Introduction
Florida’s ELA B.E.S.T. standards and curriculum is a new system for measuring student’s development in schools. It was developed by the State Department of Education on February 12, 2020 to improve the performance of students. At its basic, the Florida B.E.S.T. Standards for English Language Arts (ELA) are aimed at promoting literacy by prioritizing the basics of reading and writing (Florida Department of Education, n.d.). In addition, the program is intended to prepare students for success in higher learning.
What Educators Said About The Program
First interviewee responded by saying that:
- The program is an important leap into the future.
- It promotes personal and professional development of a student.
- However, the program is more strict compared to the current one.
The second interviewee responded by saying that:
- The program is useful for students and development of a prosperous society.
- However, most institutions may not cope with the new load and may fail in the education process.
My Definition of Curriculum and My Own Philosophy
In my view, Florida ELA B.E.S.T. standards is a set of rules of literacy established for some group of students. As a result, the curriculum represents some indicator of student’s thinking by incorporating morphology in vocabulary study. The abbreviation of ELA is English language arts while B.E.S.T stands for Benchmark for Excellent Student Thinking (Berner & Steiner,2020). My own philosophy about the curriculum is that is aims at enriching student’s knowledge in educational context.
The Main Purpose of the Program
Florida ELA B.E.S.T. standards plays an integral in the education system. The main purpose is to develop the literacy of students in learning institution. The program focus more on reading and writing in English language and to some extent mathematical sciences. Because of this curriculum, it is anticipated that students will be able to master the art of English language proficiency and mathematical capabilities (Wurman et al., 2020). In addition, the curriculum is designed to improve the current system as well as assist students master programs at different levels.
The Purposes in Terms of Their Inclusion as a School Program
There are various purpose of the curriculum based on their inclusion as a school program. First, the curriculum provides clear and measurable goals that a student is required to achieve to effectively prepare for college, university, work and life situation. Second, it ensures the continuity of the primary education initiative (Friedberg et al., 2020). Continuity of the program is shown in the gradual change of the process. Third, the standards of the program aim at comprehensive development of an individual (WKMG ClickOrlando, 2020). Fourth, the program include variability of the content of educational program.
How To Achieve The Purpose Of This Curriculum
The key to achieving the purposes of the curriculum are as follows. First, systematic and consistent approach to learning helps with the achievement of the purpose. Students are required to constantly engage in the learning process. Second, the purposes can be achieved through constant reading of the text in varying complexity. This activity helps in cognitive development of the students during learning (Florida Department of Education, n.d.). Third, improving basic skills is another way of attaining the purposes of the program. Finally, the aims of the curriculum can be attained by carefully reading a text.
The Design and Approach of the Curriculum
The design and approach of the curriculum are based on several principles. First, the standards are available for review by any citizen regardless of their age, gender, and capabilities. Second, the standards are competently combined to enable students be active in their life. Third, the content enable the students to think effectively because learning activities are thought-based (Florida Department of Education, n.d.). Fourth, the curriculum is expected to implement learner’s skills during their studies.
The Difference Between Curriculum Planning from Unit and Lesson Planning
Definition
- Task of curriculum planning: planning is a procedure for making decisions and actions regarding the organization of the learning process, considering the curriculum, available resources, and materials.
- Unit planning: is a component of measuring the quality and quantity of the lesson’s level, intensity, and significance.
- Lesson planning: is a kind of teaching and learning, containing a broader rationale for the content of learning (Florida Department of Education, n.d.).
The Attributes of a Good Curriculum
The main attributes of a good curriculum are basic knowledge, skills and capabilities to be learned in each academic subject. Basic knowledge means that the content is simple and not complicated, hence can be a starting point from which something is learned (Pimentel, 2017). Skills represents the expertise developed to carry out a task or a job. A good curriculum is designed to improve the skills of students (Matherly, 2021). Capabilities are functional building blocks of a curriculum that supports learning of students in school.
The Levels of Planning
There are various levels of planning in Florida’s ELA B.E.S.T standards and curriculum. The curriculum is based on 12 grades which starts at primary education and culminates in senior secondary. The level of the program is grouped in four areas which are basic skills, reading communication and vocabulary. The basic skills represents the foundation which is integral in student’s development (Florida Department of Education, n.d.). Reading, vocabulary and communication helps in improving language capabilities of the students.
The Assessment Plan of the Curriculum
There are various assessment plan of Florida’s ELA B.E.S.T standards and curriculum. The first assessment is based on student’s high motivation and desire to engage with the curriculum. The second assessment of the curriculum is the student’s learning quality. The third assessment is the attainment of the intended goals of the curriculum. The program is expected to meet its intended goals and objectives (Florida Department of Education, n.d.). The fourth assessment involve integrating teaching concepts with learning principles. The learners will be subjected to practical and theoretical tasks and questions.
Conclusion
Florida’s ELA B.E.S.T standards are new and updated version of the curricula used in educational institutions. ELA B.E.S.T. is actually a set of rules, norms, standards, and accepted notions regarding the educational process and students’ actions. Adherence with this curriculum leads to the development of literacy, competence, and the acquisition of the knowledge and skills required by students to carry out effective activities and function in society.
References
Berner, A., & Steiner, D. (2020). Review of Florida’s BEST ELA standards. Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University School of Education.
Florida Department of Education. (n.d.). Florida’s ELA B.E.S.T standards. Florida Department of Education. Web.
Friedberg, S., Shanahan, T., Fennell, F., Fisher, D., & Howe, R. (2020). The state of the sunshine state standards: Florida’s BEST edition. Washington, DC: Thomas B. Fordham Institute.
Matherly, S. (2021). Poetry beyond the page: A case for spoken word poetry in Florida’s secondary classrooms (Senior honors theses, Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA). Web.
Pimentel, S. (2017). The essential elements of an ELA curriculum. Web.
WKMG ClickOrlando. (2020). Florida’s B.E.S.T.: Here’s what’s next for the state’s new educational standard. Web.
Wurman, Z., Steiner, D.M., Berner, A.R., & Milgram, R.J. (2020). Better than common core: Florida’s new K–12 standards raise the bar. Independent Institute, 1-22. Web.