents that have
influenced government in the United States and explain the nature of their influence.
2.
Each student can identify significant features of governmental and political processes in
the United States and summarize the historical development of these features including
federalism; the party system; the electoral, legislative, and judicial processes; and the
presidency.
3.
Each student can compare significant features of the American political system to those
of selected political systems in the past and present.
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4.
Each student can summarize major Supreme Court decisions-such as Marbury V.
Madison, Fletcher V. Peck, Dred Scott v. Sanford, Plessy V. Ferguson, Schechter V.
United States, Brown V. Board of Education, and Roe V. Wade-and analyze their impact
on United States history.
5.
Each student can illustrate, through the development of case studies, how institutions,
their officers, and individual citizens have interacted to create and resolve conflict in
United States history-particularly in areas of tension between freedom and equality,
liberty and order, region and nation, individual and community, law and conscience,
diversity and civic unity.
6.
Each student can summarize, discuss, and analyze some of the important and continuing
debates that run through American history, particularly those regarding democracy,
liberty, and equality.
D. Performance Statement Each student can compare and contrast major economic systems
and their goals, discuss and analyze how nations have responded to fluctuation in economic
well-being in the past, and describe international economic interdependence and
competition.
Standards:
1.
Each student can identify and explain basic economic concepts-such as supply and
demand; production, distribution, and consumption; labor and capital; inflation and
deflation-and use these concepts to compare economies regionally, nationally, locally,
and historically.
2.
Each student can compare, contrast, and evaluate different types of economies
(traditional, command, market, and mixed) and discuss their relationships to the social
and political systems of particular cultures.
3.
Each student can compare and contrast the characteristics of these general economic eras:
Paleolithic (hunting), Neolithic (farming), mercantile, industrial, and post-industrial
(information and services).
4.
Each student can demonstrate an understanding of cause and effect by analyzing the
impact of industrialization, urbanization, population growth, and technological change.
5.
Each student can describe and explain global economic interdependence and competition,
using examples to illustrate their influence on national policies.
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E. Performance Statement Each student can describe the evolution of increasingly complex
political systems-beginning with autonomous tribal bands and, continuing through
confederacies and city-states, and culminating with modern nation-states and international
alliances.
Standards:
1.
Each student can describe and evaluate ideas of how society should be organized and how
political power should be exercised, including the ideas of monarchism, anarchism,
socialism, fascism, and communism; compare those ideas to those of representative
democracy; and analyze how each idea has or has not worked in practice.
2.
Each student can describe and analyze frequent causes of conflict within, between, and
among nations, and those formal and informal mechanisms-from war to mediation—
that aim at resolution.
3.
Each student can discuss and analyze how different political systems define and protect
(or fail to protect) individual human rights.
4.
Each student can describe the purpose and effects of treaties, alliances, and international
organizations that characterize today's world-for example, the United Nations, the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization, the North American Free Trade Agreement, the World
Bank, and the International Monetary Fund.
F. Performance Statement Each student understands complex issues and events in United
States history from the perspectives of people past and present and recall, select, apply, and
analyze relevant and accurate historical knowledge.
Standards:
1.
Each student can recall, select, apply, and analyze knowledge of New World exploration
which linked the people from Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
2.
Each student can recall, select, apply, and analyze knowledge of the American
Revolution, focusing on events which precipitated the move towards independence.
3.
Each student can recall, select, apply, and analyze knowledge of the major individuals
and events leading to the formation of a federal system of government in the Constitution
and its subsequent application and modification in the Early Republic, including the
development of a two-party system.
4.
Each student can recall, select, apply, and analyze knowledge of the events which
contributed to growth during the first half of the Nineteenth Century of various American
regions-North, South, and West-each with its distinct geography, economy, and way
of life.
32