A simple guide for aligning complex standards

Let’s be honest—aligning curriculum to external standards can be challenging!

So many standards

So many possibilities…

So many decisions...

So, where to start?  -- with our simple guide (and the standards themselves).   

Are they occupational or academic?

Standards fall into one of two broad categories – some are more complex than others:

• Occupational standards define knowledge, skills, and behaviors required for a specific occupation. They tend to be performance-based, concise, and easy to align:
  • Standardized occupational descriptors, such as O*Net
  • Safety and health standards from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
  • Occupation-specific standards, such as American Welding Society (AWS) standards or National Automotive Technician's Education Association (NATEF) standards
• Academic standards establish expectations for what students should know and do in specific areas of study. They tend to contain great depth and etails, making them a bit more challenging to align:
  • Common Core, K-12
  • The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), AAS
  • Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA), AAS

‍Do you want to meet or support standards?

Most standards are complex because they contain multiple ‘levels’ of rigor, each distinguished by specific criteria.  The levels present two broad choices:  meet or support each standard.

• To "meet" standards, your curriculum must specifically address all levels
• To "support" standards, your curriculum must address some levels

‍What should you align?

Let’s be honest (again)—your curriculum is complex, too.  And like standards, your curriculum presents several simple choices. 

Align external standards to your:

• learning activities
• assessments
• or both

When considering whether to meet or support the standards:  

• To "meet" a standard, align any activity that is assessed: assignments, projects, exams, etc.
• To "support" standards, you may also include activities that are not assessed, like lectures or course activities.
• To "provide a snapshot" of the overall alignment strategy, align both.

Aligning curriculum to external standards is challenging.  Consider using our simple guide to simplify your decisions.  Contact us to learn how WIDS can assist with your curricular alignment challenges.

WIDS(Worldwide Instructional Design System) is a nonprofit organization that provides curriculum design software, consulting, and training services.