Aligning Standards and Curriculum for Classroom Success

"The authors have designed a process that respects the teacher′s professionalism and works to collaborate with stakeholders in a discussion about standards and possible educational outcomes without becoming mechanical."
-From the Foreword by Fenwick W. English

Create a standards-based instructional plan that works!

In recent years, educational reform has required standards-based instruction and high levels of accountability from schools. To cope with an overcrowded and often overwhelming curriculum, educators need a way to meet the challenge of translating standards into effective teaching and learning. Aligning Standards and Curriculum for Classroom Success provides teachers with the tools and strategies they need to plan instruction that meets state and national standards.

This updated, revised edition includes the latest research about standards and curriculum design, expanded coverage of the development of criterion standards, increased attention to assessment, and new sample instructional plans. It also features:

• A structured dialogue process to help stakeholders reach consensus about what students should learn
• Step-by-step directions for developing criterion standards
• Guidelines for designing instructional plans based on standards
• Strategies for using standards to integrate the curriculum
• Examples of standards-based instructional plans for different content areas, courses, and grade levels
• A framework for ensuring that teachers evaluate students consistently and with continuity throughout a school or district

Providing high-quality instruction and ensuring student achievement in a standards-driven system is a challenge for all educators. This guide offers all the tools needed to successfully align standards to lesson planning.

Daniel M. Perna is an educational consultant concentrating on school improvement and achievement. His work focuses on implementing high standards in classrooms, helping teachers develop strategies to increase student comprehension, and designing goal-oriented leadership for schools. Perna has over 30 years of experience in public education. He has been an English teacher, basketball coach, athletic director, high school principal, and assistant superintendent. He currently serves as an adjunct teacher in graduate education for Wilkes University and as an advisor to doctoral students in educational leadership at NOVA Southeastern University. Perna has received the Pennsylvania Association of Supervision and Curriculum Directors award for research and publications. He has presented professional development workshops, keynote addresses, and conference presentations in both the United States and Canada. He is noted for his motivational approach to developing a passion for success in the school and classroom. He was granted a master’s in educational administration from McDaniel College and a doctorate from NOVA Southeastern University.

Dr. Davis is a retired public school administrator, thus far having spent 43 years in education, and is still very actively involved in education as a consultant and as an advisor to Doctoral students in Educational Leadership at NOVA Southeastern University. His educational consultant thrust concentrates on curriculum and staff development, especially as it relates to teaching and supervision in standards-based education. Dr. Davis has taught mathematics at the high school level, Education at the undergraduate level and Educational Administration and Supervision at the graduate level. He has written articles for various educational publications, including New Voices in Education, Education New Mexico, Pennsylvania Journal of Teacher Leadership, and Learning & Media. He has received the Pennsylvania Association of Supervision and Curriculum Directors award for research and publications. Dr. Davis earned his Master’s Degree in Guidance and Counseling at Alfred University and his Ed.D. in Educational Administration at New Mexico State University.