An Examination of Standards-Based Education Relative to Research-Based Practices in Instruction and Assessment

Public schools in the United States face constant political efforts to reform our educational system. One of the major reforms, standards-based education, links all aspects of classroom instruction and assessment with identified , measureable , learning targets. Currently, there is a lack of empirical evidence that standards-based education results in improved student achievement. Explanations for that are: a wide variation in implementation across states, regions, districts, schools, and classrooms; the lack of a clear and consistent purpose and understanding of standards-based instruction; and the fact that reporting practices do not always translate into adjustments to classroom instruction