Why the goal is not always the last page of the textbook

The second essential for instruction is a “vision” for what students need to learn.  The vision for education comes in the form of comprehensive learning standards.  Learning standards are a sketch or outline of the key content that students need to master by certain ages or grade levels.  There are many of these “outlines” that schools may use.  DCA chooses to use IOWA standards.  The reason is simply that they align well with the achievement test we use in the spring.  Our school is in the process of creating a curriculum guide that maps the standards in all core subjects from kindergarten to twelfth grade. We have finished curriculum guides for math, science, and social studies and continue to develop guides for English and Bible. These guides direct our teachers toward the content that students need to master.  Our teachers then add to the content based on their professional experiences and expertise.

 

In summary, successful education is the result of trained personnel, with a well-thought-out plan, using multiple resources to execute that plan.  Teachers can then help students remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create within a Christian context.  That is the goal of education at DCA.  Though teaching techniques may change, and the quantity of things to learn grows by leaps and bounds, God’s word provides a skeleton on which we can apply knowledge and help students serve on a daily basis.