Key Charter Application 2013

K Y
Public Charter School

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Department of Education
Charter School Application
2013

Harrisburg School District

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1
Commonwealth Of Pennsylvania
Tom Corbett, Governor

Department Of Education
Ronald J. Tomalis, Secretary

Charter Schools Office
Elizabeth Anzalone, Executive Assistant

Office of Elementary and Secondary Education
Dr. Carolyn C. Dumaresq, Deputy Secretary

Bureau of Teaching and Learning
Dr. Ed Vollbrecht, Director

Division of Planning
Robert Staver, Division Chief

The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) does not discriminate in its educational programs, activities, or
employment practices, based on race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability, age, religion,
ancestry, union membership, or any other legally protected category. Announcement of this policy is in accordance
with State law including the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act and with federal law, including Title VI of the Civil
Right Act of1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the
Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

I f you have any questions about this publication, contact:
Department of Education, Charter Schools Office
333 Market Street, 10th Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333
Voice Telephone: (717) 787-9744 Fax: (717) 787.7222 Text Telephone TTY: (717) 783-8445

The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies:

Complaints regarding discrimination in schools:
Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, Human Relations Representative
Intake Division
Harrisburg Regional Office (717) 787-9784; Pittsburgh Regional Office (412) 565-5395
Philadelphia Regional Office (215) 560-2496

Complaints against a Pennsylvania Department of Education employee:
Pennsylvania Department of Education, Equal Employment Opportunity Representative
Bureau of Human Resources, 333 Market Street, 11th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333
Voice Telephone: (717) 787-4417, Fax: (717) 783-9348, Text Telephone TTY: (717) 783-8445

I nformation on accommodations within the Department of Education for persons with disabilities:
Pennsylvania Department of Education, Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator
Bureau of Management Services, 333 Market Street, 15th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333

General questions regarding educational law or issues:
Pennsylvania Department of Education, Director
School Services Office, 333 Market Street, 5th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333

If you have questions about this updated statement, please call the Bureau of Human Resources at (717) 787-4417.
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Table of Contents

2013 CHARTER SCHOOL REQUIREMENTS AND APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS3

CHARTER SCHOOL APPLICATION FACT SHEET.5

I. SCHOOL DESIGN..6

II. NEEDS ASSESSMENT8

III.DESCRIPTION FOUNDING/MANAGEMENT TEAM....9

IV. FINANCE AND FACILITY.....10

V. IMPLEMENTATION AND ADMINISTRATION....12

CHARTER TEMPLATE.15

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2013 CHARTER SCHOOL REQUIREMENTS AND APPLICATION

Introduction
This application format serves as a tool for a charter applicants and school boards. Charter School
applications are due to the district school board on November 15 of the year preceding the
anticipated opening. A review of charter school research and literature and the practices of the states
that have charter schools, reveals that planning for charter schools should have the following
components:

I. School Design
II. Needs Assessment
III. Description of Founding/Management Team
IV. Finance and Facility
V. Implementation and Administration
VI. Charter Template

Your response to the six components may serve as the charter schools plan as you develop your model.
Act 22 of 1997 outlines the following 17 specific points that the charter application must address. To
fulfill all requirements, please complete all items in each section. Keep these points in mind as you
address the six broad components of the charter school plan.

Application Requirements

Section 1719-A:
1. The identification of the charter applicant.
2. The name of the proposed charter school.
3. The grade or age levels served by the school.
4. The proposed governance structure of the charter school, including a description and
method for the appointment or election of the Board of Trustees.
5. The mission and measurable education goals of the charter school, the curriculum to be
offered, and the methods of assessing whether students are meeting educational goals.
Charter school students shall be required to meet the same testing and academic
performance standards established by law and regulations applicable to public school
students. (Chap. 4, Academic Standards and Assessment)
6. The admission policy and criteria for evaluating student admission, which shall comply
with the requirements of the Charter School Law.
7. The procedures that will be used regarding the suspension or expulsion of pupils. Said
procedures shall comply with Section 1318 of the Public School Code.
8. The information on the manner in which community groups will be involved in the charter
school planning process.
9. The financial plan for the charter school and the provisions that will be made for auditing
the school under provisions of Section 437 of the Public School Code.
10. The procedures that shall be established to review complaints of parents regarding the
operation of the charter school.
11. A description and an address for the physical facility in which the charter school will be
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located and the ownership thereof and any lease arrangements.
12. The proposed school calendar for the charter school, including the length of the school
day and school year consistent with the provisions of Section 1502 of the Public School
Code.
13. The proposed faculty and a professional development plan for the faculty of a charter
school.
14. Whether any agreements have been entered into or plans developed with the local school
district regarding participation of the charter school students in extracurricular activities
within the school district. No school district of residence shall prohibit a student of a
charter school from participating in any extracurricular activity of that school district of
residence: provided that the student is able to fulfill all of the requirements of
participation in such activity and the charter school does not provide the same
extracurricular activity.
15. A report of criminal history record, pursuant to Section 111 of the Public School Code,
for all individuals who shall have direct contact with students.
16. An official clearance statement regarding child injury or abuse from the Department of
Public Welfare as required by 23 Pa.C.S. Chapter 63, Subchapter C.2 (relating to
background checks for employment in schools) for all individuals who shall have direct
contact with students.
17. How the charter school, the employees and the Board of Trustees will be insured.

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CHARTER SCHOOL APPLICATION FACT SHEET

This application fact sheet is intended to be a finger-tip summary of your application. The
information furnished below must be an accurate representation of the application and must
correspond to the information provided in the body of the application.

Proposed Charter School Name (Must Include Charter School in the Title): Key Charter School of
Reading

Proposed Charter School Location (Address, City/Town and Zip Code): 1504 Hill Road and 1500
Eckert Avenue, Reading, PA 19602

County: Dauphin County
Intermediate Unit: Capital Area Intermediate Unit
Proposed Start Date: August 2014
Federal Employer Identification Number: 46-3855737 (See Appendix FEIN)

Contact Person:
First: Kenneth Middle: B. Last: Cherry
Organization: Key Charter School
City: York State: PA Zip Code: 17402
Telephone: 717-880-2651 Fax Number _E-mail: ken@keycharterschool.com

Founding Coalition: Indicate Number
of Representatives per Group
Grade and Age Ranges Projected Student
Enrollment Year 1-5
Parents: 2 Elementary: 1
st
5
th
1
st
Year: 614
Teachers: 0 Secondary: 6
th
12
th
2
nd
Year: 914
Business Partners: 0 Age of Kindergarten: 5 yrs. Old (K) 3
rd
Year: 1112
Community Based Orgs: 0 Age of Beginners: 5 yrs. Old 4
th
Year: 1120
Museums: 0 Circle Appropriate Grade(s)
K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
5
th
Year: 1120
Higher Education: NA Kindergarten: Full Day or Half Day? Total Number of
Other Group (Identify): NA Teachers: 64

Does the charter applicant have an existing retirement system? Yes No X_

Does the applicant group presently have access to a facility suitable for the charter school?
Yes _X No

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I. SCHOOL DESIGN

1. Mission Statement:
A. Briefly describe the core philosophy or underlying purpose of the proposed school.

As educators and parents, we spent many days and evenings discussing why education is
important and what defines a great school. Next, we targeted our conversation on what it
important to us in a school which inevitably allowed us to generate four key concepts
which became the premise for our decision making about design, teaching and learning,
and school functionality. The four key concepts are:

B. What is your overarching vision of the school?

The vision of Key Charter School is to Open the Doors to Opportunities to ensure
students are Career and College ready. We will establish a K-12 educational experience
that will allow families a full, comprehensive, educational experience in an environment
where the student is the key most important element in learning and adults facilitate their
natural desire to learn.

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2. Measurable Goals and Objectives:
A. What are the schools measurable academic goals and objectives to promote student
learning?

i. By the end of 2019, 75% or more of all high school students will earn a
proficiency/exemplary rating on PA Keystone Examinations in each core content;
ii. By the end of 2019, 75% or more of all grade 3 grade 8 students will earn a
proficiency/exemplary rating on the PSSA/Common Core Assessment in both Reading
and Math
iii. Yearly, all 1
st
12
th
grade students will show quarterly, academic growth in reading and
math as measured by the NWEA/MAP Assessment
iv. Yearly, 75% of all K-2
nd
grade students will meet grade level benchmark status as
measured by D.I.B.E.L.S via mClass.

B. What are the schools measurable non-academic goals and objectives to promote student
performance?

i. Yearly, Key Charter will adhere to a 95.5% attendance rate or higher for all students
ii. By 2018, 95% or more of all eligible seniors will graduate
iii. Yearly, all financial documentation will be submitted to the appropriate LEAs and PA
Department of Education as requested

3. Educational Program:
A. Describe the educational program of the school, providing an overview of the curriculum
and the content in all subject areas.

Kindergarten 2
nd
Grade
K 2
nd
Grade will embrace the Reggio Emilia Approach. The Reggio Emilia philosophy
is based upon the following set of principles:
o Children must have some control over the direction of their learning
o Children must be able to learn through experiences of touching, moving,
listening, seeing, and hearing
o Children have a relationship with other children and with material items in
the world that children must be allowed to explore and
o Children must have endless ways and opportunities to express themselves
The Reggio Emilia approach to teaching young children puts the natural development of
children as well as the close relationships that they share with their environment at the
center of its philosophy. The foundation of the Reggio Emilia approach lies in its unique
view of the child. In this approach, there is a belief that children have rights and should be
given opportunities to develop their potential. The child is also viewed as being an active
constructor of knowledge. Rather than being seen as the target of instruction, children are
seen as having the active role of an apprentice. This role also extends to that of a
researcher. Much of the instruction at Reggio Emilia schools takes place in the form of
projects where they have opportunities to explore, observe, hypothesize, question, and
discuss to clarify their understanding. Children are also viewed as social beings and a
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focus is made on the child in relation to other children, the family, the teachers, and the
community rather than on each child in isolation (See Appendix Reggio)
A Resource Center will be developed for each grade level consisting of at least three (3)
curricular selections per content area. Daily, while planning and reflecting on the
inquisitive nature of their students, teachers will utilize the various teacher curricular kits
and student books to prepare a lesson aligned to the PA Common Core Standards. All
teachers will spend time each week deconstructing the standard to determine the specific
skills that embody each standard in order to determine the sequence of lessons and types
of assessments. Afterward, teachers will select from the best curricular resources to use
with their children
Reading/Writing/Math Workshop: The approach is a way of teaching math, reading and
language arts as an active, student-centered process that gives students, individually and
in groups, much of the responsibility for making decisions about what will be studied and
why. It is also an approach that emphasizes the social and collaborative nature of
learning. As with most methodological or pedagogical innovations, the math/
reading/writing workshop has been redefined, realigned, and renamed on its journey
toward widespread acceptance. Its early predecessor was perhaps the writing workshop in
the 1970s. Reading workshops then developed to complement the writing workshops and
the term "reading/writing workshop is now used because writing is an important aspect of
learning to read in these classrooms. Also, because they encompass reading, writing,
speaking, and listening, they are also referred to as literacy workshops. Collaboration in
the workshop entails sharing responses, ideas, drafts, and finished written products
through conferences with the teacher, conferences and journal exchanges with peers and
the teacher, and with members of the student's wider, nonclassroom, community such as
parents. Collaborating to make meaning, rather than summarizing or reiterating teacher-
held interpretations, is the function of small-group discussion and whole-class discussion.
The teacher in these classrooms takes on many roles including that of a learner who, in
collaboration with students, constructs meaning through reading, writing, speaking, and
listening in the specific content area
Guided reading is an instructional approach that involves a teacher working with a small
group of students who demonstrate similar reading behaviors and can all read similar
levels of texts. The text is easy enough for students to read with your skillful support. The
text offers challenges and opportunities for problem solving, but is easy enough for
students to read with some fluency. You choose selections that help students expand their
strategies. Teachers will select books that students can read with about 90 percent
accuracy. Students can understand and enjoy the story because its accessible to them
through their own strategies, supported by your introduction. They focus on meaning but
use problem-solving strategies to figure out words they dont know, deal with difficult
sentence structure, and understand concepts or ideas they have never before encountered
in print. 50% of the selected text will be literary while the other 50% will be nonfiction
(See Appendix Guided Reading)
Wilson Fundations for K-3 is a phonological/phonemic awareness, phonics and spelling
program for the general education classroom. Fundations is based upon the Wilson
Reading System principles and serves as a prevention program to help reduce reading
and spelling failure. Rather than completely replace core curriculum, Fundations
provides the research-validated strategies that complement installed programs to meet
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federal standards and serve the needs of all children. Teachers incorporate a 30-minute
daily Fundations lesson into their language arts classroom instruction. Fundations lessons
focus on carefully sequenced skills that include print knowledge, alphabet awareness,
phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, decoding, vocabulary, fluency, and
spelling. Critical thinking, speaking and listening skills are practiced during Storytime
activities. Furthermore, targeted small group intervention is available for students in the
lowest 30th percentile
mCLASS
:DIBELS Next
/IDEL
: Early literacy assessment software in English for

grades K6 and Spanish for grades K3 will be used to progress monitor. mClass quickly
identifies the needs of each student and inform next steps with instant analysis, reports
and instructional planning tools included in the only licensed mobile version of the
research-based DIBELS Next assessment.
o Use short, one-minute fluency measures for foundational reading skills.
o Replace manual calculations with instant results and recommended activities.
o Compare student progress with predictive, research-based benchmark goals.
o Track progress and target instruction to individual student needs.
o Use aggregate reports to support decision-making at every level.
TCI's online Social Studies Alive! programs teach students about the world around them
in ways that make them excited to learn every day. Activities like the Revolutionary War
tug-of-war capture their imagination and help them long remember key content. With
TCI's elementary programs, students don't just learn social studies. They learn to love
social studies
FOSS is a research-based science curriculum for grades K-8 developed at the Lawrence
Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley. FOSS is also an ongoing research
project dedicated to improving the learning and teaching of science. The FOSS project
began over 25 years ago during a time of growing concern that our nation was not
providing young students with an adequate science education. The FOSS program
materials are designed to meet the challenge of providing meaningful science education
for all students in diverse American classrooms and to prepare them for life in the 21st
century. Development of the FOSS program was, and continues to be, guided by
advances in the understanding of how people think and learn.

Grade Physical Science Earth Science Life Science
1-2
Balance and MotionSolids and
Liquids
Air and WeatherPebbles, Sand, and
Silt
Insects and PlantsPlants and
Animals
K Materials in Our World Trees and Weather Animals Two by Two

3
rd
through 8
th
Grade
Third grade through eighth grade will be grounded in Expeditionary Learning.
Expeditionary Learning Schools are models of comprehensive school reform based on the
educational ideas of German educator Kurt Hahn, the founder of Outward Bound. They
are exemplified by project-based learning expeditions, where students engage in
interdisciplinary, in-depth study of compelling topics, in groups and in their community,
with assessment coming through cumulative products, public presentations, and
portfolios. The model emphasizes high levels of student engagement, achievement, and
character development. The following design principles serve as a moral and cultural
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foundation for each Expeditionary Learning School. They express the core values and
educational philosophy of Expeditionary Learning.
o The Primacy of Self-Discovery states that learning happens best with emotion,
challenge and the requisite support. People discover their abilities, values,
passions, and responsibilities in situations that offer adventure and the
unexpected. The primary task of the teacher is to help students overcome their
fears and discover they can do more than they thought they could.
o The Having of Wonderful Ideas places emphasis on fostering curiosity about the
world by creating learning situations that provide something important to think
about, time to experiment, and time to make sense of what is observed.
o The Responsibility for Learning argues that learning is both a personal process of
discovery and a social activity. Therefore, every aspect of an Expeditionary
Learning school encourages both children and adults to become increasingly
responsible for directing their own personal and collective learning.
o Empathy and Caring believes that learning is fostered best in communities where
students' and teachers' ideas are respected and where there is mutual trust. Older
students often mentor younger ones, and students feel physically and emotionally
safe.
o Success and Failure states the fact that all students need to be successful if they
are to build the confidence and capacity to take risks and meet increasingly
difficult challenges. But it is also important for students to learn from their
failures, to persevere when things are hard, and to learn to turn disabilities into
opportunities.
o Collaboration and Competition positions Expeditionary Learning schools as
integrating individual development and group development, so that the value of
friendship, trust, and group action is clear. Students are encouraged to compete
not against each other, but with their own personal best and with rigorous
standards of excellence.
o Diversity and Inclusion believes that both diversity and inclusion increase the
richness of ideas, creative power, problem-solving ability, and respect for others.
Schools and learning groups are heterogeneous.
o The Natural World helps create a direct and respectful relationship with the
natural world, which refreshes the human spirit and teaches the important ideas of
recurring cycles and cause and effect. Students learn to become stewards of the
earth and of future generations.
o Solitude and Reflection argues that students and teachers need time alone to
explore their own thoughts, make their own connections, and create their own
ideas. They also need time to exchange their reflections with other students and
with adults.
o Service and Compassion places emphasis on strengthening students and teachers
through acts of consequential service to others. One of an Expeditionary Learning
school's primary functions is to prepare students with the attitudes and skills to
learn from and be of service (See Appendix EL)
A Resource Center will be developed for each grade level consisting of at least three (3)
curricular selections per content area. Daily, while planning and reflecting on the
inquisitive nature of their students, teachers will utilize the various teacher curricular kits
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and student books to prepare a lesson aligned to the PA Common Core Standards. All
teachers will spend time each week deconstructing the standard to determine the specific
skills that embody each standard in order to determine the sequence of lessons and types
of assessments. Afterward, teachers will select from the best curricular resources to use
with their children
Reading/Writing/Math Workshop: The approach is a way of teaching math, reading and
language arts as an active, student-centered process that gives students, individually and
in groups, much of the responsibility for making decisions about what will be studied and
why. It is also an approach that emphasizes the social and collaborative nature of
learning. As with most methodological or pedagogical innovations, the math/
reading/writing workshop has been redefined, realigned, and renamed on its journey
toward widespread acceptance. Its early predecessor was perhaps the writing workshop in
the 1970s. Reading workshops then developed to complement the writing workshops and
the term "reading/writing workshop is now used because writing is an important aspect of
learning to read in these classrooms. Also, because they encompass reading, writing,
speaking, and listening, they are also referred to as literacy workshops. Collaboration in
the workshop entails sharing responses, ideas, drafts, and finished written products
through conferences with the teacher, conferences and journal exchanges with peers and
the teacher, and with members of the student's wider, nonclassroom, community such as
parents. Collaborating to make meaning, rather than summarizing or reiterating teacher-
held interpretations, is the function of small-group discussion and whole-class discussion.
The teacher in these classrooms takes on many roles including that of a learner who, in
collaboration with students, constructs meaning through reading, writing, speaking, and
listening in the specific content area
Guided reading is an instructional approach that involves a teacher working with a small
group of students who demonstrate similar reading behaviors and can all read similar
levels of texts. The text is easy enough for students to read with your skillful support. The
text offers challenges and opportunities for problem solving, but is easy enough for
students to read with some fluency. You choose selections that help students expand their
strategies. Teachers will select books that students can read with about 90 percent
accuracy. Students can understand and enjoy the story because its accessible to them
through their own strategies, supported by your introduction. They focus on meaning but
use problem-solving strategies to figure out words they dont know, deal with difficult
sentence structure, and understand concepts or ideas they have never before encountered
in print. 35% of the selected text will be literary while the other 65% will be nonfiction.
(See Appendix Guided Reading)
WILSON Just Words

Just Words is a highly explicit, multisensory decoding and
spelling program for students in grades 412 and adults who have mild to moderate gaps
in their decoding and spelling proficiency but do not require intensive intervention. The
Just Words curriculum provides a sophisticated study of word structure appropriate for
students beyond the elementary grades. It provides direct and explicit teaching of how
English works for both decoding and spelling automaticity. Program highlights:
o Directed, accelerated pacing of word structure based on the research-validated
Wilson Reading System (WRS).
o Emphasis on phonemic awareness, phonics, word study, and spelling.
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o Explicit, systematic teaching of skills through the six syllable types and common
Latin roots.
o Extensive student practice with multiple opportunities for skills development.
o Assessments for monitoring student progress throughout the program.
o Instructor Manual and online Intervention Learning Community for
comprehensive teacher guidance and support.
mCLASS
:DIBELS Next
/IDEL
: Early literacy assessment software in English for

grades K6 and Spanish for grades K3 will be used to progress monitor. mClass quickly
identifies the needs of each student and inform next steps with instant analysis, reports
and instructional planning tools included in the only licensed mobile version of the
research-based DIBELS Next assessment.
o Use short, one-minute fluency measures for foundational reading skills.
o Replace manual calculations with instant results and recommended activities.
o Compare student progress with predictive, research-based benchmark goals.
o Track progress and target instruction to individual student needs.
o Use aggregate reports to support decision-making at every level.
TCI's online Social Studies Alive! programs teach students about the world around them
in ways that make them excited to learn every day. Activities like the Revolutionary War
tug-of-war capture their imagination and help them long remember key content. With
TCI's elementary programs, students don't just learn social studies. They learn to love
social studies.
TCI's online History Alive! programs transform middle school social studies class into a
multi-faceted learning experience. TCI lessons start with a big idea Essential Question
and incorporate graphic note taking, group work, and step-by-step discovery. Students
are the center of instruction that taps a variety of learning styles, allowing students of all
abilities to learn and succeed.
FOSS is a research-based science curriculum for grades K-8 developed at the Lawrence
Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley. FOSS is also an ongoing research
project dedicated to improving the learning and teaching of science. The FOSS project
began over 25 years ago during a time of growing concern that our nation was not
providing young students with an adequate science education. The FOSS program
materials are designed to meet the challenge of providing meaningful science education
for all students in diverse American classrooms and to prepare them for life in the 21st
century. Development of the FOSS program was, and continues to be, guided by
advances in the understanding of how people think and learn.

Grade Physical Science Earth Science Life Science
6-8
ElectronicsChemical
InteractionsForce and Motion
Earth HistoryPlanetary Science
(2nd Edition)Weather and
Water
Human Brain and SensesDiversity
of LifePopulations and Ecosystems
4-6
Mixtures and SolutionsMotion, Force,
and ModelsEnergy and
Electromagnetism
Weather on EarthSun, Moon,
and PlanetsSoils, Rocks, and
Landforms
Living SystemsEnvironments
3 Measuring Matter Water Structures of Life

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High School 9
th
12
th

Blended Learning seems to offer what education technology has long promised but rarely
delivered: greater student learning and improved school efficiency. Blended Learning
works because it combines two things in a way that makes each better than they are on
their own: teachers talent and technology tools. Blended learning allows teachers to do
what they do best work directly and closely with individual students and small groups
by harnessing the adaptive power and precision of technology. The best blended learning
approaches use technology to:
o help each student master the content and skills they need,
o allow teachers to get the most out of their planning and instructional time, and
o streamline operations with costs similar to or less than traditional schooling.
Key Charter School will use GradPoint by Pearson as the academic platform for blended
learning. GradPoint allows us to personalize learning with rigorous, standards-based core,
elective, honors and Advanced Placement
curriculum delivered on an intuitive learning

platform. Gradpoint gives us the ability to address blended learning, credit recovery,
dropout prevention, alternative education, English language learning, summer school on
one platform. Gradpoint offers:
o Over 150 rigorous, multimedia courses
o Variety of learning paths to serve all of your students' learning needs
o Convenient web browser access for any time, any place and any pace learning
o A simple and intuitive learning platform that frees up time for more teaching and
mentoring
o Data-driven technology that alerts teachers when students are failing or falling
behind in a course
o Professional development opportunities to learn new teaching strategies and best
practices
o Content developed by industry leaders and built on instructional design best
practices
o Award-winning curriculum aligned to state and Common Core State Standards
o A flexible platform that can grow as your teaching and program needs change
Key Charter will use the flex model as a blending learning model. The flex modela
program in which the online learning is the backbone of student learning, even if it directs
students to offline activities at times. Students move on an individually customized, fluid
schedule among learning modalities, and the teacher of record is on-site. The teacher-of-
record or other adults provide face-to-face support on a flexible and adaptive as-needed
basis through activities such as small-group instruction, group projects, and individual
tutoring. Some implementations have substantial face-to-face support, and others have
minimal (e.g., some flex models may have face-to-face certified teachers who supplement
the online learning on a daily basis, whereas others may provide little face-to-face
enrichment; others may have different staffing combinations; these are useful modifiers to
describe a particular Flex model). Sample model:
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Key Charter High School curricular offer:

ENGLISH MATHEMATICS SCIENCE HISTORY
Literature I Algebra I Algebra II Environment Science American I
Literature II Algebra II Geometry Biology American II
Literature III Geometry Trigonometry Chemistry World History
Literature IV Trigonometry Calculus Physics Economics
o Honor and AP for each above course
o Spanish I, II, III, IV; French I, II, III, IV
To graduate from Key Charter School, a student must successfully complete the below
graduation requirements. All obligations must be satisfied before a diploma may be
awarded. To be eligible for graduation from Key Charter School, a student must:
o students must earn 24 credits in order to graduate.
o pass the required courses of instruction (below)
o demonstrate mastery of the PA Academic Standards for Reading and Mathematics
via attaining proficiency or better on the 11th grade Pennsylvania System of
School Assessment (PSSA).
o demonstrate mastery on all core Keystone Examinations beginning in 2017
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o complete a culminating project

English Four (4.0) credits
Social Studies Four (4.0) credits
Mathematics Four (4.0) credits
Science Three (4.0) credits
Health, Physical Ed Two (2.0) credits
Arts/Humanities Two (2.0) credits
Electives (4.0) credits: Creative Writing I, Creative Writing
II, Journalism I, Journalism II, Speech, SAT Prep
English, African-American History, Latin American
History, Women in History, Astronomy I, Astronomy II,
Consumer Math, SAT Prep Math, Band I and II, Choir I
and II, Orchestra I and II

Key Charter School- all levels
Key Charter School has a prescribed means to planning, assessing, and teaching:

Key Charter School will deconstruct Common Core State Standards to develop a scope
and sequence aligned to the standards-based report card for every grade level. Moreover,
staff will use the scope and sequence to plan units of study. Example of Common Core
standard deconstruction:

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Key Charter School will utilize a standards-based report card to demonstrate student
learning. The content of the academic areas will be aligned to the PA Common Core
Standards for Reading, Language, Math, Social Studies, Science, and Technical subject
areas (See Appendix CCSS).
Key Charter School will use the academic shifts in reading and math to assess a students
behavior as Not Developing, Progressing, Proficient, or Exceptional
Reading
o Balancing Informational & Literary Text: Students read a true balance of
informational and literary texts.
o Knowledge in the Disciplines: Students build knowledge about the world
(domains/ content areas) through TEXT rather than the teacher or activities
o Staircase of Complexity: Students read the central, grade appropriate text around
which instruction is centered. Teachers are patient, create more time and space
and support in the curriculum for close reading.
o Text-based Answers: Students engage in rich and rigorous evidence based
conversations about text.
o Writing from Sources: Writing emphasizes use of evidence from sources to
inform or make an argument.
o Academic Vocabulary: Students constantly build the transferable vocabulary they
need to access grade level complex texts. This can be done effectively by
spiraling like content in increasingly complex texts.

KEY HSD 000017
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Math
o Focus: Teachers significantly narrow and deepen the scope of how time and
energy is spent in the math classroom. They do so in order to focus deeply on
only the concepts that are prioritized in the standards.
o Coherence: Principals and teachers carefully connect the learning within and
across grades so that students can build new understanding onto foundations built
in previous years.
o Fluency: Students are expected to have speed and accuracy with simple
calculations; teachers structure class time and/or homework time for students to
memorize, through repetition, core functions.
o Deep Understanding: Students deeply understand and can operate easily within a
math concept before moving on. They learn more than the trick to get the answer
right. They learn the math.
o Application: Students are expected to use math and choose the appropriate
concept for application even when they are not prompted to do so.
o Dual Intensity: Students are practicing and understanding. There is more than a
balance between these two things in the classroom both are occurring with
intensity.
Student portfolios will be used for all students in grades Prek through 8
th
grade. Student
portfolios will be reviewed quarterly between parent and students.
At the end of 2
nd
grade, 5
th
grade, 8
th
grade, and 12
th
all students will participate in
Student Led Conference (SLCs). The purpose is to not only allow students to explain how
he/she are doing in their classes but also why.
For English Language Learners, Key Charter will train all staff in The Sheltered
Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP). The Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol
(SIOP) was developed to make content material comprehensible to English Language
Learners. This model is the result of the work of Jana Echevarria, MaryEllen Vogt and
Deborah J. Short. The SIOP Model includes teacher preparation, instructional indicators
such as comprehensible input and the building of background knowledge. It comprises
strategies for classroom organization and delivery of instruction (See Appendix SIOP
and Appendix CCSS/ELL).
Teacher Preparation
o Teachers write clearly defined content objectives on the board for students. These
objectives are reviewed at the beginning of a lesson and students should state at
the end of the lesson whether the objectives have been met.
o Teachers should write clearly defined language objectives on the board for
students at the beginning of a lesson. Students state at the end of the lesson
whether the objectives have been met
o Concepts taught should be appropriate for the age and educational background of
students, Teachers must consider the students' L1 literacy, second language
proficiency, and the reading level of the materials.
o Supplementary materials are used to promote comprehension. These include
charts, graphs, pictures, illustrations, realia, math manipulatives, multimedia, and
demonstrations by teacher and other students
o Content must be adapted to ELLs needs through use of graphic organizers,
outlines, labeling of pictures, study guides, adapted text, and highlighted text.
KEY HSD 000018
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o Meaningful activities integrate lesson concepts with language practice
opportunities in listening. speaking, reading, and writing.

Indicators of Instruction:
1. Building Background
o Concepts should be directly linked to students background experience. This
experience can be personal, cultural or academic.
o Links should be explicitly made between past learning and new concepts.
o Key vocabulary is emphasized. New vocabulary is presented in context. The
number of vocabulary items is limited.
2. Comprehensible Input
o Use speech that is appropriate for students' language proficiency.
o Make the explanation of the task clear using step-by-step manner with visuals.
o Use of a variety of techniques to make content concepts clear. Teachers need to
focus attention selectively on the most important information. Introduce new
learning in context. Help students learn strategies such as predicting,
summarizing.
3. Strategies
o Provide ample opportunities for students to use learning strategies. Learning
strategies should be taught through explicit instruction. You want students to
develop independence in self-monitoring.
o Consistent use of scaffolding techniques throughout the lesson. Introduce a new
concept using a lot of scaffolding and decrease support as time goes on. Restate a
student's response or use think-alouds
o Use of a variety of question types, including those that promote higher level
thinking skills.
4. Interaction- provide the following for ELLs:
o frequent opportunities for interactions about lesson concepts which encourage
higher level thinking skills.
o grouping which supports language and content objectives. Cooperative groups,
buddies, pairs, large and small groups
o ample wait time for responses
o opportunities for clarification in native language, if possible.
5. Application- Lessons should include:
o hands-on materials or manipulatives for student practice.
o activities for students to apply content and language knowledge in the classroom.
o activities that integrate all language skills: listening, speaking, reading and
writing.
6. Lesson Delivery
o Content objectives supported by lesson delivery.
o Language objectives supported by lesson delivery.
o Students engaged 90% to 100% of the period.
o Pacing of the lesson appropriate to students ability level.

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B. Describe how your school will meet the educational needs of students with disabilities
in accordance with Chapter 711. Describe your projections for special education
instructional programs that will be operated directly by the charter school or operated
by others under contract with your charter school. List any support staff and related
service providers that might be employed directly by the charter school or provided
under contract, who will provide required support for students with disabilities receiving
special education.

For the 2014 2015 academic year, Key Charter School will employee the following to
meet the needs of special education students:
o 1 FT I.E.P. Team Associate (Special Education Case Manager)
o 4 FT Inclusion Specialists
o 2 FT Self-contained Para-educator
o 1 FT Guidance Counselor
For means of planning, Key Charter School used a 7.5% to 10% special education percent
to determine staffing need for the 2014-2015 academic year. As annual student
projections increase over the next four years, actual percents of students with IEPs will be
used to ensure the appropriate staffing model is in place. Projections:
o 2014-2015: 46 students to 61 students
Additional positions such as speech/language, occupational therapy, etc., may be buyback
services from the chartering school district, the Intermediate Unit or independent
contracted service providers based on the number of hours identified in a childs I.E.P.
The CEO will ensure all policies and procedures are followed in accordance with 22 Pa
Code, Chapter 711 and I.D.E.A and other relevant state and federal law to include initial
timeline meetings are met and reevaluation timelines are met
Guidance Counselor will develop and monitor 504 Plans
The IEP Chair will attend all required meetings conducted via the Special Education
Department within the LEA, Intermediate Unit, or Pennsylvania
Easy IEP, a computerized program, will be utilized to review reports weekly via the
Principal and IEP Chair. The two will meet to review any childs name that may appear
under the reports
Monthly, the Principal will review IEP folders and classroom teachers to ensure
accommodations and modifications for identified students are occurring as well as teacher
planning as it relates to the goals and objectives of the IEP
Monthly, the Principal, IEP Chair, and all Related Service Providers will meet to review
caseloads, service hours, and frequency of services
Indirect services between the general educator and special educator will be monitored
monthly and require the signature of the principal to ensure the time was honored. Each
indirect service will be filed in a child IEP folder
F.A.P.E. will be monitored and provided to all students. There may be times when a
student may have reached the legally permitted ten (10) days of suspension. At this time,
a meeting will be scheduled to determine manifestation and to review whether or not if a
KEY HSD 000020
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students Free and Appropriate Public Education was impacted and to conduct any
required Functional Behavioral Assessment. See additional discussion herein regarding
discipline of students and attached special education policies. Moreover, if a special
educator is unable to provide professional duties for a period of time, an administrator
will ensure that a certified special educator has been assign to the child and/or childs
classroom
As a public charter school within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Key Charter
School will follow all guidance in accordance with identifying, assessing, and ensuring
services for students identified as special education, gifted/talented, or ELL
Weekly, all teachers will have the opportunity to discuss a childs academic, behavioral,
or attendance concerns. Key Charter School will execute the RtI Process.
Response To Intervention (RtI) is a method of academic intervention used in the United
States which is designed to provide early, effective assistance to children who are having
difficulty learning. Response to intervention was also designed to function as one part of
a data-based process of identifying learning disabilities. This method can be used at the
group and individual level. The RTI method has been developed by proponents as an
alternative to identifying learning disabilities with the ability-achievement discrepancy
model, which requires children to exhibit a discrepancy between their ability, often
measured by Intelligence Quotient|IQ testing and academic achievement as measured by
their grades and standardized testing. Further, proponents claim that the RTI process
brings more clarity to the Specific Learning Disability (SLD) category of the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA 2004).
RTI seeks to prevent academic failure through early intervention, frequent progress
measurement, and increasingly intensive research-based instructional interventions for
children who continue to have difficulty. Students who do not show a response to
effective interventions are likely (or, more likely than students who respond) to have
biologically-based learning disabilities and to be in need of special education.
Based on need, 30 and 60 day strategies will be developed to be implemented in the
classroom by the content teachers. All strategies will be reviewed with supporting data to
determine effectiveness
Parents/caretakers will be invited to meetings to provide support for at home and school-
based strategies
Key Charter will use a three-prong approach to meeting the needs of students with IEPs
to ensure all goals/objectives are accomplished
o Responsible Inclusion: Through a co-teaching model, the special educator
and classroom teacher will work with all students
o Partial Pullout: The special educator will pull students for specific
instruction on particular goals/objectives based on time allotted in the IEP
o Self-contained: Based on the students programming, goals, and objectives
stated in the IEP, students will be assigned to a special educator for the
entire day

KEY HSD 000021
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C. What teaching methods will be used? How will this
pedagogy enhance student learning?

When considering our delivery of instruction, we first
started with a cross-walk of our three educational
programs to ensure a vertical alignment. Specifically, we
ensured the elements found in one educational program
would be a solid foundation for the next educational
program. Knowing this, students will feel more
comfortable as the leader in their educational experience.

The table below demonstrates the philosophical crosswalk:

Reggio Emilia (Prek-2) Expeditionary Learning (3-8) Blended Learning (9-12)
Children must have some control over the
direction of their learning
The Primacy of Self-Discovery states that
learning happens best with emotion,
challenge and the requisite support. People
discover their abilities, values, passions,
and responsibilities in situations that offer
adventure and the unexpected. The primary
task of the teacher is to help students
overcome their fears and discover they can
do more than they thought they could
Differentiated Learning: By harnessing
online learning, blended programs can
diagnose a students learning level, style,
etc. and differentiate instruction. Students
work at a customized level and pace,
instead of moving through school in age-
based cohorts regardless of their
comprehension
Children must be able to learn through
experiences of touching, moving, listening,
seeing, and hearing
The Having of Wonderful Ideas places
emphasis on fostering curiosity about the
world by creating learning situations that
provide something important to think
about, time to experiment, and time to
make sense of what is observed
Multiple Learning Modalities: With blended
learning, students can participate in
multiple learning modalities in addition to
online learning. These might include group
projects, small or large group instruction,
one-on-one tutoring, and more
Children have a relationship with other
children and with material items in the
world that children must be allowed to
explore
The Responsibility for Learning argues that
learning is both a personal process of
discovery and a social activity. Therefore,
every aspect of an Expeditionary Learning
school encourages both children and adults
to become increasingly responsible for
directing their own personal and collective
learning
Student Ownership: Like fully online
learning, blended learning gives students
ownership and control of their education.
Under the supervision of their teacher, they
have far more control over the time, place,
path, and pace of their learning than
traditional school students. This ownership
helps students take pride in their work
while developing important self-
management skills
Children must have endless ways and
opportunities to express themselves
Empathy and Caring believes that learning
is fostered best in communities where
students' and teachers' ideas are respected
and where there is mutual trust. Older
students often mentor younger ones, and
students feel physically and emotionally
safe
Physical Location: Countless lives are being
changed by fully online learning. Yet many
families simply dont have the means for a
parent or guardian to stay home so a
student can go to school online. Blended
learning provides the benefits of online
learning within a physical building

Success and Failure states the fact that all
students need to be successful if they are to
build the confidence and capacity to take
risks and meet increasingly difficult
challenges. But it is also important for
students to learn from their failures, to
persevere when things are hard, and to
learn to turn disabilities into opportunities
Data-Driven Teacher Attention: As with
fully online learning, blended learning is
data-driven, with teachers receiving regular
updates on student progress. This
empowers teachers by equipping them with
the information to immediately intervene
when students are struggling or adjust
instruction based on student learning. Many
blended school teachers receive data at the
end of every day in order to prepare for the
next

KEY HSD 000022
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Collaboration and Competition positions
Expeditionary Learning schools as
integrating individual development and
group development, so that the value of
friendship, trust, and group action is clear.
Students are encouraged to compete not
against each other, but with their own
personal best and with rigorous standards
of excellence
21
st
Century Preparation: Our 21
st
century
marketplace is technology-driven. Blended
learning prepares students for that
marketplace by helping them become
proficient, responsible, digital citizens

Diversity and Inclusion believes that both
diversity and inclusion increase the
richness of ideas, creative power, problem-
solving ability, and respect for others.
Schools and learning groups are
heterogeneous
Student-Focused: Whether on the
classroom, school, or district level, blended
programs revolve around the needs of
individual learnersnot cohorts, systems,
or adult interests. This is a transformative
development in public education that has
the potential to ensure each child gets the
education he or she deserves

The Natural World helps create a direct and
respectful relationship with the natural
world, which refreshes the human spirit
and teaches the important ideas of
recurring cycles and cause and effect.
Students learn to become stewards of the
earth and of future generations

Solitude and Reflection argues that students
and teachers need time alone to explore
their own thoughts, make their own
connections, and create their own ideas.
They also need time to exchange their
reflections with other students and with
adults

Service and Compassion places emphasis
on strengthening students and teachers
through acts of consequential service to
others. One of an Expeditionary Learning
school's primary functions is to prepare
students with the attitudes and skills to
learn from and be of service

Knowing that students are the leaders in their educational experience, our philosophy regarding
the planning and delivery of specific content is grounded in facilitated learning. Facilitated
learning is where the students are encouraged to take more control of their learning process.
Moreover, it is a process of helping students to explore, learn and change through self-evaluation
and cooperation with others. The process of facilitated learning is delivered via the teacher. To
accomplish this, we start by taking into account the different personality types and learning styles
in the class as well as ensuring we embed an experiential learning component into every lesson
and/or unit of study. The teachers role becomes that of a facilitator and organizer providing
resources and support to learners. In turn the students learn with and from each other as they
identify and implement solutions to challenges, problems or other developmental issues.
Additionally, each lesson constructed typically includes individual work time, small group
activities and some whole group time. Students might also set their own objectives and be
responsible for learning assessment. Facilitated learning is based on the premise that the more
responsibility a student takes for his/her own learning, the more effective the lesson or education
will be. The advantages are:
o Learners use skills like synthesis and analysis
o The learner is actively involved
o Learners interact with and learn from each other
o There is no need for large amounts of learning materials
o Learners can work in an environment similar to that of the real world
KEY HSD 000023
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o A variety of learning methods are used
As already noted, the teachers role in facilitated learning is to create and manage collaborative
learning experiences, or group learning in which exchanges between instructors and learners and
among learners occur over a period of time. Facilitated courses and learning experiences usually
take place over a series of weeks and may include:
o On-demand tutorials, presentations, and keynote addresses
o Online or face-to-face group discussions and exchanges
o Handouts, readings, and links to relevant Websites
o File and link sharing
o Surveys and polls
o Virtual real-time or physical classroom sessions, lectures, seminars
o Brainstorming sessions (virtual or face-to-face)
o Group activities such as role play and games
o Field trips
o Projects and case studies

D. Attach the school calendar and identify hours of the school operation, as per Section
1715-A(9).

Key Charter School will operate on an eight (8) hour workday. Students will attend
school for seven (7) hours while staff will work an additional hour without students. The
daily extra hour will afford staff the opportunity to participate in a weekly schedule of
activities. Sample schedule will include:
o Monday- Ongoing study and training
o Tuesday- Looking at student work/Evidence of effectiveness
o Wednesday- Data and next steps
o Thursday- RTII (looking at individual students)
o Friday- Planning and preparation
Staff will work a 196 school year while students attend a 180 school year (See Appendix
Calendar)

4. School Accountability:
A. What methods of self-assessment or evaluation will be used to ensure that the school is
meeting its stated mission and objectives
5Essentials is an evidence-based system designed to drive improvement in schools
nationwide. The 5E system reliably measures changes in a school organization through
its survey, predicts school success through scoring, and provides individualized
actionable reports to schools, districts, parents, and community partners, and training to
school leadership and teachers. 5E is based on more than 20 years of research by
the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research on schools and what makes
them successful. What the Chicago Consortium has found is not surprisingschools that
are well organized, safe, and supportive are much more likely to be successful.
Specifically, researchers determined five essential components for school success (See
Appendix 5E):
KEY HSD 000024
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o Effective Leaders: The principal works with teachers to implement a clear and
strategic vision for school success.
o Collaborative Teachers: The staff is committed to the school, receives strong
professional development, and works together to improve the school.
o Involved Families: The entire school staff builds strong relationships with
families and communities to support learning.
o Supportive Environment: The school is safe and orderly. Teachers have high
expectations for students. Students are supported by their teachers and peers.
o Ambitious Instruction: Classes are academically demanding and engage students
by emphasizing the application of knowledge.
The 5E system is based on findings described in Organizing Schools for Improvement:
Lessons from Chicago, written by UEI researchers and selected by Education Next as one
of the best education books of the decade.
B. How will teachers and administrators be evaluated? Describe your standards for teacher
and staff performance.

