ABSTRACT
Effective teachers do not allow hot-button issues to shift their focus from what really matters. Effective teachers never allow their personal views regarding standardized testing to affect discussions they might have with their students, parents, or even peers. They recognize that state standards force them to shift the focus from the textbook to the actual curriculum and student learning. Great teachers do not merely hold up standards and watch students make their way toward them; instead, they remain at their students’ side, helping them to develop the skills they need to meet the standards. This chapter notes that standards-based education is a rapidly growing movement within the larger movement of educational reform. Briefly stated, standards-based education calls for a clear identification of what students should know and be able to do.
