NJCCCS

As part of a project for Principles and Techniques, I was required to look up the National and New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards. I read the list and agreed that these standards seem more than reasonable, and set up excellent guidelines for students entering college. However, as I went down the list, I realized with surprising frequency, that these standards are NOT being met.
Now, that's quite an indictment I realize, however, in many cases of even students I have met in this and other colleges, standards such as "3.1.12.D.2: Use appropriate rhythm, flow, meter, and pronunciation when reading" this standard generally is NOT met. We all have our troubles with reading outloud on occasion, but overwhelmingly, even in some of my English Literature Class (predominantly composed of English Lit Majors) students stumble, studder, read too quickly, etc. Clearly the message on that standard didn't get through.
Even the content knowledge of students, in regards of analysis and evaluation of figurative language in a text (3.1.12.G.7) is lost by the time many students enter college. I can recall a few of my standard literature core classes when a professor needed to explain what irony was. This is a requirement to graduate from high school! And yet many students don't know it.
It's definitely good to have guidelines to live up to, but frankly, are they? Setting up standards only works if they can be assessed. I know that having read these standards, I will do whatever I can to truly drive them home for my students. It's not about getting them half way there... it's getting them to go farther than required.