A process to collect information about content, assessment and thinking processes currently in place with a school. What concepts, skills, knowledge and understandings you teach and how thoroughly you teach it. Standards Mapping

Why map the standards? Mapping is a communication tool between teachers, administrators, parents and students. Mapping is a planning tool for meeting state content standards, developing and revising curriculum, identifying supplies and materials and redesigning assessment. Mapping is a pedagogical tool to promote best practices in instruction and assessment.

How does the process work? Teachers work together to discover the essence of the standards and ensure a solid match between their choice of content, the chosen skills, knowledge and understandings and the types of assessments that will let them know that students are progressing toward standards.

 Reflect on current teaching practices (Record the “true curriculum)”  Examine standards and determine to what extent each standards is being taught. Individual classroom perspective School-wide perspective  Record school-wide perspective on standards chart by grade level Red - standards not addressed Yellow – standards addressed minimally and not to understanding (introductory level) Green – Standards thoroughly addressed to understanding (directly taught and assessed)

How it might look….

Analyze completed standards charts horizontally and vertically in order to: Avoid redundancy (recognize the difference between repetition and redundancy) Identify gaps Identify areas for potential integration Edit for coherence

We’ve mapped our standards implementation; what’s next?  Areas for ongoing consideration  What does our data tell us?  How will we know they know?  What’s the best way to teach it?  How do we give kids a spiraling experience?  Can we integrate content standards?  How do we develop new standards-based  curriculum:  What staff development will we need?

Some Important Definitions  Vertical Alignment – defining essential progression of benchmarks from one level to another based on performance standards.  Curriculum Mapping – establishing a timeline for focusing on specific benchmarks at each level.

More Definitions  Unpacking – clarifying standards, benchmarks and performance standards by discussing as a team and deciding on user-friendly language.  Essential Learnings (Power Standards) – The most effective use of time in teaching what is enduring, has leverage and provides readiness for the next level of learning.  Pacing Guide – a calendar to make sure all Essential Learnings are taught by the time students are assessed/and before students enter the next grade level.