Key Charter School will use the Danielson 2013 Instructional Framework for the formal
evaluation process of teachers. All staff will be formally observed three (3) times per year:
Fall, Winter, and Spring (See Appendix Danielson)
All staff will be informally observed weekly. Weekly informal observations will be aligned
to the overall philosophy of the school and specific programming: Reggio Emelia,
Expeditionary Learning, and Blended Learning
All administration will be evaluated based on the PA Principal Effectiveness Framework. All
administration will begin the year with goal setting between the CEO, CAO and school
leader. Moreover, a midyear evaluation will be conducted in February, and a final evaluation
conducted no less than fifteen (15) days after receipt of high-stakes assessment data (i.e.
Keystone Examinations, PSSA) (See Appendix PAPEF)

C. How do you plan to hold your school accountable to the parents of the children attending your
school?

Key Charter School, as a reflective organization, will hold itself accountable to parents in
ways, such as, but not limited to:
o Quarterly, student progress reports
o Student Lead Conferences at the end of 2
nd
grade, 5
th
grade, 8
th
, and 12
th
grade
o Confer with parents on their childs accomplishment of IEP goals and objectives
o Provide electronic and traditional newsletters to inform parents of the schools
progress view a school website, Facebook, and Twitter
o Send regular email information to parents about the school
o Automated robo-calls
o Provide written report cards for each student every 9 weeks
o Open house opportunities
o Invite parents to attend monthly meetings and conferences on teaching and
learning, workshops, orientation programs, school events, and activities
o Schedule parent/teacher conferences to participate in RTI Meetings as necessary
KEY HSD 000025
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o Guide students to be self-advocates and participate in parent/teacher conferences
o Include parent representatives as members of the charter board
o Generate the Annual Charter School Report as required by PDE and make it
available to parents and community members for their feedback. Post the results
on our public website
o Participate in an annual 5Essential Survey with results posted on our public
website
o School leaders to conduct monthly chat-chew sessions with parents
o Yearly, survey the parents and stakeholders on areas of the budget
o Yearly, conduct an open forum for parents and stakeholders on proposed budget

D. Discuss your plan for regular review of school budgets and financial records.

Key Charter will comply with all PDE mandated requirements relative to financial
records and the annual school budgeting procedures.
o Include professional Certified Public Accountants as members of the Board of Directors
o Employ a Chief Executive Officer and Director of Operations to develop the annual
budget and to oversee the day-to-day financial operation of the school; communication
with various LEAs, and PDE
o Use the PA Chart of Accounts to organize revenues and expenditures and ensure
transparency
o Contract with an approved auditor to conduct the required annual school audit
o Contract with a comptroller to meet one hour per week with the CEO and Director of
Operations to review financial activity for the week
o Monthly, the Director of Operations will review the budget with the charter board for
question/review as well as approval
o Comply with all required audit procedures including an annual audit by the PA
Department of Education Comptrollers Office for an Annual Independent Financial
Audit and an Annual Report/Program Audit
o Yearly, survey the parents and stakeholders on areas of the budget
o Yearly, conduct an open forum for parents and stakeholders on proposed budget

E. Describe your system for maintaining school records and disseminating information as
required under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) was enacted in August of 1974
to protect student education records and pertains to any school, either K-12 or higher
education, public, or private, that receives funds under any program from the U.S.
Department of Education.
Key Charter will ensure all staff have the requisite training on FERPA requirements and
procedures including the following basic information:
o FERPA covers private and public schools, colleges, and universities, including Key
Charter School
o Regulations were set before the information age and as a result must be carefully
interpreted.
KEY HSD 000026
26

o Directory information, which can be shared without the consent of parents and age
appropriate students must be used carefully.
o Records of a student's use of a school network require stringent protection.
o "Do not share" requests must be honored.
o Do not use "last four" recording of a student's social security number.
o Appropriate access rights must be maintained.
Key Charter School will ensure all student records, front office, special education, health,
are secured in a locked environment. All records will only be reviewed by assigned
personnel and will require a signature to review and a signature to return.
Key Charter School will ensure the following two strategies are conducted at all times:
1. Notify current parents and age appropriate students annually in writing of their rights
under FERPA.
o Right to seek amendment or correction of educational records
o Right to have some control over the disclosure of information from education records
except when release is permitted by law
o Right to file complaints with the Family Policy Compliance Office, United States
Department of Education, within 180 days of alleged violation
2. Grant access by students or parents, if applicable, to education records.
o Parents, students and former students have the right to inspect and review their education
records through established procedures.
o Within a maximum of 45 days after written request is received.
o Institution or agency is not required to provide a copy of the education record unless
failure to do so would deny access.
o Records cannot be destroyed if request is pending.
o Fee can be charged unless cost prohibits access.
o Parents, students and former students have the right to review records of request for
disclosure of their personally identifiable information.
o Institution needs to maintain records of request and make them available to
students.
o A record of disclosure is not required to document disclosure to:
o a student or parent.
o a school official with a legitimate educational interest.
o an individual to whom the student provides written consent for disclosure,
o an individual providing a lawfully issued subpoena
o an individual requesting directory information.
Key Charter School will be sure to consult a lawyer annually for advice on compliance
issues.

F. Describe your system for maintaining accurate student enrollment information as required
under Section 1748-A, Enrollment and Notification.

As a matter of law, Section 1748-A is applicable to cyber charter schools, not brick and
mortar charter schools. However, without waiver of the notation, Key Charter responds as
follows:

KEY HSD 000027
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Key Charter School will use PowerSchool SMS to enter and maintain all student
information. PowerSchool SMS and ParentCONNECTxp provide powerful functionality
for school administrators, teachers, counselors, parents and students. School
administrators have the flexibility to decide what the workflow will be for managing
online course requests. They can give parents the ability to approve their child's course
requests online through ParentCONNECTxp. Counselors can make adjustments to
student course requests and also approve them in PowerSchool SMS. Teachers and
counselors can make course recommendations to their students as they work with them to
meet their graduation requirements. School administrators and counselors have access to
built-in verification reports to help manage their workflow. All of this functionality is
presented through an intuitive user interface, which includes quick searches and drag-and-
drop capability.

PowerSchool SMS offers the following features:

o ART is Pearson's Advanced Reporting Toolkit - a data-reporting framework designed to
dramatically reduce the amount of time required to define and validate data extracts.
o PowerTeacher is a revolutionary, web-based classroom management system designed by
teachers, for teachers, to meet the evolving needs of today's educator with unparalleled
ease-of-use.
o Academic plans in PowerSchool SMS help secondary schools ensure students complete
the coursework required to graduate. With PowerSchool SMS academic plans, districts
can create one or more versions of each academic plan, with each version applicable to
the year or range of years that students entered Grade 9. Within each plan version, you
can define groups of courses, indicate the required credits and maximum credits allowed,
assign the order in which credits are applied for the courses, and create graduation
requirement rules (for example, create a rule that students must achieve certain test
scores).
o With PowerSchool SMS, addresses are validated against the Google Maps service to
ensure address level accuracy, and that all students live within school and district
boundaries.
o Fully integrated with the award-winning PowerTeacher grade book, ParentCONNECTxp
maximizes parent participation with a clean, simple interface for improved ease-of-use
and end-user adoption.
o PowerSchool SMS is a student-centric system, with all data pertinent to a student record
available from a single location. There is no need to open separate modules to access
different types of information such as grades, attendance, schedules, etc. Student
demographic data is conveniently organized in a series of tabs to allow data to be viewed
and entered in an efficient manner.
o Users quickly search the student database with any combination of student demographic
data elements, including custom fields added with cTools. Search results will display in a
customizable grid format that can be easily printed in report format or saved to a list for
one-click access in the future.
o PowerSchool SMS includes incident-based student behavior tracking, allowing a single
incident to be created, with multiple students associated with the incident. Primary
KEY HSD 000028
28

offenders, incident victims and witnesses can be tracked for each incident. For incidents
with multiple primary offenders, separate incident involvement and consequences can be
assigned to each student.
o Scheduling for the upcoming school year in PowerSchool SMS is facilitated through a
system of Planning Calendars in the core system. This means there is no separate
database or system to access or maintain: everything is done in the same system and
database that users are accustomed to accessing. Students are dynamically promoted to
the correct school and grade level for the upcoming year in the Planning Calendar, as
students enter or leave the district during the active year, the Planning Calendars are
dynamically updated to reflect the accurate student population for the upcoming year. An
unlimited number of scheduling scenarios can be maintained within the Planning
Calendar, with each scenario able to copy any subset of elements from a previous
scenario when necessary.
o Student immunization compliance is calculated in real-time against the district-defined
immunization policies.
o Program Management allows the district to define and manage programs within the SIS,
including program eligibility criteria. Program Management allows schools to view and
manage their programs from a single-centralized screen, including program dates, number
of participants, and number of applications.
o Program Management allows users to view a student's complete program participation
history, including current and historical programs as well as applications and application
status. Automatic eligibility calculations allow users to quickly view the reasons for the
student's eligibility or ineligibility.
o Schools may define a set of Attendance Exception Rules against which students are
automatically evaluated. When a student is found to be in violation of one or more
Attendance Exception Rules an Active Alert is automatically sent to designated recipients
alerting them of the violation.
o PowerSchool SMS allows customers to extend and customize a wide variety of schema
areas within the system, including the addition of an unlimited number of custom fields,
pages, and validation rules.
o With PowerSchool SMS, cTools allows for the addition of an unlimited number of
custom pages as well as the addition of custom panels to core application pages.

Key Charter School has allotted $20,000 for the purchase of the student information
system.
Key Charter School will comply with all PDE and School District child accounting forms
(including, but not limited to:
o PDE-4059CS Instructional Time Summary
o PDE-40262C Annual Attendance Membership Report
o PDE-4002CS Summary Report of Aggregate Days Membership
Key Charter School will participate in PDEs PA Information Management System
(PIMS) In addition, PCS will identify and use a yet to be selected electronic SIS to track
enrollment data and ensure accuracy with figures that are always up-to-date, reflecting
new students and any withdrawals.
KEY HSD 000029
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Based on these data, Key Charter School will notify the students school district of
residence within 15 days of enrollment through the use of a Notification Form developed
by PDE.
Should a dispute arise with the sending district over the childs residency, Key Charter
Schools CEO will work with the school district and PDE to ensure resolution.

Student Evaluation:
A. Describe plans to evaluate student performance.

Key Charter will analyze various types of summative and predictive assessments to gauge
students achievement of their learning goals and objectives.

o Plans and processes to evaluate student performance include, but are not limited to:
o Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (P.S.S.A.)
o Pennsylvania Alternate School Assessment (P.A.S.A.), if appropriate
o High School Keystone Examinations
o Advanced Placement Results
o MAP: Measures of Academic Progress (3 12)
o MAP for Primary Grades (K 2)
o Students Individual Education Program (IEP)
o Student Led Conferences (Grade 2, Grade 5, Grade 8, and Grade 12)

B. How will student development toward the schools overall learning goals and objectives be
measured?

Key Charter will analyze various types of formative assessments to gauge students
achievement of their learning goals and objectives throughout the year.

o Fountas & Pinnell: Benchmark Assessment System 1, 2nd Edition (K 2)
o Fountas & Pinnell: Benchmark Assessment System 2, 2nd Edition (3 8)
o Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (D.I.B.E.L.S.)
o Expeditionary Learning Assessments and Unit Projects (CBA)
o Classroom-based formative assessment
o Teacher-made tests for chapters and units of instruction
o Student Led Conferences (Grade 2, Grade 5, Grade 8, and Grade 12)

C. Describe how student evaluation will be used to improve student achievement and attain the
stated learning objectives.

As reflective practitioners, Key Charter School will subscribe to a process of reviewing all
school data, formative and summative, as well as planning. As educators, we know the
biggest impact on academic success is how we, as educators, are engaged in the learning
process and increasing the number of strategies we are proficient at in order to meet the
diverse learning styles of our children. Knowing this, the process for looking at data followed
by planning are explained below:

KEY HSD 000030
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Step 1: Collect and Chart Data
o Is data assembled in discussion
prior to the start of the meeting?
o Is data are disaggregated by:
o Grade level or content
(course)?
o Teacher?
o Performance level appropriate
to data?
o Subgroups appropriate to the
dataset?
o Does data include but are not
limited to:
o District benchmark
assessment?
o State-level assessments?
o Instructional Teams minutes
(teacher and administrator level
teams)?
o Actions of the adults in the system?
Step 2: Analyze Data to Prioritize Needs
o Are strengths and needs identified from a mix of aggregate and disaggregate district and
school data that are within the direct influence of the various Building Teams (teacher
and administrator teams)?
o Is the initial analysis used for the purpose of creating a School Plan?
o Does, subsequently, analysis includes looking at a mix of aggregate and disaggregate data
in order to identify root causes of obstacles (i.e., attendance patterns, disciplinary issues,
student engagement, implementation fidelity, etc.)?
o Are needs prioritized to reflect those areas that will have the greatest impact on district
and school goals?
Step 3: Set, Review, and Revise Incremental SMART Goals
o Are strengths and needs established and School Plan goals are reviewed and/or revised as
needed?
o Do goals align with District Plan (Academic Priorities) at a minimum?
o Are Grade Level/Dept Goals SMART?
o Specific: Targeted to identified school needs by subject area, grade level, student population and/or adult practice.
o Measurable: The element examined must be measurable using an assessment or rubric.
o Achievable: Percentage gains or increases should be determined by expected change.
o Relevant: Goal should target urgent needs.
o Timely: A time frame should be established for assessment/monitoring.

KEY HSD 000031
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Step 4: Select Strategies
o Are strategies chosen to promote changes in adult practices connected to improving
student performance?
o Are strategies linked to prioritized needs?
o Are strategies prioritized to reflect research-based practices that will have the greatest
impact?
o Are descriptions of strategies specific enough to allow for replication (i.e.,
implementation, frequency, duration, resources)?
Step 5: Determine Results Indicators
o Do result indicators describe precise adult behaviors/actions connected to implementing
the leadership strategies that will be seen if implemented with fidelity?
o Do results indicators describe the observable change in ongoing adult performance to be
expected if the strategy is having the desired impact (linked directly to prioritized need)?
o Do results indicators describe the anticipated result or evidence of effective
implementation or how teams will know that the strategy is working?
o Are descriptions clear and details given that allow others to replicate the described
practices?
o Is interim timeframe established to monitor the implementation of the strategy?
Step 6: Monitor and Evaluate the Results
o Is explicit data collected about the frequency of the use of the agreed-upon strategy?
o Is explicit data collected about the quality of the use of the agreed-upon strategy?
o Is explicit data from student assessments related to the identified need are collected and
correlated with data on strategy usage.
o Do ILT members hold each other accountable for monitoring?
o Do ILT members aid each other in monitoring (i.e., conducting monitoring for others
when duties interfere, relieving or substituting for others in duties to allow monitoring,
etc.)?
Afterward, the instructional leadership team at Key Charter School will work with the CEO
and CAO to develop Cycles of Professional Learning in order to complete steps #4, #5, and
#6 of the data analysis process. Cycles of Professional Learning incorporate the follow 6-8
weeks of action research study:
Area 1: Input
o Identify the dates and times for your training or input sessions each quarter:
o Specific topic?
o Who is responsible?
o Whole staff/department?
o Expectations after training?
Area 2: Risk Free Adult Practice
o For approximately 2 weeks after the initial training session on a specific instructional
practice, teachers will benefit from a time for safe practice. Identify the dates for each
safe practice during each cycle and label your plan accordingly.

KEY HSD 000032
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Area 3: On-going Study
o Briefly describe your plan for circulating professional readings and add New Article
and the date or day it will be circulated during each week of the cycles for the year:
o How often?
o Who?
o Circulation Process?
o Follow-up?
Area 4: Support-Coaching-Feedback
o Identify the weeks that will be designated for observations and mark those on your plan.
During the first week of observations:
o How often?
o Release time?
o Who target teacher?
o Protocol for feedback?
o Role of support staff?
Area 5: Team Process through Data
o Describe when teacher teams will meet to discuss the instructional practices they are
being trained in and the impact of those practices on regular student work and interim
assessments:
o Grouping for teachers?
o Schedule?
o Facilitations of meeting?
o Student work protocol?
o Review team information?

Area 6: Accountability and Walk-through
o At least once a month all classrooms should be visited by ILT members and the level of
implementation data collected and organized not by individual teacher, but collectively.
o How will it be organized?
o Calibration for consistency?
o Data collected/organized?
o Review data/adjust PLC?

5. School Community:
A. Describe the relationship of your school with the surrounding community.

The proposed site for Key Charter School is at the old Bishop McDevitt High School located
at 2200 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA. The school was in operation as of last December
before moving to their new location
Founders of Key Charter School met with Sister to discuss the intent of the charter and the
purchase of the school on Saturday, October 5, 2013. Sister supports the purchase of the
school to Key Charter School
October 5, 2013, the founding members walked the community of Bellvue, directly across
the street of the school to discuss the intent to open a charter. Overwhelming support from
the community members we spoke with to open the site as a school
October 12, 2013, Twitter account established
KEY HSD 000033
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October 12, 2013, Facebook account established (See Appendix Facebook)
October 14, 2013, founding members met with Dan Miller, mayoral candidate
October 14, 2013, founding members met with Alex Reber
October 28, 2013, founding members met with Dr. Sybil Knight-Burney, Superintendent of
the Harrisburg School District
October 30, 2013, founding members met with Senator Rob Teplitz for Harrisburg
Key Charter will continue to collect signature and letters of support as an addendum to the
November 15, 2013 submission of the charter application to the Harrisburg School District

B. Describe the nature and extent of parent involvement in the schools mission.

As founding members, we are also parents. Moreover, the son of Kenneth Cherry will attend
Key Charter as a high school student. Additionally, as parts of our application are posted on
Facebook, the community is responding to the approval.

C. Describe procedures established to review complaints of parents regarding operation of
the charter school.

Via the school website, parents will always have a voice to air complaints and/or
issues to the Principal, Chief Executive Officer, and President of the Charter Board
through an online contact form.
As needed, conferences will be scheduled with all parties to ensure resolution. Key
Charter School will adhere to the following framework when handling disputes
o Conference 1: Parent(s) and instructor(s) It will be strongly encouraged that
these immediate parties discuss the concern and leave the discussion with the
appropriate resolution
o Conference 2: Parent(s), instructor(s), and Administration If there is no
resolution during the initial conference, administration will conduct an
additional meeting to determine satisfaction
o Conference 3: Community conferencing will be conducted with the above
stakeholders as well as school police to serve as a mediator
If there is not a resolution after the three conferences, the principal will contact the
CEO for a meeting with the parent and charter board executive committee
Afterward, a 72 hour follow-up call will be conducted by members of the
administration team to ensure customer satisfaction

6. Extra-curricular activities (athletics, publications and organizations):
A. Describe the program of extracurricular activities planned for the charter school.
Key Charter School will work with the school community and parents to determine what
extracurricular activities are of most interest to the students we serve. Possible extra-
curricular activities could be:
o Sports: Football, basketball, wrestling, soccer, volleyball, track
o Band
o Choir
o Student Government
KEY HSD 000034
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o Debate
o Drama
o Robotics
o Orchestra
o Yearbook
o School Events (Monthly dances/celebrations, Homecoming, Prom)
o Dance
o Creative Arts
o Academic Enrichment
o
B. Describe whether any agreements have been entered into or plans developed with the local
school district regarding participation of the charter school students in extracurricular
activities within the school district.
At the time of this application, no formal agreement has been established with the LEA
regarding participation of Key Charter School students in extracurricular activities
however the founding members are interesting in scheduling a meeting

KEY HSD 000035
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II. NEEDS ASSESSMENT

1. Statement of Need:
A. Why is there a need for this type of school?

Key Charter School is looking to establish a school in the Harrisburg School District. Key
Charter would be a comprehensive, free, charter school allowing students to learn and grow
in one environment from K 12
th
grade. While the Harrisburg School district has both
traditional and charter schools, no other school exists in the area that allows a child(ren) to
stay in one place throughout their educational experience. In addition, the vertical alignment
of the educational philosophies (i.e. Reggio Emilio, Expeditionary Learning, and Blended
Learning) meet the various maturation stages throughout their experiences at Key Charter
School.

B. Explain why the charter school model is an appropriate vehicle to address this need.

The Key Charter School philosophy is designed to meet the needs of the child and grow with
him/her over time through vertical alignment of programming. The Reggio Emilio
philosophy allows for the school to meet the development needs of children while exploring
sensory learning and allow the students the beginning start to driving his/her learning
experience. From there, our children are allowed to move into learning about cooperative
experiences and learning to solve real-life, community-based problems through
Expeditionary Learning. Finally, students are given the independence to use what he/she
knows about himself and how to rely on others to independently take control over their
learning through Blended Learning. All three phases of philosophy are approached from a
facilitated view of teaching and learning. Facilitated learning, in short, emphasizes the
natural curiosity students bring each day, makes the learner part of the process, and allows
the teacher more time to work individually or in small groups. As in traditional setting where
students are the target of information, students are allows to explore learning, make
connections to their community and experiences, take responsibility for learning, and
ultimately learn through projects. Moreover, projects-based learning, the main outcome for
all students, will require students to apply, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate more with self
and others.

KEY HSD 000036
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2. School Demographics:
A. What are the schools enrollment projections for the first five years? What is the schools
ultimate enrollment goal? What grades will be served? What is the age of kindergarten and
age of beginner students? How many students are expected to be in each grade or grouping?

(See Appendix Enrollment)
* Kindergarten age 5
Key Charter School would accept students from the Harrisburg School District, Susquehanna
Township School District, Central Dauphin School District, and Steelton-Highspire School
District (See Pre-registrations)

B. Describe the community or region where the school will be located.

The proposed site is located at 2200 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA in a form Archdiocese
School. The school is located directly across the street from the Bellevue Community, a
community deep in historic significance.
As of 2011, the city had a population of 49,673, making it the ninth-largest city in
Pennsylvania. Harrisburg is also the county seat of Dauphin County and lies on the east
bank of the Susquehanna River, 105 miles (169 km) west-northwest of Philadelphia and
204 miles (328 km) east of Pittsburgh. In 2010 Forbes rated Harrisburg as the second best
place in the U.S. to raise a family. Despite the city's recent financial troubles, in 2010
The Daily Beast website ranked 20 metropolitan areas across the country as being
recession-proof, and the Harrisburg region landed at No. 7. The financial stability of the
region is in part due to the high concentration of state and federal government agencies.
The finances of the city itself however, have been poorly managed and its inability to
STUDENT ENROLLMENT PROJECTIONS 2014 - 2019
Grade Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5
K 4(20) 80 4(20) 80 4(20) 80 4(20) 80 4(20) 80
1 4(20) 80 4(20) 80 4(20) 80 4(20) 80 4(20) 80
2 4(20) 80 4(20) 80 4(20) 80 4(20) 80 4(20) 80
3 3(22) 66 4(22) 88 4(22) 88 4(22) 88 4(22) 88
4 3(22) 66 4(22) 88 4(22) 88 4(22) 88 4(22) 88
5 3(22) 66 4(22) 88 4(22) 88 4(22) 88 4(22) 88
6 2(22) 44 3(22) 66 4(22) 88 4(22) 88 4(22) 88
7 2(22) 44 3(22) 66 4(22) 88 4(22) 88 4(22) 88
8 2(22) 44 3(22) 66 4(22) 88 4(22) 88 4(22) 88
9 2(22) 44 3(22) 66 4(22) 88 4(22) 88 4(22) 88
10 3(22) 66 4(22) 88 4(22) 88 4(22) 88
11 4(22) 88 4(22) 88 4(22) 88
12 4(22) 88 4(22) 88
Total
Enrollment
614 834 1032 1120 1120
KEY HSD 000037
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repay its bond debt has created an ongoing fiscal crisis. Harrisburg's western boundary is
formed by the west shore of the Susquehanna River (the Susquehanna runs within the city
boundaries), which also serves as the boundary between Dauphin and Cumberland
counties. The city is divided into numerous neighborhoods and districts. Like many of
Pennsylvania's cities and boroughs that are at "build-out" stage, there are several
townships outside of Harrisburg city limits that, although autonomous, use the name
Harrisburg for postal and name-place designation. They include the townships of: Lower
Paxton, Middle Paxton, Susquehanna, Swatara and West Hanover in Dauphin County.
The borough of Penbrook, located just east of Reservoir Park, was previously known as
East Harrisburg. Penbrook, along with the borough of Paxtang, also located just outside
of the city limits, maintain Harrisburg zip codes as well. The United States Postal Service
designates 26 zip codes for Harrisburg, including 13 for official use by federal and state
government agencies.
The Harrisburg School District is a large, urban, public school district based in
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The Harrisburg City School District encompasses
approximately 11 square miles (28 km
2
). Harrisburg public schools provide education for
the city's youth, beginning with preschool through twelfth grade. In July 2000, the
Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued a ruling that upholds the Education Empowerment
Act adopted by the Pennsylvania General Assembly, and signed by then Governor Tom
Ridge, that permitted a change in the governance of the Harrisburg School District from
an elected school board, to a board of control named by Harrisburg mayor.

C. Why was this location selected? Are there other locations suitable to the needs and focus of
the school?

The proposed site is located at 2200 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA in a form Archdiocese
School. The school is located directly across the street from the Bellevue Community, a
community deep in historic significance (See Appendix McDevitt).
The school offers approximately 100,000 square feet of educational space as well as our
ability to be competitive in sports.
Due to our proposal to be a PreK 12
th
grade school, a large comprehensive space is
needed. Currently, no other facility is available in the area for such expansion.
The location of the facility also puts us within a 10 mile radius of additional school
district allow Key Charter School to service families looking for an all-inclusive
educational opportunity
Harrisburg City School District was ranked 493rd out of 500 Pennsylvania public school
districts in 2013, by the Pittsburgh Business Times.

The ranking was based on the last 3
years of student academic performance on the PSSAs for math, reading, writing and
science.

The PSSAs are given to all children in grades 3rd through 8th and the 11th grade
in high school. In 2012, Harrisburg City School District was in Corrective Action II 10th
Year due to continuing low students achievement.

One school in the District achieve
Adequate Yearly Progress as measured by NCLB. The District reported that 42 teachers
were rated "Non Highly Qualified" under the Federal No Child Left Behind Act. In 2012,
Harrisburg City School District's graduation rate was 45%.

KEY HSD 000038
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D. Describe any unique demographic characteristics of the student population to be served,
including primary languages spoken.

As of the 2010 census, the city was 30.7% White, 52.4% Black or African American, 0.5%
Native American, 3.5% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian, and 5.2% were two or more races.
18.0% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry. There were 20,561 households
out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 23.4% were married
couples living together, 24.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and
46.9% were non-families. 39.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.4%
had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was
2.32 and the average family size was 3.15. The racial makeup of the city was 54.83% Black
or African American, 31.72% White, 0.37% Native American, 2.83% Asian, 0.07% Pacific
Islander, 6.54% from other races, and 3.64% from two or more races. 18% of the population
were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

3. District Relations/Evidence of Support:
A. What efforts have you made to notify the district(s) from which your charter school would
draw students?

October 31, 2013, Key Charter School members, via permission from Dr. Sybil Knight-
Burney, began working with members of the Harrisburg School District operational team to
discuss the possibility of buy-back services (i.e. Payroll, Cafeteria)
November 15, 2013, CEO will send letters to all adjacent superintendents informing him/her
of our charter school submission to the Harrisburg School District

B. What efforts will be implemented to maintain a collaborative relationship with school
districts?

The Board will work collaboratively with all impacted school districts ensure proper
delivery of proposed school program. Assisting the Board will be the Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) and the Chief Academic Officer (CAO). The CEO and CAO will establish
relationships with the multiple departments within the Central Office
Monthly, the executive committee will meet with the administrative team of the school to
ensure the school is meeting or exceeding the goals as outlined in the charter agreement.

KEY HSD 000039
39

C. Convey the scope of community backing for the proposed charter school and its founding
coalition. Document community support among teachers, parents, students, community
members, institutional leaders and others through the use of letters of support, surveys, or
other tangible means.
The proposed site for Key Charter School is at the old Bishop McDevitt High School located
at 2200 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA. The school was in operation as of last December
before moving to their new location
Founders of Key Charter School met with Sister to discuss the intent of the charter and the
purchase of the school on Saturday, October 5, 2013. Sister supports the purchase of the
school to Key Charter School
October 5, 2013, the founding members walked the community of Bellvue, directly across
the street of the school to discuss the intent to open a charter. Overwhelming support from
the community members we spoke with to open the site as a school
October 12, 2013, Twitter account established
October 12, 2013, Facebook account established- within one week, 119 likes
One week after posting positions on-line, applicants have begun to apply for teaching
November 2, 2013: Co-founders recruited in the Kline Plaza; 16
th
, 17
th
, and 18
th
blocks near
the proposed site; and on Union Deposit Road in Susquehanna Township
Key Charter will continue to collect signature and letters of support as an addendum to the
November 15, 2013 submission of the charter application to the Harrisburg School District
(See Appendix Support Letters)

KEY HSD 000040
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III. DESCRIPTION OF FOUNDING/MANAGEMENT TEAM

1. Profile of Founding Coalition:
A. Describe the makeup of the group or partnership that is working together to apply for a
charter, including the names of the founders, their background and experiences, and
references for each.

Ken Cherry: Ken has 23 years in education and has taught students at all levels in rural,
suburban, and urban environments. Ken has worked in both the public school sector and
the private educational-business sector. In addition to teaching, Ken has been a building
level administrator, a regional supervisor, an executive director, and assistant
superintendent. Ken has lead and supported a portfolio of schools ranging in size from
five schools to 40 schools. Each time, Ken worked strategically to deploy the necessary
personnel to ensure the highest delivery of supports to schools, both operationally and
educationally. Kens experiences offer you someone who embodies transformational
leadership qualities, understands strategic planning, and works collaboratively with all
stakeholders. Ken holds a PA certification in teaching, principal K-12, and
superintendent. Ken has 10 years of experience working with charter schools.
Andrea Coleman-Hill: Andrea is a lifelong educator and has had the opportunity to
development effective leadership skills in teachers and administrators by providing
support, mentoring, and coaching in an effort to improve the teaching and learning. In
doing this, Andrea encourages all educators to be reflective in their practice as classroom,
building, and instructional leaders. Using classroom and school visits as a forum, she
observe leadership and instructional practices and offer debriefing sessions to
strategically review practices and develop actionable steps geared at improving practices
to improve student outcomes. Andrea has had the opportunity to develop staff and
districts on the use of data, curriculum and instruction, budget, title programs, grants, and
targeted staff development. Andreas educational journey offers someone who has been a
Middle School Assistant Principal, an Elementary Principal, a Director of Alternative
Education, Director of Data Analysis, Assessments, and Research, and an Assistant
Superintendent. As an Assistant Superintendent, she supported, mentored, and coached
forty principals. (See Appendix Founders)

B. Discuss how the group came together, as well as any partnership arrangements with existing
schools, educational programs, businesses, non-profits, or any other entities or groups.

Ken and Andrea began planning for the creation of Key Charter School while working
together in Philadelphia. Both are residents of central PA and have an interest in the school
district locally
Mr. Cherry and Ms. Coleman-Hill desired to create an opportunity to be progressive and
work in an urban-like environment. Hence, the creation and thought behind Key Charter
School
Key Charter School is a non-profit organization looking to create comprehensive educational
opportunities while working as a partner with LEAs
Key Charter School is actively pursuing partnerships with existing schools, businesses, and
specific groups and will update the district throughout the application process
KEY HSD 000041
41

C. Include any plans for further recruitment of founders or organizers of the school.

Key Charter School has currently recruited three members to the board. They area:
o Ms. Patricia Petrosino- Retired special education teacher and central office director from
Baltimore City Public Schools
o Mrs. Shannon Kertzel- Parent of two children that will attend Key Charter School
o Dr. Vince Petrosino- Retired educator with extensive work in curriculum and design
Key Charter School will allow the student body to elect one high school student to the board
to serve a 12 month term (non-voting member)
The board is actively seeking members that bring an array of experiences to the organization
that will add value to meeting the academic and financial goals of Key Charter School

D. Provide information on the manner in which community groups are involved in the charter
school planning process.

Key Charter School currently has letters of introduction and scheduled meetings with over 20
community organizations in Harrisburg. The groups consist of community churches, Girls
and Boys Club of Harrisburg, Girl Scouts of Harrisburg, etc (See Appendix Meet/Greet).
The board is actively seeking members that bring an array of experiences to the organization
that will add value to meeting the academic and financial goals of Key Charter School

2. Governance
A. Describe the proposed management organization of the school:
Key Charter School will be governed by a Board consisting of an Executive Team, Chief
Executive Officer, Chief Academic Officer, and elected board members
The executive team will consist of the board president, board vice president, board
treasurer, and board secretary
Board members will attend regular meetings of the charter school board, which are
approximately two and a half hours in duration. The board meets at least twelve (12)
times per year and be accessible for personal contact between board meetings.
The board will provide leadership to board committees. Each board member is expected
to serve as an active, ongoing member of at least one committee. This requires a number
of meetings per year plus individual committee task completion time. Present
committees being organized include executive, finance, and academic. The work of each
committee will be aligned to ensuring all the resources are provided for as described in
the charter agreement with the district (i.e. textbook adoption, financial policy)
The board must commit time to developing financial resources for the charter school.
This includes contributing and/or supporting fund development activities of the charter
school in a manner appropriate for board members.
Board members are responsible to review and act upon committee recommendations
brought to the board for action.
The board must prepare in advance for decision-making and policy formation at board
meetings and take responsibility for self-education on the major issues before the board.
The board will participate in the annual board member self-review process.
KEY HSD 000042
42

Each member will participate in the annual board development and planning retreat
usually held in July of each year.
In general, board members will utilize personal and professional skills, relationships and
knowledge for the advancement of the charter school.
The principal will oversee the daily operations of the school. Over time, the principal will
have the ability to develop his/her administrative team in order to support the growth of
Key Charter School (i.e. assistant principal, deans)
Dean of Students is a support position to the principal. He/she will be utilized to support
the Restorative Practices
The Special Education Director will oversee the daily activities associated with special
education supports and services
Teacher Leaders will be used in the following manner:
o Curriculum Development
o Instructional Support
o Operational Support
Office Secretary will oversee the daily function of the front office and support staff
Athletic Director will oversee the athletic department and programs

B. How will the Board of Trustees be selected?

The board will consist of 9 members
The CEO will be a member of the board but with no voting authority
Additional members of the board will be invited to participate based on adding value to the
overall ability to manage a charter school business. Such examples would be (but not limited
to): financial/investment banker, attorney, real estate agent, community activist, fundraiser,
parent, etc.
Parent representation is important to Key Charter School. One seat will always be devoted to
parents of active students in the building (but not necessary limited to that number). Such
parent representation will be determined by the Nominating Committee.
One High School student will be elected yearly to be a non-voting member of the board

C. What steps will be taken to maintain continuity between the founding coalitions vision and the
Board of Trustees?

The board will meet yearly, in July, for a board retreat to strategically plan and/or update the 5 year
plan to ensure fidelity to the charter
The board will annually review the results of the 5essentials survey
The board will be responsible for being part of the daily life of the school in order to ensure a
connection between the governance of the charter and implementation of the charter
Decision making will be looped back to the four (4) key concepts in order to ensure suggested
solutions are aligned to the original philosophy of the charter

E. Describe the roles and responsibilities of the Board.

(See Appendix Board R&R)

KEY HSD 000043
43

F. What steps will be taken to facilitate a productive relationship between administrators and
teachers?

Key Charter School will have an Instructional Leadership Team (ILT). ILT members will consist of
the administration, instructional coaches, deans, grade level representation (K-2, 3-8, 9-12), special
education, and support services. The team will be responsible for addressing action oriented items
The ILT will use the Cycles of Professional Learning to address the strategic planning of the school
The ILT will use the results of the 5Essentials to measure effectiveness and develop goals for
continues improve
The CEO and CAO will be part of the daily life of Key Charter and use their presence to informally
analyze the relationships of all staff members with administration
The CEO and CAO will have an open door policy for all staff, administration and instructional, to
immediately address concerns at Key Charter School
Key Charter School believes in celebrating all staff. Twice a year, time will be devoted to celebrate
the work and accomplishments of Key Charter School

F. Discuss the nature of parental and student involvement in decision-making matters where
appropriate.

One elected seat on the board will be devoted to parents actively in the school. Also, the School will
have multiple parent groups for both fundraising and parent advocacy.
One high school student per year will be elected to the board as a non-voting member.
Committee work will be open for active participation of parents in the school
Annual budget work will be an open process for parents and students to have input in the planning
for the school
Key Charter School will encourage allow parents and students to attend open board meetings to
speak during public comment.

G. Submit copies of the schools by-laws, contracts and other documents required by pending
charter school legislation or applicable law.
(See Appendix By-laws)
H. Submit board members names, addresses, phone numbers and resumes.
Key Charter School is committed to ensuring members of the community that come on board
through the student selection process will have the opportunity to serve on the board.
Applications for consideration for the board will be on-going and made public when
available seats are advertised (See Appendix Board Members)

Ms. Patricia Petrosino
145 Hillcroft Lane
York, PA 17403
717-542-4573
Mrs. Shannon Kertzel
321 Folkstone Way
York, PA 17402
717-916-8302
Dr. Vince Petrosino

Harrisburg, PA
717-236-7537

KEY HSD 000044
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IV. FINANCE AND FACILITY

1. Financing:
A. Develop a preliminary startup and operating budget. Applicants are to use the guidance
provided in the Manual of Accounting and Financial Reporting for Pennsylvania Public
Schools to create those budgets, available at
http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/general_fund_budget/12777/pde-
2028/606285

(See Appendix Budget)

B. Develop a purchasing procedure that addresses a competitive way to purchase goods and
services.

Key Charter intends to advertise and obtain competitive bids for products and services
where such bids are required by law or where such bids may be believed to bring about a
cost saving to the Charter School.
All construction, reconstruction, repairs, maintenance or work of any nature upon any
school building or upon any school property or upon any building or portion of building,
made by Charter School where the entire cost, value, or amount of such construction,
reconstruction, repairs, maintenance or work, including labor and material is in excess of
Eighteen Thousand Nine Hundred Dollars ($18,900.00) shall be done under separate
contracts to be entered into by Charter School with the lowest responsible bidder, under
proper terms, after due public notice has been given asking for competitive bids.

Written or telephonic price quotations from at least three (3) qualified and responsible
contractors shall be requested by the Board for all contracts that exceed four thousand
dollars ($4,000.00) or, in lieu of price quotations, a memorandum shall be kept on file
showing that fewer than three (3) qualified contractors exist in the market area within
which it is practicable to obtain quotations. A written record shall be made of these
quotations and shall contain the date of the quotation; name of contractor; contractor's
representative; the construction, reconstruction, repair, maintenance or work of the
quotation. The written price quotations, records or telephonic price quotations and
memoranda shall be kept on file for a period of three (3) years.

Any construction, reconstruction, repairs or work of any nature, where the entire cost or
value, including labor and material, is less than Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) may
be performed by Charter Schools own maintenance personnel. The Board may authorize
the Secretary of the Board or Chief Executive Officer to award contracts for
construction, reconstruction, repairs or work of any nature, where the entire cost or value,
including labor and materials, is Eighteen Thousand Dollars ($18,000.00) or less, without
soliciting competitive bids, subject, however, to the provisions set forth above in
paragraph number 2.

As required by code, every contract for construction, reconstruction, alteration, repair,
improvement or maintenance of public works shall comply with the provisions of the Act
KEY HSD 000045
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of March 3, 1978, known as the Steel Procurement Act.

No person, consultant, firm or corporation contracting with Charter School for purposes
of rendering personal or professional services to Charter School shall share with any
Charter School Board member or employee, and no Charter School Board member or
employee shall accept, any portion of the compensation or fees paid by Charter School for
the contracted services provided to Charter School except under the following terms and
conditions:
o Full disclosure of all relevant information regarding the sharing of the
compensation or fees shall be made to the Board.
o The Board must approve the sharing of any fee or compensation for personal or
professional services prior to the performance of said services.
o No fee or compensation for personal or professional services may be shared
except for work actually performed.
o No shared fee or compensation for personal or professional services may be paid
at a rate in excess of that commensurate for similar personal or professional
services.
Charter School is prohibited from evading the provisions of this policy as to advertising
for bids or purchasing materials or contracting for services piecemeal for the purpose of
obtaining prices under Eighteen Thousand Dollars ($18,000.00).

Bid specifications shall be approved by the Board before being published.

