Emerging Strategies for Setting Standards
Idaho: Academic Exiting Standards for Grade 9 - 12
In
January 1999, Idaho presented a third draft of academic "Exiting Standards" for
grades 9 - 12 in five core subject areas: [1] math, [2] science, [3] social
studies, [4] language arts and communications, and [5] health. As the 43rd
state to develop standards, Idaho has learned from other states and strives to be inclusive of all stakeholders in the 
process. One hundred and thirty people participating in
subject area subcommittees developed the first draft of "Exiting Standards" in
each of the five subject areas. Each of the subcommittees is regionally
representative and includes vocational and academic teachers, members of the
business community, and parents. In October 1998, the second draft of the
Exiting Standards were presented at public hearings. Based on the public
comments, the third draft will be developed and presented for an external
review. The next steps for the third draft are approval by the State Board of
Education and presentation to the legislature, which is expected to occur in
February 1999. Standards for grades K-8 and curriculum guides and assessments
for the Exiting Standards for grades 9-12 are also planned.
Maine: Articulating Secondary and Postsecondary Skill Standards
Approximately
ten years ago, Maine began the process of developing skill standards for its
secondary and postsecondary technical education programs. In that process,
Maine developed skill standards in approximately two dozen secondary
occupational skill program
areas. Because of cuts in state and federal funding in the early 1990s, skill
standards development had to be put on hold. However, in 1994, under
School-to-Work implementation funding, Maine resumed the standard setting
process and is 
currently developing a new set of advanced academic and
occupational skill standards in nearly twenty program areas. The goal of the
Workforce Education and the Maine Learning Results Project, or WELEARN as it is
known in Maine, is to complete skill standards in secondary workforce
education; school-to-work programs; and, potentially, postsecondary education.
Standards will be developed in close interaction with business and employer
representatives, and, where possible, these standards will incorporate the
frameworks completed under the National Skill Standards Board (NSSB). To that
end, Maine has reorganized its current list of courses under the 15 industry
sectors identified by the NSSB.
Wyoming: Setting Academic Standards From the Bottom-Up
Using
a grassroots, bottom-up approach to setting state standards, Wyoming is in the
second year of the process. Building on the work of districts to develop
standards with the participation of staff, parents, and community members, the
Wyoming Department of Education is convening six regional standards development
groups. These groups include representatives from each school district, the
community college in that 
region, and a business and community representative.
The groups are charged with examining the region's district standards and
identifying commonalties across the districts. Each group then develops a set
of regional goals and benchmark standards for
grades 4, 8, and 11. After this first phase of the process, state groups are
convened that also include representatives from the Department of Employment
and an employer. The state groups use the work of the six regions to develop
state standards documents. These documents are then compared to national
standards as well as documents from other states. The third and final phase is
the development of performance standards that describe proficient, advanced,
and partially proficient performance at each benchmark level. These drafts are
then submitted to focus groups for input and to public libraries and schools
and placed on the Wyoming Department of Education web site for written
comments. Standards are further adjusted and submitted to the Wyoming State
Board of Education for approval. In 1997 - 1998, language arts and mathematics
standards were developed, followed by science and social studies in 1998 -
1999. Foreign language and health and physical science are planned for 1999 -
2000 and career/vocational education and fine/performing arts in 2000 - 2001.
