The Pennsylvania Academic Standards

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The Pennsylvania Academic Standards

• Why Standards?
• What are the Pennsylvania Academic Standards?
• How did we get here?
• Where are we right now?
• How should districts prepare for implementation
  of PA Standards? 2/5/98

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Why Standards?

• Standards are the building blocks for all
  subject and grade levels
• Student learning is cumulative
• Establishes a framework by which all are made
  accountable

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Why Standards?

• Standards improve student achievement by clearly
  defining
• whats to be learned
• the quality of the expected performance.

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Why Standards?

• High expectations yield worthy results
• It makes sense to monitor student progress, needs
  and competencies

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What Are the Pennsylvania Academic Standards?
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Types ofStandards

• Content Standards
• Expectations for learning which establish
  knowledge and skills that should be learned.

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ContentStandards
Or...

• What does a student need to know?

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Types ofStandards

• Performance Standards
• Define the performances and levels of learning
  considered satisfactory for success.

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Performance Standards
Or...

• How well do you know it?
• How good is good enough?
• What does it look like when youre successful?

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What Is So Different About Standards?

• Adopting the Pennsylvania Standards means

• A shift from identifying and teaching what is to
  be covered to a

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What Is So Different About Standards?

• Adopting the Pennsylvania Standards means

• verification of a students learning of
  identified core concepts and skills.

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The Pennsylvania Academic Standards

• are definitions of the content and skills
  students should learn in each subject area by
  designated grade levels.

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The Pennsylvania Academic Standards

• Replace Student Learning Outcomes
• Represent core concepts and skills
• Initially focus on Reading/Writing Mathematics
• Benchmarked at grades 3, 5, 8, 11(Reading and
  Math) 6,9 and 11 (Writing)
• Other subject areas being prepared

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Criteria Used in Developing PA Academic Standards

• Rigor
• Measurability
• Application
• Clarity

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Whats in the Reading and Writing Standards?

• Reading
• Learning to read independently
• Reading critically in all content areas
• Reading, analyzing and interpreting
  literature 2/5/98

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Whats in the Reading and Writing Standards?

• Writing
• Types of writing (narrative, informational,
  persuasive)
• Quality of writing (Focus, content, organization,
  style, conventions) 2/5/98

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Whats in the Reading and Writing Standards?

• Other
• Speaking Listening
• Characteristics and Function of the English
  Language
• Research

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Whats in the Mathematics Standards?

• Computation, Estimation, Measurement
• Numbers, Number Systems Relationships
• Computation Estimation
• Measurement Estimation

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Whats in the Mathematics Standards?

• Application of the Concepts Skills
• Mathematical reasoning connections
• Mathematical problems solving communication
• Statistics data analysis
• Probability predictions 2/5/98

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Whats in the Mathematics Standards?

• Higher Level Mathematics
• Algebra and functions
• Geometry
• Trigonometry
• Concepts of calculus

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How Did We Get Here?
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A Brief History

• The Governor/Secretarys Initiative
• Governors Advisory Commission
• Standards Development Process

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Subject Area Task Forces

• Ten subject areas
• Emphasis on basics
• Varied and representative
• Dickinson Working Conference

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State Board of Education

• Held ten public roundtables and hearings across
  the Commonwealth
• Encouraged testimony on enabling regulations
• Contracted an outside review of the proposed
  standards
• Completed work on Reading, Writing and
  Mathematics standards
• Reviewing additional standards areas.

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Where are we right now?
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State Board of Education

• Developed a new Chapter 4 which combined
• Chapter 3 - Assessment
• Chapter 5 - Curriculum
• Chapter 6 - Vocational

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State Board of Education

• Currently reviewing PA Academic Standards (as of
  July, 1999) in
• Science/Technology Environment/Ecology
• Civics and Government

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State Board of Education

• Will be receiving and reviewing additional PA
  Academic Standards as they are completed through
  the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

Wednesday, July 7, 1999
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How should districts prepare for the
implementation of Pennsylvania Academic Standards?
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Where to begin ...

• Identify local practices and curriculum
• Review the public Pennsylvania Academic Standards
• Consider changes to curriculum and local
  practices
• Determine connections to resources and Title I/
  IDEA

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Next Steps ...

• Align curriculum with standards
• Vertically K-12
• Horizontally at Grade Level or Subject
• Align individual classroom practices
• Plan strategically
• Link to Title I and IDEA

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Down the road ...

• There will be a thoughtful match between
  instructional techniques, classroom practices and
  the assessments that measure student attainment
  of standards.
• There will be graduation standards based on
  academic standards.

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