----

##  American Indian/Alaska Native Education and Standards-Based Reform.             ERIC Digest.                                                                 

Increasingly, schools serving American Indian/Alaska Native students            are being affected by state and federal standards-based reform. New             content standards delineate more challenging curricula, while new               performance standards outline how well students must learn the                  content, and new assessments measure their learning. But students               are not the only ones held accountable. Schools, too, are                       accountable for student performance. This Digest summarizes both                potential benefits of standards-based reform and areas of concern               for schools serving Indian students. CONTENT STANDARDSThe new             content standards hold promise for Indian education for several                 reasons. First, they may help create a more common curriculum among             schools within states and clearer learning expectations across                  states. This could prove helpful to Indian educators in meeting the             needs of the many students who transfer between schools. For                    example, Bureau of Indian Affairs schools have chosen to adopt the              content standards of their individual states, thus providing a                  curriculum that has more in common with nearby public schools.                  Second, because the content standards drive the curriculum,                     educators, parents, and students can refer to them to provide                   increased focus for teaching and learning. Third, new content                   standards may help improve the quality of instruction for Indian                students. The constructivist approach promoted by national and most             state content standards allows for a more holistic, real-life,                  active-learning sort of pedagogy, which is more consistent with                 traditional American Indian ways of teaching and learning (Estrin &             Nelson-Barber, 1995; Fox & LaFontaine, 1995). 
The development of              new content and performance standards in the various states has also            created an opportunity for Indian educators to provide input about              their appropriateness for Indian students, although this opportunity            has varied from state to state (Fox, 2000). For example, North                  Dakota and Minnesota reached out to Indian communities for input                into standards and outcomes development. Further, some states have              allowed for the development of local standards as long as they are              as stringent as state-developed standards. In these cases, Indian               schools have had the opportunity to develop local standards that                infuse Indian cultural and other locally defined outcomes. The                  Bureau of Indian Affairs has provided a set of Indian content                   standards for the various academic areas to aid efforts to infuse               Indian culture into new standards-based curricula (ORBIS Associates,            1998). Schools can adapt these Indian standards and localize them               for their own use. At its best, the development of standards can                become a continuous improvement process, seeking input from all                 stakeholders, influencing state standards, and developing local                 standards. In many states, however, there has been little or no                 input into the development or review of standards by Indian                     people. 
Along with the potential benefits come some possible                  concerns. Educators and parents will need to determine whether or               not Indian students are receiving instruction that is aligned with              the new standards and rigorous enough to allow students a good shot             at reaching the standards. Equally important in states where there              was little or no Indian input into the standards, the question                  of "whose standards are they?," if left unanswered, will hinder                 progress in schools serving Indian students. In such cases, the                 standards may, in fact, be inappropriate for American Indian/Alaska             Native students (Fox, 2000). NEW ASSESSMENTSStandards-based               reform emphasizes testing what is taught, which entails aligning                content standards with new assessments. The development of new                  standards and tests could be helpful to Indian education, especially            in states where the content more closely reflects topics relevant to            local students, including Indian students. Some states provide the              opportunity for Indian educators to influence the development of                statewide tests by checking for appropriateness and eliminating (or             at least reducing) any cultural bias (Fox, 2000). Indian educators              can further reduce bias by monitoring national tests for items that             use terminology foreign to Native students' experiences and                     suggesting that such items be eliminated. 
Standards-based reform              can foster less reliance on single tests for decisions about student            placement, instead requiring multiple measures, criterion-referenced            tests, more performance-based assessments, and accommodations for               students with limited proficiency in English. These are major                   breakthroughs for Indian education. Performance-based assessment,               especially, can assist in providing student evaluations that contain            less cultural bias (FairTest, 1995), and it is a more culturally                acceptable way to evaluate the production of tasks (Bordeaux, 1995).            The Bureau of Indian Affairs has implemented the Learning Record, a             valid and reliable performance-based assessment system that                     originated in London, England. Teachers trained in its use                      demonstrate increased use of research-based teaching strategies.                Further, students demonstrate improved attitudes about their ability            to learn, and parent interest and involvement in their children's               education have increased (Fox, 2000). 
