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Outcome-Based Education: Critical Issues and Answers

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Outcome-Based Education: Critical Issues and Answers DOCUMENT RESUME ED 380 910 EA 026 634 AUTHOR Spady, William G. TITLE Outcome-Based Education: Critical Issues and Answers. INSTITUTION American Association of School Administrators, Arlington, Va. REPORT NO ISBN-0-87652-183-9 PUB DA1E 94 NOTE 212p. AVAILABLE FROMAmerican Association of School Administrators,1801 North Moore Street, Arlington, VA 22209 (StockNo. 21-00488; $18.95 plus postage). PUB TYPE Books (010) Viewpoints (Opinion/Position Papers, Essays, etc.)(120) Guides Non-Classroom Use (055) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC09 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Competence; *Competency Based Education; Educational Change; Educational Philosophy; Educational Planning; Elementary Secondary Education; Outcomes of Education; Performance; Program Iniplementation; Standards IDENTIFIERS *Outcome Based Education ABSTRACT Outcome-based education (OBE) means clearly focusing and organizing everything in an educational system around what is essential for all students to be able to do successfully at the end of their learning experiences. This book examines the issues critical to understanding and implementing OBE. Chapter 1 addresses a range of issues related to the meaning of the term "outcome-based education." It defines key terms and concepts and describes the foundations of genuine outcome-based models. The second chapter links current interest in OBE to global socioeconomic changes. Chapter 3 examines some important issues surrounding thr, meaning of outcomes andhow they are derived. Four major trends are identified in the fourth chapter-- classroom reform, program alignment, external accountability, and system transformation. Chapter 5 shows how the effects of OBE on students and schools depends on which implementation approach is used. Common misconceptions about OBE are clarified in the sixth chapter. The final chapter discusses future directions of. OBE, in particular, how to sustain it over time. OBE appears to have a viable future if democratic processes and strong professional norms prevail in society and education, respectively. Twenty-five figures and a glossary are included. (LMI) ****************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. **************************************************:.******************** William G. Spady C Outcome!zise E TIO Critic an U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Officio or Educational Research and Improvement EOI4TIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organisation originating it C Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality Points ot view or opinions staled in thiS apt. merit do not necessarily represent otficiat OERI position or policy 0; "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS VEEN GRANTED BY TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMA I ION CENTER (ERIC)." American Association of School Administrators Outcome -based Education: CriticalIisues`" and Answers By William G. Spady The American Association of School Administrators Copyright19Q4.kinerican Nssociation of School \dininistrators Library of Congress Catalog Card Number:94-079C74 !SRN: 0-876;2-183-u .1.\ S. \ Stock Number:21 -00488 Iltis hook was retested by .1. \S.1 and apprm ell Iicr publication. \ppro al dues not signify that the contents reflect the vieu s or policies of .N.1S.1. 111 Foreword Comments from the Field Ron Brandt American education needs this book. Because of Evecutive Editor massive technological, economic, and social changes, Association fir we are challenged to boost standards of student perfor- SupervisLa and mance substantially, especially among those who in the Curdathun past were least successful. The education sector appar- Development ently will not have more money, so we cannot expect salaries to be more attractive or other resources more plentiful. The alternative, say thoughtful observers, is to restructure. Until recently, that seemed to be the consensus. National business leaders urged educators to follow their example in making their organizations more responsive and efficient. Governors offered to stop issuing man- dates in exchange for "results." Although at the local level very little restructuring was actually going on, the major question facing educators was not whether it should be done, but how to do it. William Spady has answers for that question. With a background in sociology, a brilliant mind, and an innova- tive spirit, Spady has spent much of his professional life refining those answers. His ideas are offered within a framework that, when stated in general terms, seems almost self-evident: Define what students are expected to learn and redesign the system to