The language of Standards

            After reading the NCTE / IRA Standards for the English Language Arts I was curious as to when and how all of these standards would be achieved. I also began to ask what grade or ages are these standards set for. I did notice that most of these standards match the article on ncte.org. For example when the article suggests to not take away a student’s first language but teach them to be flexible like standard number four says to adjust their way of spoken, visual and written language to communicate with different audiences. I feel as though some of these standards are fair but I would like to ask how they will be approached in making sure the student meets the standards. I like the way these standards are set so that there are diverse perspectives to be taught to students and seems to be a customized set of standards. I just cannot help but to be alarmed with the control of the standards and also what if the student does not abide by the standards, what happens then?

            I have a problem with the standards on the English Language Arts Standards » Writing » Grade 9-10 because like mentioned in the introduction of Christensen’s Teaching For Joy and Justice not all students in a classroom will be up to par. I think that as teachers we have to find a way to be most effective and less judgmental. When these standards are set they are not set for one specific student and not all students will be the same or learn at the same pace so the fact that these standards are precisely for the ninth and tenth grade troubles me.

            I do agree that there should be some sort of way to measure the level in which a students is at but there has to be a better way to decide whether or not a student is up to par to go into the next grade. I do not agree with standardized testing and how it has been set up for students to pass or fail. Most cases the student is not at fault for whether or not they have gained all the skills they need to level up in their education careers. There has to be some observation and information gathered to change the pedagogy in education so that students are exceling at a decent pace.