The Public School Code requires Charter School to comply with the Pennsylvania
Prevailing Wage Act. This Act requires every public entity to ensure that the prevailing
wage rates are paid to workers employed on any construction, reconstruction, demolition,
alteration, or repair work in excess of Twenty-Five Thousand Dollars ($25,000.00). The
prevailing wages, as determined by the Department of Labor and Industry, must be
incorporated into the bidding specifications and the final contract for any work that falls
under the Pennsylvania Prevailing Wage Act.

The Board recognizes that emergencies may occur when imminent danger exists to
persons or property or the continuance of existing school classes is threatened, and time
for bidding cannot be provided because of the need for immediate action in accordance
with the Pennsylvania School Code. Such emergency must be declared by the Board and
stated by resolution at an emergency meeting which does not require public notice
pursuant to the Sunshine Act.

Whenever a contractor shall submit a bid for the performance of work and the contractor
later claims a mistake, error or omission in preparing said bid, the contractor shall, before
the bids are open, make known the fact and in such case the bid shall be returned
unopened and the contractor may submit a revised bid proposal at the discretion of
Charter School or the contractor may lose the right to bid if circumstances as determined
by the Board require.

Bids shall be opened by the Board Secretary and/or an appointed Board Member at the
KEY HSD 000046
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next regularly scheduled Board Meeting after the closing date of the bids. The Board
shall accept the bid of the lowest responsible bidder, kind, quality, and material being
equal, but shall have the right to reject any and all bids, or select a single item from any
bid.

There are exceptions to contracts or purchases which do not require advertising, bidding
or price quotations and are set forth at 16 Pa.C.S.A. sec. 1802(h) and include but are not
limited to professional service contracts involving professional expertise (ie., medical,
legal, architects, engineers, CPAs) and specifically those involving construction
management services.
All procurements and purchases are subject to board approval or ratification.
Key Charter School recognizes the value of an efficient method of payment and
recordkeeping for certain expenses. The Board, therefore, will authorize the use
of credit cards and debit cards (referred to collectively as Credit Cards). The
authorization, handling and use of credit cards have been established to provide a
convenient and efficient means to purchase goods and services from vendors.
Although the cards are issued in Charter School employees name, they are
considered School property and should be used with good judgment. Credit cards
shall not be used in order to circumvent the general purchasing procedures
established by Pennsylvania State law and Board policy. The Board will affirm
that credit cards shall only be used in connection with Board-approved or Charter
School-related activities and that only those types of expenses that are for the
benefit of Charter School and serve a valid and proper purpose shall be paid for by
credit card. Under no circumstances shall credit cards be used for personal
purchases. The credit card is for business related purchases only and personal
charges are not to be made to the card. Purchases are limited to meals,
refreshments, travel, small supplies and other Charter School-related items.
The cardholder is the only person entitled to use the card and is responsible for all
charges made against the card. Improper use of the card can be considered a
misappropriation of Charter School funds. Inappropriate or illegal use of the
credit card may result in a loss of credit card privileges, disciplinary action, up to
and including termination, personal responsibility for any and all inappropriate
charges, including finance charges and interest assessed in connection with the
purchase, and/or possible referral to law enforcement authorities for prosecution.
All charges are billed directly to and paid directly by Charter School. Therefore,
any personal charges on the credit card could be considered misappropriation of
Charter School funds since the cardholder cannot pay the bank directly. Credit
cardholders are expected to comply with internal control procedures in order to
protect Charter School assets. This includes keeping receipts, coding transaction
to the appropriate general ledger code, reviewing the transaction for propriety,
reconciling monthly statements and following proper card security measures.
Cardholders are responsible for reconciling their monthly statement and resolving
any discrepancies by contacting the supplier first and then the bank. The CEO
shall annually submit for Board approval the position titles authorized to use
Charter School credit card(s) in conducting Charter School business.

KEY HSD 000047
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Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs): The decision as to whether Key Charter
School should participate in a MOU or cooperative agreement with another entity must be
approved by the Board.
Before entering into a contract, Key Charter School shall provide a draft of the contract to
counsel for written approval as to the form and legal sufficiency. This requirement does
not apply to Purchase Orders
The Finance Committee of the board has the authority to update and/or make
recommendations to further define these policies with full board approval

C. What fund raising efforts have occurred and/or are planned to generate capital or to
supplement the per pupil allocations?

The Resource/Development Committee will be responsible for planning and
implementing schools fundraising programs. The Committee will develop partnership
with the community to ensure that the school has a diversity of resources needed to
operate successfully. The Committee will also organize and conduct special event
fundraiser
The special events will be open to all parents, community partners and other stakeholders.
The events will include two annual events (i.e. a gala); competitive fund-raising events,
and various student performances. The goal is to raise $50,000 yearly to support the
schools program
Key Charter School plans to organize a Friends of Key Charter School at the old Bishop
McDevitt School to invite to yearly gala in order to raise funds
Currently, Key Charter School is submitting grant requests to the Department of
Education, financial institutes and private foundations in order to secure start-up funds for
the 2013-2014 year

D. Describe the implementation of the following required financial procedures:

Key Charter School shall optimize its return through investment of its unencumbered
cash balances in such ways as to minimize non-invested balances and maximize return on
investments in accordance with and as permitted by state and federal law.
All investments of Key Charter School shall be in accordance with the following policy:
Funds of Charter School may be invested in U.S. Treasury Securities or placed in
time accounts or share accounts of institutions insured by the F.D.I.C. to the
extent such certificates are insured by a proper bond in accordance with law and
Board of Trustees (Board) policy.

Investment of Charter School funds may be made in the sole discretion of the
Board when operating within applicable statutes, provided that no commitment of
the Board may be put in default at time due but be paid properly and promptly.

The Board will requires that the Director of Operations to report to the Board
monthly the amount of funds in investments, the interest earned to date and the
transactions occurring since the last report.

KEY HSD 000048
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The Director of Operations working with the Treasurer and President of the Board
shall, as soon as is practicable after the end of each fiscal year, and prior to the
annual meeting of the Board submit to the Board an annual financial statement for
Charter School for the past year. Such statement shall include itemized data with
respect to all assets of Charter School, outstanding indebtedness, if any, and such
other information relating to the finances of Charter School as the Board may
deem necessary or proper.

The Board shall, consistent with law, determine which officers and employees
shall be required to furnish surety bonds, conditioned on the faithful performance
of their respective duties, to determine the amount of such bonds, and to approve
the surety or sureties in each case.

The Board shall have the power to amend the budget to authorize the transfer of
any unencumbered balance or portion thereof from one appropriation to another.

The Board shall have the power to make additional appropriations or increase
existing appropriations to meet emergencies which could not be anticipated when
the budget was adopted, the funds therefore to be provided from unexpended
balances in existing appropriations, from unappropriated revenues if any, or from
temporary loans. Under no circumstances may the Board increase the aggregate
total of budget appropriations unless unappropriated revenues become available in
sufficient amount to maintain the budget in balance, in which event the Board
may make additional or increased appropriations.

The Board shall, at least thirty (30) days before the end of the fiscal year, adopt by
majority vote of all its members an operating budget setting forth in lump sum
amounts the proposed expenditures of the Board during the next fiscal year and
the estimated receipts of the Board during the next fiscal year including
approximate estimates of proposed revenues and all other receipts. The total
amount of proposed expenditures shall not exceed the amount of funds available
for Charter Schools purposes.

Funds of the Board may be withdrawn from approved public depositories, or
negotiable instruments owned by the Board may be sold before maturity at the
sole discretion of the Board so long as such withdrawals or sales are beneficial to
Charter School and are permissible in accordance with applicable state and federal
law.

All securities shall be purchased in the name of Charter School.

The Board of Trustees shall designate one or more bank(s) and trust companies as depository(s)
for the safeguarding of school funds by a majority vote of the Board of Trustees in accordance
with the Bylaws.

KEY HSD 000049
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Each designated depository shall be federally secured and insured by the FDIC and such deposits
shall be so secured and insured in accordance with law.

Each designated depository shall be advised not to cash checks payable to Charter School but to
deposit said checks to Charter Schools accounts.

2. Facility:
A. Provide descriptions of and addresses for the physical facilities under consideration and the
ownership thereof and any lease arrangements.

Key Charter School is currently in agreement with the archdiocese to purchase the old
Bishop McDevitt School located at 2200 Market Street in the Bellvue area of Harrisburg
(See Appendix McDevitt)

B. Explain how this site(s) would be a suitable facility for the proposed school. Consider the
necessity of renovation to the facility and compliance with applicable building codes and
accessibility for individuals with disabilities. Describe the services of the facility including
heating, ventilating, lighting, sanitary conditions and water supply.

The school has only been closed for 11 months. The school had passed all previous
inspections and was in full operation prior to relocating to the new site in December 2012
Renovation considerations are the following and will be phased in over the life of the charter:
o New roof
o New window
o Installation of HVAC system
o Wiring for networking system
o New exterior doors
o Wrestling room
o Locker Rooms
o Stadium bleachers
o Retrofitting of bathrooms for younger children
o Retrofitting of classroom space for blended learning lab(s)
Phase I Inspections have been conducted on the environment
Roof inspection conducted
Deed review conducted (See Appendix Inspections)

C. Discuss the plan for maintaining the facility on a daily basis (custodial) and extended basis
(facility maintenance).

Key Charter School will contract with a private cleaning company to maintain the daily
cleanliness of the building.
Key Charter School has also allocated funds for snow removal and grounds maintenance.
Key Charter School would be interested in negotiating the buy-back agreement with the
Harrisburg School District for these two services
Scheduling of deferred maintenance has been allocated in the yearly operating cost at
KEY HSD 000050
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approximately $500,000
A 5% reserve has been allocated for emergency spending at approximately $500,000

D. Discuss any progress, partnership developments or other future steps toward acquisition of a
facility/land.

Key Charter School is working with the Reinvestment Fund of Philadelphia to secure the
financing of 2200 Market Street. All budgets, including the 5 year projection, have been
submitted for review and all additional questions answered.
Molly Melloh is Key Charter Schools point of contact at the Reinvestment Fund

E. Describe facility financing plans.

Annually, Key Charter School will budget for:
o Lease repayment
o Utilities
o Cleaning
o Phone Services
o Alarm
o Grounds
o Repairs
Annually, Key Charter School will budget a reserve amount for emergencies
A loan will be secured via the Reinvestment Fund of Philadelphia. Repayment of the loan
will not occur until post renovations. Only interest payments will be made during capital
improvements to the school
A 10 year mortgage will be developed with the Reinvestment Fund. We currently have
budgeted $240,000 per year for repayment purposes
.
3. Liability and Insurance
A. Describe your schools insurance coverage plans, including health, general liability
(including school operation, extracurricular activities and parent volunteer activities), property,
and director and officers liability coverage (see Section 1727-A of the charter school
legislation).
Key Charter School is currently working with Henderson Insurance Agency located at
3820 Walnut Street, Harrisburg, PA 17109, to ensure all required insurance is purchased
Key Charter School is currently working with Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Davis Eye Care,
and Concordia Dental to provide comparable insurance coverage aligned with the
Harrisburg School District and Capital Area Intermediate Unit
Key Charter CEO will continue to update the Harrisburg School District during the
interview process

4. Child Accounting
A. Describe your school enrollment and attendance procedures.
Key Charter School will use PowerSchool SMS to enter and maintain all student
information.
KEY HSD 000051
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PowerSchool SMS offers the following features:
o ART is Pearson's Advanced Reporting Toolkit - a data-reporting framework designed to
dramatically reduce the amount of time required to define and validate data extracts.
o PowerTeacher is a revolutionary, web-based classroom management system designed by
teachers, for teachers, to meet the evolving needs of today's educator with unparalleled
ease-of-use.
o Academic plans in PowerSchool SMS help secondary schools ensure students complete
the coursework required to graduate. With PowerSchool SMS academic plans, districts
can create one or more versions of each academic plan, with each version applicable to
the year or range of years that students entered Grade 9. Within each plan version, you
can define groups of courses, indicate the required credits and maximum credits allowed,
assign the order in which credits are applied for the courses, and create graduation
requirement rules (for example, create a rule that students must achieve certain test
scores).
o With PowerSchool SMS, addresses are validated against the Google Maps service to
ensure address level accuracy, and that all students live within school and district
boundaries.
o Fully integrated with the award-winning PowerTeacher grade book, ParentCONNECTxp
maximizes parent participation with a clean, simple interface for improved ease-of-use
and end-user adoption.
o PowerSchool SMS is a student-centric system, with all data pertinent to a student record
available from a single location. There is no need to open separate modules to access
different types of information such as grades, attendance, schedules, etc. Student
demographic data is conveniently organized in a series of tabs to allow data to be viewed
and entered in an efficient manner.
o Users quickly search the student database with any combination of student demographic
data elements, including custom fields added with cTools. Search results will display in a
customizable grid format that can be easily printed in report format or saved to a list for
one-click access in the future.
o PowerSchool SMS includes incident-based student behavior tracking, allowing a single
incident to be created, with multiple students associated with the incident. Primary
offenders, incident victims and witnesses can be tracked for each incident. For incidents
with multiple primary offenders, separate incident involvement and consequences can be
assigned to each student.
o Scheduling for the upcoming school year in PowerSchool SMS is facilitated through a
system of Planning Calendars in the core system. This means there is no separate
database or system to access or maintain: everything is done in the same system and
database that users are accustomed to accessing. Students are dynamically promoted to
the correct school and grade level for the upcoming year in the Planning Calendar, as
students enter or leave the district during the active year, the Planning Calendars are
dynamically updated to reflect the accurate student population for the upcoming year. An
unlimited number of scheduling scenarios can be maintained within the Planning
Calendar, with each scenario able to copy any subset of elements from a previous
scenario when necessary.
o Student immunization compliance is calculated in real-time against the district-defined
immunization policies.
KEY HSD 000052
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o Program Management allows the district to define and manage programs within the SIS,
including program eligibility criteria. Program Management allows schools to view and
manage their programs from a single-centralized screen, including program dates, number
of participants, and number of applications.
o Program Management allows users to view a student's complete program participation
history, including current and historical programs as well as applications and application
status. Automatic eligibility calculations allow users to quickly view the reasons for the
student's eligibility or ineligibility.
o Schools may define a set of Attendance Exception Rules against which students are
automatically evaluated. When a student is found to be in violation of one or more
Attendance Exception Rules an Active Alert is automatically sent to designated recipients
alerting them of the violation.
o PowerSchool SMS allows customers to extend and customize a wide variety of schema
areas within the system, including the addition of an unlimited number of custom fields,
pages, and validation rules.
o With PowerSchool SMS, cTools allows for the addition of an unlimited number of
custom pages as well as the addition of custom panels to core application pages.
Daily and monthly accounting procedures will be adhered to, as per state accounting
procedures. (24 PS 13-1332) Students are accepted to the school through a lottery process
as described in Charter School law.
We will abide by the compulsory attendance guidelines as set forth in the Public School
Code 24 PS 13-1333 as well as PDE. Truancy will be handled as set forth by PDE
procedures in accordance with the Truancy Elimination Plan and in cooperation with the
district of residence. Attendance will be taken each day and is linked to the time and
duration the student logs onto the school e-portal. The school will follow Commonwealth
child accounting procedures (24 PS 13-1332). Students will follow the school calendar,
which will include a minimum of 180 days of instruction.
The school will collect all necessary enrollment data as required by Charter School Law
and will report enrollment data to the PDE via forms 4059CS Instructional Time
Summaries, 40262C Annual Attendance Membership Reports, and 4002CS Summary
Reports of Aggregate Days membership. The school will track enrollment data to ensure
that its enrollment figures are up to-date and continuously monitored. The charter school
will invoice the districts of residence in accordance with 17-1725-A et seq
The procedure for withdrawal from the school includes the following steps:
o Notification of intent to withdrawal through request for a Withdrawal Form
o Filing by a parent or guardian of a completed and signed Withdrawal Form
o Filing of a request by a parent or guardian to send the students records to the
school to which the student is transferring
o Notification to the sending district of the students withdrawal
Key Charter School has allotted $20,000 for the purchase of the student information
system.

KEY HSD 000053
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V. IMPLEMENTATION AND ADMINISTRATION

1. Recruiting and Marketing Plan:
A. Demonstrate how you will publicize the school to attract a sufficient pool of eligible
applicants.

The following media is being used will be used to advertise Key Charter School:
o Facebook
o Twitter
o School Website
o Flyers displayed in local and neighboring school districts (See Appendix Flyer)
o Robo-calls
o Postcard mailings to impacted areas
o Online community pages (i.e. Craigslist)

B. What type of outreach will be made to potential students and their families?

Beginning in January of each academic year, a monthly open house will be provided for
new or interested families and students
Key Charter School will use the above media outlets (v.1.a) to attract potential families
Utilize local, neighborhood newspapers to communicate success and happenings in
order to entice families/students to communicate with Key Charter School
Quarterly, participate in local community events by establishing an information booth or
active participation of the school administration and/or board

2. Admissions Policy:
A. Describe the admission methods and eligibility criteria you will use to select students.
Explain administrative procedures to ensure compliance with laws pertaining to Special
Education.

Key Public Charter will make public announcement of enrollment deadlines through the
school website, school newsletter, community outreach, and/or email. Evidence of the
schools public announcement will be maintained at the school
The school enrollment form will be made available to all interested parties in both
electronic and paper form. The Charter school will also makes its enrollment forms
available in multiple languages as required by law. Enrollment forms may not ask for any
identifying student information i.e. race, religion, special education status, home
language, free/reduced meal status, test scores, previous grades, parent income status, etc.
All enrollment forms must be submitted by April 1
st

Enrollment preference is granted for students residing in the chartering district, for
entering who have sibling(s) already enrolled at the school and for children of those
individuals who are actively involved in the development of the charter school.
If the school is over-subscribed at the end of the enrollment period, then all the
application are entered into the lottery. The lottery is a system of random selection of
pre-registration applications that identifies students for enrollment and generates the
KEY HSD 000054
54

schools waiting list. During the lottery process, all completed and accepted enrollment
forms submitted during the enrollment period are publicly drawn in random order until
capacity is reached and the remainder is placed on the waiting list.
The waitlist ranks enrollment forms that were submitted during enrollment period. These
applications should be identified by number and by grade. As spaces become available at
the school, they should be added to waiting list in order they were received. In the event
one sibling is chosen through the lottery, the remaining sibling(s), if not chosen, will
receive a preference on the top of the waiting list. In the event there are multiple families
with sibling(s) on the same waiting list, they will remain in the order in which they were
drawn.

B. Describe the timetable to be used for admitting students, including a plan for the admission
lottery for students from both within and outside the district.

A public enrollment form for admission into Key Charter School will be available via our
public website throughout the year as well as in our office in hard-copy paper form.
Interested candidates can submit a quick enrollment form online or fill out a paper copy as
desired. A formal enrollment form will be sent to each interested parent/guardian
All enrollment forms will be due by April 1
st
of each academic year
All interested prospective applicants, during the month of April, will get a written reminder
from Key Charter School to attend the public lottery on May 1
st

A public lottery will be conducted on May 1
st
of each academic year

C. Explain how these policies further the mission of the school in a non-discriminatory fashion.

Key Public Charter will make public announcement of enrollment deadlines through the
school website, school newsletter, community outreach, and/or email. Evidence of the
schools public announcement will be maintained at the school.
The school enrollment form will be made available to all interested parties. The
enrollment form may not ask for any identifying student information i.e. race, religion,
special education status, home language, free/reduced meal status, test scores, previous
grades, parent income status, etc. The enrollment form will be made available online and
in hard copy format. Enrollment forms will be available in multiple languages. All
application must be submitted by April 1
st.

If the school is over-subscribed at the end of the enrollment period, then all the
application are entered into the lottery. The lottery is a system of random selection of
pre-registration applications that identifies students for enrollment and generates the
schools waiting list. During the lottery process, all completed and accepted applications
submitted during the enrollment period are publicly drawn in random order until capacity
is reached and the remainder is placed on the waiting list.

KEY HSD 000055
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3. Human Resource Information:
A. Describe the standards to be used in the hiring process of teachers, administrators and other
school staff.

All positions for Key Charter School will be advertised via newspaper, website, online subscription
(i.e. Craigslist)
Key Charter School maintains a standard that 100% of the staff will be certified. All certified staff
will teach in the content in which he/she is certified to teach
All staff, non-instructional, instructional, and administrative, must present a valid (within one year)
FBI background check, Child Abuse check, and State Police check
All submitted resumes will be screened via the board to ensure the minimal qualifications are
available for the position
The board will conduct a 15 minute telephone conference call with all interested candidates. The
same questions will be asked of all candidates
The board will invite candidates success in the telephone call to an interactive interview. The
interactive interview will consist of specific questions related to the position; scenarios/problem
solving related to the position; writing sample; and use of resources (i.e. data, technology) related
to position.
Positions related to teaching and learning will require a demonstration lesson
Successful applicants will interview with the CEO and CAO of charter for final determination and
offering of contract
Key Charter School is an equal opportunity employer. Key Charter School policy
prohibits discrimination on the basis of religion, race, gender, sexual orientation, familial
status, or disability in recruiting, hiring, training, promotion, layoff or termination, rates
of pay or other forms of compensation, including fringe benefits, discipline, and other
terms and conditions of employment. We will provide reasonable accommodations to
otherwise qualified individuals with a disability to enable them to perform the essential
job functions of their positions unless this presents an undue hardship to the school.
Equal employment opportunity notices will be posted on appropriate employee bulletin
boards as required by law. This notice summarize the rights of employees to equal
opportunity in employment and lists the names and addresses of the various government
agencies that may be contacted in the event that any person believes he/she has been
discriminated against.
Where possible, priority employment opportunities will be given to Harrisburg residents
who meet the established criteria (See Appendix Resumes).

B. What is the targeted staff size and teacher/student ratio?

Class size for all Prek 2
nd
grade is 1:20
Class size for all 3
rd
12
th
grade is 1:22
2014-2015 Instructional Staff: 29 teachers
2017-2018 and 2018-2019 Instructional Staff: 64 teachers
A full-time Director of Special Education will be employed with a minimum of 4 special
education teacher and 2 special education para-educators will be at Key Charter. Key Charter
KEY HSD 000056
56

School will review the number of students with special education services to ensure the
appropriate amount of support is available at all times
Key Charter School is committed to the Arts and will ensure that Music and Art are available
to all students. Additional resource staff will be hired based on the input of the community
and stakeholders
Health and Physical Education will be offered to all students every year
The office will consist of one full-time secretary and office support based on need as
determined by the school-based administration
The school administration (i.e. the principal) will have the ability to determine the
instructional leadership team as the school grows in size. For the 1
st
year, Key Charter School
will hire a dean of students to support the Principal. After year one, the principal will
determine the support staff based on the budget provided by the board (i.e. instructional
coaches, assistant principal).
Related services (i.e. Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language) will be buy-back services
purchased from the Harrisburg School District or Local Intermediate Unit

C. What professional development opportunities will be available to teachers and other staff?

The kick-off to each academic year will have ten (10) professional development days
Quarterly, a full-day of professional development will be offered to all staff
Discretionary funds are available to staff to participate in local and out-of-state professional
development or site visits
Key Charter has already determined to following professional development opportunities for
all staff:
o Reggio Emilia
o Expeditionary Learning
o Blended Learning
o Facilitated Learning
o Restorative Practices
o Danielson Framework
o Student Portfolios and Student Led Conferences
o Unit Planning and Lesson Planning
o NWEA/MAP Assessments
o DIBELS and mClass Progress Monitoring
o Workshop Teaching
o Guided Reading
o Phonics Instruction
Key Charter School will operate on an eight (8) hour workday. Students will attend
school for seven (7) hours while staff will work an additional hour without students. The
daily extra hour will afford staff the opportunity to participate in on-time
activities/professional development. Sample schedule will include:
o Monday- Ongoing study and training
o Tuesday- Looking at student work/Evidence of effectiveness
o Wednesday- Data and next steps
o Thursday- RTII (looking at individual students)
o Friday- Planning and preparation
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D. Describe your human resource policies governing salaries, contracts, hiring and dismissal,
sick and other leave, and benefits.

Key Charter School will utilize a career pathway when identifying the salary and growth of a
teacher. The pathways are divided into four domains: Standard Teacher, Proficient Teacher,
Model Teacher, or Teacher Leader. Staff may progress in the pathway by earning units. Units
are awarded based on teacher performance and continuing education. Moreover, teachers can
move pathways via teacher performance and PVAS data. Teacher Leaders can elect to remain
fully in the classroom or based on the need of the school be fully/partially released to develop
curriculum, provide operational support, or provide instructional support
All employees of Key Charter School are at will
Contracts will be developed via the input and approval of the charters attorney
All employees are eligible for PSERS contributions
All employees will be given 10 sick days and 2 personal days. Attendance is measured based
on occurrences. Progressive discipline will occur in the following manner
o 3 occurrences- verbal warning and conference of concern
o 5 occurrences- written warning and conference
o 8 occurrences- written warning, plan of correction, and conference
o 10 occurrences- recommendation for termination
Family medical leave will be provided to staff based on eligibility
Key Charter School is currently working with Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Davis Eye Care,
and Concordia Dental to provide comparable insurance coverage aligned with the
Harrisburg School District and Capital Area Intermediate Unit
Key Charter CEO will continue to update the Harrisburg School District during the
interview process

E. Identify the proposed faculty.

Administration will consist of a Chief Executive Officer, Chief Academic Officer, and
Director of Operations
Key Charter School will have a principal, dean of students (1
st
year), assistant principal (2
nd

year) and academic/coaching staff (3
rd
, 4
th
, and 5
th
years). The principal will have the
autonomy to identify the next members of the instructional support team as the school grows
closer to the approved enrollment
Full, certified teaching staff for all learners, including special education and ELL
Clerical staff including secretary and secretary support
Support staff including para-educators for all learning, including special education and ELL
Athletic Director
Specialist teachers including art, music, PE/Health and others the board approve for the
school
Key Charter School is currently recruiting for the staff

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F. Attach a report of criminal history record, pursuant to Section 111 of the Public School
Code for all individuals who shall have direct contact with students.

Key Charter School currently does not have active staff. However, all records will be
procured prior to employment and maintained in each employees or volunteers file. Upon
approval, Key Charter School will submit all background checks for CEO, Ken Cherry, and
CAO, Andrea Coleman-Hill, within four (4) weeks of their full-time employment

G. Attach an official clearance statement regarding child injury or abuse from the Department
of Public Welfare as required by 23 Pa. C.S. Chapter 63 Subchapter C. 2 (relating to
background checks for employment in schools) for all individuals who shall have direct
contact with students.

Key Charter School currently does not have active staff. However, all records will be
procured prior to employment and maintained in each employees or volunteers file (See
Appendix Clearance Letter)

4. Code of Conduct:
A. Discuss any rules or guidelines governing student behavior.

The most profound learning occurs when there is a healthy relationship between teacher and
student. Restorative Practices assists teachers, students and parents to build, maintain and
restore relationships. Restorative Practices will help build capacity to enable students to self
regulate behavior and contributes to the improvement of learning outcomes. Key Charter
School will be a Restorative Practice school.
Authentic relationships will be fostered with our Prek-2 students during morning meeting
opportunity; 3
rd
8
th
grade students during midday conferencing; and 9
th
12
th
during
midday advisory.
Key Charter School will develop a comprehensive Student Management Plan with the
School Instructional Leadership Team comprised of the following components:
o School Mantra
o School-wide Expectations for targeted areas of the school
o Use of Restorative Practices
o Alignment with Keys Code of Conduct
o Celebrations
o Conduct Intensive Lessons
Key Charter School will develop a comprehensive Student Code of Conduct that will be
available online and sent home with every child at the beginning of the year. The board will
approve and edit each year for publication.
The Key Charter School Student Code of Conduct will classify inappropriate behavior and
disruptive behavior in the following levels:
o Level 1: Classroom support and student support team - May be appropriate when
student has had no prior incidents and interventions have not been put in place
o Level 2: Intensive support staff and appropriate administration (including
detention) - May be appropriate when supports have been put in place in the
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classroom to address behavior, but the behavior has continued to negatively affect
the learning
o Level 3: In-School or limited Suspension and referral- May be appropriate when
interventions and supports have been put in place but the behavior is escalating
(repeated offenses)
o Level 4: Out of School Suspension suspension, expulsion and referral- May be
appropriate when students behavior seriously affects the safety of others in the
school
The Key Charter School Student Code of Conduct will fully detail inappropriate and
disruptive behaviors and levels of response associated with the following:
o Absences
o Academic Dishonesty
o Alcohol
o Attach on Student(s)
o Bomb Threat
o Bulling, including Cyber-bullying and Gang-related incidents
o Bus Violations
o Class cutting
o Classroom Disruptions
o Defiance of Authority
o Disrespectful Behavior
o Dress Code
o Drugs of Controlled Substances
o Extortion
o False Activation of Fire Alarm
o Fighting
o Fire setting/Arson
o Gambling
o Hallway Misbehavior
o Harassment based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion
o Inciting or participating in disturbance
o Inhalants
o Physical contact with school personnel
o Portable electronic devices use
o Property damage, including graffiti
o Refuse to obey policies
o Robbery
o School equipment without permission
o Serious bodily injury
o Sexual assault or offenses
o Sexually-based infractions
o Tardiness
o Technology acceptable use policy
o Theft
o Threat against school personnel, written or verbal
o Tobacco possession or use
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o Trespassing
o Unauthorized sale or distribution
o Verbal or physical threat of student
o Weapons, firearms, and explosives

B. Describe your schools policies regarding student expulsion and suspension, including
students with disabilities.

When students are disruptive or act inappropriately, school staff and principals respond
logically, appropriately and consistently. Key Charter School describes four levels of
possible response to inappropriate and disruptive behavior. Each inappropriate or
disruptive behavior is assigned to one or more of these levels of intervention and
response. Principals and school staff should use only the levels suggested for each
behavior. If the inappropriate or disruptive behavior is assigned to two or more levels,
then the lowest level of intervention and disciplinary response should be used first. For
example, if a student refuses to follow directions, school staff and principals should first
use intervention strategies and responses in Level 1 before moving to Level 2. When
principals and school staff respond to student misbehavior, they are expected to take into
account the age, health, decision-making ability and disability or special education status
of the student; the appropriateness of the students academic placement; the students
prior conduct and record of behavior; the students willingness to repair the harm; the
seriousness of the offense and the degree of harm caused; and the impact of the incident
on the school community. In certain circumstances, disciplinary responses that remove
students from the classroom or school environment may be necessary. In these cases, Key
Charter Schools goal is to make sure that students continue their education, learn how to
behave appropriately and correct any harm they may have caused.

When a student fails to respond to non-punitive measures, disciplinary action may be
required. Additionally, some behaviors are so inappropriate or occur in non-instructional
areas that a disciplinary response is necessary. Some offenses may be so egregious as to
warrant suspension and/or expulsion.

In all cases, the disciplinary action is intended to gain the attention of the student and
discourage future misbehaviors. It should be noted that repeated behavior requiring
disciplinary measures may result in action being initiated to effect expulsion from Key
Charter School.

Parents will be notified in writing of the offense, the disciplinary action to be
implemented, and any specific due process rights, where needed.

Students may receive detentions by faculty and staff members, depending on severity or
other circumstances surrounding an event. If an after-school detention is assigned,
parents are responsible for making arrangements to pick up the student at the end of the
detention.

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Substance Abuse

Key Charter School recognizes that substance abuse and the misuse of alcohol are serious
social problems that have far-reaching implications for both the user and the entire
community. Key Charter School The Board is committed to the prevention of drug and
alcohol abuse and accepts the responsibility for instructing pupils in the nature of these
substances:
The consumption, possession, concealment, purchase, sale, distribution, aiding,
abetting or assisting in possession of any substance* on school property, during
school functions, trips, and activities sponsored by the Board, or upon school
transportation vehicles at any time is prohibited, as well as the use of any
substances prior to participation in activities listed in the above.

Definition: For the purpose of this policy, Substance shall mean alcohol,
alcoholic beverages, unauthorized prescription or non prescription medications,
controlled substances as defined by the Act of April 14, 1972, (P.L. No. 64),
known as The Controlled Substance Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act, drugs,
narcotics, hallucinogens, steroids, growth hormones, amphetamines, barbiturates,
opiates, marijuana, inhalant, or any other intoxicant or any chemical compound
which releases vapors or fumes causing a condition of intoxication, inebriation,
excitement, stupefaction or dulling of the brain or nervous system including, but
not limited to, glue containing a solvent having the property of releasing toxic
vapors or fumes. No violation of this rule will occur where the student is
specifically allowed to possess such drug or inhaler by the students physician,
upon receipt of documentation from the students physician and approval by the
school nurse.

It shall be the policy of Key Charter School to all violations of the Code of Student
Conduct which are also violations of the law to the local police department. The School
will provide authorities with information related to any crime or any suspicion of criminal
behavior.

Exclusion

Exclusion from school may take the form of suspension or expulsion.
(1) Suspension is exclusion from school for a period of from 1 to 10 consecutive school
days.
(a) Suspension may be given by the principal or person in charge of the school.
(b) A student may not be suspended until the student has been informed of the
reasons for the suspension and given an opportunity to respond. Prior
notice of the intended suspension need not be given when it is clear that
the health, safety or welfare of the school community is threatened.
(c) The parents or guardians shall be notified immediately in writing, when the
student is suspended.
(d) When the suspension exceeds 3 school days, the student and parent shall be
given the opportunity for an informal hearing consistent with the
KEY HSD 000062
62

requirements of the Pennsylvania Code.
(e) Suspensions may not be made to run consecutively beyond the 10 school day
period.
(f) Students shall have the responsibility to make up exams and work missed
while being disciplined by suspension and shall be permitted to complete
these assignments within guidelines established by the governing board.
(2) Expulsion is exclusion from school by the governing board for a period exceeding 10
school days and may be permanent expulsion from the school rolls. Expulsions
require a prior formal hearing pursuant to the Pennsylvania Code.
(a) During the period prior to the hearing and decision of the board in an
expulsion case, the student shall be placed in his normal class except as set
forth in subsection (b).
(b) If it is determined after an informal hearing that a students presence in his
normal class would constitute a threat to the health, safety or welfare of
others and it is not possible to hold a formal hearing within the period of a
suspension, the student may be excluded from school for more than 10
school days. A student may not be excluded from school for longer than
15 school days without a formal hearing, unless mutually agreed upon by
both parties. Any student so excluded shall be provided with alternative
education, which may include home study.
(c) Students who are under 17 years of age are still subject to the compulsory
school attendance law even though expelled and shall be provided an
education.
(i) The initial responsibility for providing the required education rests
with the students parents or guardians, through permanent
placement in another school, tutorial or correspondence study, or
another educational program approved by the districts
superintendent.
(ii) Within 30 days of action by the board, the parents or guardian shall
submit to the school written evidence that the required education is
being provided as described in paragraph (i) or that they are unable
to do so. If the parents or guardians are unable to provide the
required education, the school entity shall, within 10 days of
receipt of the notification, make provision for the students
education. A student with a disability shall be provided
educational services as required by the Individuals With
Disabilities Education Act 2004.
(iii) If the approved educational program is not complied with, the
school entity may take action in accordance with 42 Pa.C.S.
Charter 63 (relating to the Juvenile Act) to ensure that the child
will receive a proper education. See 12.1(b) (relating to free
education and attendance).

Exclusions from classes In-school suspension
(1) A student may not receive an in-school suspension, unless the student has been
informed of the reasons for the suspension and has been given an opportunity to
KEY HSD 000063
63

respond before the suspension becomes effective.
(2) Communication to the parents or guardians shall follow the suspension action taken
by the school.
(3) When the in-school suspension exceed 10 consecutive school days, an informal
hearing with the principal or head of school shall be offered to the student and the
students parents or guardians prior to the 11
th
school day in accordance with the
procedures in the Pennsylvania Code.
(4) The students school entity has the responsibility to make provisions for the students
education during the period of the in-school suspension.
Hearings
(1) General. Education is a statutory right, and students shall be afforded due process if
they are to be excluded from school. In a case involving a possible expulsion, the
student is entitled to a formal hearing.
(2) Formal hearings. A formal hearing is required in all expulsion actions. This hearing
may be held before the board of an authorized committee of the board, or a
qualified hearing examiner appointed by the board. When a committee of the
board or a hearing examiner conducts the hearing, a majority vote of the entire
board is required to expel a student. The following due process requirements shall
be observed with regard to the formal hearing:
(a) Notification of the charges shall be sent to the students parents or guardians
by certified mail.
(b) At least 3 days notice of the time and place of the hearing shall be given. A
copy of the expulsion policy, notice that legal counsel may represent the
student, and hearing procedures shall be included with the hearing notice.
A student may request the rescheduling of the hearing when the student
demonstrates good cause for an extension.
(c) The hearing shall be held in private unless the student or parent requests a
public hearing.
(d) The student may be represented by counsel, at the expense of the parents or
guardians, and may have a parent or guardian attend the hearing.
(e) The student has the right to be presented with the names of witnesses against
the student and copies of the statements and affidavits of those witnesses.
(f) The student has the right to request that the witnesses appear in person and
answer questions or be cross-examined.
(g) The student has the right to testify and present witnesses on his own behalf.
(h) A written or audio record shall be kept of the hearing. The student is entitled,
at the students expense, to a copy. A copy shall be provided at no cost to
a student who is indigent.
(i) The proceeding shall be held within 15 school days of the notification of
charges, unless mutually agreed to by both parties. A hearing may be
delayed for any of the following reasons, in which case the hearing shall
be held as soon as reasonably possible:
(i) Laboratory reports are needed from law enforcement agencies.
(ii) Evaluations or other court or administrative proceedings are
pending, due to a student invoking his rights under the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act 2004 (20 U.S.C.A. 1400-1482).
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(iii) In cases in juvenile or criminal court involving sexual assault or
serious bodily injury, delay is necessary due to the condition or
best interest of the victim.
(j) Notice of a right to appeal the results of the hearing shall be provided to the
student with the expulsion decision.
3. Informal hearings. The purpose of the informal hearing is to enable the student to
meet with the appropriate school official to explain the circumstances surrounding
the event for which the student is being suspended or to show why the student
should not be suspended.
(a) The informal hearing is held to bring forth all relevant information regarding
the event for which the student may be suspended and for students, their
parents or guardians and school officials to discuss ways by which future
offenses might be avoided.
(b) The following due process requirements shall be observed in regard to the
informal hearing:
(i) Notification of the reasons for the suspension shall be given in writing
to the parents or guardians and to the student.
(ii) Sufficient notice of the time and place of the informal hearing shall be
given.
(iii) A student has the right to question any witnesses present at the
hearing.
(iv) A student has the right to speak and produce witnesses on his own
behalf.
(v) The school entity shall offer to hold the informal hearing within the
first 5 days of the suspension.

Discipline of Students with Disabilities

Key Charter School shall comply with the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Improvement Act (IDEA 2004) and any applicable federal and state statutes or
regulations when disciplining students with disabilities. Students with disabilities who
engage in inappropriate behavior, disruptive or prohibited activities, and/or conduct
injurious to themselves or others shall be disciplined in accordance with their Individual
Education Programs (IEP), behavioral intervention plan, Title 22, Chapter 711 and
relevant portions of Chapter 12 of the State Board of Education Regulations, IDEA 2004,
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities
Act of 1990, and any other applicable federal or state law.

Policy Statements

The Charter School is committed to a policy of equal educational opportunity.
Accordingly, the school admits students, conducts all educational programs, activities,
and employment practices without regard to race, sex, color, religion, sexual orientation,
national origin, disability or any other legally protected classification. Any person having
any concerns or wishing to make any inquiries concerning the schools compliance with
the regulations implementing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the
KEY HSD 000065
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Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, The Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA), The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement
Act (IDEA 2004), and FERPA may contact the Equity Officer.

General Statement of Non-Discrimination

It is the policy of Key Charter School not to discriminate in their educational programs,
activities, or employment practices on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, sexual
orientation, national origin, disability or any other legally protected classification under
the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; Title IX of the 1972
Educational Amendments; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; The Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA); the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement
Act of 2004 (IDEA 2004), FERPA and any other applicable state or federal laws.

Anti-Bullying Policy
Key Charter School recognizes the importance of providing all students and employees
with a safe school and learning environment in order to promote the educational process.
A safe and civil environment in school is necessary for students to learn and achieve high
academic standards. Bullying and cyberbullying, like other disruptive or violent
behaviors, is conduct that disrupts both a students ability to learn and Charter Schools
ability to safely educate its students in a safe environment. Therefore, in order to ensure
and promote a safe learning environment, it shall be the policy of Charter School to
maintain an educational environment that is intolerant of bullying and cyberbuylling in
any form.
Since students learn by example, school administrators, faculty, staff and volunteers will
be directed to demonstrate appropriate behavior, treat others with civility and respect and
to refuse to tolerate bullying and cyberbullying. This policy will pertain to all students
and staff, regardless of their status. This policy also applies to all students and staff
whose conduct out of school materially and substantially interferes with the educational
process at Charter School.

Bullying and Cyberbullying are defined as an intentional electronic, written, verbal or
physical act, or a series of acts:
1. directed at another student or students;
2. which occurs in a school setting, or occurs outside of school and Charter School
reasonably forecasted that the outside-of-school conduct would materially
interfere with or substantially disrupt the educational process or program in the
school, and the outside-of-school conduct does in fact materially interfere with or
substantially disrupt the educational process or program in the school;
3. that is severe, persistent or pervasive; and
4. that has the effect of doing any of the following:
o substantially interfering with a students education;
o creating a threatening environment; or
o substantially disrupting the orderly operation of the school.

KEY HSD 000066
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Bullying and cyberbullying shall encompass acts that occur outside a school setting if
those acts meet the requirements found in (1), (3) and (4) listed above.

School Setting shall mean in Charter School, on Charter School grounds, on Charter
School property, using Charter School equipment and technology, on Charter Schools
server or Charter Schools electronic, web-based, Internet or online programs, in Charter
School vehicles, at designated bus stops or at any activity sponsored, supervised or
sanctioned by Charter School and any time spent necessarily traveling to and from these
locations. Additionally, any student whose out of school conduct materially interferes
with or substantially disrupts the educational process in the school is also subject to this
policy.

