The VCSS Voice
VCSS Voice
Virginia SOLs Get a "C"
The State of the State US History Standards 2011 are out and Virginia ranks 23rd among states and NAEP, and just 4 higher than the average, with a total of 6 out of 10 points. Content and Rigor is worth 7 points (VA earned a 5) and Clarity and Specification is worth 3 points (VA earned only 1).
The main complaint is disorganization and, ironically, a lack of pointing out Virginia's significance in the founding of our nation. Furthermore, they claim there is a "disproportionate space" given to American Indians, unimportant facts, and even errors (the founding of the two-party system under Adams instead of 1796.)
The scoring was done by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute and apparently did this in 2003. In 2003, they gave Virginia a B, so according to them, we got worse.
In their ranking, South Carolina earned the top mark with an A and a perfect 10 out of 10. So, what makes them so special? Answer: This document. It's over 100 pages of detailed explanation of what's being taught. It explains what's important, what's not important, and what students have already learned about the topic in previous grades.
Quite frankly, it's a pretty handy guide for Virginia teachers.
Quite frankly, it's a pretty handy guide for Virginia teachers.
It also details the types of assessments you should give, for example: "They should be able to infer long term consequences for minorities in the post-war period such as the civil rights and women’s rights movements."
With limited knowledge on South Carolina's scoring system, it seems however that students do not score very well on their End-of-Course Exams. According to this table, 53.7% of the students fail the test. Does that mean Virginia's SOL is too easy? Will the new test show a statewide decline this year?
Anyway, take a look at both documents and see what you would like as a resource for the SOLs.
Making World History Current
Saw this video in You Tube and thought it showed a good model for engaging student in World History:
It's called a "Pop Culture Point." As you watch TV, movies, or listen to music... anything, see how many points you could earn and then try it in your classroom.
Law Resources
The Virginia Department of Education and the Office of the Attorney General have created two web sites for teachers and students to use for any law related content, e.g. for civics and government
class.
The first is Virginia Rules. As stated on their site, Virginia Rules is:
"Designed especially for teens, Virginia Rules provides information about the laws in Virginia with particular emphasis ... << MORE >>
The first is Virginia Rules. As stated on their site, Virginia Rules is:
"Designed especially for teens, Virginia Rules provides information about the laws in Virginia with particular emphasis ... << MORE >>
Is Education Today Only Creating Watsons?
As most folks know, last week saw an amazing display of computer programming when IBM's Watson was able to defeat two Jeopardy! champions. The challenge IBM had to overcome was how to get a computer to understand context. If a question had the word "will" in it, Watson had to quickly "figure" out if that meant a legal document, desire, or a choice. It's a huge leap in the field of artificial intelligence.
But, as we're all aware, Watson is still very limited. Watson cannot answer, "Should Harry Truman have dropped the bomb on Hiroshima?" "Who to blame for World War One?" "How was the New Deal a failure?"
Watson also cannot create a solution like Jessica Jackley did with Kiva by creating one of the most successful social micro-loan agencies today.
Watson cannot post on a blog, debate with other Watsons or even Alex Trebek.
So while Watson is amazing, he's lacking critical thinking skills.
What about today's students? Are we as educators creating a student to be like Watson, or Sherlock Holmes?