However, the potential of               these improved assessment systems has gone unrealized in many                   quarters. For example, the fact that most states continue to use                multiple-choice tests is a disappointment for Indian education.                 Standardized, norm-referenced, and multiple-choice tests are thought            by some to be culturally biased; if so, Indian students assessed                using these tests may be placed at an automatic                                 disadvantage (Bordeaux, 1995). It could be argued that tests that               are "normed" based on mainstream student populations and a normal               curve will tend, by their very nature, to mismeasure Indian                     students' learning. Further, research shows that performance on                 standardized, norm-referenced tests is highly correlated with                   socioeconomic status (FairTest, 1995), and many Indian children live            in poverty. 
A report from the Center on Education Policy warns                that tests serving "important collective educational goals can                  sometimes produce negative consequences for individuals" (2001, p.              28). The Commission on Instructionally Supportive Assessment                    recommends that 'the results of a single test should [never] be used            to make significant decisions that affect schools or students (2001,            p. 11). The use of inadequate testing measures as a basis for                   decisions about promotion or graduation may prove extremely harmful             to Indian students. States that have not involved Indian educators              in the development of standards-based assessments are most at risk              of mismeasuring Indian student achievement. Another                             assessment-related concern is that schools might spend too much time            preparing students to take standardized tests instead of providing              high-quality educational experiences and appropriate diagnostic                 testing for Indian students (Fox, 2000). ACCOUNTABILITYThe                fact that schools will be held accountable for students' learning is            a plus for Indian education because Indian people, like other                   citizens, want their children to learn more. States and districts               are required to disaggregate data to ensure that all groups of                  students are making gains. If the disaggregated data show that                  students or groups of students are falling behind or making                     insufficient progress, accountability policies may require schools              to be closed, reconstituted, or have funding                                    withheld. 
Unfortunately, students in these schools may not be                 promoted or graduate if they do not score at required levels on the             new tests. Some observers recommend that accountability be based on             student and school gains, not on direct comparisons with other                  students and other schools, especially if there is a difference in              socioeconomic status or English language proficiency among the                  students or schools being compared. A recent Department of Education            study indicated that students who enter school from high poverty                areas, including American Indian reservations, have 3,000-word                  English vocabularies; their affluent peers enter school with                    20,000-word vocabularies (U.S. Department of Education, 1999). The              students with 20,000-word vocabularies have a much easier time                  learning the standard curriculum and performing well on standardized            achievement tests. Lawsuits have been filed to address unfair                   testing practices in some states, particularly when students are not            allowed to graduate (FairTest, 1999). 
Thus far the idea of                    accountability has been applied primarily to students and schools;              however, ultimately all stakeholders must be accountable if                     standards-based reform is to realize its potential for Indian                   students. By providing the resources and technical assistance                   low-performing schools need to reach high standards, federal and                state governments play a crucial role. Their efforts will be more               effective if they are guided by four recommendations put forward by             the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force (1991): (1) Incorporate                   language and culture to help strengthen students' ability to speak              their Native languages and English and to assist in making                      instruction more relevant; (2) encourage and build community and                parental involvement; (3) provide instruction that is appropriate               for Indian students, addressing learning styles and student                     interests; and (4) employ testing that is appropriate for Indian                students. 
Cornell Pewewardy (1998), writing in "Cultural Survival             Quarterly," states, "All of the restructuring in the world will be              of no benefit to children if the philosophy, theory, assumptions,               and definitions are flawed or invalid. Indigenous educators and                 parents know the problems and their causes" (p. 30). Indian                     educators must have the latitude to try what they think will improve            Indian education. 
