What Every Parent Should Know About Schools, Standards, and High Stakes Tests

Preface Acknowledgments About the Author Chapter One: Whose Standards? The History Behind School Standards No Child Left Behind How To Access The Standards For Your Child's School National Standards Chapter Two: Why Standards Are Important to Education How Standards Help Produce Alignment That Leads to Equity Alignment in the Classroom Standards as a Measuring Rod for Schools Why Adequate Yearly Progress Matters What To Do If Adequate Yearly Progress Is Not Being Achieved Why Alignment Is Important The Reality of Alignment Five Things Parents Can Do Chapter Three: Standards and Alignment The Format Of Standards and Benchmarks How Standards Are Used as a Guide for What Teachers Teach Why The Instructional Practice Is Important to Student Success How Standards Are Used as a Guide for What Teachers Assess What Does The Research Say is the Best Way to Teach Vocabulary? What Processes Will Students Need To Know? Chapter Four: Asking the Right Questions What are the Standards and Benchmarks for My State's Schools? How do I Know That My Child's School is Teaching to the State Standards? What Do I Need to Know About the High Stakes Test Given in My State? What Information Do I Need at the Local School Level? What Other Information is Important to Examine on the School's State Report Card? How Can I be Sure That My Child's School Keeps Current With Quality Research on Learning? What Questions Should I Ask When Adequate Yearly Progress Is Not Being Achieved? What Can We Do To Improve the Education System? Where Can I Go For More Information? What If? Chapter Five: Helping Your Child Master High Stakes Tests Know the Vocabulary Practice Compare and Contrast Pay Attention to Your Child's Stress Levels Glossary References Index