Comparison Of National And State Standards

Comparison of National and State Standards
Danae Richmond
Midway College

Teachers are vital to ensure the success and college/career readiness of all students, and to do this properly; they must follow a set of standards that correspond to their certification. In the United States, all teachers must follow the
SPA standards in place for their specific certification area. For English teachers,
The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) has come up with a list of standards to follow. Furthermore, in Kentucky, teachers must also follow the
Kentucky Teacher Standards adopted by the EPSB in 2008.
Many of the national and Kentucky standards are the same. For example, both the NCTE Standards and the Kentucky Teacher Standards
put an emphasis on content knowledge. Standard 1 of the Kentucky Teacher Standards says that the teacher demonstrates applied content knowledge, similar to standard 3 of the
NCTE Standards that says candidates are knowledgeable about language; literature; oral, visual, and written literacy; print and non-print media; technology; and research theory and findings. The NCTE standards go into more detail about exactly what a teacher should know about English/Language Arts, but both emphasize that a teacher should have current and sufficient academic knowledge in their certified content area to successfully develop student
knowledge.
Another similarity between the NCTE Standards and the Kentucky
Teacher Standards is the emphasis on collaboration with other teachers.
Standard 8 in the Kentucky Teacher Standards says that teachers should collaborate with colleagues, parents, and others, and under standard 4 in the
NCTE Standards, it states that English teachers should work with teachers in

other content areas to help students connect important ideas within
English/Language Arts with similar ones in other disciplines. The NCTE
Standards also says, under standard 2, that teachers should develop a plan for professional development that features collaboration with the academic community and professional organizations. All of these standards stress the importance of collaborating with others, in the educational profession and outside, to ensure that students receive the best possible education.
Designing and implementing instruction is another standard that both the
Kentucky Teacher Standards and the NCTE Standards describes. Under standard 2 in the NCTE Standards, it says that teachers should design
and implement instruction and assessment that assists students in developing habits of critical thinking. Similarly, The Kentucky Teacher Standards says that teachers should plan instruction that develops student abilities to use communication skills, apply core concepts, become self-sufficient individuals, become responsible team members, think and solve problems, and integrate knowledge.
Both of these standards give different examples of how teachers should design, plan, and implement instruction.
Although there are a lot of similarities between the national and state
Standards, there are also a lot of differences. For example, The Kentucky
Teacher Standards puts a greater emphasis on communication with parents.
Standard 6 says that teachers should use technology to communicate with colleagues and parents, standard 8 says teachers should design a plan that involves parents, colleagues, and others in a collaborative effort to enhance

student learning, and standard 5 says teachers should communicate learning results to students and parents. These standards outline how important it is to involve parents in student learning to ensure their success.
Another difference is that the NCTE Standards put a larger emphasis on involving culture and society in the classroom. Standard 2 says that teachers should make meaningful connections between English/Language Arts and culture, society, and education, and that they should use English/Language Arts to help students become more familiar with their own and other cultures.
Standard 3 also says that teachers should use works from a wide variety of genres and cultures and also understand the media’s influence on culture.
Because culture plays a huge part in our everyday life, these standards explain how important it is for teachers to understand different cultures and
incorporate them into everyday learning.
Another difference is that The Kentucky Teacher Standards puts more emphasis on the use of technology. The NCTE mentions that teachers should demonstrate knowledge of technology in contemporary culture and incorporate it into instruction, however the Kentucky Teacher Standards goes into much more detail about how teachers should use technology. For example, standard 6 says that teachers should use technology to support instruction, access and manipulate data, enhance professional growth and productivity, communicate and collaborate, and conduct research.
Even though there are some differences between the Kentucky Teacher
Standards and the NCTE Standards, there are more similarities and both are in

place to explain what teachers should know and do in general and in their specific certification. These standards serve as a guide for teachers when developing and implementing their lessons, communicating with others, implementing technology, and in everyday decisions.

References

1. Kentucky Teacher Standards. (2008, January 1). Retrieved August 30, 2014, from http://www.kyepsb.net/teacherprep/standards.asp

2. NCTE/NCATE Standards for Initial Preparation of Teachers of Secondary
English Language Arts, Grades 7-12. (2012, January 1). Retrieved August
30, 2014, from http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Groups/CEE/NCATE/ApprovedStan dards_111212.pdf