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is often seen by sending harmful or cruel material, text messages and/or
images or engaging in other forms of social aggression and bullying using the Internet,
cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs) or other technology resources.
All students, staff, volunteers and contractors shall comply with Charter Schools
Acceptable Use and Internet Safety Policy, which is required under the Childrens
Internet Protection Act (CIPA), and review Charter Schools Social Media and
Networking Guidelines Policy when using any technology resources.

Cyberbullying via the Internet is seen through the use of any one or more of a number of
methods, including, but not limited to:
o Email sent to the intended victim;
o Blog entries regarding the intended victim;
o Posts on social networking websites, including, but not limited to, Facebook or MySpace;
o Posting victims pictures on the Internet or networking websites with derogatory phrases
or questions attached to them;
o Using instant messaging tools to harass victims;
o Creating an Internet parody of the intended victim;
o Creating fake Internet profiles for the victim on a public website;
o Creating or accessing an unauthorized website which harasses or bullies the victim;
o Using camera phones and/or digital cameras to take embarrassing photographs of students
and/or staff and posting them online;
o Excluding others from an online group by falsely reporting them for inappropriate
language to Internet service providers.
Cell phones are also often used for cyberbullying for things such as calling or text messaging
the victim and/or using a victims cell phone to text or call another victim using harassing
language.
The use of the Internet or Charter School email does not necessarily have to involve the
creation of the offensive materials. Rather, the person creating the offensive material may do
it on a home computer and then use Charter Schools computers to take such actions as
accessing it, viewing it, displaying it for others to see, disseminating copies of it to others or
KEY HSD 000067
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otherwise publicizing the contents.

Key Charter School will strictly prohibit the above conduct and any conduct by any student or
staff that creates or intends to create an intimidating, threatening, offensive or hostile learning
environment.

Since bystander support of bullying and cyberbullying can bolster these types of behaviors,
Charter School prohibits both active and passive support for acts of bullying and
cyberbullying. The staff should encourage all students to refuse to engage in these acts and to
report them immediately to the principal of Charter School.

Reporting Procedures
Any student who feels he or she has been bullied or cyberbullied shall have the right to
file a complaint of such bullying. Complaints should be reported to the principal.
Complaints may also be reported directly to a teacher, guidance counselor, or other
administrator who shall immediately report the incident to the principal in order to protect
the alleged victim and for prompt investigation.

Any staff who sees any incidents of bullying or cyberbullying must immediately report
the incident(s) to the CEO/principal. All other members of the school community,
including students, parents, volunteers, and visitors, are encouraged to report any act that
may be a violation of this policy. It shall be the responsibility of the Principal/CEO to
investigate promptly and thoroughly any and all bullying and cyberbullying complaints
received or referred by other individuals and to make recommendations based upon the
investigation. The investigation is to be commenced within three (3) school days after a
report of any bullying is received.

The Board of Trustees requires the CEO/principal to be responsible for determining
whether an alleged act constitutes a violation of this policy. In determining whether
alleged conduct constitutes bullying or cyberbullying, the totality of circumstances, nature
of the conduct, and context in which the alleged conduct occurred shall be investigated.
If the investigation results in a substantiated charge of the bullying, Charter School shall
take prompt corrective action to ensure the bullying and/or cyberbullying ceases and will
not reoccur.

Reports to the principal may be made anonymously, but formal disciplinary action may
not be based solely on the basis of an anonymous report.

The principal shall immediately notify the parent or guardian of the perpetrator of the
bullying and the parent or guardian of the victim of the bullying of the alleged incident.

Consequences for Violations
Consequences and appropriate remedial actions for a student or staff member who commits
one or more acts of bullying or cyberbullying may range from positive behavioral
interventions up to and including in school or out of school suspension from Charter School
or expulsion or other disciplinary removal from Charter School, in the case of a student, or
KEY HSD 000068
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suspension or termination in the case of an employee, as set forth in Charter Schools student
Code of Conduct.

In some cases, bullying and/or cyberbullying may constitute criminal activity and the Police
Department will be notified. This may lead to a criminal investigation and criminal charges
against the student or staff.

Consequences for a student who commits an act of bullying and/or cyberbullying shall be
unique to the individual incident and will vary in method and severity according to the nature
of the behavior, the developmental age of the student, and the students history of problem
behaviors and performance, and must be consistent with Charter Schools student code of
conduct. Remedial measures shall be designed to: correct the problem behavior; prevent
another occurrence of the behavior; and protect the victim of the act.

The following intervention strategies for protecting victims may be followed as needed:
o Supervise and discipline offending students fairly and consistently;
o Provide adult supervision at Charter School testing sites or other sites used by Charter
School, at any activity sponsored, supervised or sanctioned by Charter School during
any breaks, lunch times, bathroom breaks and in the hallways during times of
transition;
o Maintain contact with parents and guardians of all involved parties;
o Provide counseling for the victim if assessed that it is needed;
o Inform school personnel of the incident and instruct them to monitor the victim and
the offending party for indications of harassing, intimidating and bullying and/or
cyberbullying behavior. Personnel are to intervene when prohibited behaviors are
witnessed; and
o Check with the victim daily to ensure that there have been no incidents of retaliation
from the offender or other parties.

Retaliation Prohibited
Retaliation or reprisal against any person who reports bullying and/or cyberbullying
incidents will be prohibited. Retaliation includes, but it is not limited to, any form of
intimidation, reprisal or harassment used against a person who reports, in good faith,
incident(s) of bullying and/or cyberbullying. Disciplinary action against any person who
retaliates or engages in reprisals for reporting such behavior(s) may include sanctions up
to and including expulsion or suspension for students and termination for staff engaging
in such prohibited conduct. The consequences and appropriate remedial action shall be
determined after consideration of the nature, severity, and circumstances of the act.

Annual Distribution of Information
Key Charter School will annually disseminate the policy to all school staff, students,
volunteers, independent contractors and parents along with a statement explaining that it
applies to all applicable acts of bullying and cyberbullying that occur in Charter School,
on Charter School grounds, on Charter School property, using Charter School equipment
and/or technology, on Charter Schools server or Charter Schools electronic, web-based,
Internet or online programs, in Charter School vehicles, at designated bus stops or at any
KEY HSD 000069
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activity sponsored, supervised or sanctioned by Charter School and any time spent
necessarily traveling to and from these locations. Additionally, any student or staffs out
of school conduct that materially and substantially interferes with the educational process
in Charter School is also subject to this policy.

Key Charter School is required to post this policy on its website and make the policy
available in every classroom. This policy shall also be posted at a prominent location
within every Charter School building where such notices are usually posted. Charter
School shall ensure this policy and its procedures for reporting bullying and cyberbullying
incidents are reviewed with students and staff within ninety (90) days after its adoption
and, thereafter, a minimum of one (1) time per school year.

As required by the Federal Broadband Data Improvement Act of 2008, Charter School
shall educate elementary and secondary school aged students with computer access to the
Internet about appropriate online behavior, including online interaction with other
individuals on social networking websites, such as Facebook and MySpace, and in chat
rooms and educate them regarding cyberbullying awareness and response.

Acts of bullying and cyberbullying are prohibited by and a violation of Charter Schools
Acceptable Use and Internet Safety Policy and its Child Internet Protection Act (CIPA)
Policy. Charter School will comply with all applicable federal and state laws relating to
bullying and cyberbullying, including, but not limited to, the requirements delineated in
the Pennsylvania Charter School Law, 24 P.S. 1701-A, et seq., the Federal Childrens
Internet Protection Act (CIPA), 47 U.S.C. 254(h) and (l), and the Neighborhood
Childrens Internet Protection Act (N-CIPA) and any applicable implementing
regulations.

Charter School will also comply with Chapter 711 of Title 22 of the Pennsylvania Code,
the Public School Code, the applicable House Bill 1067 Public School Code amendments
relating to safe schools and bullying, and applicable provisions of the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA 2004) and its applicable
implementing regulations regarding the discipline of special education students and
thought-to-be eligible students who engage in an act of bullying.

Procedures for Disciplinary Exclusion of Children with Disabilities

There are special rules in Pennsylvania for excluding children with disabilities for
disciplinary reasons who attend a charter school:

AUTHORITY OF SCHOOL PERSONNEL (34 CFR 300.530)

Case-by-case determination

School personnel may consider any unique circumstances on a case-by-case basis, when
determining whether a change of placement, made in accordance with the following
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requirements related to discipline, is appropriate for a child with a disability who violates
a school code of student conduct.

General

To the extent that they also take such action for children without disabilities, school
personnel may, for not more than 10 consecutive school days, remove a child with a
disability (other than a child with mental retardation) who violates a code of student
conduct from his or her current placement to an appropriate interim alternative
educational setting, another setting, or suspension. School personnel may also impose
additional removals of the child of not more than 10 consecutive school days in that same
school year for separate incidents of misconduct, as long as those removals do not
constitute a change of placement (see Change of Placement Because of Disciplinary
Removals for the definition, below) or exceed 15 cumulative school days in a school year.
Once a child with a disability has been removed from his or her current placement for a
total of 10 school days in the same school year, Charter School must, during any
subsequent days of removal in that school year, provide services to the extent required
below under the sub-heading Services.

Additional Authority

If the behavior that violated the student code of conduct was not a manifestation of the
childs disability (see Manifestation determination, below) and the disciplinary change of
placement would exceed 10 consecutive school days, school personnel may apply the
disciplinary procedures to that child with a disability in the same manner and for the same
duration as it would to children without disabilities, except that the school must provide
services to that child as described below under Services. The childs IEP Team
determines the interim alternative educational setting for such services. Under PA special
education regulations, a disciplinary exclusion of a student with a disability for more than
15 cumulative school days in a school year will be considered a pattern so as to be
deemed a change in educational placement (explained under Change of Placement
Because of Disciplinary Removals). Charter School is required to issue a NOREP/Prior
Written Notice to parents prior to a removal that constitutes a change in placement
(removal for more than 10 consecutive days or 15 cumulative days).

Services

The services that must be provided to a child with a disability who has been removed
from the childs current placement may be provided to an interim alternative educational
setting. A Charter School is only required to provide services to a child with a disability
who has been removed from his or her current placement for 10 school days or less in that
school year, if it provides services to a child without disabilities who has been similarly
removed. Students may have the responsibility to make up exams and work missed while
being disciplined by suspension and may be permitted to complete these assignments
within guidelines established by their Charter School.

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A child with a disability who is removed from the childs current placement for more than
10 consecutive school days must:

Continue to receive educational services, so as to enable the child to continue to
participate in the general education curriculum, although in another setting, and to
progress toward meeting the goals set out in the childs IEP; and

Receive, as appropriate, a functional behavioral assessment, and behavioral intervention
services and modifications that are designed to address the behavior violation so that it
does not happen again.

After a child with a disability has been removed from his or her current placement for 10
school days during one school year, or if current removal is for 10 consecutive school
days or less, and if the removal is not a change of placement (see definition below), then
school personnel, in consultation with at least one of the childs teachers, determine the
extent to which services are needed to enable the child to continue to participate in the
general education curriculum, although in another setting, and to progress toward meeting
the goals set out in the childs IEP.

If the removal is a change of placement (see definition below), the childs IEP Team
determines the appropriate services to enable the child to continue to participate in the
general education curriculum, although in another setting, and to progress toward meeting
the goals set out in the childs IEP.

Manifestation Determination

Within 10 school days of any decision to change the placement of a child with a disability
because of a violation of a code of student conduct (except for a removal that does not
constitute a change in educational placement i.e., is for 10 consecutive school days or less
and not a change of placement), Charter School, the parent, and relevant members of the
IEP Team (as determined by the parent and Charter School) must review all relevant
information in the students file, including the childs IEP, any teacher observations, and
any relevant information provided by the parents to determine:
o If the conduct in question was caused by, or had a direct and substantial
relationship to, the childs disability; or
o If the conduct in question was the direct result of Charter Schools failure to
implement the childs IEP.

If Charter School, the parent, and relevant members of the childs IEP Team determine
that either of those conditions was met, the conduct must be determined to be a
manifestation of the childs disability.

If Charter School, the parent, and relevant members of the childs IEP Team determine
that the conduct in question was the direct result of Charter Schools failure to implement
the IEP, Charter School must take immediate action to remedy those deficiencies.

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Determination That Behavior Was A Manifestation Of The Childs Disability

If Charter School, the parent, and relevant members of the IEP Team determine that the
conduct was a manifestation of the childs disability, the IEP Team must either:
o Conduct a functional behavioral assessment, unless Charter School had conducted
a functional behavioral assessment before the behavior that resulted in the change
of placement occurred, and implement a behavioral intervention plan for the child;
or

If a behavioral intervention plan already has been developed, review the behavioral
intervention plan, and modify it, as necessary, to address the behavior.

Except as described below under the sub-heading Special circumstances, Charter School
must return the child to the placement from which the child was removed, unless the
parent and the school agree to a change of placement as part of the modification of the
behavioral intervention plan.

Special Circumstances

Whether or not the behavior was a manifestation of the childs disability, school
personnel may remove a student to an interim alternative educational setting (determined
by the childs IEP Team) for up to 45 school days, if the child:

Carries a weapon (see the Definitions below) to school or has a weapon at school, on
school premises, or at a school function under the jurisdiction of Charter School:

Knowingly has or uses illegal drugs (see the Definitions below), or sells or solicits the
sale of a controlled substance, (see the Definitions below), while at school, on school
premises, or at a school function under the jurisdiction of Charter School; or

Has inflicted serious bodily injury (see the Definitions below) upon another person while
at school, on school premises, or at a school function under the jurisdiction of the State
Educational Agency or a Charter School.

Definitions
Controlled substance means a drug or other substance identified under schedules I, II, III,
IV, or V in section 202 (c) of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 812(c)).

Illegal drug means a controlled substance; but does not include a controlled substance that
is legally possessed or used under the supervision of a licensed health-care professional or
that is legally possessed or used under any other authority under that Act or under any
other provision of Federal law.

Serious bodily injury has the meaning given the term serious bodily injury under
paragraph (3) of subsection (h) of section 1365 of title 18, United States Code.

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Weapon has the meaning given the term dangerous weapon under paragraph (2) of the
first subsection (g) of section 930 of title 18, United States Code.

Notification

On the date it makes the decision to make a removal that is a change of placement of the
child because of a violation of a code of student conduct, Charter School must notify the
parents of that decision, and provide the parents with a procedural safeguards notice.

Change Of Placement Because Of Disciplinary Removals (34 CFR 300.536)

A removal of a child with a disability from the childs current educational placement is a
change of placement requiring a NOREP/prior written notice if:
o The removal is for more than 10 consecutive school days; or
o The removal is for 15 cumulative school days total in any one school year;

The child has been subjected to a series of removals that constitute a pattern because:

The series of removals total more than 10 school days in a school year;

The childs behavior is substantially similar to the childs behavior in previous incidents
that resulted in a series of removals;

Of such additional factors as the length of each removal, the total amount of time the
child has been removed, and the proximity of the removals to one another; and

Whether a pattern of removals constitutes a change of placement is determined on a case-
by-case basis by Charter School and, if challenged, is subject to review through due
process and judicial proceedings.

Determination of Setting (34 CFR 300.531)

The IEP must determine the interim alternative educational setting for removals that are
changes of placement, and removals under the headings Additional authority and Special
circumstances, above.

The parent of a child with a disability may file a due process complaint (see above) to
request a due process hearing if he or she disagrees with:

Any decision regarding placement made under these discipline provisions; or
The manifestation determination described above.

Charter School may file a due process complaint (see above) to request a due process
hearing if it believes that maintaining the current placement of the child is substantially
likely to result in injury to the child or to others.

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Authority of hearing officer

A hearing officer that meets the requirements described under the sub-heading Impartial
Hearing Officer must conduct the due process hearing and make a decision.

The hearing officer may:
o Return the child with a disability to the placement from which the child was
removed if the hearing officer determines that the removal was a violation of the
requirements described under the heading Authority of School Personnel, or that
the childs behavior was a manifestation of the childs disability; or
o Order a change of placement of the child with a disability to an appropriate
interim alternative educational setting for not more than 45 school days if the
hearing officer determines that maintaining the current placement of the child is
substantially likely to result in injury to the child or to others.

These hearing procedures may be repeated, if Charter School believes that returning the
child to the original placement is substantially likely to result in injury to the child or to
others.

Whenever a parent or a Charter School files a due process complaint to request such a
hearing, a hearing must be held in accordance with the following:
o The SEA must arrange for an expedited due process hearing, which must occur
within 20 school days of the date the hearing is filed and must result in a
determination within 10 school days after the hearing.

Unless the parents and Charter School agree in writing to waive the meeting, or agree to
use mediation, a resolution meeting must occur within 7 calendar days of receiving notice
of the due process complaint. The hearing may proceed unless the matter has been
resolved to the satisfaction of both parties within 15 calendar days of receipt of the due
process complaint.

A party may appeal the decision in an expedited due process hearing in the same way as
they may for decisions in other due process hearings.

When, as described above, the parent or Charter School has filed a due process complaint
related to disciplinary matters, the child must (unless the parent and the State Educational
Agency or Charter School agree otherwise) remain in the interim alternative educational
setting pending the decision of the hearing officer, or until the expiration of the time
period of removal as provided for and described under the heading Authority of School
Personnel, whichever occurs first.

Special Rules for Students with Mental Retardation

The disciplinary removal of a child with mental retardation attending either a Charter
School for any amount of time is considered a change in placement and requires
NOREP/prior written notice (if the disciplinary event does not involve drugs, weapons
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and/or serious bodily injury). A removal from school is not a change in placement for a
child who is identified with mental retardation when the disciplinary event involves
weapons, drugs, and/or serious bodily injury.

According to certain assurances the Commonwealth entered into related to the PARC
consent decree, a Charter School may suspend on a limited basis a student with mental
retardation who presents a danger to himself or others upon application and approval by
the Bureau of Special Education and only to the extent that a student with a disability
other than mental retardation could be suspended.

Protections For Children Not Yet Eligible For Special Education and Related Services
(34 CFR 300.534)

If a child has not been determined eligible for special education and related services and
violates a code of student conduct, but Charter School had knowledge (as determined
below) before the behavior that brought about the disciplinary action occurred, that the
child was a child with a disability, then the child may assert any of the protections
described in this notice.

Basis Of Knowledge For Disciplinary Matters

A Charter School must be deemed to have knowledge that a child is a child with a
disability if, before the behavior that brought about the disciplinary action occurred:

The parent of the child expressed concern in writing that the child is in need of special
education and related services to supervisory or administrative personnel of appropriate
educational agency, or a teacher of the child;

The parent request an evaluation related to eligibility for special education and related
services under Part B of the IDEA; or

The childs teacher, or other Charter School personnel expressed specific concerns about
a pattern of behavior demonstrated by the child directly to Charter Schools Director of
Special Education or to other supervisory personnel of Charter School.

A Charter School would not be deemed to have such knowledge if:
o The childs parent has not allowed an evaluation of the child or refused special
education services; or
o The child has been evaluated and determined to not be a child with a disability
under Part B of the IDEA.

Conditions That Apply If There Is No Basis Of Knowledge

If prior to taking disciplinary measures against the child, a Charter School does not have
knowledge that a child is a child with a disability, as described above under the sub-
headings Basis of knowledge for disciplinary matters and Exception, the child may be
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subjected to the disciplinary measures that are applied to children without disabilities who
engaged in comparable behaviors. However, if a request is made for an evaluation of a
child during the time period in which the child is subjected to disciplinary measures, the
evaluation must be conducted in an expedited manner. Until the evaluation is completed,
the child remains in the educational placement determined by school authorities, which
can include suspension or expulsion without educational services. If the child is
determined to be a child with a disability, taking into consideration information from the
evaluation conducted by Charter School, and information provided by the parents,
Charter School must provide special education and related services in accordance with
Part B of the IDEA, including the disciplinary requirements described above.

Referral to and action by the Law Enforcement and Judicial Authorities
(34 CFR 300.535)

The state and federal regulations do not:

Prohibit an agency from reporting a crime committed by a child with a disability to
appropriate authorities; or

Prevent State law enforcement and judicial authorities from exercising their
responsibilities with regard to the application of Federal and State law to crimes
committed by a child with a disability.

Subsequent to a referral to law enforcement, an updated functional behavior assessment
and positive behavior support plan are required.

Transmittal of records

If a Charter School reports a crime committed by a child with a disability, Charter School:
must ensure that copies of the childs special education and disciplinary records are
transmitted for consideration by the authorities to whom the agency reports the crime; and
may transmit copies of the childs special education and disciplinary records only to the
extent permitted by FERPA.

C. Describe your schools mandatory student attendance plan and its fit with the code of
conduct.

According to the Key Charter Student Code of Conduct, student attendance is aligned in the
following manner:
Level I Level II Level III Level IV
Absences
Unexcused
absences from
school
X

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Persistent or
excessive absences
from school
X X

Habitual truancy
X X

RTI will be used as a means to work with parents and identified students to improve poor
attendance which will support Level I and Level II school-based responsibilities
Key Charter School will use PowerSchool SMS to enter daily attendance
eAny child who has not attained the age of 14 who fails to comply with the compulsory
attendance requirements and is habitually truant, shall be referred by Key Charter School
to the local county children and youth agency for services, which may include addressing
family issues that may be responsible for the childs truant behavior, or possible
adjudication as a dependent child under the Juvenile Act. The referral to the county
children and youth agency may be in addition to proceeding against the parent/guardian
by sending the citation to the appropriate magisterial district judge or a school may decide
to refer a family to the local county children and youth agency instead of sending a
citation to the appropriate magisterial district judge. If the parent/guardian provides
written consent, a copy of the TEP should be forwarded to the county children and youth
agency.
Any child who has attained the age of 14 who fails to comply with the compulsory
attendance requirements and is habitually truant may, in lieu of being prosecuted, be
referred by Key Charter School to the local county children and youth agency for services,
which may include addressing family issues that may be responsible for the childs truant
behavior or, possible adjudication as a dependent child under the Juvenile Act.
Possible sentences for parents found to be in violation of compulsory attendance law:
o Paying a fine up to $300 for each offense and court costs, or
o Completing a parenting education program, and
o In cases where the party convicted fails to pay the fine or complete the parenting
education program, a subsequent sentencing to the county jail for no more than
five days;
o Completing in lieu of, or in addition to the previous penalties, community
service within the school district for a period of no more than six months.
Key Charter School will require that students enrolled attend school daily in accordance
with the compulsory attendance laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The
educational program offered by Key Charter School is based upon the presence of the
student and requires continuity of instructional and classroom participation.
Key Charter School will comply with the Truancy Elimination Plan program as defined
by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
While a student may be passing all subjects, he/she must still adhere to the following
attendance guidelines
The following are the only absences that are considered excused:
o Personal illness or injury
o Quarantine
o Recovery from an accident
o Attendance required in a court of law
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o Death in the immediate family including, but not necessarily limited to,
parents, siblings, grandparents or other family members living in the
household
o Medical or dental appointment that cannot be scheduled outside of school
hours. Notice of such an absence must be provided prior to the day of the
appointment, except in the case of an emergency.
o Religious holidays, if the religious tenets to which the student and/or
his/her family adhere require observance of the holiday. In addition, upon
receiving a written request from parent/guardian, a student shall be
excused from school in order to attend classes for religious instruction
under 1546 of the Public School Code of 1949. (24 P.S. 15-1546)
o School sponsored conferences or trips
o Seniors and juniors will be permitted one (1) day absence per year for the
purpose of college visitations providing they have notified the guidance
counselor, have received advance permission from the CEO, and have
provided written verification from the parent/guardian. In addition,
written verification from the college/university must be provided.
Parents/guardians are responsible for notifying the school each and every day their child
is absent from school. Parents/guardians must include the following information:
o Students name
o Students homeroom/teacher
o Reason for absence
o Name and relationship of caller
o Phone number where caller can be reached for verification
Absences due to personal illness will not be automatically excused. Parents/guardians
must submit a handwritten and/or signed note upon the students return to school. If a
students absence exceeds three consecutive school days, a doctors note must be
provided to the homeroom teacher. Notes/documentation for absences must be submitted
within three (3) days from the time the student returns to school or they will not be
accepted and the absence will be recorded as unexcused.
If a student is absent from school for three (3) or more school days without a valid
excuse, Key Charter School is required to report the students absence to his/her district
of residence for truancy proceedings. Any student who is absent from school for a period
of ten (10) consecutive school days will be dropped from the schools rolls, unless the
school has been provided with evidence that the absence may be legally excused or
compulsory attendance prosecution has been or is being pursued.
If a student is absent with or without notification to the school, a phone call may be made
to the parent/guardian via our automated phone system.
Upon receiving a written note from parent/guardian, the CEO may excuse a student
during school hours for the purpose of obtaining professional health care or therapy
service only if the following requirements are met:
o The health care provider or therapeutic services are rendered by a
Commonwealth licensed practitioner in accordance with the Public School
Code.
o It is not possible for the student to receive the services outside of school
hours.
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o The time of necessary absence from school involves a minimum
interference with the pupils regular program of studies.
o The student must make up all schoolwork from this absence.
In order to promote a consistent educational process throughout the school year,
parents/guardians should not schedule family vacations during the school year. If it is
imperative that a vacation must be taken, please note the following:
o Notify the CEO, in writing, at least two weeks in advance if a student is to
be taken out of school.
o Time lost will count toward the total number of cumulative absences of
the student.
o Absences taken during mid-terms, finals, and standardized testing are
strongly discouraged.
o Students absent because of a family vacation are accountable for all work
missed.
Excessive absence from school may constitute misconduct and/or disobedience as to
warrant the following incremental measures.
The automated system may call the parent on the day of every absence and may call the
parent each time the child is late.
Students with chronic medical conditions who are plagued with excessive absenteeism
due to their medical condition are required to provide the school nurse with a letter from
the treating physician, on the physicians letterhead, and signed by the physician treating
the student for said medical condition stating why the student must be absent. This
information must be updated every 30 days for short term illness. Failure to provide the
nurse with the requested report will render the students reason for excessive absence
invalid.
The Board of Trustees and the administration of Key Charter School believe that arriving
on time for school establishes a pattern that students will carry with them throughout their
educational career and beyond.
It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to ensure that this example is set for their
child by making sure that he/she is on time for school each day. Parents and students who
drive to school must take into consideration the heavy traffic conditions and plan their
drive to school accordingly.
Students who travel on yellow school buses will not be marked late if the school bus
arrives late to Key Charter School.

5. Transportation:
A. Describe your transportation program, including transportation for Special Education
students and suggestions for improvement.

The law requires school districts to provide transportation to resident students attending a
charter school "on such dates and periods that the charter school is in regular session" if:
o The charter school is located within the school district, or
o The charter school is located not more than ten miles by the nearest public
highway beyond the school district boundary,

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Just as school districts are required to provide transportation for regular education
students to a charter school, school districts also must provide transportation for students
with disabilities eligible under IDEA and protected handicapped students under Section
504 to the charter school in which they are enrolled. This includes transportation to an
Extended School Year (ESY) program if that program is held at the charter school.
However, some students with disabilities and some Section 504 students require
modifications or accommodations for their transportation to the charter school. Although
school districts are required to provide transportation for these students, school districts
are not required to provide the modifications or accommodations (such as specialized
equipment or personnel to accompany the student) for such students. Provision of
modifications or accommodations in a students IEP or Section 504 Service Plan is the
obligation of the charter school, because it is the charter school that owes the student a
Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). However, the Pennsylvania Department of
Education strongly recommends that, because school districts have expertise and capacity
to provide specialized transportation, school districts should provide the specialized
transportation of students with disabilities and section 504 students, if requested by the
charter school, and bill the charter school for such modifications or accommodations
above and beyond the normal costs of transportation.

B. What arrangements will be made to transport students and if you plan to implement an
extended-day or extended-year program that requires transportation beyond that which the
district provides?

Key Charter School will not implement an extended school year and/or an extended school
day as part of the regular programming for students. However, Key Charter School will
make arrangements for Extended School Year (as defined by IDEA and Chapter 711)
transportation as determined by the IEP Team.

C. What plans are being made for the coordination of transportation of students who live
outside the local district to be transported to the school? The school district of student
residence must provide transportation to a charter school up to ten miles from its border.

Communication on November 15, 2013 will be sent to each area superintendent informing
them of our charter application to the Harrisburg School District
Beginning June 2014, the Director of Operations will meet with each LEA to submit names
of enrolled students and begin the routing process. The meetings/calls will be scheduled bi-
weekly
If students reside outside of the district and the student lives within a ten mile radius from its
border, the sending district will be asked to provide transportation. If the students reside
further than that limit, parents will be required to provide their own transportation to and
from school.

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6. Food Service:
A. Describe the food service plan of the school.

Key Charter School is negotiating a buy-back contract with the Harrisburg School District to
purchase breakfast at a rate of $1.85 per child and lunch at $2.75 per child
The kitchen at 2200 Market Street is a full-service, cooking facility with the ability to support
1200 students. A staff will be hired to oversee the facility.
Federal and state grants will be explored in an attempt to enhance breakfast and lunch
opportunities for all students

B. What are the plans for free or reduced lunch or breakfast? State regulations for student
participation in such a program must be followed (24 PS 13-1337).

Key Charter School will apply with the state to be eligible to participate in the reduced
and free lunch program
The school will contract with a state approved meal plan provider through submission of
bids. Parents will receive notification of the meal program and asked to complete the Free
and Reduced Meal Plan Form on-line or through a paper copy. All students will be
offered meals either free, reduced or payment.
Free and Reduced Meal Plan Policy
o Food service programs of the school shall be directed at meeting the needs of the pupils
in accordance with these guidelines.
o Food sold by the school may be purchased by students, teachers and other employees and
only for consumption on school premises.
o The operation and supervision of the food services program shall be the responsibility of
the CEO.
o Provisions shall be made for free and reduced rate meals as prescribed by federal and
state law, in accordance with these guidelines.
o The CEO shall prepare guidelines for the implementation of a food service program
including:
the maintenance of facilities free from fire or health hazards,
the purchase of perishable foodstuffs, seasonal commodities and other supplies,
accounting procedures and depositing procedures for cafeteria funds,
control, safekeeping and storage of food and food equipment.

7. Timetable:
Provide a detailed timetable of projected steps and dates leading to the opening of a charter
school.
Task Period/Date
Submission of Charter Application November 15, 2013
Apply for various grants November 2013 June 2014
Marketing November 2013 June 2014
Monthly Information Sessions for
Parent/Community/Board
November 2013 June 2014
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Continue on Student Recruitment Plan November 2013 June 2014
Continue on Staff Recruitment Plan November 2013 June 2014
Attend Board Meeting December 2013
Attend Board Meeting January 2014 - February 2014
Meeting with Cleaning Contractor February 2014
Facility Preparation Planning- Capital
Improvement
March 2014
Distribution/Collection of current
student letters of intent to return-
confirm registration
March 2014 August 2014
Meet with various departments within
Central Office/LEAs
March 2014 August 2014
Curriculum Development March 2014 August 2014
Begin work at Key Charter School April 2014
Facility Preparation- Capital
Improvement
April 2014 August 2014
Lottery (if applicable) June 30, 2014
Meeting with LEAs June 2014 August 2014
Ordering June 2014 August 2014
Classroom Set-up June 2014 August 2014
In-school Registration June 2014 August 2014
Charter Transition from Founding
Members to Charter Board
July 1, 2014
Finalize Staffing July 2014
Staff Professional Development August 2014
Weekly School/Community Meet and
Greets
August 2014

8. Safety:
A. Submit written documentation of intent to comply with all applicable safety requirements
including the following to demonstrate the safety and structural soundness of the school:

Key Charter School will comply with all regulations as it relates to Health and Safety.
Inspections and other documentation will be on file for review by the Harrisburg School
District, authorizer
9. School Health Services
A. Describe your plan for providing school health services as required under Article XIV of the
Public School Code.

Key Charter School plans to hire a fully-licensed nurse full-time

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B. Describe how school nursing services, including administration of medication will be
delivered.

A fully-licensed nurse will provide medical service, including the distribution of medicine, to
identified students
The school nurse handles a variety of student medical concerns each day and maintains
all medical records on each student. The nurse is informed of any special health
problems.
If a child becomes ill during the school day, he/she will be given immediate attention.
Parents will be called if the child is too ill to return to class. The child should not
personally call home if they feel ill but inform the teacher, who will then follow school
procedures.
Children are not to bring any kind of medication to school or to self-administer any kind
of medication. Should the occasion arise that a student must take medication during the
school day, a physician must prescribe the medication, and arrangements must be made
through the nurses office for the nurse to administer the medication. The physician must
complete official forms that include diagnosis, dosage, and the time for the medication to
be given during the school day. All medications and prescriptions are to be brought in
their original bottles to the nurse and kept in the health office. Over-the-counter drugs,
including cough medicine, aspirin, etc., must also be accompanied by a doctors note. If
the need arises that a parent must administer the medication to their child personally
during the school day, they must go directly to the nurses office. The child will be called
to the nurses office to receive the medication. Medication cannot be dispersed at any
other location.
Key Charter recognizes that a number of students have medically certified conditions
requiring medication, equipment, or machinery to be administered during school hours in
order to maintain health and to function in the school setting.
Medical measures necessary to maintain a student in school and which can be
administered by school staff will be subject to a school based policy. Medication,
equipment, and machinery requested for acute conditions or for recovery purposes shall
not be approved.
The CEO shall have authorization to determine procedures for staff development in the
use of medication and equipment, assign responsibility for delivery of services, and
school placement of students with such medical needs.

Criteria

All medication (prescription and over-the-counter) must be brought to the school Health
Office by the parent/guardian. Students, at no time, should be in possession of any types
of medication. Students may not keep any medications with them or in their school bags
during the school day. All medications are kept in the Health Office.

As to the possession and use of asthma inhalers, however, a student must demonstrate the
capability for self-administration and responsible behavior. The student must verify with
the school nurse his/her ability to administer the medication and that she/she has
permission to do so. The student is restricted from making the inhaler available to other
KEY HSD 000084
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students. For asthma inhalers, the school requires a written statement by a doctor or other
prescribing medical professional indicating the drug, the dose, the timing of the dose and
the diagnosis/reason the medication is required; a requirement for a written request from
the students parent/guardian that the school comply with the orders of the doctor; and the
ability of the school to reserve the right to require the doctor to provide a statement
justifying the continued use of the inhaler beyond a certain time period.

All medications (prescription and over-the-counter) must be presented to the School
Nurse in the original labeled container from the pharmacy or drug store. Pharmacists will
provide additional labeled containers for prescription medications if asked.

All medications (prescription and over-the-counter) must be accompanied by written
permission from both a physician and the parent/guardian. The required form is available
from the school nurse.

Parents who wish to give medication to their children during the school day must
administer it in the office of the school nurse.

Medication in baggies or foil wrappings will not be accepted or administered. Vitamins,
antacids, acetaminophen or ibuprofen, and lactose products (example: Dairy Ease) must
also be accompanied by written permission from a physician and parent/guardian with
clear instructions for dosage and administration times. Parents whose children may
require an Epi-Pen or EZ Pen for severe allergy reactions, must provide a supply to be
kept in the nurses office for use by their child.

Only the exact amount of prescription medication for the treatment period should be kept
in the nurses office. Pharmacists will provide extra labeled containers if asked.

The School Nurse is charged with the final determination of what over-the-counter items
fall under the category of medication and for developing procedures.

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KEY HSD 000086
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KEY HSD 000088
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KEY HSD 000089
KEY HSD 000090
The Reggio Emilia Approach to
Early Years Education
KEY HSD 000091
Acknowledgements
I wish to express my sincere thanks to Pat Wharton, Diane Alexander and Eileen Carmichael
for their generous contributions to the first and second editions of this document.
I would also like to thank all the children, educators and parents of the many Reggio schools
who gave so generously of their time and answered my questions with enthusiasm and
patience.
And finally, a special thankyou to Ruben, Sebastian and Emily my three Reggio children!
First published 1999
New edition published 2006
Learning and Teaching Scotland 2006
ISBN-13: 978-184399-136-6
ISBN-10: 1-84399-135-7
KEY HSD 000092
REGGIO EMILIA iii
Background
General Information
What is the Reggio Approach?
The Image of the Child
The Expressive Arts in the Pre-school: The Hundred Languages
Progettazione
Community and ParentSchool Relationships
Environment
Teachers as Learners
What can the Scottish Early Years Education System Learn
from the Reggio Approach?
Adaptation of a Pedagogical Approach
Reflecting on Current Practice
Physical Features
Time
Collaboration
Partnership with Parents
Curriculum
The Role of the Adult
Documentation
Initial Teacher Training and Professional Development
Bibliography
Books
News Articles
Reports
Conference Papers
CONTENTS
REGGIO EMILIA
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REGGIO EMILIA 1
BACKGROUND
In educational terms the northern Italian town of Reggio Emilia has a firmly established
worldwide reputation for forward thinking and excellence in its approach to early childhood
education. North American and Scandinavian educators have long recognised the importance
of the continuing educational development that is taking place in the Reggio model, and there is
much about the approach that is of interest to educators in Scotland. It is a socio-constructivist
model. That is, it is influenced by the theory of Lev Vygotsky, which states that children (and
adults) co-construct their theories and knowledge through the relationships that they build
with other people and the surrounding environment. It also draws on the work of others such
as Jean Piaget, Howard Gardner and Jerome Bruner. It promotes an image of the child as a
strong, capable protagonist in his or her own learning, and, importantly, as a subject of rights.
It is distinguished by a deeply embedded commitment to the role of research in learning and
teaching. It is an approach where the expressive arts play a central role in learning and where a
unique reciprocal learning relationship exists between teacher and child. Much attention is given
to detailed observation and documentation of learning and the learning process takes priority
over the final product. It is a model that demonstrates a strong relationship between school and
community and provides a remarkable programme for professional development.
Since this paper was first written, in 1998, the town of Reggio Emilia has undergone significant
change and evolution at a socio-cultural and demographic level. The population of this medium
sized Italian town was 135,406 in 1995 and according to the 2004 census now stands at
155.191
1
. This population growth is due to a number of factors, such as the increase of the
average lifespan, an increase in the birth rate (which is significantly higher than in other parts
of northern Italy) and increasing immigration both from other parts of Italy and from other
countries, both within and outwith the European Union.
Reggio Emilia is a very prosperous town that boasts a strong cultural heritage, historic
architecture and beautiful squares. The citizens of Reggio Emilia are served by generally efficient
public services. The town has a strong tradition of co-operation and inclusion that cuts across
social and economic boundaries, and politically the people continue to show their support for
the Socialist Parties. Increased immigration, however, has undoubtedly created new challenges
for Reggio Emilia and the town is experiencing a period of transition in terms of cultural
awareness. The number of non-European immigrants resident in Reggio Emilia has risen from
5090 in 1997 to 15,052 in 2005. This is an increase which has not gone unnoticed by Italians.
Equally, while local government remains committed to the development of social policies that
actively support families and children, there is an increasing sense of precariousness in early
childhood services because of national government legislation. As ever, educators, parents and
citizens in Reggio Emilia have been vocal in protesting against such economic cuts and reduction
in staff numbers. Indeed, at the time of writing there have been protests in the form of signing
petitions and opening pre-school establishments to the public on Saturday mornings with the
purpose of highlighting this precariousness.
1
Census figures and population growth figures are cited from Reggio in Cifre published by Comune di Reggio Emilia, 1995.
BACKGROUND
REGGIO EMILIA
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2
The education that the Reggio schools provide is the result of a long and gradual process that
continues to evolve. We must look back to the period immediately after the Second World
War to understand the genesis of what has become known as the Reggio Approach. Two
factors can be seen to have had a fundamental and far-reaching effect.
It was the parents and citizens of Reggio Emilia who, in a show of collective responsibility and
the desire to create a better society for their children, occupied a disused building that they
turned into the first nursery school. This and the other schools that followed were quite literally
built by the people.
The effort and will of the parents was given direction through the extraordinary vision of
Loris Malaguzzi, at the time a young teacher, who dedicated his life to the development of
the philosophy now known as the Reggio Approach. In 1963 the local council or municipality
opened the first municipal pre-school establishments for children of 36 years and in 1970
these were joined by the first infant-toddler centres for infants from three months to 3 years.
In the late 1960s the original schools founded in the post-war period were integrated into the
municipal system and given renewed impetus.
From the start the municipal-run schools have been committed to progressive thinking and the
advancement of an educational project that centres on the child. For these reasons the Reggio
schools have attracted significant global interest and received international accolades. Foreign
interest originally began in the 1970s with the creation of a touring exhibition of the work taking
place in the schools. The exhibition was originally called The Eye Jumps over the Wall and is now
known as The Hundred Languages of Children. It has been shown throughout the world and
continues to evolve. The number of people worldwide who visit the schools and attend the
conferences organised by the private organisation called Reggio Children continues to increase.
Reggio Children was founded in 1995 in response to the level of global interest in Reggio and
has as its full title The Centre for the Promotion and Defence of the Rights of Children. It aims
to share its expertise both nationally and internationally and promote research in the field. As a
result of exemplary work being done, a number of awards have been bestowed on the schools
and the people involved:
in 1992, the late Loris Malaguzzi, the founder of the philosophy, was awarded the Danish
LEGO Prize for his outstanding work in the field of early childhood education
in 1993, Reggio schools were given an award by the Kohl Foundation in Chicago
in 1994, the Hans Christian Andersen Prize was awarded to the schools in recognition of
their work.
In 1995 two important events took place. Dr Jerome S Bruner visited the schools and was so
deeply impressed by the experience that he established a relationship with the schools based
on promoting and improving educational systems globally. A link between Reggio and the Italian
Ministry of Education was also established with the aim of creating a common programme of
professional development throughout the country.
BACKGROUND
REGGIO EMILIA
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REGGIO EMILIA 3
Many prizes have been bestowed on the Reggio Emilia 06 school experience between 1995
and 2006. Examples of these are:
in 2000, the Klods Hans Prize 2000 was awarded by the city of Hirsthals, Denmark, for
commitment to the defence and development of childrens rights in the field of education
in 2001, a prize was awarded by the city of Blois, France, in recognition of the quality of the
educational experience
in 2001, the Gold Medal for merit in schools, culture and art was awarded by Carlo
Azeglio Ciampi, President of the Republic of Italy, in memory of Loris Malaguzzi
in 2002, the Nonino Prize for an Italian maestro of our times was awarded to the
educational project for early childhood in the municipality of Reggio Emilia.
At the time of writing, perhaps the most significant event in the development of this unique
educational experience has been the opening (February 2006) of the Loris Malaguzzi International
Centre of Childhood. The centre, which is partially open to the public, is still in the development
phase but it has already been host to different exhibitions and meetings on the theme of
childhood and education. It now has conference rooms, a theatre, exhibition spaces and working
creative and scientific ateliers which were developed by parents in conjunction with educators
and atelieristas. The next phase will see the opening of restaurants and a new pre-school
establishment on the site. Crucially, the international centre is seen as a place for the defence
and promotion of the rights of all children and young people. The atelier and other spaces will
be used by children and young people up to 18 years of age, a step which highlights the town of
Reggio Emilias commitment to all young people and not just children of pre-school age.
BACKGROUND
REGGIO EMILIA
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4 REGGIO EMILIA
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REGGIO EMILIA 5
GENERAL INFORMATION
In recent years there has been a significant development in the organisation and running of the
municipal infant-toddler centres and pre-school establishments of Reggio Emilia. In 2003 the
municipality took the decision to manage the network of services through a new body known
as an Istituzione. The change took place not in a move towards privatisation of any sort, as has
occasionally been suggested, but rather in an attempt to give greater organisational freedom
to the schools as the Istituzione has its own board of directors and, importantly, its own
independent budget. So far the change has generally been seen by educators to be a positive
one, with very little change in the daily life of the schools.
In 2006, there are now 22 pre-school establishments being managed by the Istituzione (of
which two are affiliated co-operatives). There are also 24 infant-toddler centres (of which
13 are municipal schools and 11 are affiliated co-operatives). This network of schools in
conjunction with state provision and religious pre-school establishments means that every child
of pre-school age is guaranteed a school place. Consequently over 90 per cent of pre-school-
age children are enrolled in a pre-school establishment.
2

