Teach all Standards

Abstract

The difficulty of teaching all the grade-level standards has led some educators to identify a small number of priority standards to focus on. However, this approach creates an iceberg effect in which more and more untaught content accumulates below the surface. Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey explain that students deserve the opportunity to learn all the content and skills required of them under the standards. Studies of high-performing schools that change students’ trajectories focus on high expectations, the allocation of time, and aligning interventions to expectations. When teachers have high expectations of students, they are more likely to perform well and meet more of the standards. Teachers will have more time to teach all the standards if they limit time spent reviewing past content, engaging in administrative tasks, and explaining processes. Interventions should focus on what students need so they can access the required content.