It's NOT a Multiple Choice World

I don't know what a typical day looks like in your job, but I spend a considerable amount of time making and defending decisions based on current research and information. I have to read and process complex text in my discipline, distill the information to the key concepts, and apply it to our district and our students.  There are days I wish I could bubble a circle and move on.
Not surprisingly, employers in our city and state, as well as those across the country have noted the importance of critical thinking and problem solving.  Forbes magazine recently listed the top ten skills that employers are seeking.  The list is similar to those put together by higher education.

1. Ability to work in a team
2. Ability to make decisions and solve problems
3. Ability to plan, organize and prioritize work
4. Ability to communicate verbally with people inside and outside an organization
5. Ability to obtain and process information
6. Ability to analyze quantitative data
7. Technical knowledge related to the job
8. Proficiency with computer software programs
9. Ability to create and/or edit written reports
10. Ability to sell and influence others

To prepare students to meet these demands schools must be sure that they consistently provide ALL students with learning opportunities that mirror authentic tasks.

Springfield Public Schools has been working to embed these learning experiences into our adopted curriculum.  Teacher teams select aligned materials, draft document based questions that require the use of higher order thinking skills, create common rubrics to score student work, and discuss student work together in professional learning communities or whole faculty study groups.  SPS utilized these rich learning opportunities prior to Missouri's formal adoption of the Missouri Learning Standards.  Teacher teams led this work based on their "up close and personal" view at the classroom level.  Our teachers have known for a long time that we don't live in a multiple choice world and have responded to the challenge of preparing students for THEIR futures.

Standards Matter

Standards Matter

We may not be aware of them, but we use standards every day, in all aspects of our lives.  They provide a consistent guarantee of quality.  Standards matter.

Learning standards define what students should "know and be able to do" in order to prepare for the future of THEIR choice.

With the implementation of the Springfield Learning Model several years ago, Springfield Public Schools has been advancing on this path to ensure that our expectations  for learning aren't dependent on a student's zip code and are based on the requirements of our student's futures rather than our past.  We've been working to ramp up literacy across content areas and infuse each of the disciplines with authentic writing experiences that mirror the tasks that students will face once they leave high school.  Several SPS initiatives support the shifts reflected in the Missouri Learning Standards:

• Curriculum Development Council (Teams of teacher leaders that select our adopted curriculum materials)
• Reading and Writing across Content Areas
• Literacy Leader initiative
• Document based Questions 
• Science Notebooks
• STEP UP training in Differentiation, Cooperative Learning, Questioning and Continuous Improvement. 

Our school board is supportive of the Common Core State Standards and has directed district staff to ensure our district is prepared to meet these standards as we have done for similar state performance expectations in the past.

Common Core State Standards will benefit students because they:

• Establish consistent learning goals for all students in kindergarten through grade 12 so families will know exactly what their children should learn by the end of each grade.
• Provide a clear roadmap of academic expectations, so students, parents and teachers can work together toward shared goals.
• Are academically rigorous, attainable for students, and practical for teachers and districts to implement.
• Are relevant to the real world, focusing on the knowledge and skills students need to succeed in life after high school, in college, other postsecondary training and a globally competitive workforce.
• Ensure students graduating from high school are prepared for credit-bearing college courses without the need for remedial courses, leading to higher rates of college completion and significant savings for students and their families.
• Were developed by a diverse team of parents, teachers, school administrators, subject-area experts and researchers from across the country, including Missouri.

“We need to prepare kids for their future, not our past.” -Daniel Pink