Academic Content Standards: Fewer, Clearer, Higher

For 14 years, Colorado has had broadly articulated state model content standards in 13 academic disciplines that emphasize topical recognition of ideas, themes, and facts that were of value more than a decade ago.

In 2007, the State Board of Education (SBE) recommended a comprehensive revision of the content standards to meet 21st century education challenges. In 2008, the State Legislature articulated the nature of the new standards by passing the law nicknamed "CAP4K," Colorado Assessment Program for Kids, expanding the K-12 public education vision by integrating early childhood and higher education goals into a single P-20 education policy. CAP4K is being implemented in four steps:

1. Create descriptions for School Readiness, 21st Century Skills, and Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness (PWR) - In December 2008, the SBE adopted a School Readiness description. Last June the board and the Colorado Commission on Higher Education agreed on a Postsecondary Workforce Readiness definition. These two definitions frame the content standards revision process.

2. Expand and refine the K-12 content standards by December 2009 - CAP4K expanded the standards to include early childhood through higher education as seamless P-20 standards. Guiding principles shaped the revision process, including "beginning with the end in mind;" defining the 21st century skills graduates need; have fewer, clearer, higher standards; and design them for clarity, rigor, and coherence.

The development of new standards for 13 academic disciplines is in three phases:

3. Realign student assessments with the new content standards - In Spring 2009, the State Board launched assessment pilots in several districts to gather information about which protocols signal student readiness for postsecondary success. By December 15, 2010, the State Board will adopt a revised Postsecondary Workforce Readiness Assessment System. By December 15, 2012, school boards will adopt PWR planning, preparation, and readiness assessments.

4. Certify that local school district standards meet or exceed the state model content standards - School boards will certify this by December 15, 2011. Some will revise their local standards and curricula to align with the new state standards. The new Colorado P-20 Public Education Policy, embodied in CAP4K, will provide students with opportunities for college entrance, as well as the 21st century skill set needed in a competitive global economy.

At the top of each academic discipline are competencies all students must be able to do by Grade 12, representing the "end-in-mind" strategy of the new standards. Each grade level will now have levels of evidence outcomes that represent distinct concepts and skills that all students must know and be able to apply. Each outcome requires the student to demonstrate not just understanding of the concept, but also the skill to apply it: the basis of a 21st century skill set and Postsecondary Workforce Readiness.

Standards Revision Process
The revision of Colorado's academic standards began with research and gap analysis of benchmarked states and nations deemed to have the "best standards" - Massachusetts and Indiana, plus Singapore and Finland. The Department of Education assembled a 25-member advisory group to define terms, frame issues, determine grade-by-grade articulation, and select subcommittee members.

The advisory group solicited others to ensure subject-specific education (early, K-12, and higher education) and business sector expertise, and received applications from 786 people for 225 volunteer subcommittee roles. The advisory group also formed content subcommittees for each of the three academic standards development phases noted previously, e.g., Phase I Reading and Writing, Math, Science, etc. Each subcommittee considered available research, gap analyses, best benchmarked state/nation reports, 21st century skills, and the PWR description in developing new draft standards. Representatives of CEA and CDE visited 13 towns and communities in the Teacher Tours last spring to get added feedback.

Four Major Changes
1. 21st Century Skills: New skills that today's students need to enter a globally competitive workforce must reflect the speed with which new technology and knowledge are created, applied, and revised. The subcommittees agreed with research that identifies five essential 21st century skills: problem solving/critical thinking, information management, collaboration, self-direction, and innovation.

2. Fewer, Clearer and Higher: The new standards are written in broad terms to capture the volume, scope, and variability of the skills and information. Colorado has designed grade expectations to meet national and international tenets of "fewer" standards to reflect essential concepts that form intelligent building blocks grade-by-grade; simply stated "clearer" standards that convey knowledge and skill outcomes; and "higher" standards that allow each student to achieve at high levels and provide students with the skills needed to become Post-Secondary Workforce Ready.

3. Early Childhood and Higher Education Expectations: As a fundamental part of the end-in-mind strategy, the new standards focus on the entire system and each child from early learning to grade 12 mastery. High school standards are not outlined by grade level, but by standards in order to give districts flexibility on course design and sequence.

4. Concepts, Not Facts: Collective knowledge in any academic discipline grows so rapidly that traditional schooling as an information transfer system is untenable. Standards that try to capture all the data the student must know become unwieldy. The new standards transform Colorado's academic requirements into crucial concepts and skills that provide the essential background, fluency, depth of knowledge, and problem solving abilities expected of all students in key content areas.

The draft standards and more information are online at CDE.

CDE's Standards-based Teaching/Learning Cycle Guide (below) will help you understand what a standards-based system looks like and how the transition to the new Colorado Model Content Standards will work:

Standards-based Teaching/Learning Cycle Guide
Action Planning: Next Steps, Actions, or Strategies
Action Planning: Roles & Responsibilities
Conditions in the School District
Self-Assessments for Teachers; for Principals; for District Staff