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Explanation:
The Standards Aligned system represents a model of six key, related
components and their connection to student achievement. These components
include: clear standards, fair assessments, curriculum framework, instruction,
materials and resources, and interventions. This model applies to schools,
teachers, counselors, principals, and virtually all systems and individuals involved
in education.
The Five Disciplines provides a system for improving learning by focusing
on five key elements. These elements include: personal mastery, shared vision,
mental models, team learning, and systems thinking. The Five Disciplines system
applies to both individuals and groups of any size or sort, and is not solely
focused on schools or teachers. This method works to improve personal learning
skills and group learning techniques through five important components.

Application:
Both the Five Disciplines and the Standards Aligned System establish
clear criteria that are required to meet their respective goals. While the two
models have different goals (improving learning and student achievement,
respectively), both break down these intangible, abstract concepts into simple
more concrete components. This breakdown allows for a systematic, easy-to
digest approach that allows users of the models to develop real methods in
working toward their goals.
Through the creation of systematic approaches, both models unify schools
and those who work in them by bringing the focus to a handful of key
ingredients. While each person likely has his or her own theory on the most
important requirements for student achievement or the necessary skills required
for learning in a group, these models bring focus to these key ingredients,
allowing people to work together toward their goals in a more methodical,
organized way.
For these models to be successful, they must work from the inside out.
Teachers and schools must use these models to guide their actions in a positive
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way. As Senge writes, these five disciplines are not reforms or programs
imposed from the outside! Rather, the disciplines, as well as the Standards
Aligned System are models that must be accepted internally within schools to
have effect. Teachers and other school employees who use these models are
able to concentrate their efforts on meaningful, well-defined components that
help provide a systematic approach to their goals of improved learning and
student achievement.
The only major difference in the two models is that their goals differ and
that the Five Disciplines applies to anyone interesting in progressing their group
learning, while the Standards Alignment System applies mostly to schools and
their faculty and staff.

Perspective:
I thoroughly enjoyed reading about each of these models. I think that as a
young adult moving toward the path of teaching, there are many goals in mind.
Most everyone in my position wants to aid student achievement and improve his
or her learning skills. However, I think that my peers and I lack the experience
necessary to knowlogisticallyhow to complete these goals. Models such as
these make these daunting goals much more approachable by breaking them
down into their key components. While we may each have our own theories
about what is most important to being an effective teacher, these models guide
us toward essentials that most educators would agree upon.