While the parents financial contribution is means-tested, the local government commits 12
per cent of its entire budget to supporting the schools more than any other Italian local
government. Indeed the contribution made by parents covers the cost of the childrens lunch
and nothing more.
This is therefore very much a community-based project. The schools are linked directly to the
Istituzione through the board of directors and the general director (presently Sergio Spaggiari)
and the Istituzione works closely with a group of curriculum team leaders or advisers, each of
whom is known as a pedagogista. Each pedagogista co-ordinates the teaching in a group of
schools and centres.
In terms of staffing, each school comprises two teachers per classroom, one atelierista (a
specialist arts teacher who works closely with teachers on all areas of learning, teaching and
documentation), a cook and several auxiliary staff kitchen assistants and cleaners who are
all equally valued as playing fundamental roles in the life of the school. There is no principal of
the school and no promoted staff structure. Teachers work in pairs and remain with the same
group of children for the three-year period, developing a strong sense of community.
The organisation of the schools is as follows. Teaching staff work a total of 36 hours per week,
of which 30 hours are spent with the children. The remaining six hours are used for a variety of
purposes, including professional development, planning, preparation of materials and meetings
with families. Teachers work on a shift system that rotates weekly. The schools are open from
8.00 a.m. until 4.00 p.m. daily with the option of a 7.30 a.m. start and an extended day until
6.20 p.m. for those families who file a special request. As well as two full-time teachers in each
2

All figures in this secton are extracted from Reggio Childrens mission statement published by Reggio Children, 2005.
GENERAL INFORMATION
REGGIO EMILIA
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6
section there is also a part-time teacher who covers the extended day and works from 3.30
p.m. until 6.30 p.m. Teachers always work in pairs and each pair of teachers (co-teachers) is
responsible for a maximum of 24 children at nursery school level. In Reggio, nursery education
is regarded as multi-functional, providing high-quality education and childcare for the children of
people who work. Most educational activities take place in the morning. Children have lunch
together and then spend part of the afternoon asleep. As no hierarchy exists within the school
staff, teachers are involved in all aspects of the daily routine including meal times and bed times;
emphasising the ethos of collectivity and participation that pervades all areas of school life.
GENERAL INFORMATION
REGGIO EMILIA
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REGGIO EMILIA 7
WHAT IS THE REGGIO APPROACH?
The following factors are inherent in the Reggio Approach:
the image of the child
the expressive arts in the pre-school establishment
progettazione
community and parentschool relationships
environment
teachers as learners.
Each of these will be considered separately, although they are generally interrelated.
The Image of the Child
Our image of children no longer considers them as isolated and egocentric, does
not only see them as engaged in action with objects, does not emphasise only
the cognitive aspects, does not belittle feelings or what is not logical and does not
consider with ambiguity the role of the reflective domain. Instead our image of the
child is rich in potential, strong, powerful, competent and, most of all, connected to
adults and children.
Loris Malaguzzi
3
All that takes place within the Reggio schools in terms of learning and teaching, building
relationships and professional development stems from one overriding factor the image
of the child. Rather than seeing the child as an empty vessel waiting eagerly to be filled with
knowledge, Reggio educators believe strongly in a child with unlimited potential who is eager to
interact with and contribute to the world. They believe in a child who has a fundamental right
to realise and expand their potential. This is a child who is driven by curiosity and imagination,
a capable child who delights in taking responsibility for his or her own learning, a child who
listens and is listened to, a child with an enormous need to love and to be loved, a child who is
valued. Indeed the way in which childrens many strengths and abilities are valued and listened
to is fundamental to this approach. While international visitors so often concentrate on the
graphic and visual aspects of childrens work, the words and conversations of the children
demonstrate capacities to reflect and make hypotheses on very complex and often abstract
thoughts and ideas, when given the time and emotional space to do so. Fundamentally, then,
this is an image of a child who is a subject of rights. This is highlighted in the creation of a
Charter of Rights, a manifesto of the rights of parents and teachers as well as children, which
is evident in every school. It states that: Children have the right to be recognised as subjects of
individual, legal, civil, and social rights; as both source and constructors of their own experience,
and thus active participants in the organisation of their identities, abilities, and autonomy, through
relationships and interaction with their peers, with adults, with ideas, with objects and with the real
and imaginary events of intercommunicating worlds.
4
3
Malaguzzi, L., quoted in Penn, H., Comparing Nurseries: Staff and Children in Italy, Spain and the UK, Paul Chapman Publishing, 1997, p. 117.
4
A Journey into the Rights of Children, The Unheard Voice of Children series, Reggio Children, 1996.
WHAT IS THE REGGIO APPROACH
REGGIO EMILIA
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8
Choosing to see children as the subject of rights rather than needs is a courageous
choice which extends also to the way in which children with special needs are regarded.
Fundamentally, in Reggio, such children are termed as having special rights. Reggio Emilia
employs a wholly inclusive policy where such children are included in all levels of mainstream
education. When a child with special rights is present in a particular class, that class is assigned
an extra educator, but crucially the educator is considered to be extra support for the whole
group and not just for the particular child. This decision is undoubtedly based on the central
belief in socio-constructivism as the vehicle for learning and understanding for everyone in the
learning group, be that educator or child.
By valuing children in this way educators put much more emphasis on really listening to
children. Indeed, the pedagogical basis of the whole Reggio approach has been called the
pedagogy of listening listening being a metaphor for the educators attempt to gain as real an
understanding as possible of children and their learning processes. When our youngest children
are literally listened to and given the time and space to express themselves we are faced with
children capable of doing so in a much more complex and abstract way than children are
generally given credit for. This is something that is revealed in the Reggio schools through the
transcriptions of childrens in-depth conversations at a daily level.
Unlike other pedagogies that can be guilty of treating early infancy as a preparation for later
childhood and adulthood, and consequently seeing nursery education as a kind of antechamber
to later stages of formal education, the Reggio Approach considers early infancy to be a distinct
developmental phase in which children demonstrate an extraordinary curiosity about the
world. Indeed, the name of the schools, scuole dellinfanzia (schools of early childhood), does
not have the connotations of preparation and pre-ness inherent in the Anglo-American term
pre-school. This image of the child has a fundamental and far-reaching effect on the learning
and teaching that takes place in the schools.
The Expressive Arts in the Pre-school: The Hundred Languages
The child
is made of one hundred.
The child has
a hundred languages
a hundred hands
a hundred thoughts
a hundred ways of thinking
of playing, of speaking
Loris Malaguzzi
5
5
For a full reading of the poem see The Hundred Languages of Children, Catalogue of the Exhibition, Reggio Children, 1996.

REGGIO EMILIA
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REGGIO EMILIA 9
One of the most interesting elements within the Reggio Approach is the central importance given
to the expressive arts as a vehicle for learning. Detailed drawing activities are a daily occurrence in
the schools and the outstanding standard of work produced by the children has become widely
acknowledged. Children are also encouraged to participate in a variety of expressive activities
such as sculpture, dramatic play, shadow play, puppetry, painting, dancing, music, ceramics,
construction and writing. The plethora of resources in the schools central atelier and the mini
atelier in each classroom, as well as the presence of a full-time atelierista in each pre-school
establishment, is testimony to the importance placed on this area of child development. Certain
topics such as light and dark recur as stimuli for childrens learning, and teachers and children
have a wide variety of material and resources at their disposal. For such a theme children may
be given the opportunity to explore the effects of light and shadow using torches and light
tables. They may have the opportunity to draw with light by making holes in black card that is lit
from behind; they may be given the opportunity to create shadow stories using objects on an
overhead projector, stories in which they themselves can physically become a part.
Over the years, visitors from other countries have occasionally questioned the concentration
on the graphic languages over other subjects, for example music or expressive movement. It is
undoubtedly true that the startling detail and expressiveness in childrens drawings is a distinctive
feature of the approach but it has never been considered the most important. In recent years
the author has witnessed a tangible evolution in the development of other expressive languages
with children. This can be seen clearly in childrens work on many different projects such as the
work on expressive movement done at the Choreia pre-school establishment in conjunction
with the Aterballeto dance company and the outstanding exhibition of childrens work Dialoghi
con i luoghi which is currently on show in the new International Centre of Childhood. In recent
years new atelieristas entering the schools have brought new and different skills with them;
there are now atelierista who are dance or music specialists and this will undoubtedly have an
impact on the way in which the expressive arts develops in these schools.
Why stress the expressive arts over literacy and numeracy?
Consistent with the work on multiple intelligences
6
by American psychologist Howard Gardner,
educators in Reggio Emilia are fully aware of the importance of developing all areas of learning
and understanding, not only the logical and linguistic. While literacy and numeracy activities
undoubtedly have their place in the daily activities of the pre-school establishments, teachers
believe strongly in the central role that the expressive arts have to play, for many reasons.
They acknowledge the fact that very young children are extremely expressive, with an
enormous capacity for sharing feelings and emotion, and that imagination plays a key role in
the childs search for knowledge and understanding.
6
Gardner, H., Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, NY: Basic Books, 1983.
REGGIO EMILIA
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10
They are convinced of the overriding importance of the learning process rather than the
final product. Involvement in the expressive arts allows the children to revisit subjects of
interest over and over again through many different media to gain multiple perspectives
and a higher level of understanding.
They are aware that, by concentrating too much on the development of the childs verbal
and literary skills, teachers can covertly devalue the childs skilled use of their many non-
verbal languages (Malaguzzi talked of a hundred and a hundred more). The childs capacity
to communicate through gestures, glances, emotion, dance, music, sculpture, painting,
story telling, scribed stories and many more is therefore greatly valued, and teachers strive
to develop these in the child.
They believe strongly that the expressive arts can give children the opportunity to look at
and experience their world in many different ways. The children are encouraged to use
all their senses to seek a greater understanding; through observation, analysis and piecing
together what they experience, they dismantle and reassemble the original, creating a new
and individual whole. Synaesthetic activities (such as encouraging children to make pictorial
representations of smells or noises, for example) are a dominant feature and seek to give
children a fuller understanding of the world. As Vea Vecchi, atelierista at the Diana pre-
school establishment, states, it is through the process of transformation that we become
closer to the very essence of life.
7
Progettazione
This is not a free journey but neither is it a journey with rigid timetables and
schedules; rather, it is akin to a journey guided by a compass.
Carlina Rinaldi
8
Notoriously difficult to translate, the term progettazione is often understood to mean emergent
curriculum or child-centred curriculum, but the reality is far more complex. Reggio educators
talk of working without a teacher-led curriculum but this does not mean that forward thinking
and preparation do not take place. Rather, teachers learn to observe children closely, listen to
them carefully and give value to their own ideas so that they might gain an understanding of
what interests children most and create strategies that allow the children to build upon their
interests. Topics for study can come from the children themselves, from subjects that the
teacher knows naturally interest children and also from the family and the greater community.
Projects do not follow rigid timetables but rather meander slowly at the pace of the children.
Children may be involved in a specific project over a lengthy period of time but not every day;
rather, they return to it as their interests dictate, revisiting and re-evaluating what they learn.
7
Vecchi, V., Childrens Expressive Languages, lecture given at International Winter Institute, Reggio Emilia, January 1999.
8
Rinaldi, C., The Pedagogy of Listening, lecture given at International Winter Institute, Reggio Emilia, January 1998.

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Children are the protagonists of their learning and are encouraged by teachers to develop
projects and solve problems among themselves, using the teacher as a tool who can lend
help, information and experience when necessary. Central to this mode of learning and
teaching is the development of reciprocal relationships of love and trust between adult and
child and between the children themselves. Learning always takes place within a group setting
because Reggio educators see interaction and the consideration of differing points of view
to be fundamental to the learning process. The building of such relationships and indeed the
development of such projects that can continue for days, weeks and sometimes the school
year, takes a great amount of time and cannot be constrained by school timetables or specialist
curricular lessons. Time, and how it is conceived, is therefore an important factor. Within the
nurseries, learning and teaching take place always at the pace of the child.
What is the role of the teacher in this type of learning process?
The role of the teacher in the learningteaching relationship known as progettazione can be
summarised as follows.
The teacher seeks to know each child as an individual person and to create a trusting
relationship in which learning can take place.
The teacher strives to support and encourage the child on the learning journey,
encouraging them to reflect and to question. In this sense, the role of the teacher is not
to dispense information or simply to correct. Rather, the teacher is like a tool that the
children use when most needed. Sometimes they may observe; at other moments they
act as co-investigators or scribes. They may challenge or provoke ideas through the use
of open-ended questions and provocations of many kinds. Indeed, a fundamental stage in
progettazione is knowing how to relaunch an idea or concept with the children in a way
which provokes them into taking their understanding and experience to the next level.
There is an enormous respect for childrens own theories and hypotheses. Allowing
children to make mistakes in their quest to solve problems is considered fundamental to
the learning process. Teachers are not quick to intervene at every problem the children
confront. Indeed, allowing children to travel along what the adult may consider the wrong
path and encouraging the children to realise this autonomously is considered an important,
if controversial, learning strategy. Through close observation and evaluation of evidence, the
teacher learns to judge when intervention is most appropriate. It is only when time is taken to
build a close and trusting relationship with the children that the teacher can become confident
in this role. This remains one of the principal reasons for teachers and children remaining
together for the three-year duration.
The teacher is also a researcher into the ways in which children learn. Indeed, the place of
ongoing research in the classroom has grown and developed significantly throughout the
years. While what is termed research in Reggio schools may not always be equated with
scientific research in tertiary educational establishments, there is no doubt as to the value of
the search for meaning and understanding that Reggio educators strive for. Carlina Rinaldi
has described the place of this research in the following way:
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Research as a term capable of describing the straining to know which is activated
each time authentic processes of knowledge are created. Research to describe the
individual and common journey in the direction of new universes of possibility
Carlina Rinaldi
9
As such the educator must observe the childs learning process as closely as possible. By
observing, the teacher enters into a relationship with the child. Reggio educators spend a huge
amount of time observing children working in small groups in an attempt to come closer to the
childrens understanding. The process of observation is considered partial and subjective, hence
the need to observe and re-observe and to consider varying points of view.
Documentation
Fundamental to the teachers role is the documentation of the childs learning process.
Documentation, in terms of photographic and written wall panels placed at both adult and
child height, is a prominent feature of the schools and centres. However, when teachers
talk of creating documentation they mean something much more complex. It is important to
understand that documentation in terms of the Reggio Emilia Approach is a process which
takes place during the childs learning. It is not something that is made after the child has finished
working. This has huge implications for the teachers role and for the path childrens learning is
encouraged to take. As educators observe, document and analyse childrens learning journeys,
they are able to make informed hypotheses about how to guide children in their learning. It
is obvious then that documentation is far removed from photographic displays of completed
project work.
Carlina Rinaldi offers the following explanation:
Documentation means to produce traces of an observation.
Documentation makes visible.
Documentation is for children, teachers, parents, society.
Documentation can give an image of the child
10
And again:
Documentation is a way of entering the dark zone; of understanding how we learn.
Documentation helps us to share the responsibility of teaching.
11
And again, she states:
Documentation is this process, which is dialectic, based on affective bonds and also
poetic; it not only accompanies the knowledge-building process but in a certain sense
impregnates it.
12
9
Reggio Children, Reggio Children (mission statement), Reggio Children, 2005, p. 14.
10
Rinaldi, C., The Pedagogy of Listening, lecture given during American Study Tour, Reggio Emilia, May 1998.
11
ibid.
12
Rinaldi, C, Documentation and Assessment: What is the Relationship? in Making Learning Visible: Children as Individual and Group Learners,
Project Zero and Reggio Children, 2001, p. 86.

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Because teachers at Reggio believe strongly in the partiality of any given opinion and
therefore in the necessity to share and discuss differing points of view, they use a variety
of means for the creation of documentation including audio and video recordings,
photographs, drawings and written notes. These are always transcribed, listened to again
and again, and shared with the co-teacher and indeed all the educators in school.
It is through sharing and discussing documentation that teachers feel most able to interpret
and evaluate the learning process and to anticipate the most appropriate step to take with
the children. In this sense the documentation can be seen to represent an assessment of
the childs learning while also providing opportunities for self-assessment as children revisit
their experiences. As the teachers revisit the documentation again and again they gain a
closer understanding of the childs capabilities and possibilities. It is a fundamental belief
of the Reggio teachers that through documentation they are able to evaluate or give
value not simply to what the child can do but what the child could do, given the correct
opportunity. Progettazione therefore cannot be equated with a set curriculum of any sort as
learning does not develop in a linear manner and cannot be organised into complete units.
Rather, by building a trusting relationship with the child and accompanying and guiding them
on the path of their learning, by documenting their learning processes and giving value to all
the childs possibilities, the teacher creates a reciprocal relationship of learning and teaching.
Progettazione is a metaphorical dance between teacher and child a spiral
of knowledge.
Carlina Rinaldi
13
Community and ParentSchool Relationships
Ive learned a lot of things from the infant-toddler centre and pre-school my
grandson has attended. They have made me feel alive because I have had to reflect
on those values that have always characterised my life I feel the need to grow
with my grandson and this has given me a new outlook on life.
Luciano Gozzi, grandparent
14
Reggio educators describe their approach to learning and teaching as a pedagogy of
relationships as it is founded on the conviction that we learn through making connections
between things, concepts and experiences, and that we do so by interacting with other people
and with our surrounding environment. This is evident in the key role given to participation
at every level: both within school (between children and between children and adults) and
also outwith the school (between families and school and between the greater community
and school). Parent and Community Participation is one of the most distinctive features of the
Reggio Approach. Its central importance to the life of the school is highlighted in the Charter of
Rights, which includes a section on the rights of parents, and states:
13
Rinaldi, C, The Pedagogy of Listening, lecture given during American Study Tour, Reggio Emilia, May 1998.
14
Gozzi, L., in Fontanesi, G., Grandparents at the Infant-toddler Centres and Pre-schools, Rechild, No. 2, April 1998.

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It is the right of parents to participate actively, and with voluntary adherence to
the basic principles, in the growth, care and development of their children who are
entrusted to the public institution.
15
There are strong historical, political and cultural factors that render the idea of participation
particularly workable in this part of Italy.
As previously stated, the very first pre-school establishments, built in the immediate post-war
period, were quite literally built by the people. The Reggiani people have long been known
to advocate socialism, and during World War II organised resistance to the fascist regime was
particularly strong in this area.
Collectivity and co-operation remain important elements of Reggio Emilia and the Emilia-
Romagna area of Italy in general. This is highlighted in economic terms by the continued
presence of economically viable agricultural and industrial co-operatives, in political terms by the
continued significant support for the Communist Parties and socially by the presence of a strong
group culture. Reggios squares are often filled with men standing, talking in groups while
women shop in the market, and young people go out normally in large groups. Indeed, the
existence of the very many town squares throughout the town is testimony to the importance
of a meeting place, a place where discussion takes place and ideas are exchanged. Discussion is
very much part of the Italian way of life, and what may be considered a full-blown argument in
Britain may simply be a healthy discussion in Italy. In many ways the evolution of the municipal
schools is a result of this culture, which continues to consider the welfare of young children as
the collective responsibility of the community and in which conflict and differing points of view
are regarded as essential aspects of learning.
This is an educational approach which has strong cultural roots not always easily understood
by people from other cultures or indeed from other parts of Italy. Equally, the changes in family
life mean that people generally have different expectations of schools and the services they
provide. In recent years the changing demographics and influx of immigrants into Reggio Emilia
and the rest of northern Italy has brought new challenges for the town in terms of participation.
The municipality has begun this year to take positive steps towards encouraging increased
participation from non-Italian families by working closely with families and with the schools city-
childhood councils on developing a cultural mediation programme which includes formal and
informal meetings with families and the placing of cultural mediators in schools to work directly
with educators, families and children. The fundamental importance put on dialogue, discussion
and positive confrontation, however, both within the school system and in Reggiano culture
generally, means that the reciprocal relationship based on participation remains at the centre of
the Reggio Approach. In pedagogical terms the concept of participation remains a fundamental
part of the Reggio Approach, as Carlina Rinaldi explains:
15
A Journey through the Rights of Children, The Unheard Voice of Children series, Reggio Children, 1996.

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participation is an educational strategy that characterises our way of being
and teaching. Participation of the children, the teachers and the families, not only
by taking part in something but by being part of it, its essence, part of a common
identity, a we that we give life to through participation.
16
The development of strong links between the home and school encourages:
continuity in the childrens lives
the creation of a reciprocal network of communication
participation by all involved (children, teachers, parents, community) in the life of the school
feelings of ownership by all involved.
How do parents and families participate in the life of the schools?
Participation is encouraged at various levels.
Participation begins even before the children have started school, through a comprehensive
integration programme. This involves meetings between children, parents and teachers to
build an image of the child as an individual, and often involves the child doing a task such as
making a holiday booklet of photographs and favourite nursery rhymes, etc., which can
be used as stimulus for discussion between child and teacher. Integration takes place over a
period of approximately one week and parent contact is gradually reduced so that the child
gains confidence in the new environment. The integration period is considered extremely
important, not only for the child but also for parents and teachers, as it is at this stage that a
relationship of collaboration and trust is built.
Parents can also be asked to become directly involved in the observation and
documentation process of their childs learning if the school thinks it would be valuable to
understand how the child acts in the home setting, so allowing teachers to build a more
complete image of the child. The parent may be asked to keep a journal, for example, and
take photographs that are then shared with teachers and with other parents in a group
setting. Meetings to discuss childrens learning experiences are frequent and tend to take
place in a group setting, reflecting Reggio educators belief in the group dynamic.
At a daily level parents participate by interacting with educators and other parents when
going to collect their child at the end of the day. Reggio educators are always willing to
dedicate a surprising amount of time not only to speaking to parents but also, crucially,
to listening to them every day. Documentation also plays a key role in parents daily
participation in their childrens experiences by means of the daily agenda which is produced
for parents at the end of each day. It describes the activities children have been involved
in and over recent years it has become increasingly visual, with the widespread diffusion
of digital photography and scanning facilities. Parents are therefore able to see photos of
children interacting on the same day they were taken. This allows parents to enter into their
childs experience and create meaningful dialogue with them and is very different from settings
which witness the use of closed-circuit television and direct internet access to pre-school
classrooms, and which contribute to what Carlina Rinaldi has termed the culture of suspicion.
16
Rinaldi, C., in Fontanesi, G., Grandparents at the Infant-toddler Centres and Pre-schools, Rechild, No. 2, April 1998.

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At a practical level, participation takes place in many different ways. Parents and
grandparents are encouraged to contribute to the upkeep of the buildings and gardens
by volunteering to repair furniture, paint surfaces and equipment, make and build toys
and equipment, and tend to gardens and play areas, in short volunteering any particular
experience they have. Their involvement is also encouraged through participation in school
outings and celebrations. Parties for particular family groups such as grandparents are often
held to celebrate the importance and uniqueness of these relationships.
At a more theoretical level, parents are involved in the life of the schools through elected
membership of school councils known as Consiglio Infanzia-Citt (city-childhood councils).
Members of the council are encouraged to participate in meetings held by the schools to
discuss policy concerns and educational matters. They do not take any part in the hiring of
staff or in the distribution of funds in the schools. Rather, they participate in many different
pedagogical projects. At the time of writing, for example, parents have been involved with
educators and pedagogistas in the rewriting of the Charter of Values for the institution which
now runs the municipal infant-toddler centres and pre-school establishments. Parents are
also involved in groups that deal with the refurbishment of school buildings and gardens.
Another group is presently working with cultural mediators on the development of a
cultural project which seeks to create dialogue between the many different cultures now
participating in the schools.
One of the most interesting aspects of participation in the Reggio schools is the role the
schools play in adult learning. Crucial to participation in Reggio Emilia is the conviction
that parents are competent individuals in their own right who contribute to the social and
cultural growth of the school. This goes far beyond participation such as keeping parents
informed, or even encouraging involvement, but is rather participation in the form of
working co-operatively to create culture through the organisation of regular talks and
practical evenings where parents and families are given the opportunity to discuss various
topics, such as child health, diet, and the role of religion in education, with experts in the
field. Parents also have the opportunity to attend evenings run by the school cooks, who
explain and demonstrate how to prepare balanced meals for young children.
Parents are also encouraged to take on the role of learner at research level. A good
example of this is the year-long work completed by groups of parents from many schools
on the theme of Questions Facing Education. The research culminated in a conference of
the same name that took place in 1998. As part of the conference four parents presented
papers on themes such as Can We Teach Without Feelings? and Education and Time:
Should We Fill the Day or Live It? to a large and varied audience. More recently parents
were involved in a long reflection and research process that brought about the writing of
the charter for the city-childhood councils.
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When asked what participation means at a personal level parents responded in many ways.
Below are some of their answers.
It is a search for opportunities for more profound exchange, confrontation and
reflection so that we ourselves continue to grow as people.
There is a need not to delegate our own childs education.
Curiosity
I see participation not just as personal, but also as social and cultural growth.
The reciprocal relationships that exist between child, family, school and, indeed, community
are therefore far-reaching indeed. To talk of a link between families and home is to undervalue
what actually takes place in Reggio. In reality it is not so much that families take part in the life
of the school but rather that, together with the children and the teachers, they are the school.
Paola Cagliari, Pedagogista of the municipal pre-school establishments, states this clearly when
she says:
No teacher, no pedagogista, no parent can have individually more ideas or better
ideas than those produced by a group that is in dialogue together. We are talking
of a new ethic of living together, which presupposes listening, welcoming and the
recognition of the other, whether that be an adult or a child
.17
Environment
A Reggio pre-school is a special kind of place, one in which young human beings are
invited to grow in mind, in sensibility and in belonging to a broader community.
Jerome S Bruner
18
The physical environment of the Reggio schools is one of the most well known aspects and
perhaps also one of the most misunderstood. It is a common misconception that to do Reggio
entails whitewashing walls and introducing mirrors, three-dimensional pyramids and light tables
into the nursery classroom. The reality is of course much more complex. We must ask why these
things are done in order to understand the significance of the environment in pedagogical terms.
Participation and collectivity, key ideas that permeate all areas of the Reggio Approach, are of
fundamental importance in considering the creation and use of the physical space of the school.
Rather than separate spaces being used for separate purposes, the schools are composed of
a series of connecting spaces that flow into one another. Rooms open onto a central piazza,
mirroring the central meeting places in the town, and children move freely through the space.
This type of openness is conducive to participation and interaction and to the general value of
openness to the many differences that children, teachers and community bring with them to
the schools differences of race, religion, sex, language, culture.
17
Cagliari, P, La Storia, Le Ragioni ed I Significati della Partecipazione in La Partecipazione: Valori, Significati, Problemi, Strumenti, I taccuini, No.
2, November 114. Series of publications published by Centro Documentazione e Ricerca Educativa. Comune di Reggio Emilia, 1994.
18
Bruner, J, in Ceppi, G and Zini, M (eds), Children, Spaces, Relations: Metaproject for an Environment for Young Children, Reggio Children,
1998, p. 137.

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their learning paths. Furniture is designed to be multi-functional. Screens may be used to allow
children to create shadow pictures and stories while at the same time serving as a divider of
two spaces. Children are wonderful constructors and take delight in constructing and inhabiting
new places. No Reggio school looks the same at the end of the year as it did at the beginning.
The space must be conducive to research and autonomous discovery, both for individual
children and for groups of children working together. An enormous amount of attention and
effort goes into the design of furniture and organisation of space and materials to maximise the
ease of use by the children. The youngest children sleep in cocoon-like open-ended beds that
allow them to get in and out independently; art materials in both the central and mini ateliers
are in see-through containers so that children can easily find things on their own. Mirrors are
used in a variety of ways. They hang from the ceiling over changing tables, can be found at floor
level and form play apparatus in the form of pyramids that the children can enter to explore the
images they become part of. Children therefore gain an understanding of themselves in relation
to their surroundings, a belief that is central to the philosophy.
The importance of the aesthetic dimension for learning has already been explained. This is
very much in evidence in the schools physical make-up. These schools are multi-sensory
environments, and materials can be displayed in many ways and for different reasons,
encouraging children to look at shades and colours and consider how to use them, and to
consider textures and smells. These schools are not, however, painted in the bright primary
colours that many adults misconceive to be favoured by children. Instead there is a pervasive
feeling of light and space brought about by the use of light or white walls and the way in which
childrens artwork painted on transparent sheets creates interesting layering and diffused light,
and the way in which movable walls and wall-size windows allow the interior to integrate
with the outside environment. Perhaps again reflecting the centrality of the child and his or her
relationship with the school, it is the children themselves who contribute colour through their
clothing and belongings, their artwork and sculptures.
The outside environment is also an obvious source of colour and texture, and plants are widely
used in the classrooms as well as in interior courtyards. This also serves to create a natural link
between the inside and outside environments of the school. Fostering a link with the outside
environment is important because a school as a place of learning and discovery cannot be
seen to be an island. Rather, within the school children learn how to become full and active
participants in the greater, outside environment. A school must nourish an understanding
of what is happening on the outside. Outside play areas and equipment are very much in
evidence, occasionally forming a physical link between inside and outside, perhaps in the form
of canopies and verandas. Through the use of child-built installations such as the Amusement
Park for Birds at the Villetta pre-school establishment, the outside becomes a learning centre
where children can learn about the elements and physical forces.
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It should be said that while there is much evidence of merging indoors and outdoors and
bringing the outdoors in, the use of outdoor space in the Reggio Emilia schools is perhaps
not as exemplary as one might imagine, considering the favourable climate compared to
Scotland, for example. There are undoubtedly cultural reasons for this. Children spend the
majority of time indoors during the winter months, even on dry days, largely due to protests
from parents that the damp weather is bad for the children. Italian children are always heavily
dressed throughout the winter. Consequently outdoor spaces have not always been used
as imaginatively as they could be or to their best advantage. However, this is an issue that
Reggio educators are very aware of and indeed at the time of writing steps are being taken
to look closely at outdoor education and playground culture. The results of this project will
undoubtedly have interesting implications at both local and international levels.
The physical environment of the schools is therefore much more than a simple container for
learning and teaching. Rather, the environment can be seen to be a central component of
the learning and teaching relationship. Indeed, it is easy to see why Reggio educators call the
environment the third teacher.
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Teachers as Learners
Good staff development is not something that is undertaken every now and then,
reflecting only on the words of someone else. Instead, it is a vital and daily aspect
of our work, of our personal and professional identities. Staff development is seen
above all as an indispensable vehicle by which to make stronger the quality of our
interaction with children and among ourselves.
Carlina Rinaldi
19
Although initial teacher education in Italy was meagre until 1998, with pre-school and
elementary teachers needing only the minimum of qualifications, recent national legislation
now requires all new pre-school and primary school teachers to be qualified to degree level,
although this is not yet the case for educators in the infant-toddler centres. The development of
the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in the centre of town in recent years has included
the establishment of the Faculty of Education, which fosters direct links with the municipal pre-
school establishments and infant-toddler centres. Indeed, Carlina Rinaldi, former pedagogista
and consultant for Reggio Children, now has teaching commitments with the Faculty of
Education. While Reggio educators have long demonstrated their belief in the central place of
research in the pre-school setting (for example with projects such as Making Learning Visible
in conjunction with Howard Gardners Project Zero at Harvard University), Italian university
research has been a lot slower in recognising the work that is done in these schools. It will be
interesting to see how this new link develops in coming years.
The municipal education system 06 has long been recognised for its outstanding and
exemplary approach to the continuing professional development of all educators. Continuing
professional development is not about developing teachers understanding of how to teach
but about developing their understanding of how children learn. Teachers are encouraged to
understand childrens learning processes rather than acquiring skills and knowledge that they
then expect children to learn. Research is a fundamental learning strategy for children in the
Reggio schools and this is mirrored in the approach to the role of the educator in the learning
process and to professional development. Teachers are seen as learners first and foremost.
Professional development in Reggio is considered to be a continuing evolutionary process that
is an intrinsic part of the teachers day. At its heart is the belief in staff development as change;
staff development as promoting participation and interaction.
Co-teachers are given ring-fenced time daily to discuss and evaluate the days work, attempting
to interpret the childrens learning processes but also evaluating their own role and working
together to predict possible learning paths. A constant dialogue of opinion is created in the joint
analysis and interpretation of documentation. The fact that two teachers work together with a
group of children for three years means that a very close professional bond develops between
co-teachers. It is a bond in which particular talents and strengths are shared and where new
teachers have the opportunity to learn from more experienced colleagues.
19
Rinaldi, C, in Katz, L and Cesarone, B (eds), Reflections on the Reggio Emilia Approach, Edizioni Junior, 1994, pp. 4750.

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Once a week, teachers are given time to come together as a group so that they can share
their analyses and hypotheses with the rest of the staff, including the schools atelierista and
the pedagogista (a pedagogical adviser who works closely with teachers from a group of local
schools). The key to these meetings is dialogue. As with the children they teach, conflict of
ideas and opinions is considered to be not only a positive contributor to learning but also a
fundamental factor. Project work is discussed and there is a continual exchange of reflections
and of opinions. Teachers are given the opportunity to use a variety of documentary media in
communicating their work with colleagues.
Through the pedagogista, teachers have the opportunity to meet with colleagues from different
schools within the town to share their experiences and discuss the learning that is taking place
in their schools. Professional development also takes other forms. Through close relationships
with parents at individual, group and school meetings that seek to share the childrens creative
and learning processes, teachers become increasingly aware of the importance of listening and
of considering differing viewpoints. Reggio educators also believe strongly that teachers must
be individuals who, like the children they work with, are naturally curious about the world they
live in and about learning generally. While much time is given to ensuring that teachers have the
opportunity to become competent in the various artistic activities that they wish to share with
the children, the emphasis is not simply on the acquisition of skills but rather on encouraging
teachers to think in different ways and to consider different viewpoints so that they might best
respond to the childrens spontaneous learning. Teachers are therefore given the opportunity
to meet and talk with people living and working outside the boundaries of education such as
scientists, musicians, writers, architects and poets.
As with other key aspects of the Reggio Approach, within its commitment to continuing
professional development there are values of collegiality, interaction and participation. This
is perhaps most evident in the absence of a hierarchical staff structure in the schools, the
complete lack of externally imposed policies, manuals or curriculum guidelines, and the fact that
goals for professional development are determined by the teachers themselves.
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WHAT CAN THE SCOTTISH EARLY YEARS EDUCATION
SYSTEM LEARN FROM THE REGGIO APPROACH?
Undoubtedly, there is much that we can learn from Reggio educators: in particular, true
collaboration between all parties involved in the childrens learning and in the life of the schools;
detailed documentation of childrens learning processes; the importance of the environment in
learning; the unique way in which expressive arts are used as a stimulus for all areas of learning;
excellent professional development. All of these deserve careful consideration in our early
years classrooms.
However, while there is much we may wish to take on board, we need to be cautious in
attempting to replicate the Reggio Approach in our own early years settings. There is a sense in
which the Reggio Approach is not directly transferable.

The Reggio Approach is not a teaching method that can easily be copied but rather an
approach that varies from school to school according to the adults and children who give it
identity. It is an approach that is not static but continues to grow and evolve.
The values and beliefs intrinsic to the pedagogical approach are so much a part of the wider
cultural context that is the town of Reggio Emilia and its people that to attempt somehow
to drop the educational approach into a very different social and cultural setting would be
damaging to the new cultures existing good practice and to the integrity of the Reggio
Approach itself. There is a real sense that if these schools are part of the town then the
town is also a fundamental part of the schools.
It is a mistake to take any approach and assume like a flower you can take it from
one soil and put it in another one. That never works. We have to figure out what
aspects of that are most important to us and what kind of soil we need to make
those aspects grow. Howard Gardner
20
There are also practical issues that need careful consideration.
The Reggio Approach has evolved gradually over a period of more than 40 years. We
could not therefore hope to replicate its achievements immediately.
Reggio educators are of the conviction that this pedagogical approach only works once
all the various contributing factors are firmly in place. If this is true, it makes adoption a
momentous task.
The Reggio schools receive significant funding from local government, which allows
them considerable power and autonomy. It also allows them to build purpose-built, state-
of-the-art schools.
20
Gardner, H, Complementary perspectives on Reggio Emilia in Edwards, C, Gandini, L and Forman, G (eds), The Hundred Languages of
Children, Ablex Publishing, 1993.
WHAT CAN THE SCOTTISH EARLY YEARS EDUCATION SYSTEM LEARN FROM THE REGGIO APPROACH?
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Reggios infant-toddler centres and pre-school establishments represent a network of
mutual support and learning. As the Scottish system is a much more diverse mixture of
local authority and private and voluntary sector provision, with responsibility for early
education held by education or childrens services or children and families departments,
such a network is more difficult to sustain.
WHAT CAN THE SCOTTISH EARLY YEARS EDUCATION SYSTEM LEARN FROM THE REGGIO APPROACH?
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ADAPTATION OF A PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH
While direct replication of the Reggio Approach would be both difficult and ill advised, the
approach can undoubtedly serve as a stimulus for much needed change within our own
system. Without attempting to copy, we can, in the words of Carlina Rinaldi, seek to translate
what we learn from Reggio educators.
Reflecting on Current Practice
The first step that practitioners must take in translating any new educational philosophy or
approach is to reflect on current practice. The Scottish CCC document Teaching for Effective
Learning states that:
reflecting on what we, as individuals truly want to achieve in our job
is an important starting point for identifying personal and professional
development needs.
21
We must also recognise the danger of throwing out what is good simply for the sake of new
trends. Reflection should take place not only at practitioner level but also at policymaking level.
Teachers bound by the constraints of target setting and an ever increasing number of externally
imposed mandates will have difficulty in reflecting on personal practice.
Encouragingly, the British systems hold certain beliefs common to the Reggio Approach.
A Curriculum for Excellence reminds us that:
the educational process itself is changing. There is growing understanding of the
different ways in which children learn and how best to support them There is now
an opportunity to recognise fully the talents and contributions of the growing range of
adults currently involved in educating our children, and to reflect the growing role of
the school as a partner with parents, other providers of services for children, colleges
and other organisations, and the community.
22
and
The curriculum must develop and change so that it continues to meet the needs of
our young people. There will be a continuing cycle of evaluation, refreshment and
renewal, taking account of developments in technologies for learning and in our
knowledge and understanding.
23
21
Scottish CCC, Teaching for Effective Learning, SOEID, 1997.
22
Scottish Executive, A Curriculum for Excellence: Report of the Curriculum Review Group, Scottish Executive, 2004, p. 10.
23
Scottish Executive, A Curriculum for Excellence: Ministerial Response, Scottish Executive, 2004, p. 10.

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A Curriculum for Excellence challenges us to achieve this aim by establishing clear values,
purposes and principles for education 318 in Scotland. At the time of writing this work has
just begun.
Equally, the document A Curriculum Framework for Children 35 states the following:
The vital contribution of pre-school education lies in developing and broadening
the range of childrens learning experiences, to leave them confident, eager and
enthusiastic learners who are looking forward to school. (p. 1)
Young children come to early years settings as active, experienced learners with a
natural curiosity. They are unique individuals eager to make sense of their world, to
develop relationships and to extend their skills. (p. 3)
The early years setting should be a place where all of the childrens senses are
engaged and stimulated. (p. 31)
To promote effective learning in an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect adults
need to be consistent and realistic in their expectations and their responses to
children. Developing warm, supportive relationships with children and other adults
creates a climate in which children feel confident to tackle new challenges and where
children can see mistakes as part of the learning process. (p. 44)
24
The above quotations highlight the importance that Scottish policy gives to the child as
an individual, to the centrality of the child in his or her own learning experience and to
developmentally appropriate practice. Scottish educators are also becoming increasingly aware
of the importance of documentation and evaluation as intrinsic parts of the learning experience
and of the importance of positive relationships with parents. Clearly, it is the extent to which
these values and beliefs have been developed and the strong correlation between theory and
practice in the Reggio schools that is so exemplary. Although in Scotland we have recognised
the importance of early childhood as a key period in human development, and the importance
of early years education, we have been increasingly in danger of valuing early childhood and
early years education principally as a stepping stone to formal education and to adulthood.
Are our early years education services there simply to prepare children for primary,
secondary and tertiary education?
Is early years education simply a way of ensuring that we furnish society with the necessary
skills to provide social and economic stability?
In short, is early years education little more than an antechamber for something more
important?
24
Scottish CCC, A Curriculum Framework for Children 35, The Scottish Office, 1999.

