IDENTIFY AND ALIGN ESSENTIAL STANDARDS, PK-12—FOUNDATION OF THE INTEGRATED TEACHING AND LEARNING SYSTEM©. +
About the Essential Standards Workshops:
Essential to developing high-quality units of study is understanding the vital role that Essential Standards play in that development. Participants will learn the “why” and “how” of Essential Standards and how teams of educators use established criteria for selecting and aligning Essential Standards across the grades, PK-12, to lay a strong foundation for the subsequent creation of standards-aligned units of study.
Prioritizing the standards is an interactive series of ITLS workshops that are highly relevant for school systems with educators and leaders new to their district who may not be familiar with the rationale and process of prioritizing and/or that need to prioritize:
Recently revised state standards
Entirely new state standards
Existing standards not prioritized or reprioritized in several years
What You Will Experience and Create
During the workshops, participants will first learn and engage in Steps 1-4 of the six-step Essential Standards process and then how to effectively implement Steps 5 and 6. This will enable participants to replicate the same six steps in their own schools and districts.
Essential Standards Process Steps
Step 1
Make initial selections using the four selection criteria. Reach initial consensus.
Step 2
Bold selections for each grade or course on Google sheets or Excel spreadsheets.
Step 3
Align Essential Standards PK-12. Resolve uncertainties. Reach group consensus.
Step 4
Look for connections to external assessments (i.e., state tests).
Step 5
Acquire feedback from all school district educators.
Step 6
Revise, publish, distribute. Review annually to make changes or adjustments as needed.
Virtual Workshops: Five Workshops, Two Hours Each
Workshop 1
The Why and How of Essential Standards
Learn the Rationale and Process Steps for Prioritizing State Standards in All Grades and All Content Areas
See the Relationship Between Essential Standards and Supporting Standards
Learn How to Use Established Criteria to Select and Align Essential Standards, PK-12
Workshop 2
Select the Essential Standards Using Established Criteria
- Apply the Essential Standards Selection Criteria
- Step 1 Activity: Select Essential Standards for Each Grade, PK-12
- Step 2 Activity: Reach Initial Group Consensus and BOLD Selections on Spreadsheets
Workshop 3
Align the Essential Standards, PK-12 (Part 1)
- How to Identify “Gaps, Overlaps, and Omissions”
- Step 3 Activity, Part 1: Align Selected Priority Standards Within PK-5 and 6-12 Grade Bands
- Step 3 Activity, Part 2: Align Selected Priority Standards Between PK-5 and 6-12 Grade Bands
Workshop 4
Align the Essential Standards, PK-12 (Part 2)
Step 4 Activity: Look for Connections to External Assessments (i.e., State Tests).
Learn How to Prioritize Standards in Different Content Areas
Discuss Frequently Asked Questions About Essential Standards
Workshop 5
Essential Standards—Foundation of the Integrated Teaching & Learning System©
Steps 5 & 6: Learn How to Involve All School and District Educators in the Process
Learn Effective Implementation Strategies
Essential Standards—Foundation of the Integrated Teaching & Learning System©
Additional Essential Standards Resources
Who Should Attend
District and School Leaders, PK-12 Classroom Educators, Curriculum Coordinators and Specialists, Instructional Coaches
For More Information
VOLUME ONE: BUILDING THE STANDARDS FOUNDATION
CHAPTER 1: Identify the Essential Standards
CHAPTER 2: Align Essential Standards Across the Grades, PK-12
What Virtual Participants Are Saying About the Essential Standards Virtual Workshops
“The vertical alignment conversation that our teachers have will be very powerful for many reasons.”
“Vertical articulation across the grades is a key step in the process. It is important for teachers to have a cross-grade dialogue in our K-8 district.”
“Larry, your Google sheets are going to be a huge jump start to our alignment - I also took away the questioning you used when making decisions.”
“Listening to insights from other perspectives allows for building a deeper understanding of the standards and what skills are addressed at each level.”
“It was extremely helpful to see all the standards K-8 as well as have meaningful discussion with K-8 educators. It gives me an idea of what to bring back to our admin team to start this process.”
“We had a great conversation and started me thinking about how I can bring this to my building and how to find the time to have the teachers do this.”
“The importance of looking at standards across the grades to be sure we are spending our time wisely!”
“The same standard might not need to be a priority in every grade. Good thing to look at across the grade levels.”
“Key idea for me is minding the gaps and watching for ‘omissions’ as we vertically align the work.”
“I would imagine after spotting an overlap, an additional conversation would be a good idea. I am sure that the group would be able to adjust after seeing this. I say this because just last week, we had some great discussions and some back and forth.”
"Our Danville Public Schools curricular units of study are built on a set of prioritized standards, upon which the entire effort is dependent. If those standards are not selected correctly, then students may end up lacking the academic strength necessary to be successful in math. Mr. Ainsworth has walked alongside me in developing processes of prioritizing content that fit with my state’s standards, my district, and my team."
Jack Faughn, District Math Coordinator, Danville, Virginia
“In addition, looking at the standards yearly, or something close to that, would be important, especially if overlap, gaps, omissions are evident in the final product. Having those discussions after implementation is underway will be important.”
Click on the links to the following three videos to see what Tacoma, Washington educators had to say about their experience prioritizing the Washington State Learning Standards: