Academic Excellence Framework

How can we meet the complex learning needs of students in a standards based environment? In brief, how can we achieve standards without becoming standardized?

What Are Power Standards? Prioritized standards that are derived from a systematic and balanced approach to distinguishing which standards are absolutely essential and which ones are simply “nice to know” A subset of the complete list of standards for each grade or subject area and represent the “safety net” curriculum.

Power Standards Are: The standards that each teacher needs to make sure that every student learns prior to leaving the current grade. A brief, straightforward, easy to read document to guide standards based instruction

2 Guiding Questions… 1.) What essential understandings and skills do students need 2.) Which standards can be clustered or incorporated into others

Why Power Standards? Most teachers lack a 400 day school year and students with photographic memories and there are too many standards Power Standards narrow the focus of academic requirements In striving to cover all standards, we end up superficially “covering” the standards like a wet blanket The “less is more” theory

Why Power Standards? Power standards do not relieve teachers of the responsibility for teaching all standards and indicators, but does identify which standards are critical for student success and which ones can be given less emphasis In the absence of Power Standards, teachers will select their own

Random Acts of Improvement Goals and Measures Aim of the Organization Without Power Standards *With Power Standards Goals and Measures Aim of the Organization Aligned Acts of Improvement

A word about assessment Without a link to assessment (not one shot state tests, but to the daily practice of classroom assessment, along with feedback, coaching) standards are little more than colorful wall charts Because high stakes testing is aligned to standards, standards have become the critical focus for achieving results

Assessments… Meaningful assessments need to be tied to the Power Standards These assessments provide the evidence of student attainment of power standards Students should be given multiple opportunities to demonstrate proficiency (in a variety of ways; multiple intelligence/learning styles) Resulting data should be systematically collected, examined, reported and used to improve instruction.

Terms: Standards: the general statements of what students need to know and be able to do Indicators (also called benchmarks, learning outcomes, proficiencies, sub-skills) are the grade specific learning expectations for students Power Standards: standards and indicators that are critical for student success. A carefully selected subset of the complete list of standards that students need for success.

A Word About “Unwrapped” Power Standards… Unwrapping standards is “just good teaching” –Helps make connections to other areas of study –Utilize higher order thinking skills (blooms taxonomy) –Incorporates Enduring Understandings –Engages students by setting a purpose and uses Essential Questions –Assessment using Multiple Intelligences and Learning Styles

Power Standards Identification criteria Endurance Leverage Readiness for the next level of learning What knowledge and skills must I impart to my students this year so that they will enter next year’s class with confidence and a readiness for success?

ENDURANCE Will the knowledge and skills to which this standard relates be used by students for several years after they use that standard at this grade level?

LEVERAGE Will the knowledge and skills to which this standard help students in other academic areas?

READINESS Do teachers in the next higher grade regard this standard as a necessary entry point for a student to enter that grade with success and confidence?

Examples of Power Standards Documents