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Good practice in Scotland, as in Reggio Emilia, emphasises the importance of early childhood as
a period of phenomenal growth and rapid development but also as a unique period filled with
joy and wonderment. It demonstrates that early years education is about stimulating learning
and experience, about giving voice to the child and about celebrating early childhood as a highly
important period in its own right.
Early childhood is the foundation on which children build the rest of their lives.
But it is not just a preparation for adolescence and adulthood: it has an importance
in itself.
22
Carlina Rinaldi suggests that we reflect upon the following:
What do we hope for children?
What do we expect from children?
What is the relationship between school and research?
What is the relationship between school and education?
What is the relationship between school, family and society?
What is the relationship between school and life?
Is school a preparation for or a part of life?
26
Teachers in the municipal pre-school establishments are firmly committed to the provision of
early years education as a fundamental right of every child. Currently little research has been
done into the effect of the Reggio Approach on childrens subsequent learning experiences
although anecdotal evidence from primary school teachers suggests that the children are
particularly adept socially, verbally and artistically. However, to consider translating the Reggio
Approach simply as some form of early intervention programme is to misunderstand and to do
injustice to the values and beliefs underlying the approach.
The following issues integral to the Reggio Approach are of particular interest to the
Scottish system:
physical features
time
collaboration
partnership with parents
curriculum
the role of the adult
documentation
initial teacher training and professional development.
While these issues should ideally be considered holistically and interdependently, certain issues
may prove of particular interest to individuals, schools and professionals. For this reason they
are worth looking at individually although it should be noted that they are generally interrelated.
25
Ball, C, Start Right: The Importance of Early Learning, Royal Society of Arts, 1994.
26
Rinaldi, C, The Image of the Child, lecture given at British Study Tour, Reggio Emilia, April 1999.

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Physical Features
For many educators first faced with the challenges of the Reggio Approach the physical features
of the school environment represent the most obvious point of reference. Some find the
beauty of the physical environment, the amount of space, the state-of the-art furnishings and
the outside facilities inspiring, while others find them daunting and overwhelming, feeling that
they are impossible to recreate. While we can learn much from the way in which the space is
organised we must be careful not to exaggerate its importance. The inclusion of mirrors and
specially produced furniture does not create the Reggio Approach. Currently in Scotland some
new early years centres are being built as part of the Scottish Executive initiative to improve
school buildings and we can learn much by reflecting on how space is used in the Reggio
schools and why it is used in that way.
The use of space is linked to the commitment to the image of the child as a capable, resourceful
being, and to the belief that all learning must start with the child. Once the adults involved
move their focus from how to teach the child to being concerned with how the child learns,
then the way in which space needs to be organised must also change. The teacher no longer
considers how to use the space to enable her to teach but how the space can be used by all
concerned to create valuable learning experiences. The focus therefore moves from the adult
to the group.
In considering the organisation of our nurseries it might be helpful to consider Vea Vecchis
suggestions on how a school environment should be organised.
27
The environment should:
encourage autonomous thought and encourage and maintain action
encourage communication between children and also with adults
enable relational exchanges in a variety of contexts and situations. Children constantly search for
new relationships with peers and adults. Children of different ages will use space differently to
do so. The older children seek out the more secluded parts of the rooms and spaces.
create a variety of stimuli for the imagination. Young children are particularly attracted to
narrative, creating stories, becoming part of imaginary situations and copying real life
through role-play. They need the freedom of space to do so. The simplest of objects can
provide stimuli. The childrens narratives are not confined to specific areas or corners.
Given the opportunity, children create new, temporary environments autonomously. A
piece of coloured cloth on the floor becomes a particular place; a beam of artificial light
projected in a certain way defines the boundaries of a place. In this way children can create
space within space.
encourage a number of differing sensory experiences
provide for privacy and quiet opportunities. Children of all ages need space to rest and relax.
They might choose a separate room that is dimly lit or they might choose to hide under a
table or behind a curtain.
27 Vecchi, V, What kind of place for living well in a school? in Ceppi, G and Zini, M (eds), Children, Spaces, Relations: Metaproject for an
Environment for Young Children, Reggio Children, 1998, pp. 128135
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If our educational philosophies and practice are to evolve through time then no one
environment remains constantly suitable. For this reason, nursery schools built in Reggio
continue to be adapted over time. While the Diana school has been given the accolade of one
of the best schools in the world, it has changed significantly in the past 30 years. Remodelling
has taken place, mini ateliers have been added within classrooms, spaces have been partitioned
with glass walls and a central piazza created. Now in 2006 the school is about to undergo
further changes and developments as educators feel the ever growing need for more space.
These are all changes considered necessary after a long examination of how the children use
the spaces they have. As many Scottish nursery schools are housed in accommodation that
is not purpose-built it might be helpful to consider an example of one such school in Reggio
Emilia: the Otello Sarzi Infant-toddler Centre, which is in the very heart of the town centre.
The infant-toddler centre is on the second floor of what was once an office block and now
houses along with the infant-toddler centre the towns community-run family centre, the
workshops of Mario Dolci (the puppeteer who works closely with the children in the Reggio
pre-school establishments and toddler centres), the municipal schools video centre and a
number of artists studios.
While the accommodation may be considered less desirable than a purpose-built centre,
educators have given careful consideration to the space available, and changes have been made
with outstanding results. A large window giving a wonderful vista over the town has blocked
off a disused entrance and staircase. The staircase and entrance have therefore become a small
stage and amphitheatre that the children use for a variety of purposes. Also, although being on
the second floor of a building might normally restrict children from being able to run directly
outside, this has been challenged by building an outside walkway that leads directly off one
classroom and joins with another at the opposite end of the school. The centre of the walkway
widens to form a large play area furnished with outdoor play equipment. This ingenious
structure not only serves as the piazza or meeting place that it was not possible to make inside
the school, but also serves to create a feeling of circularity and continuity within the school as
both ends of the building are linked together and with the outside.
Within the classrooms the space continues to be used imaginatively and with careful
consideration. These classrooms are particularly spacious, highlighted by a combination of
natural and artificial lighting. The childrens beds are stored behind curtains and partitions that in
turn become projection screens or part of a backdrop for childrens constructions and shadow
play. Storage boxes are arranged to provide seating in the assembly area. Rather than creating
a specific hideaway as can be found in many of the schools, the teachers here, after careful
consideration, have chosen not to do so, allowing children to find their own, perhaps more
imaginative, places. Curtains, corners, and spaces beneath work surfaces all become hideaways
for children who need some quiet time. The mirror pyramid that has become a symbol
of Reggio schools might be a house, a bed or a boat. While the linear layout of the school
prevents the inclusion of a central piazza, open doorways create a flowing environment and
teachers work closely to ensure that children are given many opportunities to mix with children
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from other classrooms. Indeed, in schools such as the Otello Sarzi Centre, where the teachers
and children have had to think carefully about how to use space that does not necessarily
fit easily with their educational approach, there is a sense in which the philosophy actually
becomes more visible and a very special culture of inhabitance and unique identity is created.
On entering the Reggio schools one of the most striking aspects is the obvious lack of clutter.
While large amounts of space may be given over to childrens large constructions, there is very
little in the way of commercial toys. Neither are these nurseries overly dressed with carpets
and curtains. Instead importance is given to light and space. Although specific corners familiar
to British nurseries, such as the home corner, sand play area and water area, are present in the
Reggio environment, they are not available on an everyday basis. In this respect alone we can
learn much from Reggio educators. The danger in putting out the water tray every day is that
we cease to reflect on why we do so.
Questions to reflect upon
Do we place enough importance on the use of space in our curriculum organisation/
planning?
In making decisions about the use of space to what extent do we take account of how the
children naturally use the space?
Is the adults use of space also taken into consideration?
How can the organisation of space help to create a genuine living and working
environment for which the child feels responsible?
Time
In many ways, for those considering the adaptation of all areas of the Reggio Approach one
of the most important issues for consideration is time. We must consider how we make use
of time in practical terms but we must also give consideration to time in philosophical terms.
Time, and how children and adults use it, is central to the Reggio philosophy. The rhythm
and pace of the child is always given overriding importance. It is given enormous value. In the
words of a parent of a Reggio child, we must:
take possession of time as a value, not only as a means or an end. [We must]
find and give back meaning to time.
Reggio Parent
28
This means recognising that childrens rhythms differ from those of adults.
This means understanding that learning takes place when the adultchild relationship is not
constrained by adult-imposed time restrictions.
This means really having time for childrens thoughts and ideas, and giving value to their
work, their conversations and their feelings by slowing down to listen to them.
28
Bertolini, A, LEducazione e il Tempo: Tempi della Famigilia e Tempi dei Bambini. Riempire la Giornata o Viverla?, lecture given at
conference entitled Le Domande dellEducare Oggi, Reggio Emilia, May 1998.

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This means making the learning relationship between children and between adults and
children the priority by constantly reflecting on our experiences with them.
In other words in daily educational practice we tend to give importance to a way of life that leans
more towards slowness, by that we mean towards reflection and observation.
29
This means giving value to the various moments of the school day not given to planned
activity time. We must be careful not to fill the childrens day and to recognise the
importance of moments of reflection, rest, and being together in childrens lives.
Not only play and educational experience form the connective tissues of these schools, but
also the pauses: eating together, sleeping at school, having moments and space
for being able to be apart from all the others as well as for staying together with all the
other children.
30
Obviously the practical implications in introducing a more reflective way of learning and
teaching are many.
We can concentrate on quality rather than quantity. Children need not experience a large
number of different educational experiences in one day but rather should be given the
time and space to develop learning in depth. The Curriculum Framework is helpful in this
aspect, stating that
Planning should be flexible so that it can take account of childrens ideas and
responses to learning experiences and allow learning to develop spontaneously.
31
Working with children in small groups means reconsidering how adults divide their time
both between children and with other staff. It can be legitimate for one adult to work
with a small group while other adults work with the rest. Does equal sharing mean that
we always need to divide numbers equally? Scottish early years settings generally have a
more favourable staffchild ratio than Reggio schools, which allows for small-group work if
teachers time is carefully considered.
Progettazione, which encourages children to learn through shared discovery and through
revisiting experiences, necessitates a great deal of unrestricted time. How does that fit with
current curriculum principles?
Detailed documentation obviously necessitates time that is not spent in direct teaching. It
might be pertinent to reconsider how staff are organised and how adults can best divide their
time so that more time can be made for documentation. Different types of documentation
would need to be considered. There is a sense in which a photograph can record much
more than time-consuming note taking. It is also important to remember that only the most
valuable learning experiences should be documented, not everything that moves!
29
ibid.
30 Bertolini, A, LEducazione e il Tempo: Tempi della Famigilia e Tempi dei Bambini. Riempire la Giornata o Viverla?, lecture given at
Conference entitled Le Domande dellEducare Oggi, Reggio Emilia, May 1998.
31 Scottish CCC, A Curriculum Framework for Children 35, The Scottish Office,1999, p. 34.

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If effective continuing professional development is to be valued, then more time for this
purpose is fundamental. Reggio teachers have an average of six hours non-contact time a
week for this purpose. This has obvious implications for policy makers, for staffing and for
school budgets.
How do we take account of how children learn in curriculum planning?
Is there a flexible approach to the curriculum that allows children the time to pursue
particular interests?
Should practitioners be rethinking the how of their interactions with children?
In organising the daily routine should the approach to working with children be more about
their needs and interests than about an adherence to working with set numbers?
Are our early childhood settings too busy?
Is adequate consideration given during the curriculum planning process to the time that
children require to be reflective about their own learning?
Can time be organised in ways that increase adults opportunities to be more reflective
about the children and their own practice?
Collaboration
The belief in collaboration, collegiality and relationships pervades the Reggio educational
philosophy. Much of this is an extension of a much larger cultural context that deserves careful
consideration. Indeed, the idea of schools functioning successfully without any inherent
hierarchical management structure is so foreign to our highly structured society that it is almost
unimaginable. However, true collaboration between teachers and between school and society
is undoubtedly a way of thinking that represents a very positive example to other communities
and is one that it would be wise to act upon.
We must beware of simple co-ordination rather than real collaboration. The organisation
and clear division of work is not the same as true collaboration that involves listening to
others, considering varying points of view, helping one another for the good of the school
as community.
We must recognise and give value to the varying and particular strengths of different
workers within the hierarchical structure of our schools.
We must make increased opportunities for the exchange of ideas between early childhood
professionals, harnessing the benefits of information and communications technology (ICT)
since there can be a tendency for people working in this sector, as in any other, to become
isolated and absorbed in their own practices and routines. Hearing the ideas and opinions of
other colleagues in a spirit of learning together informs everybodys practice and can be a
rich and stimulating resource from which practitioners can draw great strength and support.
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Focusing on the childrens learning experiences and how they can be best developed
rather than on the teachers teaching makes it easier to cope with criticism and to avoid
defensive reaction to suggestions and change. The Curriculum Framework recognises the
importance of discussing observations with other members of staff. By setting aside time
each day or week for formal and informal discussion we give increased value both to the
childrens learning and to the work done by the professionals involved. We also increase
opportunities to learn from one another.
Do we place enough importance on making opportunities to talk to and listen to other
colleagues?
Could staff development options be considered more in terms of staff sharing best practice
ideas and developing an action research model?
The mixed economy of qualifications and expertise within early childhood settings can
result in some staff being more valued then others. How are we attempting to address this
issue within our own setting(s)?
How would a national framework of qualifications help the early years sector in this regard?
What would be the most appropriate forum for co-operative discussion and action in your
establishment?
Partnership with Parents
The importance of the parents role in early childhood education has been given increasing
recognition in Scotland in recent years. Many schools now encourage parents to become
involved in school life in a variety of ways, not just by fundraising and accompanying children on
school trips, but through increased dialogue with teaching staff about childrens progress and
development, both at home and at school.
Unlike in Reggio, parents are also encouraged in certain schools to become involved in the
classrooms, working directly with the children. Reggio educators are firm in their conviction that
casual parental involvement in the classroom can upset routines and disturb childrens learning.
Nevertheless, this remains a very positive aspect of the Scottish school set-up and may be
something that Reggio educators could learn from us.
The relationship that exists between school and parents in Reggio is certainly very special and
has some serious implications for the Scottish system.
An equal trusting relationship between parents and teachers cannot be forced. It takes time and
effort from both sides to create it. Partnership involves mutual involvement and mutual respect.
By increasing the information we empower parents to ask sensitive questions about the
days events. It is difficult for parents to become involved if they are unsure of what is going
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on! In the cloakroom area of many Reggio schools can be generally found a basic outline of
the weeks projected activities, a written account of the days completed activities, which
often includes quotations of childrens remarks, and examples of the artwork produced by
the children along with photographs. There may also be a detailed written account of the
ongoing project.
Personal contact remains fundamental to the creation of true partnership. Staff can take
time to greet each child and their parent as they arrive in school each morning. This is
easiest in the early years setting particularly as the arrival time may be staggered. It may
prove more problematic in the primary setting where even the youngest children may
arrive alone by public transport.
Teachers often remark that parents are reluctant to become involved in Scottish schools.
While there are undoubtedly cultural reasons for this, schools are now doing much to
encourage more active involvement.
Where people have a great deal of pride in something they become increasingly willing
to be involved. In a sense the easiest way to encourage parents interest in school life is
to make it more interesting. Children who talk enthusiastically about the days activities
encourage parents to ask interesting questions. A parent faced with photographs of their
child deeply involved in the creation of an interesting piece of artwork will want to discuss it
with their child, look at the work and talk with the teacher.
By recognising that parents are able to contribute to the school services as well as receiving
the services they desire, teachers give value to the role of the parent in their childrens
learning and often will find that parents are very willing to be involved. The involvement
of non-Italian parents in the collation of a book of international nursery rhymes in one of
the Reggio schools is one such example of the small ways in which parents can share their
differing experiences with the school.
How is day-to-day contact made with families?
How are families encouraged to contribute to the life of the school?
In organised activities are parents encouraged to take a lead or are they simply expected
to attend?
What means can we use to encourage contact and create relationships with parents who
are unable to make frequent visits to the school?
Is partnership the model we should be aiming for in establishing relationships with parents?
Curriculum
Non-Italian educators faced with the Reggio Approach are often wary of progettazione, as it
seems to be simply a return to the child-led philosophies popular in the past and because they
feel increasingly constrained by the need to implement an ever fuller curriculum. However, the
following points should be noted.
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It is important to remember that the Reggio Approach is not a philosophy that centres
completely on the child. It is one that takes into consideration the needs of both adults
and children involved in the reciprocal learning relationship. Indeed, rather than talking of
a child-centred or an emergent relationship, it is perhaps more suitable to talk of it being
child originated and teacher framed.
32
The Scottish system is not bound by a national curriculum that puts heavy constraints on what
or how children learn. Rather, the evolving A Curriculum for Excellence, whose aspiration is
that all children should become successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens
and effective contributors, is underpinned by the principles of challenge and enjoyment,
breadth, progression, depth, personalisation and choice, coherence and relevance.
A Curriculum Framework for Children 35 represents flexible guidelines that emphasise
childrens central role in their own learning and describes the curriculum as planned
experiences based on different aspects of childrens development and learning. In this
sense it is close to the Reggio philosophy, as it is not designed to be a rigid checklist of
learning outcomes.
Like the Reggio Approach, the Curriculum Framework emphasises the key importance of
fostering positive relationships and of emotional, personal and social development generally.
How do we take account of the four capacities (successful learners, confident individuals,
responsible citizens and effective contributors) of A Curriculum for Excellence in planning and
supporting childrens learning?
In planning for a breadth of experiences across the curriculum, how do we take account
of depth?
Do we allow children time to engage fully with their topic or line of enquiry?
How can we create a context in which childrens interests and curiosities are listened to
and legitimised?
How do we ensure that all children experience an appropriate level of challenge?
The Role of the Adult
The role of the adult in the Reggio Approach to childrens learning is crucial. In a sense it
represents the greatest challenge to Scottish educators. If the adults main role is that of
facilitator then he or she must seek to provide a climate of encouragement for the children who
are given the opportunity to make hypotheses and take risks on their learning paths. This does
not mean giving children complete freedom but rather creating an ordered environment in
which children are free to explore and learn through purposeful, well planned play.
33
32
Forman, G and Fyfe, B, Negotiated Learning Through Design, Documentation and Discourse in Edwards, C, Gandini L and Forman, G
(eds), The Hundred Languages of Children, 2nd edn, Ablex Publishing, 1998, pp. 239260.
33
Scottish Executive, A Curriculum for Excellence: Ministerial Response, Scottish Executive, 2004, p. 3.
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Consideration needs to be given to the following.
Children will create their most interesting and imaginative work when they have a wide and
varied choice of material and resources at hand. It is the educators role to provide these
in a discerning manner and to organise and display them in a manner that is both functional
and attractive to the child. The types of suitable materials are limitless shells, beads,
stones, pulses, seeds, clay, paper, cardboard, wood, etc. all have tremendous possibilities
for pictorial work and construction work. Giving children the opportunity to select material
encourages more interesting and individual work.
It is not simply a case of laying everything out in front of children and giving them free
rein. Teachers should make discerning choices about appropriate materials and learning
experiences. Is it necessary, for example, for children to use the sandbox or the water tray
every day?
Children who become involved in a learning experience should be given the opportunity
to continue with it for as long as they need. Teachers need to find ways of making space for
work in progress rather than simply telling children to clear up at the end of the day.
It takes time to build confidence in our own capacity to give children the lead in their
learning experience and this aspect of the Reggio Approach may prove problematic for
teachers used to directing learning activities. Clearly this has implications for initial teacher
training, continuing professional development and in-service training.
Part of the philosophy that is progettazione is the belief that being confused is a fundamental
part of the learning process. Teachers therefore may choose, when they feel it is
appropriate, to allow children to go down the wrong path and to let them make mistakes
without intervening. Some educators find this to be an unnecessarily lengthy process and
others feel it may even be unfair to the children. We must reflect upon how such ideas
correspond with our own way of thinking.
The Reggio experience suggests that very young children are able to remain engaged
in projects for a much longer period of time and at a deeper level than is generally
recognised. The level of graphic work produced by these children suggests that they are
more able than often realised to represent their ideas, projections and emotions in this
manner. This would suggest that we are seriously underestimating our children.
We must maintain high expectations for childrens learning and find ways of demonstrating
to them that we take their work seriously. There are strong links between adult
expectations and childrens aspirations and performance. Children very quickly sense what
adults hold to be of real importance. Talking with children rather than to them about their
work is fundamental. In the nursery setting in particular, although sending finished artwork
home is undoubtedly an important way of encouraging a link between school and home
environments, it is not always appropriate. By retaining work in school and using it with the
children to revisit learning experiences, we demonstrate that we put importance on their
work as well as their thoughts and feelings.
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While some interesting initiatives are under way, those working in early years settings in
Scotland, for the most part, are unable to count on the expertise of an atelierista. If the
expressive arts are to play a more central role in all of childrens learning experiences then
clearly teachers must be given the opportunity to gain experience and confidence in using
the various media they wish to use with children. This can be made possible through
regular practical workshops, genuine teamwork within schools where teachers can share
particular skills with colleagues and also by inviting specialists into schools to work with both
teachers and children.
What expectations do we have for the children in our settings?
Children are capable people. Does our approach to them reflect this?
How would you define the adults role in relation to the childrens learning?
To what extent do children play a lead role in their own learning?
How effectively are the adults engaging with the children both as companions and as
fellow learners?
Documentation
Scottish teachers are generally aware of the importance of recording childrens progress using
a variety of means for all areas of the curriculum. The collation and organisation of individual
pupil profiles is one such example. In Reggio, the documentation of childrens learning is
undoubtedly one of the most outstanding features of the approach. How therefore can the
Reggio experience help us build on existing good practice?
It is important to remember that recording and documenting childrens finished products is
not necessarily the most helpful way to understand children. We must seek to document
the childrens cognitive learning processes. What makes Reggio documentation so unique
is the fact that it is compiled and analysed during the learning process rather than simply
looking at it at the end of a project.
Documentation is only useful to children, teachers and parents if it is constantly revisited
and time is given to reflection and discussion of it.
Documenting is much more than showing and displaying childrens work on the wall. It
must create a greater understanding of childrens learning and of the experiences of all
involved. Documentation should add something to the learning experience and inform
planning for future learning.
Documentation is not used to provide assessment of a comparative type. Teachers need
not attempt to document the same experiences for every child. This would of course be
impossible. Documentation can be used to communicate to others the experience of the
children as a collective unit. Although a photograph shows one child involved in a particular
activity it can often be assumed that other children have had the same experience.
REGGIO EMILIA
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Documentation is not simply about recording and assessment. It is also a very important
learning tool. Children in both the nursery schools and the infant centres in Reggio regularly
watch slides of themselves showing them involved in their daily activities, as a way of
revisiting their experiences, stimulating conversations and creating relationships.
Reggio educators are very discriminating in choosing when and what to document.
This ability to select the most valuable learning moments to document should not be
underestimated and is the result of a great amount of professional development and having
the possibility to work closely with co-educators. With the ever increasing development
of documentation in Scottish educational settings there is, in turn, an ever increasing risk of
over-documenting. Educators need to see documentation as an effective tool to be used
when appropriate. It should not represent a running commentary on childrens every
moment in their pre-school establishment.
What methods are currently used to document childrens progress in learning?
How effectively do they document the process of learning?
How can current records of learning be used with children to stimulate learning?
How effectively do current records communicate childrens experiences and learning
processes to parents?
Do children and parents contribute to the documentation process?
Initial Teacher Training and Professional Development
The Reggio Approach to learning has been described as child originated and teacher framed.
Although such an approach is not entirely in conflict with the underlying principles inherent
in our own early childhood settings in Scotland, its overall successful adaptation will rely on
the development of a highly skilled and experienced early years workforce. This can only be
achieved through initial vocational and teacher education undergraduate courses that are part
of a coherent national framework, and subsequent professional development programmes that
embody this approach.
Initial vocational and teacher training courses
Traditionally, initial qualifications have given too little time to the preparation of early years
educators and, it can be argued, have reflected the lack of value given to work in the
nursery environment. Initial vocational and teacher training courses are, however, currently
being reviewed particularly in terms of their relevance to early years education. An
argument has successfully been made for the creation of a new group of awards that would
aim to raise the status of early years professionals and create a highly skilled workforce.
Considering the existing dynamic, early years climate, and taking into account the increasing
diversity and range of early childhood provision, the Reggio Approach must be seen to
REGGIO EMILIA
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REGGIO EMILIA 39
be an important factor in the creation of new early childhood courses and in determining
their content. The key factors inherent in the approach will have a direct impact on how
practitioners engage in the learning process with children in the early years.
Professional development programmes
In recent years in Scotland, we have witnessed a growing commitment to the importance of
professional development programmes in the development and maintenance of quality early
childhood provision. Such programmes are more widely available due to increased funding
from central government, which now acknowledges the critical role it has to play both in
supporting practitioners in their roles as early childhood educators and in the rapid expansion of
the early childhood service.
This service and these programmes that support it are undergoing dramatic change
and review. The time is therefore opportune for the inclusion of features of the Reggio
Approach in continuing professional development that would extend current thinking
and practice. If practitioners are to be encouraged to become reflective learners and
teachers, this must involve considering not only how features such as documentation and
progettazione might be developed, but also possible ways in which planned time might
be increased for staff to confer and collaborate daily about individual children and shared
practice issues.
The programme of continuing professional development in Reggio Emilia is exemplary in
its encouragement of partnership and co-operation, not simply between colleagues but
between schools. The range of early years services in Scotland is more diverse, making it
potentially more challenging to enable all educators to engage in professional development.
REGGIO EMILIA
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40 REGGIO EMILIA
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REGGIO EMILIA 41
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Books
The Unheard Voice of Children series of publications, Reggio Children, 1995.
Bruner, Jerome, The Culture of Education, Harvard University Press, 1997.
Ceppi, G and Zini, M, Children, Spaces and Relations: Metaproject for an Environment for Young
Children, Reggio Children, 1998.
Dahlberg, G, Moss, P and Spence, A, Beyond Quality in Early Childhood Education and Care:
Post Modern Perspectives, Falmer Press, 1999
Edwards, C, Gandini, L and Forman, G (eds), I Cento Linguaggi dei Bambini, Italian edn, Edizioni
Junior, 1995.
Edwards, C, Gandini, L and Forman, G (eds), The Hundred Languages of Children, 2nd edn,
Ablex Publishing, 1998.
Gandini, L and Pope Edwards, C (eds), Bambini: The Italian Approach to Infant/Toddler Care,
Teachers College Press, 2000
Gardner, Howard, Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, NY: Basic Books, 1983.
Gardner, Howard, The Unschooled Mind, Fontana Press.
Katz, Lillian and Cesarone, Bernard (eds), Reflections on the Reggio Emilia Approach, Edizioni
Junior, 1994.
Moss, P, and Petrie, P, From Childrens Services to Childrens Spaces: Public Policy, Children and
Childhood, Routledge, 2002
Moss, Peter and Penn, Helen, Transforming Nursery Education, Paul Chapman Publishing, 1996.
Penn, Helen, Comparing Nurseries: Staff and Children in Italy, Spain and the UK, Paul Chapman
Publishing, 1997.
Project Zero and Reggio Children, Making Learning Visible: Children as Individual and Group
Learners, Reggio Children, 2001
Rinaldi, C, In Dialogue with Reggio Emilia: Listening, Researching and Learning, Routledge, 2006
The Hundred Languages of Children, Catalogue of Exhibition, Reggio Children, 1996.
News Articles
Fontanesi, G, Grandparents at the Infant-toddler Centres and Pre-schools, ReChild (Reggio
Children Newsletter) No. 2, April 1998.
Pallister, Marian, The Art of Childcare in The Herald, 16 October 1998.
ReChild (Reggio Children Newsletter) No. 1, June 1997.
Reports
Ball, Christopher, Start Right: The Importance of Early Learning, Royal Society of Arts, London, 1994.
HMIE, Improving Scottish Education: A Report by HMIE on Inspection and Review 20022005,
HM Inspectorate of Education, 2006
Scottish CCC, A Curriculum Framework for Children 35, The Scottish Office, 1999.
Scottish CCC, Teaching for Effective Learning, Scottish CCC, 1997.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
REGGIO EMILIA
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Scottish Executive, A Curriculum for Excellence: Report of the Curriculum Review Group, Scottish
Executive, 2004
Review of Early Years Workforce TBC [MORE DETAILS NEEDED]
Cagliari, P, La Storia, Le Ragioni ed I Significati della Partecipazione in La Partecipazione:
Valori, Significati, Problemi, Strumenti, I taccuini, No. 2, November 114. Series of publications
published by Centro Documentazione e Ricerca Educativa. Comune di Reggio Emilia, 1994.
Reggio Children, Reggio Children (mission statement), Reggio Children, 2005
Conference Papers
Alexander, Diane, Hands that Listen, Eyes that Speak and Feel: The Role of Childrens
Expressive Languages in the Pre-schools of Reggio Emilia, Italy, Expressive Arts Forum, St
Andrews College, Glasgow, 1998.
Bertolini, Adriano, LEducazione e il Tempo: Tempi della Famiglia e tempi dei Bambini.
Riempire la Giornata o Viverla?, Conferenza sulle Domande dellEducare Oggi, Reggio Emilia,
May 1998.
Pugh, Gillian, A Curriculum Fit for Young Children. [MORE DETAILS NEEDED]
Rinaldi, Carlina, The Image of the Child, Reggio Children British Study Tour, April 1999.
Rinaldi, Carlina, The Pedagogy of Listening Creating a Culture of Childhood,
International Winter Institute, Reggio Emilia, January 1998.
Rinaldi, Carlina, The Pedagogy of Listening, Reggio Children American Study Tour,
Reggio Emilia, May 1998.
Vecchi, Vea, Childrens Expressive Languages, International Winter Institute, Reggio
Emilia, January 1998.
Websites
Reggio Children
http://zerosei.comune.re.it/inter
Reggio Children is a mixed public-private company that the Municipality of Reggio Emilia, along
with other interested subjects, decided to establish in 1994 to manage the pedagogical and
cultural exchange initiatives.
Sightlines Initiative
www.sightlines-initiative.com
Sightlines Initiative is the UK reference point for the Reggio Children Network.
Clearinghouse on Early Education and Parenting (CEEP)
http://ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/poptopics/reggio.html
CEEP is part of the Early Childhood and Parenting (ECAP) Collaborative at the University
of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This section of the CEEP website contains information and
resources related to the approach to early childhood education developed in the pre-school
establishments of Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Reggio Emilia: Catalyst for Change and Conversation
www.ericdigests.org/2001-3/reggio.htm
Provides full-text access to the ERIC Digest of this name, which examines the origins and
applications of the Reggio Emilia Approach.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
REGGIO EMILIA
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KEY HSD 000139
8 What Is Guided Reading?
WHAT IS
GUIDED READING?
G
uided reading is an instructional approach that involves a teacher
working with a small group of students who demonstrate similar
reading behaviors and can all read similar levels of texts. The text is easy
enough for students to read with your skillful support. The text offers
challenges and opportunities for problem solving, but is easy enough for
students to read with some fluency. You choose selections that help students
expand their strategies.
What is the purpose of guided reading?
You select books that students can read with about 90 percent accuracy.
Students can understand and enjoy the story because its accessible to them
through their own strategies, supported by your introduction. They focus on
meaning but use problem-solving strategies to figure out words they dont
know, deal with difficult sentence structure, and understand concepts
or ideas they have never before encountered in print.
Why is guided reading important?
Guided reading gives students the chance to apply the strategies they already
know to new text. You provide support, but the ultimate goal is independent
reading.
When are children ready for guided reading?
Developing readers have already gained important understandings about how
print works. These students know how to monitor their own reading. They
have the ability to check on themselves or search for possibilities and
alternatives if they encounter a problem when reading. For these readers, the
guided reading experience is a powerful way to support the development of
reading strategies.
The ultimate goal of guided reading is reading a variety of texts with ease and
deep understanding. Silent reading means rapid processing of texts with most
attention on meaning, which is achieved as readers move past beginning
levels (H, I, J). At all levels, students read orally with fluency and phrasing.
KEY HSD 000140
What Is Guided Reading? 9
Matching Books to Readers
The teacher selects a text for a small group of students who are similar in their
reading behaviors at a particular point in time. In general, the text is about
right for students in the group. It is not too easy, yet not too hard, and offers
a variety of challenges to help readers become flexible problem solvers. You
should choose Guided Reading Program books for students that:
match their knowledge base. are interesting to them.
help them take the next step in offer just enough challenge to support
learning to read. problem solving while still supporting
fluency and meaning.
Supporting Students Reading
In working with students in guided reading, you constantly balance the
difficulty of the text with support for students reading the text. You introduce
the story to the group, support individuals through brief interactions while
they read, and guide them to talk together afterwards about the words and
ideas in the text. In this way, you refine text selection and help individual
readers move forward in developing a reading process.
Good readers employ a wide range of word-solving strategies, including
analysis of sound-letter relationships and word parts. They must figure out
words that are embedded in different kinds of texts. Reading a variety of
books enables them to go beyond reading individual words to interpreting
language and its subtle meanings.
For more specific teaching suggestions, see individual cards for each
book title.
The teacher works with a small group of students with similar needs.
The teacher provides introductions to the text that support childrens later
attempts at problem solving.
Each student reads the whole text or a unified part of the text.
Readers figure out new words while reading for meaning.
The teacher prompts, encourages, and confirms students attempts at
problem solving.
The teacher and student engage in meaningful conversations about
what they are reading.
The teacher and student revisit the text to demonstrate and use a range of
comprehension strategies.
Procedure for
Guided Reading
KEY HSD 000141
A vision for improving schools
Expeditionary Learning
Core Practices
KEY HSD 000142
About Expeditionary Learning
Expeditionary Learning partners with school districts and charter boards to open new schools and
transform existing schools at all levels, pre-K12, and in all settings-urban, rural, and suburban. The EL
model challenges students to think critically and take active roles in their classrooms and communities,
resulting in higher achievement and greater engagement in school. EL provides schools with professional
development, coaching, and online tools to improve curriculum design, instruction, school culture,
leadership, and assessment practices. The national network of EL schools and professional colleagues
includes more than 150 schools, 4,000 teachers, and 45,000 students.
thinking in a
new direction
KEY HSD 000143
1
In Expeditionary Learning schools
Learning is active. Students are scientists, urban planners, historians, and activists, investigating real
community problems and collaborating with peers to develop creative, actionable solutions.
Learning is challenging. Students at all levels are pushed and supported to do more than they think they can.
Excellence is expected in the quality of their work and thinking.
Learning is meaningful. Students apply their skills and knowledge to real-world issues and problems and
make positive change in their communities. They see the relevance of their learning and are motivated by
understanding that learning has purpose.
Learning is public. Through formal structures of presentation, exhibition, critique, and data analysis, students
and teachers build a shared vision of pathways to achievement.
Learning is collaborative. School leaders, teachers, students, and families share rigorous expectations for
quality work, achievement, and behavior. Trust, respect, responsibility, and joy in learning permeate the school
culture.
When implemented robustly, the Expeditionary Learning core practices detailed in this book create school
environments that promote deep engagement in learning and support students to achieve at high levels. EL
students gain skills critical to college readiness and lifelong success
-
literacy, numeracy, problem-solving,
critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, persistence toward excellence, and active citizenship
-
as well as
mastery of subject-area knowledge.
EL students around the country are outperforming their state and district peers on standardized tests. In our
high schools, 100% college acceptance is the standard. Research shows that our teachers are closing critical
achievement gaps for English language learners and for Hispanic, African-American, special education, and low-
income students.
This book is a resource for all teachers and school leaders who wish to implement the EL core practices. We
hope it inspires educators to challenge themselves as practitioners and challenge their students to reach their
potential as learners and leaders.
A Different Approach to Teaching and Learning
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2
Expeditionary Learning Design Principles
1. The Primacy of Self-Discovery
Learning happens best with emotion, challenge, and the
requisite support. People discover their abilities, values,
passions, and responsibilities in situations that ofer adventure
and the unexpected. In Expeditionary Learning schools,
students undertake tasks that require perseverance, ftness,
craftsmanship, imagination, self-discipline, and signifcant
achievement. A teachers primary task is to help students
overcome their fears and discover they can do more than they
think they can.
2. The Having of Wonderful Ideas
Teaching in Expeditionary Learning schools fosters curiosity
about the world by creating learning situations that provide
something important to think about, time to experiment, and
time to make sense of what is observed.
3. The Responsibility for Learning
Learning is both a personal process of discovery and a social
activity. Everyone learns both individually and as part of a
group. Every aspect of an Expeditionary Learning school
encourages both children and adults to become increasingly
responsible for directing their own personal and collective
learning.
4. Empathy and Caring
Learning is fostered best in communities where students and
teachers ideas are respected and where there is mutual trust.
Learning groups are small in Expeditionary Learning schools,
with a caring adult looking after the progress and acting as an
advocate for each child. Older students mentor younger ones,
and students feel physically and emotionally safe.
5. Success and Failure
All students need to be successful if they are to build the
confdence and capacity to take risks and meet increasingly
difcult challenges. But it is also important for students to
learn from their failures, to persevere when things are hard,
and to learn to turn disabilities into opportunities.
6. Collaboration and Competition
Individual development and group development are integrated
so that the value of friendship, trust, and group action is clear.
Students are encouraged to compete, not against each other,
but with their own personal best and with rigorous standards
of excellence.
7. Diversity and Inclusion
Both diversity and inclusion increase the richness of ideas,
creative power, problem-solving ability, and respect for others.
In Expeditionary Learning schools, students investigate and
value their diferent histories and talents as well as those of
other communities and cultures. Schools and learning groups
are heterogeneous.
8. The Natural World
A direct and respectful relationship with the natural world
refreshes the human spirit and teaches the important ideas of
recurring cycles and cause and efect. Students learn to become
stewards of the earth and of future generations.
9. Solitude and Reection
Students and teachers need time alone to explore their own
thoughts, make their own connections, and create their own
ideas. Tey also need to exchange their refections with other
students and with adults.
10. Service and Compassion
We are crew, not passengers. Students and teachers are
strengthened by acts of consequential service to others, and one
of an Expeditionary Learning schools primary functions is to
prepare students with the attitudes and skills to learn from and
be of service.
Expeditionary Learning is built on ten design principles that refect the educational values and beliefs of Kurt Hahn, founder
of Outward Bound. Tese principles animate our research-based model for transforming teaching, learning, and the culture of
schools.
KEY HSD 000145
3
Expeditionary Learning was born out of a collaboration between Outward Bound, USA and the Harvard Graduate School of
Education. Te Harvard Outward Bound project, established in 1987, sought to increase the profle of experiential education at
Harvards school of education, while also bringing increased academic rigor to Outward Bounds work in schools. Te proposal to
create EL was a marriage of the philosophies of Kurt Hahn, founder of Outward Bound, and the best of the Harvard Graduate
School of Educations theoretical and practical approach to teaching and learning.
Te Design Principles on the facing page were written at our inception and live at the heart of our model. Our core practices,
written after seven years of work transforming and establishing good schools, provide the concrete and practical guidance that
teachers and school leaders need to bring those principles to life. Tis publication represents the frst update of our core practices,
with additions and revisions that refect ten years of learning from using these practices in schools of all types in a wide range
of settings. Our model is continuously revised and improved by research and by the practical wisdom of EL teachers and school
leaders.
Since the frst ten EL demonstration schools began in 1993, we have remained rooted in our heritage, providing teachers
and students with academically rigorous experiences that are marked by purposeful learning, challenge, collaboration, and
perseverance. Te mountain our students and teachers are climbing may be metaphoric-a challenge of scholarship rather than
physical efort-but the ethic is the same as on an Outward Bound wilderness course. Everyone-every teacher and every student,
regardless of beginning levels of preparedness-must work together as a team to get to the top of the mountain. Everyone must
confront the challenge of academic achievement, and everyone must succeed.
Our core practices mark the path up this metaphorical mountain, detailing the approach that makes our schools high-achieving,
engaging learning environments that push teachers and students to do more than they think they can. Tey build on our unique
heritage to lift up a vision of what great schools can be.
The Values Behind Our Core Practices
KEY HSD 000146
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Tis Expeditionary Learning Core Practices book serves several purposes. It provides a comprehensive overview of the EL
model, a planning guide for school leaders and teachers, and a framework for designing professional development. It does not
belong on a bookshelf. It belongs on your desk, marked up with the thoughts, questions, and inspirations that will help guide your
practice. We encourage you to make it your own. Customize these structures and strategies to ft your unique classroom, school,
and community. Photocopy pages and post them on cabinets. Excerpt passages that resonate with you. No one teacher can do
everything in this book, but we hope you will view it as an invitation and a guide as you strive to implement the EL model in your
school and classroom.
Tis book addresses fve dimensions that shape student achievement in schools: curriculum, instruction, assessment, culture and
character, and leadership. Within each dimension, we have defned fve to ten core practices that represent what the EL approach
to education ideally looks like in a school and in a classroom. Each core practice is given a dedicated page in this book. On that
core practice page is a series of lettered sections and numbered descriptors.
Tese core practices are not just abstract ideals: they are descriptions of actual best practices that we have documented from EL
schools across the country. Tis new edition of the Core Practices is broader, deeper, and stronger than our last edition, informed
by the inspirational success of your work as EL educators, and by our expanded areas of research and professional development.
Although the sections of this book proceed sequentially from curriculum to leadership, every dimension is of equal importance,
and they work in concert to create a quality EL school.
How to Use This Book
KEY HSD 000147
5
Assessment
Our leaders, teachers, and students embrace the power of student-engaged
assessment practices to build student ownership of learning, focus students
on reaching standards-based learning targets, and drive achievement. Tis
approach to assessment is key to ensuring that schools achieve educational
equity. Students continually assess and improve the quality of their work
through the use of models, refection, critique, rubrics, and work with experts.
Staf members engage in ongoing data inquiry and analysis, examining
everything from patterns in student work to results from formal assessments,
disaggregating data by groups of students to recognize and address gaps in
achievement.
Leadership
Our school leaders build a cohesive school vision focused on student
achievement and continuous improvement, and they align all activities in the
school to that vision. Leaders use data wisely, boldly shape school structures
to best meet student needs, celebrate joy in learning, and build a school-wide
culture of trust and collaboration. Leadership in our schools goes beyond a
single person or team-it is a role and expectation for all.
The Expeditionary Learning Core Practices
Our schools build cultures of respect, responsibility, courage, and kindness,
where students and adults are committed to quality work and citizenship.
School structures and traditions such as crew, community meetings,
exhibitions of student work, and service learning ensure that every student
is known and cared for, that student leadership is nurtured, and that
contributions to the school and world are celebrated. Students and staf are
supported to do better work and be better people than they thought possible.
Culture and Character
Curriculum
Our approach to curriculum makes standards come alive for students by
connecting learning to real-world issues and needs. Academically rigorous
learning expeditions, case studies, projects, feldwork, and service learning
inspire students to think and work as professionals do, contributing high-
quality work to authentic audiences beyond the classroom. Our schools ensure
that all students have access to a rigorous college preparatory curriculum,
and regularly analyze the curriculum to check alignment to standards and
opportunities for all students to meet those standards.
Instruction
Our classrooms are alive with discovery, inquiry, critical thinking, problem-
solving, and collaboration. Teachers talk less. Students talk and think more.
Lessons have explicit purpose, guided by learning targets for which students
take ownership and responsibility. In all subject areas, teachers diferentiate
instruction and maintain high expectations in order to bring out the best in all
students and cultivate a culture of high achievement.
Our core practices address ve key dimensions of life in school.
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6
Curriculum
1 Mapping Skills and Content
A. Standards Alignment
B. Skill and Concept Maps
C. Content Maps
2 Designing Learning Expeditions
A. Scope and Components of Learning Expeditions
B. Flow of Learning Expeditions
C. Choosing and Focusing the Compelling Topic
3 Formulating Guiding Questions
A. Te Role of Guiding Questions
B. Characteristics of Guiding Questions
4 Selecting Case Studies
A. Te Role of Case Studies
B. Planning Case Studies
5 Designing Projects and Products
A. Projects
B. Products and Performances
6 Incorporating Fieldwork, Experts, and Service Learning
A. Fieldwork
B. Experts
C. Service Learning
7 Producing High-Quality Student Work
A. Perseverance and Rigor
B. Craftsmanship
C. Authentic Purpose and Audience
D. Examining Student Work

