Standards-Based Curriculum and Assessment

In 1999, the State Board of Education issued a policy statement reaffirming California’s commitment to standards-based education. Mastery of standards became the measure by which learning, progress, and achievement is assessed. To be successful, schools must

• Isolate and focus on the most essential basic standards and identify instructional materials to master them.
• Align the curriculum (instructional materials) to standards through curriculum mapping and pacing.
• Use standards based assessment data to drive the instructional program.

ALS uses California State Board-approved instructional materials and research-based strategies to support student mastery of content standards.

Curriculum Mapping and Pacing
Participants work with State Board of Education-adopted instructional material and the California content standards to create curriculum maps and pacing charts for each of the core content areas.

Implementing SBE-Adopted Instructional Materials
Participants learn to analyze instructional materials and implement all components of the core adoption.

Standards-Based Lesson Design
Participants develop instructional sequences for each content area, including assessment tools, based on the patterns of performance found in the California content standards—the skills of accessing, interpreting, producing, and disseminating. This pattern provides a focus and structure to all standards-based classrooms.

Standards-Based Multi-Task Performances
Participants use the patterns found in the California content standards—the skills of accessing, interpreting, producing, and disseminating—to develop integrated units of instruction. Teachers will learn to use templates to design integrated units of instruction, describe assignments using measurable criteria, and use multi-task performances to help students master standards in meaningful ways.

Standards-Based Grading and Reporting
Participants learn to develop in-class rubrics, including coaching and scoring rubrics, to write standards-based criteria and to use rubrics to assess student work. This workshop will include planning a process for developing reliable assessments and selection of student work samples. When focus standards have been selected and standards-aligned curriculum maps are developed by course and grade level, the next step is to develop performance rubrics and a systematic grading process.

Test Item Writing
Participants learn to write test items aligned to the California content standards, the California Standards Tests, and the California High School Exit Exam.

Standards-Based Portfolios
Participants learn about performance assignments and assessments, including determination of student work products that will represent mastery of standards. Plans are developed to build portfolios of student work and to select appropriate audiences for students to “show what they know.”