Related articles:
- Standards have changed, and so have homework assignments
- NYSUT committee focuses on health, phys ed, family and consumer sciences

See also:
- NYS Dept. of Education: Health, Physical Education, Family and Consumer Sciences

Christina Knab didn't realize what she was doing. In teacher Pat Veltri's health class at Kenmore West High School, the 10th-grader was working on a project to encourage younger kids to wear helmets while riding bikes and skateboards. "I want to reach the fifth-, sixth- and seventh-graders," she said, "the kids who don't want to wear helmets."

She conducted online and traditional research in the school's new library, drafted outlines to share with her class, wrote Web site evaluations and created a promotional pamphlet and her own Web site. She thought of it more "as trying to reach kids" than skill-building.

In fact, by creating and presenting an awareness campaign to address risky adolescent behavior, Knab was working to meet three of the state's standards in health, two in physical education and one each in Family and Consumer Sciences, and Career Development and Occupational Studies.

Without thinking about it, she also was reaching standards in the high-stakes subjects of English; math, science and technology; and social studies.

Everyone's responsible

Teachers at Kenmore West in Erie County are firing broadsides at the academic-standards juggernaut by incorporating standards-based tasks as much as possible, said teacher Linda Ulrich-Hagner, into classes in health, family and consumer sciences and art.

Ulrich-Hagner, who teaches FCS, noted those subjects are not among the tests required to graduate from high school - English Language Arts, math, science and social studies.

"We have standards, but we're tracked - not tested - so we're perceived as being on a lower rung," she said. That doesn't mean those teachers are taking the standards lightly. "Multi-standard delivery is the responsibility of everyone," she said.

Sparking enthusiasm

Student enthusiasm for art, FCS, health or physical education can motivate learning, especially if lessons are based on the standards.

"The students are driven by the interest in the subject instead of by the pursuit of the skill, and they learn the skills anyway," Ulrich-Hagner said. "They learn it better in that contextualized way."

That's not to say teachers are sneaking anything by the students. Ulrich-Hagner always spells out the applicable state standards right at the top of her assignment sheets, just below the name and heading, and above the description of the task.

New York State United Teachers has for years advocated for higher academic standards. Kenmore West teachers are members of the NYSUT-affiliated Kenmore Teachers Association, led by Donald G. Benker.

"This is just one example of the professionalism and the efforts of our members to meet the new standards and to integrate curriculum in a meaningful way," said Benker, whose local also has negotiated incentives for members who pursue certification by the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards. "It's one of many fine examples we have in Kenmore."

'Sensations'

Across the hall from Ulrich-Hagner's room, Lisa Parks last fall merged her studio art class with an English class to explore the controversial Brooklyn Museum art show, "Sensations." Students heard a 90-minute presentation by arts writer Eric Cardoni. They read sheafs of news reports and reviews, considered the issues, discussed their conclusions and wrote about what they learned. Again, the standards - both in art and ELA - were all spelled out for the students in the project packets.

"In their writing, they learned that you have to be sure to know all the information before you make your decisions," Parks said. In addition to the art and ELA standards, the unit introduced social studies standards about civic responsibility and participation in government.

"It's our job to teach them to think, not to teach them what to think," Parks said. "Lifelong learners are what we're trying to achieve here."

No matter what you're teaching, "You've got to look at your curriculum and ask if they need to know this in the 21st century," said Ulrich-Hagner. "If they don't, then get rid of it - or create a rubric and figure out a way to make it relevant."

Her food units include research projects about the sources of food, nutrition, and the politics and economics of food-production. Required writing tasks and presentations help prepare students for the higher-stakes assessments. The broader content is useful, too.

"Sometimes there are questions on the social studies exams about things they learned from health or home ec," Ulrich-Hagner said, such as Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers. "I believe I'm helping them get through those exams."

- Ned R. Hoskin

Standards have changed, and so have homework assignments.

Consider an assignment routinely given to Family and Consumer Sciences students at Kenmore West High School to visit a restaurant.

The old-style worksheet asked for descriptions of the environment, the staff and their activities. In addition to describing the regional "specialty" of the house, the student was to offer his or her own interpretation of how the restaurant was run. Students were directed to pose three questions to an employee or manager, and record the answers. That was pretty much it.

The new forms lead off with a listing of learning standards:

• Health, Physical Education and FCS: Standard 3, resource management; and Standard 2, a safe and healthy environment.

• ELA: Standard 3, language for critical analysis and evaluation.

• Career Development and Occupational Studies: Standard 3b, career majors.

The requirements for the staff interview are specific. The subject must be identified not only by title, but by his or her position in the "line of authority." To whom does this person report?

The rubric even spells out what is expected in the thank-you note to the restaurant.

Essentially, except for the new task of a diagram of the site, the assignment is the same. With the standards and requirements for success spelled out, however, teachers say it produces better results and helps nudge students toward the higher standards.

NYSUT committee focuses on health, phys ed, family and consumer sciences

"To me, what I teach is high stakes," said Theresa Phillips, a family and consumer sciences teacher in the Oneida Teachers Association and member of the NYSUT Subject Area Committee for Health, Physical Education and Family and Consumer Sciences. "All standards are important, but we are seeing the push right now in math and English Language Arts because of the tests. That's appropriate, but there is a concern on the part of many disciplines that the importance of a well-rounded student not be lost in this. You need to be able to apply those skills to real-life situations."

The NYSUT committee is calling for grade-by-grade core curriculum; commencement-level assessments; and more professional development in these disciplines.

The committee will offer workshops at NYSUT's regional conferences on standards and assessments scheduled for January and March in Albany, Rochester and White Plains.

Earlier this year the committee's survey of all K-12 locals found that many districts were not in compliance with SED regulations on personnel, time and credit requirements for these subjects.