Contents
25
23
21
20
19
17
16
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Curriculum (continued)
8 Teaching Global Skills and Knowledge
A. Curricula that Supports Global Skills and Knowledge
B. Building Character through Global Understanding
C. Teaching World Languages
9 Supporting College and Career Readiness
A. A College-Bound Curriculum
B. Creating a College-Bound Culture
C. Secondary Structures to Support College and Career Readiness
D. Technology for a New Generation
27
26
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Instruction
10 Planning Effective Lessons
A. Lesson Design
B. Lesson Formats
11 Delivering Effective Lessons
A. Creating Purpose
B. Building Curiosity
C. Maintaining Focus
D. Using Protocols
E. Supporting All Students
F. Using Models
G. Representing Tinking
H. Refecting
I. Ongoing Assessment
J. Structuring Revision and Critique
12 Differentiating Instruction
A. Structures to Support Diferentiated Instruction
B. Integrating Diferentiated Instruction
C. Creating a Culture for Diferentiated Instruction
D. Supporting Students with Disabilities
E. Supporting English Language Learners (ELL)
13 Teaching Reading across the Disciplines
A. Reading Process
B. Integrating Reading
C. Creating a Culture of Reading
D. Assessing Reading
14 Teaching Writing across the Disciplines
A. Writing Process
B. Integrating Writing
C. Creating a Culture of Writing
D. Assessing Writing
30
32
38
36
34
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Instruction (continued)
15 Teaching Mathematics
A. Conceptual Understanding
B. Foundational Math Facts
C. Problem-Solving Skills
D. Creating a Culture of Numeracy and Mathematical Tinking
E. Assessing Math
16 Teaching Science
A. Science Content
B. Science Instruction
C. Creating a Culture of Science Inquiry
D. Assessing Science
17 Teaching Social Studies
A. Social Studies Content
B. Social Studies Instruction
C. Creating a Culture of Social Studies Inquiry
D. Assessing Social Studies
18 Teaching the Arts
A. Arts Process and Skills
B. Integrating the Arts
C. Creating a Culture of Art
D. Assessing the Arts
19 Teaching and Promoting Fitness and Wellness
A. Fitness and Wellness Process
B. Integrating Fitness and Wellness
C. Creating a Culture of Fitness and Wellness
D. Assessing Fitness and Wellness

40
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Assessment
20 Using Student-Engaged Assessment to Create a Culture of
Engagement and Achievement
A. Growth Mindset
B. Student Ownership of Learning and Assessment
C. Habits of Scholarship (Performance Character)
D. Supporting Purposeful Learning with Learning Targets
21 Using Assessment for Learning Strategies on a Daily Basis
A. Communicating Learning Targets and Criteria for Success
B. Focusing on One Skill, Concept, or Strategy at a Time
C. Using Strategic Questioning
D. Strategically Using Critique and Descriptive Feedback
E. Teaching Students Focused Revision
F. Self-Assessing, Refecting on Progress, and Setting Goals
22 Creating Quality Assessments
A. Aligning Standards, Learning Targets, and Assessments
B. Choosing Assessment Methods
C. Creating and Using Criteria Lists and Rubrics
23 Raising Achievement on Assessments of Learning
A. Student Preparation and Readiness for Assessments of Learning
B. Analyzing Assessment Data
C. Interim Assessments
D. Standardized Tests
24 Communicating Student Achievement
A. Grades
B. Communicating about Habits of Scholarship
C. Progress Reports, Report Cards, and Transcripts
D. Exhibitions of Learning
E. Student-Led Conferences
F. Portfolios
G. Passages
H. Graduation
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56
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25 Building a Community of Learning
A. Clear School-Wide Expectations
B. Traditions
C. A Climate of Learning
26 Fostering Character
A. Relational Character
B. Performance Character (Habits of Scholarship)
27 Establishing Structures for Knowing Students Well
A. Crew in Elementary Classrooms
B. Crew in Secondary Classrooms
C. Building Relationships
D. Mentoring, Internships, and Apprenticeships
28 Engaging Families and the Community in the Life of the School
A. Welcoming Visitors
B. Building Family Relationships
C. Communication with Families
D. Participation in the School
E. Building Community Partnerships
29 Creating Beautiful Spaces for Learning
A. Physical Environment
B. Documenting Student Learning
30 Promoting Adventure
A. Te Role of Adventure
B. Integrating Adventure
C. Ensuring Safety
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Leadership
31 Fostering a School Vision and Strategy
A. Creating, Supporting, and Communicating School Vision and Strategy
B. Planning for Improvement
C. Using Data to Set Goals and Monitor Progress
D. Assessing Annual Progress
32 Structuring Time to Support the Vision
A. Designing the School Schedule
B. Creating Time for Staf Collaboration and Learning
33 Aligning Curriculum, Instruction, and
Assessment for Student Achievement
A. Adopting Comprehensive Standards
B. Mapping Curriculum
C. Supporting Planning, Instruction, and Assessment
D. Providing Support and Accountability
34 Using Data to Drive Instruction
A. Fostering a Data Culture
B. Developing Data Inquiry Teams
C. Engaging Students with Data
D. Using Data to Ensure Equity
35 Cultivating a Positive School Culture
A. Modeling an Expeditionary Learning School Culture
B. Building a Professional Culture of Learning
C. Promoting Efective Collaboration
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Leadership (continued)
36 Leading Professional Learning
A. Leading Change
B. Recruiting and Hiring Teachers
C. Setting Clear Expectations for Staf Roles and Responsibilities
D. Supporting Professional Growth
E. Providing Frequent Descriptive Feedback
F. Coaching Teachers
G. Using Data to Inform Coaching and Supervision
H. Evaluating Teachers
37 Promoting Shared Leadership
A. Developing Leadership Teams
B. Facilitating Leadership Team Data Conversations
C. Upholding Shared Decision-Making
D. Engaging the School Community and Other Stakeholders with Data
38 Shaping School Operations to Elevate Student Achievement
A. Managing the Budget
B. Sustaining Operational Systems
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KEY HSD 000156
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KEY HSD 000157
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Core Practices in This Section
Mapping Skills and Content
Designing Learning Expeditions
Formulating Guiding Questions
Selecting Case Studies
Designing Projects and Products
Incorporating Fieldwork, Experts, and Service Learning
Producing High-Quality Student Work
Teaching Global Skills and Knowledge
Supporting College and Career Readiness

Expeditionary Learnings approach to curriculum makes
standards come alive for students by connecting learning
to real-world issues and needs. Academically rigorous
learning expeditions, case studies, projects, eldwork,
and service learning inspire students to think and work
as professionals do, contributing high-quality work to
authentic audiences beyond the classroom. EL schools
ensure that all students have access to a rigorous
college preparatory curriculum, and regularly analyze
the curriculum to check alignment to standards and
opportunities for all students to meet those standards.
Curriculum
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KEY HSD 000158
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A. Standards Alignment
1. Teachers and school leaders work together to ensure that
learning expeditions, case studies, projects, lessons, and
curricular decisions are based on required standards.
2. Teachers and school leaders prioritize standards that will
receive particular emphasis, creating opportunities for depth
and appropriate repetition of key skills and concepts.
3. Teachers and school leaders review measures of student
achievement as indicators of how well the curriculum
is addressing standards, and regularly make related
adjustments to curriculum.
B. Skill and Concept Maps
1. Teachers and school leaders map skill standards across the
year (horizontally) and from grade to grade (vertically).
2. Skill and concept maps refect a vision that students
are always growing in their skills and understanding of
concepts. Rather than a map in which skills and concepts
are checked of as done, the maps refect the notion that
students must apply skills and concepts in increasingly more
sophisticated and rigorous contexts as they get older.
C. Content Maps
1. Teachers and school leaders create, regularly analyze, and
adjust school-wide content maps to ensure that standards
are addressed, students are engaged and challenged, and
repetition is minimized. As much as possible, content maps
are aligned with or combined with skill and concept maps,
so that the connection between content, skills, and concepts
is clear.
2. Teachers and school leaders ensure that all students
have access to a high-level curriculum with appropriate
complexity of text and tasks.
3. Teachers and school leaders ensure that the curriculum
includes signifcant focus on problem-solving, critical
thinking, collaboration, and communication skills for all
students.
4. Teachers and school leaders ensure that the curriculum
includes topics related to global knowledge, environmental
stewardship, equity, and social justice, and that it promotes
understanding of other perspectives and cultures.
5. Teachers and school leaders ensure that technology learning
is built into the curriculum to equip all students with real-
world competencies.
6. Content is driven by standards and sequenced to maximize
opportunities for interdisciplinary connections when
appropriate.
Expeditionary Learning teachers and school leaders work together to ensure that a set of school-wide, standards-based curriculum
maps acts as the foundation for all planning and instruction. Te maps incorporate all required standards and college readiness
skills and are revised as needed over time. Te maps describe a vertical sequence of learning expeditions and projects, and they
defne the key content and skills that need to be addressed at each grade level and discipline. Te maps guard against unnecessary
repetition of content across grades and ensure appropriate repetition of skills and concepts.
Curriculum
Core Practice 1
Mapping Skills and Content
KEY HSD 000159
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Learning expeditions are the signature Expeditionary Learning curricular structure. Tey make content standards come alive for
students. Tese long-term, in-depth studies ofer real-world connections that inspire students toward higher levels of academic
achievement. Learning expeditions involve students in original research, critical thinking, and problem solving, and they build
character along with academic skills. All learning expeditions explicitly focus on building literacy skills in students, particularly in
the reading and writing of nonfction text.
Learning expeditions take multiple, powerful elements of the EL model and join them together: guiding questions, kickof
experiences, case studies, projects, lessons, feldwork, experts, service learning, and a culminating event featuring high-quality
student work. All of these structures can also be used independently, outside of full learning expeditions.
Core Practice 2
Designing Learning Expeditions
Curriculum
A. Scope and Components of Learning
Expeditions
1. Learning expeditions are usually 6-12 weeks in duration and
comprise a signifcant portion of daily instructional time for
students.
2. Teachers plan learning expeditions that include the
following components: learning targets, guiding questions, a
kickof experience, case studies, projects, lessons, feldwork,
experts, service learning, and a culminating event.
3. Learning expeditions are interdisciplinary, but not
necessarily with an equal balance of disciplines. On a
secondary level they can be either co-led by a multi-
disciplinary team or led by a single teacher who builds a
learning expedition centered within his or her subject area
that includes interdisciplinary features.
4. Learning expeditions integrate skills of reading, writing,
listening, speaking, numeracy, and research, as well as critical
thinking, problem solving, and collaboration. Explicit
literacy instruction, using appropriately challenging text,
takes place in learning expeditions at all grade levels.
5. Learning expeditions are constructed or customized by
individual teachers or teaching teams and are also refned
and assessed for quality through school-wide structures that
involve leadership and faculty in critique and support.
B. Flow of Learning Expeditions
1. Teachers plan backward, constructing calendars that
begin with the end in mind. Whenever possible, students
are brought into the process in class planning sessions
during which they help choose and commit to deadlines.
Teachers and students ensure that the planned components
are realistic and that students will have time to complete
projects and associated products and performances with
quality.
2. Learning expeditions begin with a kickof or immersion
experience for students that ignites curiosity and sparks
interest in a topic. Kickofs build background knowledge in
the learning expedition content, but are focused more on
raising questions than answering them.
3. After the kickof, learning expeditions shift toward
deepening students study and research, allowing them to
become experts in the topic. Students often build signifcant
background knowledge before they begin deeper work
with experts and feldwork, maximizing the value of those
resources.
4. Te learning expedition draws to a close with product
creation, synthesis and refection, and a culminating event
that celebrates learning.
C. Choosing and Focusing the Compelling
Topic
1. Learning expedition topics are centered on key standards
identifed in curriculum maps.
2. Topics are constructed to engage student curiosity and
passion. Tey provide opportunities to connect historic,
scientifc, and other disciplinary concepts to specifc case
studies that make learning concrete and relevant.
KEY HSD 000160
18 Curriculum
3. Topics encourage curiosity and discovery and have rich
potential for experiential, hands-on exploration.
4. Topics take a broad content unit (e.g., the Revolutionary
War, Newtonian physics) and focus it with at least one case
study that engages students and clarifes concepts (e.g., the
role of a local city in the Revolutionary War, the physics of
car accidents).
5. Te topic ofers opportunities for feldwork, work with local
experts, and the use of primary source material. It ofers
strong possibilities for original research and the creation of
high-quality products for an authentic audience.
6. Community issues and resources focus the topic and require
students to collect data, interview citizens and experts, and
create products that meet a real community need.
7. Te topic invites students to consider multiple perspectives.
8. Learning expeditions often involve issues of cultural
diversity, equity, and social justice or environmental
stewardship to engage students in compelling conversations
about their ideas of right and wrong.
Designing Learning Expeditions (continued)
KEY HSD 000161
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Core Practice 3
Formulating Guiding Questions
In Expeditionary Learning schools, guiding questions frame the inquiry of the class. Tey are open-ended, nonjudgmental
questions that motivate students to explore and discuss topics from multiple perspectives. Grappling with good guiding questions
leads students to enduring understanding of broader issues and fundamental concepts within and across disciplines. Guiding
questions also link all elements of curriculum and help teachers and students see the connections between lessons, projects, and
case studies. Tey provide a flter for teachers when they are making instructional choices, and they help students understand the
big picture of their learning.
Guiding questions are a part of learning expeditions, but they can also be used as stand-alone structures outside of full learning
expeditions.
Curriculum
A. The Role of Guiding Questions
1. Guiding questions focus on the broad concepts of learning
expeditions. Tey build curiosity, guide students inquiry, and
connect all elements of students studies.
2. Guiding questions help to connect the specifc topics of
case studies and projects (e.g., what role do insects play in
nature?)to core concepts of the disciplines (e.g., ecosystems).
3. Learning expeditions typically include one to three guiding
questions, which are posted for recurring discussion.
4. Guiding questions help students recognize their deepening
understanding over the course of a learning expedition as
they develop more informed and sophisticated responses to
these questions, individually and as a group.
B. Characteristics of Guiding Questions
1. Guiding questions are open-ended and lead to multiple
perspectives and answers. Tey can be returned to
throughout the study and throughout life to discuss and
debate (e.g., What is a healthy life?).
2. Guiding questions often reveal fundamental issues and
concepts of a discipline and the essential questions that
scholars such as scientists and historians must grapple with
in their work (e.g., Whose story is told when history is
written?).
3. Guiding questions are student-friendly. Tey are
straightforward and memorable, yet thought-provoking.
KEY HSD 000162
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Core Practice 4
Selecting Case Studies
Case studies animate the major concepts of a discipline or broad topic through concrete-often local-studies of subtopics within
the discipline. Te case study helps students focus their research and become experts on a specifc topic before they generalize
their learning to broader concepts and content. Sometimes, Expeditionary Learning uses the term case study exactly as it is
applied in the felds of law or medicine-to refer to an investigation of a unique person, place, institution, or event (e.g., as part
of a U.S. history study of the civil rights movement, students investigate a local civil rights hero). Other times, EL uses the term
more loosely, to refer to a narrowed subtopic that allows students to focus their research on a particular example that animates and
clarifes the broader topic (e.g., in a study of the Civil War, students are involved in a case study of womens roles in the war).
Case studies are a part of learning expeditions, but they can also be used as stand-alone structures outside of full learning
expeditions. Case studies are typically 2-6 weeks in duration and usually include student projects and products.
Curriculum
A. The Role of Case Studies
1. Case studies make learning come alive for students by
clarifying and animating broad topics and concepts through
engaging, specifc examples.
2. Case studies require students to engage in original research
with primary source materials, just as professional historians,
mathematicians, scientists, and writers would.
3. Case studies allow students to deeply explore a topic and
become experts, building their commitment and pride in
their work, before generalizing learning to broader issues
and concepts.
4. Case studies help students make connections between their
academic learning and the real world and build bridges
between the school and local community.
B. Planning Case Studies
1. Case studies are centered on key content standards. Students
study particular examples of important topics and concepts
within these standards.
2. Whenever possible, case studies are centered on local
resources to ground students in concrete examples and to
help connect the school to the community.
3. Case studies may focus on a unique person, place, or thing
(e.g., the closing of a local factory), or narrow a broad topic
by focusing deeply on a particular subtopic or perspective
(e.g., the topic of birds narrowed to a case study of owls).
4. All case studies are rich in literacy learning-reading,
writing, speaking, listening, research-and vocabulary
development. Whenever possible, they are also rich in
numeracy and mathematical concepts.
5. Case studies prioritize the use of primary source text and
data to ground research in the real world, promote discovery,
and challenge students as readers and mathematicians. Tese
texts and data are used for explicit instruction in literacy and
math skills.
6. Teachers guide students to generalize from case studies,
applying their understanding to the broader content and
concepts required by standards.
KEY HSD 000163
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Core Practice 5
Designing Projects and Products
In Expeditionary Learning schools, students are engaged in skills-rich projects that result in high-quality products or
performances for audiences beyond the classroom. Projects are a primary structure for in-school learning, teaching core skills
and content through classroom lessons, discussions, labs, and work sessions, as well as through student research and feldwork.
Projects are used to teach literacy and math skills, critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving. Te products of student
projects are typically modeled on real-world documents and artifacts, with professional models guiding student work. Products are
critiqued by professionals and contribute to a real-world audience (e.g., a whole-class scientifc study of a local pond, resulting in a
water-quality report for the city board of health).
Projects and products are a part of learning expeditions, but they can also be used as stand-alone structures outside of full learning
expeditions. Projects are typically 2-6 weeks in duration.
Curriculum
A. Projects
1. Projects are a core structure for learning important skills
and content standards during the school day. Tey are not
an enrichment opportunity provided after core learning has
been completed as an add-on or supplement.
2. Projects culminate in high-quality student-created products
or performances.
3. Teachers plan backward from the fnal student product or
performance. Lessons, labs, research, feldwork, experts,
and product creation, as well as regular assessments, are
scheduled to lead up to the completion of a high-quality
culminating piece, planned with the audience in mind.
4. Teachers involve students as much as possible in directing
aspects of the project, with clear, posted, student-monitored
organizational structures (e.g., learning targets, calendars,
checklists, rubrics) that hold students accountable for their
individual and group progress.
5. Assessment toward learning targets takes place during all
aspects of the project, not just at the completion of the fnal
product. Te project includes formative and summative
assessments such as conferences, quizzes, tests, essays, and
presentations.
6. Literacy is intentionally woven into every stage of the
project (e.g., reading and research to develop background
knowledge, writing in a particular genre or format).
B. Products and Performances
1. Products and performances are created for an audience
beyond the classroom, giving students an authentic reason to
care about quality.
2. Projects typically engage all students in working toward the
same product format (e.g., scientifc report, architectural
blueprint, historical play) to engage the power of the
classroom community to focus together on the same key
skills and genre and to support quality through common
models of excellence and critique.
3. Within the common product format, there is room for
students to make creative choices (e.g., all students may
create architectural blueprints, but students make choices
in the design of their building). Tere are also structures for
diferentiating support for students toward this common
product. Trough these means, teachers address equity in
making sure that all students meet the same high standards.
4. Student products provide material for the culminating event
of the learning expedition, which features high-quality
student work.
5. Products and performances are modeled on real-world
formats rather than artifcial scholastic formats (e.g.,
students write a book review for a local newspaper instead of
a book report for the teacher).
6. Teachers and students create product descriptors, rubrics,
and criteria lists, often working from exemplary models,
so that students are clear about the concrete features that
represent high quality.
KEY HSD 000164
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7. Assessment of the fnal product is typically focused not on
content and skills-which have been assessed during the
course of the project-but on craftsmanship and character
learning targets.
8. Technology is used appropriately in various phases of
product development (e.g., recording and analyzing data,
graphic design, presentation). Products are used as a
compelling purpose for technology learning.
9. Quality work is supported through explicit skills lessons
and critique of models so that students gain expertise in a
medium:
a. Student work goes through multiple drafts or rehearsals,
with specifc, targeted feedback given to improve works
in progress.
b. In group projects, the product is designed so that the
work of each student can be evaluated individually,
ensuring accountability for all students.
c. For products with multiple components, benchmarks are
set for completion of each component to keep students
on track. Some components are mandatory for all
students, and others are used as options to diferentiate
instruction for a range of learners.

