As a leader in the development of the Illinois Learning Standards, I wish to rebut Ron Grossman’s contention (“Blue book blather,” Perspective, Aug. 3) that the newly adopted standards lack specificity and rigor.
Unfortunately, Mr. Grossman’s criticism is typical of those who are quick to decry omission of some content yet unable to suggest a reasonable solution to the problem of ever-expanding fields of knowledge and points of view as to what is essential for students to know and be able to do.
Each of the Illinois Learning Standards is further clarified by five learning benchmarks stated at the early and late elementary, middle school and early and late high school levels. Mr. Grossman cites several examples of learning benchmarks from the high school levels that reflect major ideas in history and social science. With each citing, he claims a lack of specificity, yet he fails to mention preceding learning benchmarks and examples that clarify the learning expected of students.
Mr. Grossman goes on to describe how standards are far more specifically stated and tested in France. I would expect Mr. Grossman, as a historian, to appreciate an essential difference between the educational philosophies of the U.S. and France. In this country, learning expectations are not set nationally, as they are in most other industrialized nations. Furthermore, the strong tradition in Illinois is that specific learning expectations are set at the local level.
The Illinois Learning Standards do not dictate a state curriculum. Instead, the standards serve as a compass that identifies essential learning; local schools develop specific road maps through local curriculum and teaching practices to help students acquire essential learning. A careful reading of the Illinois Learning Standards reveals a strong treatment of traditional basic skills of reading, writing, and mathematics that serve as tools for developing deeper understanding across all fields of knowledge.
More than 28,000 Illinois citizens participated in review and comment of the draft standards. Surveys, focus and advisory groups and statements from individuals and organizations yielded strong support for the criteria used to develop the standards and the rigor of the standards. The revised learning standards represent a broad base of involvement and consensus among stakeholders of Illinois education regarding knowledge and skills that will ensure that our children are academically competitive today and that they will build a foundation of learning to serve them in their future as learners, workers and citizens.
