This guide describes the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification process. There are eight chapters in three sections. Section 1, "Getting Ready," includes (1) "Introduction"; (2) "Materials and Strategies" (downloading materials, developing a schedule, survival strategies, and changes…

This hands-on coin unit is for students in grades 1-2. Students play games and work with coin manipulatives to practice coin and value recognition, finding coin combinations, and adding coins. The unit provides keywords; recommends subject areas and approximate length of time; poses an essential question or problem; provides a unit introduction;…

In 1917, after much agitation for alcohol prohibition by many temperance societies and organizations, the House of Representatives wanted to make Prohibition the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and sent the amendment to the states for ratification. Thirteen months later enough states said yes to the amendment. It was now against the law to…

Outlines possibilities and challenges for classroom teachers considering National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification and other concerned educators synthesized from the available research and educational publications, asserting that the tension between the normalizing effects of teaching standards and national…

Examines the impact of the NASPE content standards on New York state's physical education programs and the work of people involved with them, highlighting four key areas of impact: program content, administrators and teachers, teacher education, and professional organizations. The standards have succeeded in providing an impetus for action at all…

In December 1992, the National Committee on Science Education Standards and Assessment (NCSESA) discussed preliminary working documents addressing Science for All, an ambitious plan to develop comprehensive science education standards by 1994. The science standards will define the understanding level that all students--regardless of background,…

Examines current debates about educational standards, accountability, and school reform from the perspective of Deci and Ryan's Self-Determination Theory. Research reveals various perils associated with rigid standards, narrow accountability, and tangible sanctions that can debase student and teacher motivation and performance. Alternative…

Discusses briefly the standards movement and content standards for oral communication. Describes "New Standards" as one model for incorporating the domain of oral communication into an influential, nationally-based program for performance assessment. Discusses five principles regarding speaking/listening/viewing that are incorporated…

Through its recent attempts to establish national curriculum standards, the National Collegiate Athletic Association is creating enormous problems for high school students, parents, and educators. Good grades are no longer enough. The NCAA has opted to specify content of acceptable high school courses to standardize college-entrance requirements…

Considers whether National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification is as much an evaluation of teachers writing about their teaching as it is of the teaching itself, exploring two NBPTS certificate candidates' experiences, analyzing problems inherent in NBPTS standards and writing difficulties in NBPTS portfolio entries,…

Discusses the implications of the recommendations in "Principles and Standards for School Mathematics" for preservice teacher preparation, the continuing professional development of teachers, and mathematics teacher certification policy. (Author/MM)

A methodology that has not received as much attention in the physical education setting as in other subject areas is cooperative learning. Cooperative learning has been used for many years in math, science, and history, but not until recently has the concept been applied to physical education. Research conducted on cooperative learning has shown…

The most recent school reform agenda directed the development of national standards across the academic content areas to improve educational practice and pedagogy. U.S. Department of Education's (1994) Goals 2000: The Educate America Act and its subsequent nationwide implementation largely ignored the involvement of school counseling in school…

This article provides an overview of prekindergarten mathematics as related to national standards. Included are descriptions of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics principles and standards, the fundamental concepts developed and learned in early childhood, and naturalistic and informal instructional examples. Each concept is connected…

Flexibility and accountability are two levers for change that occupy an increasingly prominent place among federal strategies for educational improvement. In return for introducing higher academic standards and performance-based accountability systems, states and districts have been granted increasing flexibility over how they may use the funding…