Page 20 - EdViewptsSpring2018-web_Neat

In order for this to occur, stakeholders ship advocates can utilize the Partner- is “we inspect what we expect.” This
must assure that elementary students ship for 21st Century Framework (P21, rings true because in order for the in-
achieve this surmountable ambition. 2016) as a powerful tool for establish- tended curriculum to be implemented,
To carry out this mission, citizenship ing effective citizenship-readiness pro- principals must not monitor it from
readiness standards are integrated grams for preparing young scholars for the office. The only way for princi-
in curriculum, and assessments are college, career, community, and life. pals to know if citizenship-readiness
developed to gauge students’ readi- Attaining 21st century knowledge and standards are being implemented is
ness for citizenship. In the end, student skills is an important new metric for for them to go to the classroom and
achievement occurs when students assessing elementary students’ suc- observe (Crawford, 2012).
are successfully prepared to function cess in school, work, community, and
responsibly in their local, national, and life. The time to begin preparing chil- Assessing citizenship
global communities. dren for the challenges and demands readiness
of the future is when they are young.
Citizenship readiness at the Children in the early years are curious Traditionally, formative evaluations
elementary level and excited learners. It is the responsi- entail paper and pencil or pencil and
bubble sheet types of assessments.
The literature is expansive in what is bility of policymakers, states, districts, These assessments are summative,
administrators, teachers, and parents
college- and career-readiness. Be- to create quality learning experiences competitive, and/or punitive. There is a
ing college and career ready means and environments that tap into that paradigm shift in the field of education
that students will leave high schools natural curiosity and excitement. This as it relates to how students should be
with the knowledge and skills they includes not only supporting emerging assessed. Costa and Kellick (2016)
need — whether they choose college, skills in reading, math, science, and propose that schools move from a
trade school, or a highly skilled job in social studies, but also most impor- deficiency and punitive model of
the 21st century workplace (Burris & tantly, the 21st century skills of critical assessment to an asset based and
Garrity, 2012). Today, there is a keen thinking, collaboration, communica- growth model. This can be done by
emphasis of college- and career- tion, creativity, technology literacy, and employing alternatives to assess-
readiness at our nation’s high schools. social-emotional development. ments, such as performance activities,
Educators must create exceptional real-world projects, oral presentations,
high school instructional programs fo- interviews, surveys, technology-based
cusing on a core set of knowledge and Implementing citizenship- assignments, experiments, cumula-
skills and then ensuring all students readiness standards tive portfolios, etc. Young scholars can
have the opportunity to master them Young scholars need to begin to de- learn much about the practical applica-
and are able to appropriately transfer velop the early foundational skills that tion of curriculum learning objectives by
the knowledge and skills in school, will help them reason, think creatively, interviewing, for example, war veterans,
work, community, and life (Conley, analyze data, and work collaboratively civil rights activists, business leaders,
2010). All students, including elemen- in the future. Citizenship readiness is legislators, among others. Active learn-
tary students, need to be provided as vital to our nation's future as college ing experiences can play a major role
with college- and career-readiness and career readiness – and it must be in assessing how students perform.
opportunities where they can demon- purposely cultivated (P21, 2014).
strate mastery of knowledge and skills Takeaways
learned in an environment rich with Improving schools requires stakehold-
real-world experiences (Conley, 2010). ers to look to curriculum reform and For many years, there has been a ma-
jor trend for schools to greatly focus
Burns & Garrity (2012) stress that redefine “rigor” to encompass not just their attention on reading, mathemat-
mastery of core academic subjects,
“although college and career may but also mastery of 21st century skills ics, and science to better prepare
seem far off in the distance when con- and content (P21, 2006). Implementing students for taking standardized tests.
sidering an elementary-aged student, best practices relating to 21st century Although there is a great emphasis to
we know if we wait until high school, learning skills is paramount for young prepare students to become success-
it is too late” (p. 8). That is why it is scholars being ready for citizenship. ful in college and in the workplace, it
paramount that educators continu- is crucial that they are also prepared
ously implement critical thinking skills, The educational leaders — teachers to become productive, responsible,
problem solving strategies, content as well as administrators — at the and educated beings in their society.
competencies, and other college-, building level must make sure compre- Therefore, schools should not only be
career-, and citizenship-readiness hensive citizenship-readiness curricula charged with preparing students for
standards throughout elementary are planned, taught, and eventually college and careers, but also active
students’ schooling. Policy makers, evaluated for effectiveness. A popular and productive citizenship as well.
states, districts, schools, and citizen- affirmation in the field of education

Educational Viewpoints -18- Spring 2018