1. LAFS & MAFS

2. General Information
The Florida Department of Education defines that the Florida Standards provide a robust set of goals for every grade. Emphasizing analytical thinking rather than rote memorization (when you know things by heart), the Florida Standards will prepare our students for success in college, career and life.

3. What are Florida Standards?
Rigorous standards that lead to college & career readiness
Deeper learning
More engagement with students- more doing, fewer worksheets.
Largely consistent with standards being across the nation.

4. GOALS Changes from CCSS to LAFS Connect with curriculum
Unpack a Language Arts Florida Standards
Teach toward the standard- Digging deep with close reading.
Close reading- It requires students to get truly involved with the text they are reading. The purpose is to teach them to read a passage and analyze it in fine detail, as if with a magnifying glass.

5. Key Instructional Shifts
Building knowledge through content-rich non-fiction.
Reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence from text, both literary and informational.
Regular practice with complex text and its academic language.

6. CCSS to LAFS Kindergarten- added additional wording in 3 standards
First grade- No change
Second grade- changed wording in 2 standards and added handwriting.
Third-Fifth grade- changed wording in 3 standards and added cursive handwriting.

7. K-4th Grade
K- with prompting and support, identify characters, settings and major events in a story.
1st – Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.
2nd- Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.
3rd- Describe characters in a story (their traits, motivations and feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.
4th- Describe in depth a character, setting or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text.

8. What do the Florida Standards look like in the classroom
What do the Florida Standards look like in the classroom? What can I expect for students in the classroom?
Teachers in all subject areas will increase focus on reading and comprehension.
Students will be expected to write more and write better, using facts, details, and examples to inform, describe, and explain.
In reading, students will be required to make evidence-based claims about what they read.
In writing, students will be asked to cite evidence to justify their statements rather than rely on opinions or personal feelings.

9. More Complexity-Students will be expected to read and comprehend increasingly complex texts.
Research shows that the complexity of texts used in schools has declined over the past 40 years.
More Speaking /More Listening
Students will be expected to demonstrate that they can speak and listen effectively.
Students will be assessed for both speaking and listening skills. In the classroom, this means more small-group and whole-class discussions.
Expect teachers to teach and evaluate students on how well they understand the speaker’s points.

10. EXAMPLES-MATH
OLD PROBLEM- (little rigor)
Tina had 15 balloons. She gave 12 of them away. How many balloons did Tina have?
NEW PROBLEM- (WITH RIGOR)
Burger Barn has 1 small table that can seat 4 people. They also have 1 large table that can seat double that amount. 15 people came in at lunch time. How many people did not get a seat? /

11. THIRD GRADE MATH
Jamal will put 22 boards around his garden end-to-end. Each board is 1 foot long. The garden will be in the shape of a rectangle. The garden will either be 3 feet or 4 feet wide. Which width, 3 feet or 4 feet, will give Jamal a garden with the greater area? Show your work or explain how you got your answer.
Correct Answer: A width of 4 feet gives the greater area of the garden.
For a width of 3 feet, the length should be 8 feet, because = 22.
For a width of 4 feet, the length should be 7 feet, because = 22.
For a width of 3 feet, the area is 3 8 = 24 square feet.
For a width of 4 feet, the area is 4 7 = 28 square feet. So, a width of 4 feet gives a greater area.

12. EXAMPLES- READING OLD PROBLEM-
Write about your favorite part of the passage, “Welcome to the Forest”. Did you like the story? Why?
NEW PROBLEM- (Integrating writing)
Using the passage, “Welcome to the Rainforest”, write an opinion piece explaining what the most important gift the rain forest plants offer us. State your opinion and support it by using evidence from the text. Reread your writing and check for capitals and periods. Does your writing make sense?

13. Where are we now and where are we headed?
Standards have been implemented at all grade levels.
New tests/assessment tied to the Florida Standards will be conducted during the school year. (No more FCAT after this year)
Assessments will be more focused on application of knowledge.

14. The Florida Standards How May I Help My Child?
Read different types of books and informational text with your child
Ask your child to find answers to questions in the text of books, newspaper articles, manuals, etc.
Encourage your child to form and defend an opinion by supporting it with facts, details and reasons from text
Discuss mathematics ideas with your child have them explain these to you using pictures, graphs, etc.
Visit the Florida Standards Assessment online portal at: to become familiar with the new assessments.