Standards-Based Learning: Understanding Standards and Using Standards to Guide Instruction

The YISS Mission Statement reads, “Yongsan International School of Seoul is a community of students, parents, and Christian educators working together to instill in each student a passion for truth, a commitment to excellence, and an appreciation for diversity.” One does not necessarily need to be excellent in order to commit to excellence. Being committed to excellence means using your knowledge and skills to the best of your ability in every task set before you, and simultaneously being in constant pursuit of improvement. 

In the field of education, being committed to excellence means constantly pursuing better ways of teaching, as well as better ways of evaluating and communicating student learning. Standards-based learning (SBL) is considered a best practice in education by many education experts. Since at least 2016, YISS faculty have increasingly applied the core principles of SBL These core principles are: clear and measurable learning objectives, student-centered instruction, authentic assessments, feedback and reflection, flexibility, and differentiation.

The first of these principles, clear and measurable learning objects, are defined by the standard sets that guide instruction at YISS. Each subject-area department at YISS uses widely-recognized, research-based standard sets that are commonly found in American school systems. These standard sets are: Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for math and for ELA, the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for science, the Society for Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE) standards for PE, the National Council for Core Arts (NCAS) standards for performing arts, American Education Reaches Out (AERO) standards for fine arts, the College, Career and Civic-life (C3) framework for social studies, the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) standards for world languages, and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) standards for technology.

The organizations that develop education standards organize them into groups or categories, typically with each standard within a group being assigned a unique number or code. For example, one science learning objective identified in the NGSS is, “Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object.”  The NGSS have coded this learning objective 3.PS.2-1; the number “3” signifies that the learning objective is for 3rd grade, the “PS'' signifies a physical science learning objective, “2” indicates the subtopic - motion and stability - and “1” is simply a numbering system for referencing. Examples of other types of nomenclature used are D2.Civ.7.9-12 (C3) and 3.NBT.1 (CCSS-Math). 

In standards-based learning, the standards define the learning objectives, and the learning objectives dictate everything else. While it is true that school textbooks are increasingly aligned with standards, in a standards-based learning model teachers do not let textbooks guide their instruction. Textbooks are well-organized resources, but they do not define what is expected to be learned. In fact, a great many standards require students to explain, apply, analyze, evaluate, and synthesize. These are higher-order cognitive abilities that require more than mere recitation of facts. In order to adequately nurture the development of such skills, students and teachers must be encouraged to go beyond the constraints of textbooks.

Teachers use the standard sets to guide their instruction by aligning resources, assessments, and instruction to the learning targets identified in the standards. Teachers develop lesson plans and activities that are focused on the specific knowledge and skills outlined in the standards, select appropriate instructional materials and resources that align with the standards, create assessments that measure student understanding and mastery of the standards, and use data from assessments to inform instruction and adjust teaching strategies as needed.

At Yongsan International School of Seoul, faculty are always seeking ways to improve the educational program for students. By adopting a standards-based approach to teaching and learning, YISS faculty seek to improve students' learning experiences by providing clear and specific expectations for what students should know and be able to do at the end of a particular grade level or course, and then refine instructional practices around those targets. 

Developing a program that is standards-based is one of the many ways educators at YISS have shown their commitment to providing an exemplary education for students, and is a component of YISS’s Continuous School Improvement Plan. For more about standards-based learning at YISS, please review the YISS SBL Overview and be on the lookout for future articles that will dive deeper into particular aspects of standards-based learning.