Standard Performance

¶ … Doherty et.al present the development and validation of the Standards Performance Continuum (SPC), a measure to assess the use of the Standards for Effective Pedagogy. A 5-point rubric, the SPC is based on the sociocultural approach to learning, and conceptualizes the dimensions underlying the five pedagogy standards of joint productive activity, language and literacy development, contextualization, challenging activities, and instructional conversation (IC) to define five levels of enactment.

Testing of the SPC interrater reliability and concurrent validity with other instruments measuring the same constructs such as Teachers Roles Observation Schedule (TROS) and Classroom Observation Measure (COM) proved to be positive. Lastly, the validity of the SPC as a measure of assessment of effective pedagogy was tested for criterion-related, or predictive validity using the hypothesis that higher SPC ratings would be associated with higher normal curve equivalent scores on end-of-year standardized tests of comprehension, language, reading, spelling, and vocabulary achievement.

The result was positively skewed with the exception of language and vocabulary subtests, lending credence to the theory that the language of instruction differentially affects student performance. Given the test results, the article concludes that the use of the SPC could lead to improved education, instructional effectiveness, professional development, and as a tool for educational reform. The SPC is only an instrument to measure the effectiveness of the five standards of pedagogy.

While, as the article states, the accuracy of the SPC measure needs to be further validated by controlled studies, it is interesting to note that other instructional models such as the O.L.A. And the Sheltered Instruction Observational Protocol also demonstrate a systematic relationship between the use of the five standards and improved student performance across a broad range of.