States and schools must make Indian parents                 aware of school reform and the implications for their children.                 There must be a greater effort to reach out to Indian parents to                explain the school reform process to them and to gain their support             if it is to work for Indian students. Indian parents must understand            it, be ready to respond to it, participate in it, demand the good               parts of it, and protect their children from abuse that might come              from it (Fox, 2000). CONCLUSIONThe standards-based school                 reform movement in this country provides potential benefits for                 Indian education and areas of concern. Standards-based reform may               provide an impetus to improve Indian education. New standards that              promote a holistic approach to teaching and new criterion-referenced            and performance-based methods of assessment offer hope. Funding for             research and development to create Indian models of school reform               can also help make this reform movement meaningful for Indian                   students. For example, the Department of Education recently awarded             a grant to the National Indian School Board Association to create an            Indian model of school reform for use with schools funded by the                Bureau of Indian Affairs. Other opportunities may arise. Indian                 educators, parents, and others who advocate for Indian children,                however, must be alert to recognize if standards and assessments are            not appropriate for Indian students, if students are unfairly                   compared, if students do not receive the necessary assistance to                reach standards, and if their schools do not receive the necessary              financial and technical assistance to                                           improve. REFERENCESBordeaux, R. (1995). Assessment for                    American Indian and Alaska Native learners. ERIC Digest. Charleston,            WV: ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools. (ERIC              Document Reproduction Service No. ED 385 424) 
Center on Education             Policy. (2001). It takes more than testing: Closing the achievement             gap. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved October 16, 2001, from                   http://www.ctredpol.org/pubs/closing_achievement_gap 
Commission on            Instructionally Supportive Assessment. (2001). Building tests to                support instruction and accountability: A guide for policymakers.               Washington, DC: National Education Association. 
Estrin, E. T., &              Nelson-Barber, S. (1995). Bringing Native American perspectives to              mathematics and science teaching. Theory Into Practice, 34(3),                  174-185. 
FairTest. (1995). Implementing performance assessments: A            guide to classroom, school and system reform. Cambridge, MA:                    National Center for Fair and Open Testing. 
FairTest. (1999).                  Newsletter articles of FairTest: The National Center for Fair & Open            Testing. FairTest Examiner, 13(4), 1-8. 
Fox, S., & LaFontaine,                V. (1995). A whole language approach to the communication skills. In            H. Gilliland (Ed.), Teaching the Native American (third edition).               Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt. 
Fox, S. (2000, May). Standards-based               reform and American Indian/Alaska Native education. Paper presented             at the American Indian/Alaska Native Research Agenda Conference,                Albuquerque, New Mexico. 
Indian Nations At Risk Task                          Force. (1991). Indian Nations at risk: An educational strategy for              action. Final report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of                        Education. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 339                       587) 
ORBIS Associates. (1998). American Indian standards for Arts             education. Washington, DC: Bureau of Indian Affairs. (ERIC Document             Reproduction Service No. ED 420 478) 
Pewewardy, C. (1998). Our                children can't wait: Recapturing the essence of indigenous schools              in the United States. Cultural Survival Quarterly, 22(1),                       29-34. 
U.S. Department of Education. (1999). Start early, finish              strong: How to help every child become a reader. Washington, DC:                America Reads Challenge. Retrieved October 16, 2001, from                       http://www.ed.gov/pubs/startearly/ 
----- 
Sandra Fox recently                retired after 24 years in Bureau of Indian Affairs education                    programs, where her last assignment was coordinating school reform              for the schools in that system. 
This publication was prepared with            funding from the Office of Educational Research and Improvement,                U.S. Department of Education, under contract no. ED-99-CO-0027. The             opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the positions              or policies of OERI, the Department, or AEL.                                 **Title:** American Indian/Alaska Native Education and Standards-Based Reform.             ERIC Digest.                                                                 **Document Type:** Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs) (071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073); **Available From:** ERIC/CRESS, P.O. Box 1348, Charleston, WV 25325-1348. Tel:                      800-624-9120 (Toll Free). For full text:                                        http://www.ael.org/eric/digests/edorc01-2.htm.                               **Descriptors:**  Academic Standards,  Accountability,  American Indian Education,               Culturally Relevant Education,  Educational Change, Elementary                  Secondary Education, High Stakes Tests, Test Bias                            **Identifiers:** American Indian Students, ERIC Digests                                       
###
[Return to ERIC Digest Search Page]