make sure they have maximum opportunity to learn it. Most professional edu- cators are familiar with that general principle; it is IV OUTCOME-BASED EDUCATION inherent in a well-established formula for planning curricula made famous by Ralph "IVIer but its apparent simplicity is deceptive. The fact is schools do not operate in accord with that commonsense principle. Yes, schools have goals and objec- tives, and teachers and principals work very hard within existing constraints to foster student learning. But in recent years, as educators and political leaders sought com- mon ground and began to lay the foundation for an out- come-based system, it became clear that such a system is necessarily very different from the one we know so well. Among those who recognized that a system truly based on outcomes requires modification of sonicconventional practices, such as tracking and competitive grading, were traditionalists who treasure these practices. They came to see Outcome-Based Education as theembodiment of all the modernist tendencies they most deplore in contemporary schooling. Educators sometimes added to those misgivings by listing as outcomes qualities they hoped children would acquire, such as positive self-esteem and global mindedness, which critics regarded as unattainable or undesirable. As a result, outcome-based education is now considered by many people, both educators and citizens. as highly suspect. What has been lacking is a clear, thoughtful interpreta- tion of what Outcome -Based Education really is, why it is needed, and how it operates. \o one is better qualified than Bill Spady to offer such an analysis, and in this book he provides it.I find his discussion to he highly readable, coherent, and convincing.I think it should become a clas- sic, because the issues Spadv examines are unavoidable. If we really want all students to learn, we mustredesign the system of schooling so that they will. 6 COMMENTS FROM THE FIELD V Robert L. One of the most important alues cherished IA Simonds Traditionalists, and by Traditionalist Christians in particu- President, lar, is reverence for fairness and objectivity. Indeed, the Citizens for!- admonition of the second wisest man to ever walk the face Excellence in of the earth King Solomon rings as true today as it Education did over 3,000 years ago: "He who answers a matter before hearing the whole of it is a fool." And again, "The first person to state his case seemeth to be right until another comes along and examines him." In this hook, William Spady has explicitly addressed most of the ques- tions raised by Traditionalist Christians across the United States. The reader may not agree with all of his answers; in fact, the reader may not agree with any of his answers. But for Traditionalist Christians who are interested in fair- ness and in tnh, this book presents a rare opportunity to discover exactly what the chief proponent of Outcome- Based Education really says, not what hi:; most vocal critics say he said. Whether you are an ardent proponent or a dedicated opponent of the perspectives asserted in his book, you will have a valuable asset to buttress your argu- ments: a factual and accurate presentation based on what William Spady actually says about Outcome-Based Education, not on how others interpret it. Table of Contents Foreword Comments from the Field iii Ron Brandt Robert L. Simonds Chapter 1 What Does Outcome-Based Education Really Mean? 1 Highlights: Who should have a voice in determining a state's or district's outcomes? What does it mean to base education on outcomes? Are there any examples of outcome-based models? flow is being "outcome-based" different from what schools have always done? What are the key elements of a sound outcome-based approach? I low do OBE's expanded opportunity and high expectations principles work? Can OBE's principles be applied in "right" and "wrong" ways in schools and districts? Summary Figures: 1.1 Examples on )utcome-Based Models 4 1.2 '[he OBE Pyramid 8 1.3 OBB Power" Principles 1.4 Clarity of Focus 11 1.5 Five Key Dimensions of Opportunity 13 1.6 Three Key Dimensions of 1 ugh Expectations 17 1.7 '1'he "(olden Rules" of Outcome-Based Curriculum Design 19 1.8 An Outcome-Based Systems Framework viii OUTCOME-BASED EDUCATION Chapter 2 Why Is There So Much Interest in Outcome-Based Reforms? 27 Highlights: trhat are some of the key changes taking place in contemporary society and the economy that are directly shaping school reforms: How is our Industrial Age educational system out of sync with today's Information Age trends and needs? \That key features of Industrial Age schools inherently constrain learning success for many students? IThat are the outcome-based alternatives to these constraining fW paradigm components? Flow do these OBE components relate to the "Ibtal Quality and Reengineering
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