Designing Projects and Products (continued)
KEY HSD 000165
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Expeditionary Learning students learn from feldwork, experts, and service in addition to learning from text. Tey use the natural
and social environments of their communities as sites for purposeful feldwork and service connected to academic work, and they
use professional experts and citizens with frsthand knowledge of events and issues to ensure accuracy, integrity, and quality in
their work.
EL diferentiates between traditional feld trips, in which students are often spectators, and feldwork, in which students are active
investigators, applying the research tools, techniques of inquiry, and standards of presentation used by professionals in the feld. In
addition to having students conduct research outside the school, teachers bring experts from the community into the classroom
who collaborate with students on projects, teach them skills from their feld, and critique their work using professional standards.
Service learning in EL schools goes beyond charitable acts, such as cleaning up a city park, and extends also to rigorous academic
products that provide a service for the community, such as conducting energy audits of city buildings to help a city save money
and reduce its carbon footprint. Older students may participate in internships and apprenticeships.
Fieldwork, collaboration with experts, and service learning are a part of learning expeditions, but they can also be used as stand-
alone structures outside of full learning expeditions.
Core Practice 6
Incorporating Fieldwork, Experts, and Service
Learning
Curriculum
A. Fieldwork
1. Fieldwork has a clear purpose that enriches the work of
the learning expedition, case study, or project (e.g., data
collection, interviews, structured observations) and allows
students to be researchers, not spectators.
2. Whenever possible and appropriate, feldwork takes place
over an extended period of time with several visits to the
same site.
3. Procedures and skills for feldwork are taught before the
event.
4. Fieldwork is modeled, as much as possible, on the authentic
research of professionals in the feld (e.g., zoologists,
historians, anthropologists).
5. Teachers select data collection tools to suit the purpose of
the feldwork. When data are collected, they are analyzed
and used back in the classroom.
6. Fieldwork is structured so that it is safe and productive.
Teachers preview sites to shape the feld experience
efectively.
7. Te school has written policies and well-documented safety
procedures for conducting feldwork, which are followed by
teachers and students.
8. Students are prepared to be ambassadors for their school
when on feldwork. Tey are courteous, articulate, organized,
and helpful.
B. Experts
1. Teachers regularly engage with experts during feldwork and
as classroom guests.
2. Teachers reach out to a range of experts, who may be
professionals from a particular discipline or community
members with frsthand knowledge of the topic being
studied. Experts may work with just teachers or with
teachers and students.
3. Experts work collaboratively with students on projects and/
or products, and they help students critique their work
against professional standards.
4. Students greet experts with courtesy, respect, and
background knowledge. Experts should be surprised
and delighted by the students depth of knowledge and
preparation.
5. Teachers and students orient experts to the needs of the
project and the protocols for class critique.
KEY HSD 000166
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6. Often, teachers and students maintain ongoing relationships
with experts. Whenever possible, students take a lead role
in communication with experts before (to ensure alignment
and focus), during (to keep the collaboration on track), and
after (showing appreciation), to build student responsibility
and skills to perform real-world work.
C. Service Learning
1. Service learning is an integral part of academic work-it
teaches students that the skills they are learning can be put
to use to make a better community.
2. Service learning goes beyond charitable volunteer work to
include projects that address important academic skills (e.g.,
beyond collecting clothing for the homeless, it may involve
creating a guide to free city services that can be distributed
at homeless shelters).
3. Teachers and students research service opportunities to
ensure that service learning projects provide a real beneft to
the community.
4. Service learning is not an afterthought or add-on. It is
an extension of the ethic of kindness and service that
permeates the school. Students and teachers regularly
discuss the ways they can contribute to a better world. As
such, service learning is a prime vehicle to teach and take
action centered on social justice.
Curriculum
Incorporating Fieldwork, Experts, and Service Learning (continued)
KEY HSD 000167
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Core Practice 7
Producing High-Quality Student Work
Curriculum
In Expeditionary Learning schools, the curriculum compels students to produce high-quality work, and the whole school
supports, celebrates, and refects on student work in order to create a culture of excellence. Students take work that is intended
for public audiences through multiple drafts and critique. Tey receive targeted feedback from teachers, experts, and peers based
on established criteria. Creating real work for real audiences motivates students to meet standards and engage in revision. In the
process, they develop perseverance and they realize that they can do more than they thought they could. High-quality work is a
refection and result of the high expectations teachers have for all students. Tus, it is a means to excellence and equity. Students
and teachers analyze models to build a vision of quality. Teachers and school leaders analyze student work samples in professional
development to best support students attainment of quality work and standards.
A. Perseverance and Rigor
1. Projects and assignments are rigorous and demanding for all
students.
2. Teachers create a classroom climate where students are
excited about the opportunity and challenge of work, feel
accountable to the group for deadlines, and take pride in
doing a better job than they thought they could.
3. In order to produce high-quality fnal products, students
demonstrate perseverance and responsibility for learning as
they work through multiple drafts.
4. Teachers support all students in producing high-quality
work by providing specifc feedback and support, adapting
projects and products when necessary, diferentiating
instruction, and providing supplementary materials and
additional time.
B. Craftsmanship
1. Students demonstrate ownership and pride through
attending to detail and making their fnal draft work
accurate, thorough, and aesthetically strong. Not all
work goes through drafts-practice work in class and
experimental work may not be polished-but work shared in
public refects high standards for academic accuracy, depth,
and care.
2. As much as possible, students use professional tools and
materials and master the conventions of the medium.
Students learn to handle professional tools and materials
with maturity, care, and expertise.
3. Craftsmanship is supported by experts, brought into school
or visited outside of school, who share their wisdom and
techniques and the vocabulary of their feld.
C. Authentic Purpose and Audience
1. Student products often meet an authentic need and have
an audience and purpose beyond families or the classroom
teacher.
2. Students regularly make presentations of their work and
their learning to school and community stakeholders and
authentic external audiences.
3. Some student products are particularly motivating because
in themselves they are acts of service.
D. Examining Student Work
1. Teachers collect compelling student work at all levels
of profciency for use with students. Students regularly
examine student work together to determine criteria for
high-quality work.
2. Teachers and school leaders regularly examine student
work samples in grade-level teams, disciplinary teams, or
whole-school professional development to assess student
understanding and skills and to develop strategies for
supporting increased student achievement.
KEY HSD 000168
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Core Practice 8
Teaching Global Skills and Knowledge
Curriculum
Expeditionary Learning school leaders and teachers recognize that they must prepare students for global citizenship in an
increasingly complicated and interconnected world. Such preparation is cross-disciplinary and includes developing knowledge
of diverse cultures, languages, and political systems, as well as knowledge of the physical terrains, ecosystems, and natural forces
of the planet. Fully integrating global skills and knowledge into the curriculum is tied closely to environmental stewardship and
social justice as students are challenged to grapple with the most complex problems facing the world such as climate change,
structures of economic inequities, and international terrorism and confict. Tey are asked to probe how the peoples of the world
are connected and what young people can do to make a diference.
A. Curricula that Supports Global Skills
and Knowledge
1. Teachers and school leaders review curriculum maps to
ensure that global skills and content (e.g., knowledge of
diverse cultures) are refected in skill and content maps.
2. Students have multiple opportunities through their work in
learning expeditions, case studies, projects, and lessons to
build global skills and knowledge.
B. Building Character through Global
Understanding
1. Schools create character expectations and habits of
scholarship that guide students in becoming global
citizens through recognizing diferent perspectives and the
opportunities that come through diversity.
2. Students are expected, and given multiple opportunities, to
make concrete contributions to the world around them.
C. Teaching World Languages
1. Schools recognize that communication is a key tool and
a vital global skill that deepens understanding of other
cultures and countries. Schools expect all students to study
at least one language other than English by the time they
graduate from high school.
2. Language learning is a central part of the curriculum at all
levels of instruction, and begins as early as possible with
young learners.
3. Language learning is ofered in extended, well-articulated
sequences that develop increasing levels of profciency at
each level of instruction by teachers who are well qualifed
in language profciency, cultural knowledge, and teaching
skills.
4. As much as possible, language learning connects students
with communities and cultural and artistic opportunities,
and empowers them to contribute to the school, community,
and world.
KEY HSD 000169
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Core Practice 9
Supporting College and Career Readiness
Curriculum
Expeditionary Learning schools prepare all students for college and career success by providing a college-bound curriculum with
high expectations for all students, fostering a school-wide college-bound culture, and setting up structures that allow time for the
college search and application process. A college-bound curriculum is one that includes content area knowledge and skills, such
as American literature and calculus; academic research and writing skills; technology literacy; habits of scholarship, such as time
management and persistence toward excellence; and college knowledge about such things as college admissions and fnancial
aid requirements and the norms and expectations of college life. Paving the way for college begins in the primary years and
culminates with intensive focus in the high school years. EL recognizes that there may be particular students for whom entering
college directly from high school may not be the optimal path, yet school leaders and teachers nevertheless prepare and compel
all students to get accepted to college so that they have the choice now, and the confdence to reapply in the future. All students
should have the option and opportunity to go to college.
A. A College-Bound Curriculum
1. Students of all ages develop the habits of scholarship (e.g.,
self-monitoring, problem solving) that they will need to
navigate the academic and social demands of college. Tis is
a continuous and explicit focus of crew.
2. Core academic skills such as research skills and analytic
thinking are taught in every subject area and at all grade
levels.
3. Literacy instruction is a focus in every subject area and at all
grade levels in order to prepare students for the complexity
of college texts.
4. Students in grades K-8 have access to the courses and
opportunities that prepare them for a college-bound
high school curriculum (e.g., eighth-grade algebra, world
language).
5. High school students develop the content knowledge and
skills necessary for college by taking a demanding college
preparatory curriculum that is aligned to college admission
requirements.
B. Creating a College-Bound Culture
1. Teachers and school leaders make it clear to all students
that they are on a path to college.
2. Hallways, classrooms, and ofces display college symbols
and messages.
3. Students have multiple opportunities to visit college
campuses-starting in sixth grade if possible-to build their
knowledge of the multiple opportunities available to them.
4. In high schools, college acceptances are celebrated in
classrooms, in crews, and at school-wide events.
5. In high schools, students and families hear messages about
college at school-wide events and see college resources on
the schools website and in its materials.
6. High school students learn the facts about applying for
admission and fnancial aid and about the norms and
culture of college life.Whenever possible, alumni are invited
to the school to serve as mentors and resources.
C. Secondary Structures to Support
College and Career Readiness
1. High school crew teachers help students make strong
course selections that are connected to college and career
aspirations, monitor progress toward academic and
character learning targets, and work with college-bound
counselors to choose colleges and navigate applications for
admission, fnancial aid, and scholarships. Crew teachers
invite guest speakers (e.g., recent alumni, college admissions
ofcers) to build student understanding of college life and
the academic expectations of colleges.
2. High schools ofer intensive classes that provide
remediation for those students who need it or content-rich
extracurricular opportunities (e.g., internships, college mini-
classes) for those meeting learning targets in their regular
course work.
3. College-bound counselors and teachers ofer students
and families support in maintaining a strong high school
transcript, taking SAT/ACT tests, essay writing, selecting
colleges, applying for admissions and fnancial aid, and
seeking scholarships. Evening sessions on such topics
as choosing the right college and flling in fnancial aid
applications are ofered to support parents in the college
process.
KEY HSD 000170
28 Curriculum
D. Technology for a New Generation
1. Teachers ensure that technology literacy is woven
throughout all subject areas and grade levels whenever
possible.
a. Students use technology as a tool for original research
and to produce high-quality products, performances, and
presentations.
b. Students use new technologies (e.g., design and
presentation software, social networking) to access
and manage information and prepare for success in a
knowledge economy.
c. Students understand ethical and legal issues surrounding
access to and use of technology.
2. Teachers maintain high standards for the quality of
work produced using technology. Learning targets for
the technology skills (e.g., efective use of spreadsheet or
presentation software) are distinct from learning targets for
the quality of thinking and content presented in the project.
3. When technology is used in instruction (e.g., computer
tutorial programs, digital white boards), it genuinely
supports efective teaching and learning.
4. Teachers take advantage of technological innovations to
extend student project work beyond the school day and the
school building. Projects and assignments take advantage of
the ubiquitous availability of information sources.
5. Teachers ensure that once students have a solid
understanding of concepts, they are encouraged to take
advantage of new technologies to amplify skills in research
and problem-solving.
6. Teachers ensure that internet technologies are used with
scholarly integrity and insight (e.g., that web content
sources are analyzed for validity, used wisely, and properly
cited).
Supporting College Readiness (continued)
KEY HSD 000171
29
Expeditionary Learning classrooms are alive with discovery,
inquiry, critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration.
Teachers talk less. Students talk and think more. Lessons
have explicit purpose, guided by learning targets for which
students take ownership and responsibility. In all subject
areas, teachers differentiate instruction and maintain high
expectations in order to bring out the best in all students
and cultivate a culture of high achievement.
Instruction
Planning Effective Lessons
Delivering Effective Lessons
Differentiating Instruction
Teaching Reading across the Disciplines
Teaching Writing across the Disciplines
Teaching Mathematics
Teaching Science
Teaching Social Studies
Teaching the Arts
Teaching and Promoting Fitness and Wellness
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KEY HSD 000172
30
Core Practice 10
Planning Effective Lessons
Lessons are the building blocks of all curricular structures. Whether planning a single lesson or a series of lessons, Expeditionary
Learning teachers attend to fow. Tey carefully craft a beginning, middle, and end, regardless of lesson type. By attending to each
lesson with care, teachers ensure engagement and achievement for every student.
Efective lesson planning begins with naming clear learning targets, which articulate specifc learning goals in student-friendly
language. Teachers make decisions about which practices to use during lessons, based on close knowledge of individual
students, in order to support all students to make progress. Tey employ strategies to ignite student curiosity and track student
understanding, and they maximize opportunities for student voice, critical thinking, and leadership. Toughtful lesson design
leads students to want to learn, to work collaboratively, and to be aware of their learning process.
Instruction
A. Lesson Design
1. Teachers always use learning targets and knowledge of their
students to plan lessons.
2. Teachers vary the lesson formats they use. Tey make
decisions about format based on the learning targets.
3. Teachers craft lessons that begin by building student
engagement and setting clear purpose. Teachers address the
following questions when planning:
a. How will this lesson or series of lessons help students
make progress toward the learning target(s)?
b. What will cause students to be curious and want to learn?
c. How will I provide students with a vision of the learning
target(s) in a way that gives them ownership of their
learning?
4. Teachers scafold instruction in the body of lessons to
ensure student success. Tey address the following questions
when planning:
a. What sequenced steps will the students and I take to
ensure that all students meet the learning target(s)?
b. How will students know what quality looks like, and how
will I support them in producing quality work?
c. How will students work or practice together during
learning?
5. Teachers conclude lessons by helping students synthesize
their current understanding of the content and skills
focused on in the lesson and refect on their progress toward
the learning targets. Te teacher uses information gleaned
from the students synthesis to plan subsequent lessons.
Teachers address the following questions when planning:
a. How will my students demonstrate and/or synthesize
their understanding?
b. How will I use this information to plan my next
instructional steps?
6. Teachers embed diferentiation strategies within lessons
to ensure that all students are efectively supported and
appropriately challenged.
7. Teachers structure lessons so that they talk less and students
talk and think more.
B. Lesson Formats
1. Workshops: teachers use the workshop format to introduce
and explicitly teach concepts, skills, and strategies related to
the learning targets. Teachers often develop workshops in
response to what they notice in student work. Workshops
include the following components:
a. Introduction: the introduction taps into students
curiosity, sets a positive tone, builds the need to know, and
links to previous learning. Te learning target is shared
during the introduction.
b. Mini-lesson: the mini-lesson shows students how to
meet the learning target through direct instruction. Te
teacher prepares students for success during practice/
application by providing an explicit model of profciency.
Te mini-lesson may include modeling, think-aloud,
demonstration, or mini-lecture.
KEY HSD 000173
31 Instruction
c. Guided practice: guided practice allows the teacher to
assess student readiness for working independently by
providing an opportunity for all students to try what was
modeled with ample support. Te teacher renames steps
and addresses misconceptions.
d. Practice/application: during practice/application,
students practice what was modeled independently of
the teacher. Teachers facilitate student thinking and
understanding by asking probing questions and assess
students profciency in relation to the learning target.
e. Sharing: students share work and ideas that show
progress toward the learning target. Students and
teachers celebrate successes.
f. Debrief: students create meaning by synthesizing as
a group during the debrief. Students think about the
learning process and name how the lesson furthered their
learning. Students and teachers assess profciency toward
the learning target and identify next steps.
2. Discovery-Based Lessons: teachers start a discovery-based
lesson, such as 5Es (defned below), with a provocative
experience or problem. Tey invite students to make
sense of it, then build skills, vocabulary, and conceptual
understanding on a need to know basis. Learning
targets are shared, or co-constructed with students, after
exploration, discovery, and discussion. Te description of a
5Es lesson follows:
a. Engage: teachers engage students (e.g., with a
demonstration, brainstorm, problem) to raise questions
and elicit responses that uncover what students know or
think about the topic.
b. Explore: students then explore the topic together,
without direct instruction from the teacher. Te teacher
asks probing questions of students and listens as they
make meaning.
c. Explain: teachers ask students to explain their thinking
based on their explorations and provide students with
clarifcations, defnitions, and direct instruction.
d. Extend: students extend their knowledge of the topic by
applying concepts and skills to new problems and tasks.
e. Evaluate: the teacher assesses students knowledge or
skills and asks them to assess their own learning.
3. Protocol-Based Lessons
a. Teachers use multi-step protocols as part of a lesson or
as the entire lesson. Protocols are formats for discussion
that bring clear structures and guidelines to classroom
discourse. Tere are many examples, such as critique
sessions, Socratic seminars, and building background
knowledge protocols.
b. Teachers choose protocols based on the purpose of the
lesson (e.g., using the building background knowledge
protocol early in a study to immerse students in the topic
and to generate student questions).
4. Other Formats-Lecture, Video, Work Sessions, Labs,
Games
a. Teachers choose lecture and video formats on occasions
when content learning targets are the focus of the lesson.
Teachers embed engagement strategies into lectures,
video screenings, work sessions, and labs to make these
formats more active (e.g., using graphic organizers, mid-
session questioning or critique, and pair-shares).
b. Extended work sessions and labs are often planned when
students are applying knowledge and skills to tasks,
products, or performances.
c. Games are used to practice and master foundational
skills. Te class analyzes the content and rules for games
and understands how they promote learning.
Planning Effective Lessons (continued)
KEY HSD 000174
32
Core Practice 11
Delivering Effective Lessons
Efective lessons engage Expeditionary Learning students in productive work throughout the class period. Lessons create purpose
and build curiosity for students. Teachers have time to confer with students, classroom management is smooth, and teachers
are aware of each students level of understanding and participation. Efective instructional practices promote equity and high
expectations. Tey make content engaging, ensure that all students think about and grapple with challenging content, and allow
the teacher to know all students and their thinking well. Efective lessons foster character by inspiring each student to develop
craftsmanship, perseverance, collaborative skills, and responsibility for learning. Tey promote critical thinking by asking that
students make connections, perceive patterns and relationships, understand diverse perspectives, supply evidence for inferences
and conclusions, and generalize to the big ideas of the discipline studied.
Instruction
A. Creating Purpose
1. Teachers strategically share learning targets with students
at the best time (e.g., at the beginning of a lesson, or after a
hook, mystery experience, or discovery period).
2. Teachers connect new ideas and content with the prior
knowledge of students.
3. Questions, graphics, video, artifacts, and hands-on
experiences engage and draw students into the learning.
4. Teachers may introduce a complex or provocative problem
for students to consider.
5. Teachers describe next steps in the learning to orient
students in the project or series of lessons and to provide
the big picture for their learning.
B. Building Curiosity
1. Teachers pose questions that elicit multiple responses and
perspectives from students.
2. Teachers collect, record, and post student questions about
the new learning.
3. Teachers use mystery artifacts, compelling images, or text
related to the subject to spark student interest.
C. Maintaining Focus
1. Teachers and students develop and practice routines that
maximize student ownership and responsibility for efective
lessons.
2. Teachers use classroom norms, habits of scholarship criteria,
and related character learning targets to promote student
collaboration and responsibility for creating a productive
learning environment.
3. Teachers create structures to ensure group participation and
individual accountability (e.g., exit tickets, note catchers).
Every student has a clear role and/or a responsibility for
producing something that shows his or her thinking.
4. Students engage in instructional tasks as soon as they enter
the classroom or at the beginning of a new lesson (e.g., do
now posted on the board). Students always know what to
do when they enter the room for a lesson.
5. Teachers use specifc techniques or signals for quickly
getting and maintaining students attention (e.g., call and
response, raised hands, rhythmic clapping).
6. Teachers develop and teach routines in the classroom for
managing materials, furniture, and space. Students become
adept at organizing the classroom for varied types of lessons
and purposes.
7. Teachers and students develop routines for dealing with
lesson interruptions such as visitors, announcements, and
transitions. Students are able to refocus quickly.
8. Teachers and students maximize use of instructional
time by streamlining tasks that are noninstructional (e.g.,
distributing materials, taking attendance).
D. Using Protocols
1. Teachers use protocols to provide equity of voice and to
ensure that all students think critically and participate
fully. Protocols are formats for discussion that bring clear
structures and guidelines to classroom discourse. Tere are
many examples (e.g., Socratic seminars, jigsaws).
2. Teachers use protocols to specifcally build the background
knowledge of all students.
3. Teachers use discussion protocols to facilitate classroom
meetings and crews and to model and encourage behavior
that allows for productive individual and group work.
KEY HSD 000175
33 Instruction
E. Supporting All Students
1. Teachers intentionally and explicitly build students
background knowledge.
2. Teachers pre-assess and/or ask students to self-assess against
learning targets in order to determine fexible student
groups and to provide all students with respectful tasks that
will move them toward profciency.
3. Teachers scafold instruction to support a variety of learners:
a. Teachers provide extra supports to struggling students
during lessons (e.g., mini-lessons or guided practice,
diferent/additional materials).
b. Teachers provide more complex, challenging tasks to
students who are profcient.
F. Using Models
1. Teachers use practices such as demonstrations, think-alouds,
role plays, and fshbowls to show what meeting the learning
target looks like, for both academic learning targets and
character learning targets.
2. Samples of products from the world of work provide
professional models for students to examine.
3. Teachers use a range of examples of student work, most
importantly highest-quality work (exemplars), to generate
criteria lists with students and to construct product
descriptors and rubrics.
4. Teachers collect student examples of varying quality to use
as models for future lessons.
G. Representing Thinking
1. Students and teachers represent their thinking using
formats such as graphic organizers, journals, concept maps,
data charts, and quick-writes.
2. Teachers use anchor charts and other forms of documen-
tation to publicly synthesize student understanding and to
provide the class with a resource for student learning.
H. Reecting
1. Students identify the thinking and problem-solving
strategies they use during a lesson.
2. Teachers ask students to refect on how their thinking has
changed over time.
3. Teachers and students debrief lessons and experiences to
synthesize learning.
4. Refection and debrief help students and teachers set goals
for future learning.
I. Ongoing Assessment
1. Teachers regularly check the understanding of each
student during and at the end of lessons with quick and
nonjudgmental methods. Teachers may use short written
responses (e.g., exit tickets) or nonverbal responses (e.g.,
hand signals, clicker technology).
2. Teachers confer with students individually and in small
groups to monitor each students level of understanding and
identify class-wide patterns.
3. Teachers keep observational and anecdotal records during
student work sessions and when conferring with students.
J. Structuring Revision and Critique
1. Students produce multiple drafts of work that is intended
for public audiences, and they assess their work against
models, criteria lists, or rubrics.
2. Teachers develop specifc, strategic questions to guide
focused revision.
3. Teachers use whole-class critique sessions of exemplary
models or instructive work samples as lessons to build
vocabulary and concepts specifc to that discipline or genre.
When possible, guest experts are used in this role as well.
4. Revision protocols give students a forum for giving and
receiving specifc feedback from one another on particular
aspects of their work. Teachers explicitly build students
skills to critique one anothers work in a kind, specifc,
helpful manner. For peer critique protocols, teachers ensure
that the focus of critique is narrow and clear, and students
are equipped to ofer useful insights.
5. Critique protocols help teachers and students examine
strong and weak models of work in order to name what
quality looks like and identify strategies for improving
quality.
Delivering Effective Lessons (continued)
KEY HSD 000176
34
Core Practice 12
Differentiating Instruction
In Expeditionary Learning schools, diferentiation is a philosophical belief and an instructional approach through which teachers
proactively plan to meet students varied needs based upon ongoing assessment. Teachers utilize fexible groupings of students and
design respectful tasks that allow for diferent approaches to the same goals. Each classroom builds a culture that honors diverse
needs and holds all students accountable to the same long-term learning targets, putting equity at the center of the schools
commitment and vision. At a school-wide level, diferentiation is supported by appropriate grouping structures that are informed
by a team of school professionals.
Instruction
A. Structures to Support Differentiated
Instruction
1. Ability grouping (e.g., tracking) is replaced with fexible
heterogeneous grouping informed by ongoing assessment.
2. Te school ofers supplemental services (e.g., tutors,
reading programs, interventions, summer school) that
provide additional support and intervention to students
whose needs are not met in the regular education setting.
Tese school-wide structures are developed based on the
recommendations of a multidisciplinary team (e.g., special
education teachers, literacy specialists, counselors, classroom
teachers) whose recommendations are informed by student
data.
3. Students with disabilities and English language learners are
taught in regular education classrooms to the greatest extent
possible.
B. Integrating Differentiated Instruction
1. Students work toward the same long-term learning targets,
and teachers provide multiple pathways for meeting the
learning targets based on student needs (e.g., tiering
lessons).
2. Teachers determine student needs through use of
assessment strategies (e.g., pre-assessments, student self-
assessments, inventories, providing multiple opportunities
for success).
3. Teachers use instructional practices that ensure that all
students are thinking and participating (e.g., providing
texts for diferent reading levels, designing tasks based on
diferent learning styles).
4. Teaching materials are selected so that all students read
high-quality literature and nonfction text, assume multiple
perspectives, and develop compassion and empathy.
5. Teachers ensure that all students have opportunities to work
successfully with grade-level text and tasks. Diferentiated
texts are also used to support readers of diferent levels.
6. Teachers ensure that all students acquire the background
knowledge needed to succeed.
7. Teachers understand how cultural diferences infuence
curriculum and instruction and build on student interests
and backgrounds.
C. Creating a Culture for Differentiated
Instruction
1. Students know and learn with a diverse group of peers.
2. Teachers learn about the home, cultural, and community
backgrounds of their students.
3. Teachers examine their own classroom equity practices
using protocols such as tracking patterns of student
participation in classroom discussions and tracking teacher/
student interaction.
4. School communications accommodate linguistic and
cultural diferences.
5. Teachers and school leaders ofer all students access to
cultural and social institutions (e.g., libraries, museums,
universities).
6. Exhibitions and performances present the work of all
students.
D. Supporting Students with Disabilities
1. School leaders and learning specialists use research to
determine best practices for students with disabilities.
2. School leaders and learning specialists make professional
development related to meeting the needs of students with
disabilities available to all staf.
KEY HSD 000177
35 Instruction
3. School leaders thoroughly examine stafng, scheduling,
and structures in order to choose models that best meet the
needs of all students.
a. Collaborative teams that work with students with
disabilities are provided with adequate planning time to
support this student population.
b. Collaborative teams evaluate accommodations and
consider innovative strategies for diverse student
populations.
c. Modifcations are developed based on specifc student
needs, with the intention of achieving the most rigorous
outcome possible for the student.
4. Decisions about placement and programs for students with
disabilities are based on high-quality assessments.
5. Schools develop and train efective teams (e.g., Response
to Intervention teams) in order to ensure that students
needing supplemental support are identifed and that
placement in interventions and other programs is made
appropriately.
6. To the greatest extent possible, students with disabilities
complete the same curriculum and meet the same learning
targets as their classmates.
a. Learning specialists create tailored learning targets for
students with disabilities that meet Individual Education
Plan or 504 Plan goals.
7. Teachers provide supplemental materials so that students
with disabilities can access content (e.g., visual cues, graphic
organizers, appropriately leveled text).
8. Counselors, teachers, and learning specialists consider
college an option for all students and work together to fnd
the best college options for students with disabilities.
a. Teachers help students learn self-sufciency and
advocacy skills.
b. Teachers help students understand their learning
challenges so that they gain lifelong strategies for further
growth and development.
9. Crew teachers support all students understanding of the
diversity of learners that exists in their school, just as they
support understanding of other forms of diversity.
E. Supporting English Language Learners
(ELL)
1. School leaders and ELL teachers use research to determine
best practices for English language learners.
2. School leaders and ELL teachers make professional
development related to meeting the needs of English
language learners available to all staf.
3. School leaders thoroughly examine stafng, scheduling, and
structures that best meet the needs of all students.
a. Collaborative teams that work with English language
learners are provided with adequate planning time to
support this student population.
b. Collaborative teams evaluate accommodations and
consider innovative strategies for diverse student
populations.
c. Modifcations are developed based on specifc student
needs with the intention of achieving the most rigorous
outcome possible for the student.
4. Decisions about placement and programs for English
language learners are based on high-quality assessments.
5. To the greatest extent possible, English language learners
complete the same curriculum and meet the same learning
targets as their classmates.
a. ELL teachers create additional learning targets for
English language learners that focus on language
development.
6. Teachers provide supplemental materials so that English
language learners can access content (e.g., visual cues,
materials written in the students home language, culturally
relevant materials).
7. Counselors, teachers, and ELL teachers consider college an
option for all students and work together to fnd the best
college options for English language learners.
a. Teachers help students learn self-sufciency and
advocacy skills.
8. Crew teachers support all students understanding of the
diversity of learners that exists in their school, just as they
support understanding of other forms of diversity.
Differentiating Instruction (continued)
KEY HSD 000178
36
Core Practice 13
Teaching Reading across the Disciplines
Reading is a complex process about making meaning. Te reading process includes phonemic awareness, fuency, vocabulary
development, and comprehension. In Expeditionary Learning schools, comprehension strategies and critical thinking skills are
taught K-12 to help students make sense of content and the world around them. Students learn to read while reading to learn.
Students at all grade levels work with a balance of informational and literary text, and learn to read carefully to extract evidence
from text. Complex text sources, whether primary or secondary source material, are used with all students as an enriching
challenge. Like a steep mountain, complex text presents an opportunity for students to go beyond their perceived limits and
accomplish more than they thought possible. Students-collectively and individually-tackle complex texts with care and patience
as their reading skills are strengthened.
Reading is taught across all content areas because each subject area requires students to learn from diferent kinds of text (e.g.,
science articles, historical primary sources, math word problems). At the secondary level, teachers of math, science, history,
technology, and the arts explicitly teach and support students to be strong readers of text within their discipline. By integrating
reading throughout the day, schools convey to students the importance of reading, critical thinking, and meaning-making in
school and in life.
Instruction
A. Reading Process
1. Teachers understand how students develop phonemic
awareness, decoding skills, fuency, vocabulary, and
comprehension so they can teach those skills and concepts
explicitly.
2. Teachers think about their own reading and understand
how they use comprehension strategies to make sense
of what they read. Teachers are aware of how they use
comprehension strategies fexibly in diferent contexts (e.g.,
texts specifc to a discipline, difering genres).
3. Teachers model the reading process-how they make sense
of what they read-for students, using both informational
and literary text.
4. Students articulate how they make sense of what they read
in diferent contexts (e.g., understanding word problems in
math, interpreting poetry).
5. Students demonstrate understanding of text through
explanations that cite evidence from the text-orally and
through writing.
6. Teachers use common language to teach comprehension
strategies (e.g., making connections, determining
importance, synthesizing).
7. Classrooms display evidence of student learning about
literacy (e.g., anchor charts, word walls).
8. Teachers intentionally link reading with other literacy
experiences (e.g., writing, speaking, listening) through rich
topics.
9. Vocabulary building, with an emphasis on academic
vocabulary, is an explicit focus at all grade levels.
B. Integrating Reading
1. Teachers regularly integrate reading into all subject areas to
teach content and develop skills.
2. Teachers select a variety of texts to develop students
knowledge of a topic: multiple genres, leveled texts, data
sets, primary sources, and texts representing difering
perspectives on the topic.
3. Readers workshops are regularly used both in and outside
of learning expeditions to explicitly teach reading process
skills (e.g., decoding, comprehension strategies, vocabulary
strategies) while also teaching content.
4. Teachers use a variety of structures to teach reading (e.g.,
shared, guided, independent).
5. Students use tools (e.g., graphic organizers, reading
journals) to document evidence for text-based arguments
and record their thinking.
6. Students apply comprehension strategies as they research
topics and analyze data.
7. A variety of protocols are used to structure discussions of
texts (e.g., conversation cafe, Socratic seminar).
8. Teachers craft literacy-rich learning expeditions. Tey use
short pieces of text to build background knowledge, read
anchor texts aloud to students, orchestrate book clubs, and
incorporate research linked to the learning expedition topic.
KEY HSD 000179
37 Instruction
C. Creating a Culture of Reading
1. Students read every day, throughout the day, for a variety of
purposes. Tey discuss and write about what they read.
2. Reading is incorporated into crew and other school-wide
structures, such as community meetings, to underscore the
importance of literacy.
3. Adults in the school and larger community are reading role
models for students-they read with students and discuss
their own reading habits and passions.
4. Students use the common language of comprehension
strategies to discuss their reading.
5. Teachers know their students as readers and help students
fnd texts that are accessible and engaging.
6. Students articulate the value of reading in their lives and in
the world.
7. Classrooms are print-rich environments. Tey contain
libraries with an assortment of resources, including texts
related to learning expeditions, student-produced books,
primary sources, and a range of media, genres, and levels.
8. Complex text is framed as an exciting challenge-an
adventure-that demands courage, perseverance, and smart
strategies, and rewards us with a sense of achievement.
9. Vocabulary, both general academic and discipline-specifc
technical vocabulary, is celebrated across the school in
lessons, crew, meetings, and displays.
D. Assessing Reading
1. Teachers assess student understanding of text primarily
through text-dependent questions. Whether oral or written,
such questions require students to substantiate their
opinions and interpretations with evidence from the text.
2. Recording forms or reader-response journal entries
document student understanding and thinking and provide
evidence of growth over time.
3. Teachers confer with students regularly about their reading
to deepen students thinking about their reading process and
to help students set and track goals.
4. Teachers craft classroom or school-based interim
assessments and summative assessments to assess students
level of profciency at a point in time.
5. Diagnostic test data are used regularly to identify reading
problems and inform instruction. Teaching teams meet
frequently to discuss concerns arising from data.
Teaching Reading Across the Disciplines (continued)
KEY HSD 000180
38
Core Practice 14
Teaching Writing across the Disciplines
In Expeditionary Learning schools, writing is taught K-12 across the curriculum. Students learn to write efectively to inform,
to build arguments substantiated with evidence, and to write with literary power in narrative and poetic genres. Teachers in EL
schools develop and teach a common language for the writing process and the traits of good writing. Tey use consistent practices
for teaching and assessing writing. At the secondary level, teachers of math, science, history, technology, and the arts explicitly
teach and support quality writing within their discipline. Students learn to write like historians, scientists, mathematicians, and
artists. Trough writing, students learn more deeply about content and communicate what they know. Tey learn to craft quality
writing in a variety of contexts. Students write to learn while learning to write. Students have regular opportunities to write for
authentic purposes and audiences beyond the classroom, which fosters motivation for producing quality writing. While the nature
and amount of writing varies by discipline and grade level, writing is a central vehicle for learning and communicating in all
classrooms.
Instruction
A. Writing Process
1. Teachers explicitly teach the steps of the writing process:
pre-writing, drafting, revising (for specifc writing traits),
editing (for conventions), and making the work public.
2. Students articulate and use the steps of the writing process.
3. Teachers have a common understanding and language for
teaching elements of quality writing (e.g., 6 + 1 writing
traits).
4. Teachers ensure that students at all levels write to inform
and to make arguments based on evidence, as well as write
for literary purposes.
5. Teachers use their own writing to model the writing process
and traits of quality writing. Teachers are aware of the
writing formats commonly used in diferent disciplines (e.g.,
scientifc journals) and can explain what quality writing
looks like in those contexts.
6. Teachers intentionally link writing and other literacy-based
experiences (e.g., reading, speaking, listening) through rich
topics.
7. Anchor charts document student understanding of the
elements of quality writing.
8. Teachers use critique protocols-both focused individual
critique and whole-class critique-to improve student
writing and understanding of the qualities of good writing.
9. Teachers collect and archive exemplars of high-quality
student writing in formats used commonly in their
classrooms (e.g., fve-paragraph essays, science journals,
math solutions that explain process), to use as models for
class critique lessons.
B. Integrating Writing
1. In all content areas K-12, writing is used to deepen
understanding, promote refection, and synthesize what
students know.
2. Across the disciplines, teachers explicitly teach writing
through writers workshops and critiques (e.g., a writers
workshop on voice in lab reports in science class, a critique
on students constructed responses in math class).
3. Teachers scafold major writing products so students
produce quality writing. Tey conduct writers workshops
during each phase of the writing process and focus
workshops on specifc traits.
4. Students write for authentic audiences within and beyond
the school community.
5. Teachers design literacy-rich learning expeditions. Tey
use expedition journals, synthesis statements, and written
responses to facilitate learning about the topic, and they
develop products to include quality student writing.
6. Modes and formats of writing products vary over time so
students become profcient writers in multiple genres.
C. Creating a Culture of Writing
1. Students write every day for multiple purposes. Students
share what they write.
2. Teachers and school leaders celebrate strong writing
throughout the school, through hallway and classroom
displays, public readings, acknowledgments, and awards.
3. Teachers raise students awareness of an authors craft when
reading across the disciplines. Tey teach students to read
like writers, and to strive for quality.
KEY HSD 000181
39 Instruction
4. Students use the common language of writing traits to
discuss their writing.
5. Students articulate the value of writing in their lives and in
the world.
D. Assessing Writing
1. Writing is assessed in a wide range of formats, including
writing to inform and to make evidence-based arguments,
personal narratives and refections, and creative writing in
diferent genres.
2. Students use a common language when critiquing models of
writing, conducting peer critiques, and assessing their own
writing.
3. Students focus revisions on one quality or trait at a time.
Tey are articulate about what revisions they make and why.
4. Teachers use instructional criteria lists and rubrics based on
standards and student-generated criteria to assess writing
during the process (assessment for learning) and to assess
fnal pieces (assessment of learning).
5. Teachers and school leaders use results from interim, state,
and national writing assessments to help assess student
profciency at a point in time and to inform instruction.
6. Portfolios document growth in writing over time and
students refections on that growth.
Teaching Writing across the Disciplines (continued)
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Core Practice 15
Teaching Mathematics
In Expeditionary Learning schools, math is taught with rigor and integrity in discrete math classes. Along with discrete math
instruction, math is integrated into projects, case studies, and learning expeditions whenever possible, in a lead or supporting role.
Teachers of all disciplines support mathematical thinking in areas such as numeracy, statistics, patterns, and problem-solving.
In the same way that an EL school celebrates literacy through events, projects, community meetings, exhibitions, and hallway
displays, mathematical thinking and learning is showcased and discussed throughout the building.
EL schools focus on foundational facts-vocabulary, formulas, algorithms, and number facts-that are always grounded in
conceptual understanding. Teachers ensure that students develop procedural fuency, calculating with accuracy and efciency.
Tere is an equally strong focus on problem-solving skills and critical thinking. Students learn to use appropriate technology
strategically in problem-solving. Technology tools are used not as a substitute for learning foundational facts, but to enhance
conceptual understanding and problem-solving. EL math teachers support students to think like mathematicians and cultivate
mathematical habits of mind-curiosity, risk-taking, perseverance, and craftsmanship. Students learn to reason abstractly and
quantitatively, model mathematically to empirical situations, and to construct and critique mathematical arguments. EL schools
also recognize the gates of opportunity represented by high-level math classes and prepare all students to have the opportunity
to engage in high-level math learning at the secondary level.
Instruction
A. Conceptual Understanding
1. Teachers emphasize big mathematical ideas and teach
students to derive big ideas from experience and application.
2. Students have frequent opportunities to build
understanding through inquiry-based investigations,
occurring over one or more class periods.
3. Teachers use lesson structures, such as the 5Es, to help
students make progress toward concept-based learning
targets and to ensure that students spend the majority of
class time developing conceptual understanding.
4. Students and teachers use diagrams, manipulatives, and
models to support the translation from concrete to abstract
representations and vice versa.
5. Teachers animate standard curricula and resources by
connecting them to engaging, real-world examples.
Mathematical modeling creates a bridge between math and
other disciplines.
6. Student work often focuses on authentic application to
support abstract and quantitative reasoning.
7. Teachers foster rich mathematical discourse in the
classroom by asking open-ended questions, teaching the
vocabulary of the discipline, and pursuing student thinking.
8. Students learn to efectively express their mathematical
thinking verbally and in writing.
9. Students learn to critique their own mathematical
arguments and those of others.
B. Foundational Math Facts
1. Teachers provide a sharp focus on the specifc foundational
facts (e.g., number facts, algorithms, formulas, and
vocabulary) required by standards. Teachers make clear
to students how fuency with facts empowers their
mathematical thinking.
2. Teachers build excitement and motivation for students
to acquire foundational facts by helping them develop
a belief in their own capacity and by celebrating their
growth. Teachers use problem-solving and conceptual
understanding as a catalyst for learning and reinforcing
foundational facts.
3. Teachers support computational fuency through regular
use and discussion of strategies and graphic representations
that support understanding of patterns, relationships, and
shortcuts.
4. Students practice one new skill at a time until profcient
with foundational facts. Tey set goals and monitor progress
toward these goals.
5. Teachers regularly provide students with diferentiated
opportunities, both during and outside of math class, to
practice facts at their own level.
6. Extended in-school opportunities-extra classes, study
groups, and tutorials-are provided for students who need
extra support in learning foundational facts.
KEY HSD 000183
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7. Students and teachers document growing profciency in
foundational facts with such systems as individualized
charts, portfolios, or math journals.
C. Problem-Solving Skills
1. Teachers promote fexibility in mathematical thinking
by celebrating diverse thinking and multiple-solution
strategies. Students learn standard algorithms, and also learn
to critique and use alternative algorithms and shortcuts
when efective.
2. Teachers provide problem-solving frameworks and
structures for students to approach both familiar and
unfamiliar problems, and allow for frequent class discussion
and analysis of problem-solving approaches.
3. Students learn to use appropriate technology tools
strategically in problem-solving. Tools are used not as a
substitute for learning foundational facts, but to enhance
conceptual understanding and problem-solving dexterity.
4. Teachers regularly ask students to create as well as solve
mathematical problems.
5. Students construct viable arguments for solutions and justify
their reasoning to others with numbers, words, graphs, and
diagrams. Students insightfully question and critique the
reasoning of others.
6. Teachers model using comprehension strategies
in mathematics to provide students with a deeper
understanding of the problem to be solved and to reinforce
the common language of comprehension.
7. Students are required and supported to analyze their errors
and to understand and articulate their patterns of errors in
order to improve understanding and performance. Students
collect and analyze data of personal error patterns from
assessments.
8. Students attend to precision and craftsmanship in
mathematics through accuracy, neat work, and elegant
solutions.
D. Creating a Culture of Numeracy and
Mathematical Thinking
1. Schools celebrate, display, and discuss the mathematical
thinking and learning of students and adults.
2. Teachers design math-specifc projects and case studies that
allow students to apply their mathematical understanding to
real-world contexts. Teachers integrate math into learning
expeditions when its integration compels students to learn
rigorous skills and concepts.
3. Teachers integrate math outside of math time (e.g., crew
meetings, community meetings, service learning work)
to reinforce and develop foundational facts and number
sense, and to model mathematical application. Students are
involved in math every day-in dedicated classes and outside
of math class.
4. Classrooms and hallways provide evidence of students
mathematical thinking and learning through anchor charts
and displays of student work.
5. Whenever possible, students study the history of
mathematics and the contributions of diverse cultures to
that history.
6. Teachers regularly address math in professional
development and faculty meetings-exploring staf
perceptions and mindset, discussing teaching strategies,
supporting each others ongoing learning about math, and
analyzing student math data.
E. Assessing Math
1. Teachers and students use multiple methods for assessing
understanding, such as observations, learning logs, math
journals, portfolio refections, and mathematical models
built by students, as well as quizzes, tests, and performance
assessments.
2. Teachers regularly and efectively use checking-for-
understanding strategies during lessons. Tey ensure that all
students genuinely understand concepts before moving on.
3. Teachers track mathematical discourse as one means of
judging collective and individual student understanding.
4. Teachers and students regularly analyze data from
assessments, individually and collectively, to understand
specifc areas and general patterns of strengths and
weaknesses.
5. Teachers analyze interim and standardized assessments to
identify areas of need and inform instruction.
6. Students refect on, keep track of, and share mathematical
learning and thinking.
Teaching Mathematics (continued)
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Core Practice 16
Teaching Science
In Expeditionary Learning schools, teachers focus on supporting students to read, write, think, and work as scientists. Tey use
expeditions, case studies, projects, problem-based content, collaboration with professional scientists and engineers, and interactive
instructional practices to foster inquiry and enable authentic student research. When possible, student research contributes to the
school community or broader community (e.g., kindergartners analyzing conditions for optimal growth in their school garden,
high school students testing indoor air quality in the school to inform recommendations to the Board of Education).
EL teachers reinforce the connections among science, math, engineering, and technology as they promote skills in questioning;
developing and using models; planning and carrying out investigations; collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data; constructing
explanations; designing solutions; engaging in argument from evidence; and synthesizing and communicating information.
Students learn to be logical in making assumptions, accurate when collecting data, insightful when drawing conclusions, and
unbiased when supporting statements with reliable scientifc evidence. In addition, because appreciation and stewardship of the
natural world is part of the design of EL schools, environmental literacy is integrated into the science curriculum at all grade
levels.
A. Science Content
1. Teachers support scientifc literacy by focusing on big ideas
that cut across all science disciplines (e.g., cause and efect,
systems and systems models, structure and function).
2. Teachers use scientifc topics as the basis of learning
expeditions, case studies, and projects at all grade levels.
Topics are often animated by controversial scientifc issues
or local connections and have strong potential for original
research.
3. Teachers structure opportunities for scientifc inquiry that
allow students to participate in scientifc investigations and
problem-solving that approximate adult science, including
framing questions, designing methods to answer questions
or test hypotheses, determining appropriate timelines and
costs, calibrating instruments, conducting trials, writing
reports, and presenting and defending results.
4. Teachers provide students with a variety of primary and
secondary source materials (e.g., trade books, peer-reviewed
journal articles, governmental documents). Tey supplement
(or replace) textbooks with rich resources and experiences,
including labs, feldwork, and interaction with experts, to
support conceptual understanding.
5. Teachers balance the study of narrow topics with broader
topics and concepts (e.g., a case study of local ants is
embedded in a larger expedition on classifcation systems
utilized by entomologists).
6. Whenever possible, teachers provide opportunities for
students to explore the history and evolution of scientifc
thinking and innovation as it applies to the topic being
studied.
7. Teachers support student appreciation and stewardship
of the natural world through experiences, projects, and
products that emerge from authentic service learning, not
just discussion.
8. Teachers integrate history, government, and science to help
students understand science as a social enterprise.
9. Teachers create opportunities for students to collect,
represent, analyze, and report real data as a part of science
inquiry at all levels.
B. Science Instruction
1. Teachers create multiple opportunities for students to
engage in complex, problem-based activities, labs, and
investigations, and to represent and analyze data.
2. Students learn to be logical in making assumptions, accurate
when collecting data, insightful when drawing conclusions,
and unbiased when supporting statements with reliable
scientifc evidence.
3. Teachers ask students to articulate their theories, arguments,
claims, and understandings through instructional practices
that foster rich scientifc discourse and writing.
4. Teachers use protocols and instructional strategies that
require students to generalize, transfer, and apply concepts
and procedures to other contexts and problems.
5. Teachers provide a variety of diagrams, tables, visual models,
and timelines to help students understand a broad array of
information.
KEY HSD 000185
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6. Teachers ask students to represent and refect on their
thinking (e.g., develop science notebooks, create analogies,
make graphs, create technical drawings, build models).
7. Students are asked to apply what they learn in diverse and
authentic contexts, explain ideas, interpret texts, predict
phenomena, and construct arguments based on evidence
(instead of focusing exclusively on predetermined right
answers).
8. Students are asked to evaluate multiple perspectives on a
topic, and to take and defend positions and to consider
alternative viewpoints.
9. Students are taught to use the tools of real-world science
with accuracy, care, and expertise at all levels.
10. Students are taught to use comprehension strategies to
understand and analyze scientifc text.
11. Students are taught to use a formal style and objective tone
for technical and scientifc writing.
12. Teachers help students build scientifc knowledge by using
multiple forms of documents, texts, maps, and media.
C. Creating a Culture of Science Inquiry
1. Teachers, students, and school leaders celebrate, display,
and discuss the natural and physical world throughout the
school.
2. Schools develop indoor and outdoor areas, such as science
labs, computer labs, workshops, gardens, and natural areas,
to stimulate science and technology interest and inquiry.
3. Students display work that provides evidence of scientifc
research and learning in public areas of the school.
4. Teachers welcome curiosity, reward creativity, and encourage
thoughtful questioning.
D. Assessing Science
1. Students demonstrate understanding of science concepts
by explaining them accurately to others using graphic
representations, models, demonstrations, writing, and peer
teaching.
2. Teachers and students use multiple methods of assessing
understanding, such as one-on-one discussions,
observations, science talks, science notebooks, portfolio
refections, and student-constructed scientifc models, as
well as quizzes, tests, and performance assessments.
3. Learning targets for science address content knowledge,
understanding of concepts, scientifc thinking,
craftsmanship, and integrity in applying scientifc method.
4. Teachers check for misconceptions and create experiences
that challenge those misconceptions.
5. Teachers track student discourse as one means of judging
collective and individual student understanding.
Teaching Science (continued)
Instruction
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Core Practice 17
Teaching Social Studies
In Expeditionary Learning schools, teachers of social studies prioritize students understanding of enduring concepts so that
they can apply that understanding to the modern world. Teachers view social studies as a way to develop students capacity to
interpret their world critically and to engage productively in it. Tey help students understand the big picture and timeline of
history and emphasize deep understanding rather than memorization of myriad facts and details. By focusing on big ideas such as
the elements that make up a culture or a civilization, teachers support students to appreciate and understand diverse cultures and
understand connections among ancient and modern cultures. To help animate history, teachers choose compelling case studies
that include narratives that intertwine history, government, economics, geography, and culture, and illuminate enduring themes.
Students often investigate and address social issues in their local community and become compassionate community members
in the process. While learning social studies, students act as social scientists-they analyze primary sources, consider multiple
perspectives, conduct research, and draw their own conclusions. Explicit literacy instruction is a focus for students at all grade
levels. Students learn to read, write, and think as historians.
A. Social Studies Content
1. Teachers emphasize the enduring themes-or big ideas-of
social studies.
2. Social studies topics are often at the core of interdisciplinary
projects, case studies, and learning expeditions.
3. In addition to deep study of particular topics, teachers
include broad overview sessions (i.e., surveys of time
periods) in order to put particular events in a broader
historical context and address the breadth of required
standards. Timelines and graphic representations help
students comprehend the big picture of historical
relationships.
4. Social studies topics often focus on engaging current issues,
cultural diversity, and social justice. Teachers invite students
to consider the topic from multiple perspectives.
5. Carefully selected case studies act as narrow lenses through
which students develop understanding of important content
and enduring themes. For example, a case study of Shays
Rebellion allows students to develop an understanding of
the founding of the United States, as well as the enduring
themes of power, authority, and governance.
6. A social studies case study focuses on a unique person,
place, or event (e.g., a local house that was part of the
Underground Railroad) or narrows a broad topic by
focusing deeply on a particular subtopic or perspective (e.g.,
the life of children during colonial America).
7. Teachers identify local case studies and connections to make
the topic come alive and provide opportunities for students
to engage actively with their community.
8. Students acquire social studies skills and understanding
through an inquiry-based approach to teaching.
B. Social Studies Instruction
1. Teachers select a variety of engaging information sources
beyond textbooks (e.g., articles, data sets) and put particular
emphasis on using primary source documents that require
students to make judgments as historians.
2. Teachers organize feldwork or expert visits related to the
topic of study, and students engage with and do the work of
social science professionals.
3. Teachers explicitly teach comprehension strategies linked
with social studies content (e.g., conducting a readers
workshop on determining importance in primary source
historical documents).
4. Teachers use models of professional and student work and
writers workshops to explicitly teach what quality writing in
social studies looks like. Students often write in modes that
are authentic to the social studies feld (e.g., ethnography,
historical fction).
5. Students use the vocabulary and reasoning skills of the
discipline to discuss social studies concepts.
6. During case studies, teachers provide students with regular
opportunities to generalize and to link the enduring themes
of social studies to other events.
7. Teachers ask students to take on other viewpoints when
learning about a topic and to support those views with
evidence (e.g., taking on the role of a historical fgure in a
simulated town hall meeting).
Instruction
KEY HSD 000187
45 Instruction
8. Teachers design projects that require students to interpret
information sources, develop theories, and construct
arguments based on evidence. Te projects require students
to think for themselves and draw unique conclusions.
9. Teachers incorporate service learning projects connected to
content when appropriate.
C. Creating a Culture of Social Studies
Inquiry
1. Students and teachers use daily news and current events
topics regularly. Te school resounds with rich discussion of
social studies topics.
2. Teachers and students connect local issues with the broad
concepts of social studies.
3. Schools participate in community events that encourage
students to make informed and reasoned decisions for the
public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic
society.
D. Assessing Social Studies
1. Students are asked to elaborate on their understanding of
social studies content through extended writing.
2. Students are asked to communicate their knowledge,
present a product or performance, or take some action for
an audience beyond the teacher, classroom, and school
building.
3. Students are asked to take on specifc perspectives or points
of view when addressing a concept, problem, or issue.
Teaching Social Studies (continued)
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Core Practice 18
Teaching the Arts
In Expeditionary Learning schools, arts in all forms are celebrated as a foundation of culture and a central aspect of learning and
life. Artistic skills are understood as intelligences, and artistic achievement is valued as academic achievement. Student exhibitions
of learning feature the arts along with other subjects. EL schools are flled with student artwork, which is displayed in a way that
honors the work. Artistic performances are points of pride for the school.
Te visual and performing arts are taught using the same efective instructional practices that are used in other disciplines, and
all students have access to professional artists and professional exhibitions and performances. Ideally, specialists in visual and
performance arts are on the school staf. If they are not, classroom teachers use professional art educators and artists whenever
possible to support high-caliber artistic learning. Te arts build school culture and student character by emphasizing authentic
performance, craftsmanship, risk-taking, creativity, and a quest for beauty and meaning. Te heritage of critique in the arts forms
the basis for a whole-school culture of critique in all disciplines.
Arts are often used as a window into disciplinary content in other academic subjects (e.g., Ancient Greek architecture as an entry
point to Ancient Greek civilization, protest songs as a case study when learning about the civil rights movement). Te arts are also
used as a window into diverse cultures and regions of the world.
Instruction
A. Arts Process and Skills
1. Artistic instruction takes place in visual and performing arts
classes and is woven into projects in all other disciplines.
Art teachers pursue their own curriculum in their classes
while also supporting the artistic integrity of projects
centered in other disciplines.
2. Teachers in all disciplines design projects and products
that require students to learn the techniques of an artistic
medium and to represent their understanding through art.
3. Visual arts, movement, and drama are used to make sense of
concepts in various disciplines.
4. Teachers ask students to respond to feldwork, exhibitions,
performances, and literature using various art forms.
5. Teachers help students generalize to other disciplines what
they learn from analyzing and critiquing art (e.g., making
connections between drawing and writing).
6. In-depth artistic observation skills are taught and analyzed.
7. Students are taught a common language for analyzing,
critiquing, and responding to art forms they study.
8. Critique and revision help students refne and improve
artistic skills and techniques.
9. Students are taught to reason and solve problems in artistic
production.
10. Students learn the symbol system for the particular art
form they are studying (e.g., notation in music).
11. Students learn the history of various art forms and media
they study (i.e., photography, marching bands, puppet
theaters).
B. Integrating the Arts
1. Te arts or history of the arts can be the primary focus of a
learning expedition (e.g., arts in the Harlem Renaissance, in
which each case study examines a diferent artistic genre-
jazz, painting, poetry).
2. As they provide vital information about other cultures
and time periods, the arts or history of the arts can be the
subject of a case study in a social studies expedition (e.g.,
the Ashcan School of painting during a study of the early
20th century).
3. Art is taught through integrated art projects connected
to interdisciplinary learning expeditions, case studies, and
projects. Whenever artistic products or performances are
included in learning expeditions or projects, the artistic
work itself is treated with integrity and high standards.
4. Independent projects in an arts discipline or in the arts are
used to teach the skills and techniques of a particular art
form.
C. Creating a Culture of Art
1. Teachers use the arts to reach diverse learning styles, to
highlight artistic thinking and understanding, and to enable
students to discover talents and aptitudes.
KEY HSD 000189
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2. Te school celebrates art in all forms-the building is rich
with original student artwork, which is displayed in a way
that honors the work. Performances are points of pride for
the school.
3. Documentation panels of student learning, present
throughout the school, are strong works of art in themselves.
4. Students exhibit craftsmanship in art projects, products, and
performances.
5. Teachers use performances to build classroom culture,
community, and teamwork.
6. Te school provides all students with access to live art
performances, artists, and exhibitions.
7. All students are exposed to the major arts, and each student
has opportunities to work in a variety of media.
8. Te arts are used to help teach persistence and self-
discipline.
9. Te arts help students learn about and appreciate other
cultures and diverse artistic styles, and diferences within
their own school community.
10. Art is intentionally used to help students take multiple
perspectives.
11. Professional artists, musicians, and actors join classrooms
as experts when possible.
D. Assessing the Arts
1. Students use portfolios to collect and refect upon their
artistic work.
2. Art portfolios and artistic achievements in all areas are
included in student portfolio and passage presentations
and student-led conferences, and are valued as academic
achievement.
3. Whenever possible, student art is accompanied by artists
statements or refections so that artistic thinking can be
demonstrated to the public and is a part of learning and
assessment (e.g., on gallery walls, and in programs for
musical, movement, or drama performances).
4. Learning targets for the arts include goals for artistic
skills and thinking as well as character goals related to
commitment, teamwork, and perseverance.
Teaching the Arts (continued)
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Core Practice 19
Teaching and Promoting Fitness and Wellness
Expeditionary Learning promotes wellness in students and school staf members. Healthy eating, exercise, stress reduction, sleep,
and healthy relationships-the key elements of physical and mental health-are included as part of a schools wellness approach.
Te physical education program places a strong emphasis on personal ftness and nutrition and character development, and
reinforces the EL school culture of respect, responsibility, and achievement. Physical activity and outdoor time are woven into the
school day whenever possible and appropriate (e.g., walking to feldwork research sites, setting up and cleaning classrooms and
common spaces, using physical energizer breaks to enhance academic work times). Experiences in the natural world-working
in and appreciating nature-are a priority for students in EL schools. Physical challenges push students to pursue excellence and
assume responsibility for their own learning. Teachers help students understand the connections between physical challenge and
academic challenge. Schools provide healthy meals to students and discourage unhealthy foods. Crews emphasize the importance
of wellness and are stewards of a climate of social and emotional safety for students. Crew meetings and school staf explicitly
support students to understand and monitor dangers to wellness posed by alcohol, drugs, and tobacco, as well as unhealthy
relationships. School staf models healthy lifestyles and a healthy school culture.
Instruction
A. Fitness and Wellness Process
1. Teachers promote ftness and wellness through modeling
and instruction in a variety of aspects of physical and
mental health, including food, exercise, sleep, and relaxation.
Teachers engage students in understanding and addressing
dangers to a healthy life.
2. Te school collects data to demonstrate progress toward
ftness and wellness goals.
3. Physical education programs support students in the ftness
and wellness process.
4. Outdoor education programs and outdoor challenges, as
well as individual and team sports, are explicitly connected
to ftness, wellness, and character development.
5. Physical education teachers focus on students strengths and
help each student experience success in achieving improved
ftness and wellness.
6. Crew leaders and school counselors support a school culture
of social and emotional safety and health.
B. Integrating Fitness and Wellness
1. Students create personal ftness and wellness plans with the
support of crew leaders and physical education teachers.
Students and teachers monitor plans regularly.
2. Physical education teachers explicitly plan opportunities for
students to challenge their perseverance, personal ftness,
and collaboration skills.
3. When possible, teachers link wellness, ftness, and physical
challenge to academics through projects, learning expedition
content, and refection.
4. Schools have policies and protocols to ensure that physical
education classes, adventure programming, and feldwork
are physically and emotionally safe.
5. Schools develop structures to promote students social and
emotional health.
C. Creating a Culture of Fitness and
Wellness
1. Teachers model ftness and wellness as a natural part of
the school day (e.g., taking stretch breaks, eating healthy
snacks).
2. Teachers include outdoor time and physical activity for
students, whenever possible and appropriate, to energize
students minds and bodies and encourage enjoyment of the
natural world.
3. Students and teachers plan wellness initiatives that
encourage all members of the school to enhance their own
physical and mental wellness (e.g., wearing pedometers to
track daily steps, keeping food logs, refecting in journals).
4. Student portfolios, passage presentations and student-led
family conferences include student ftness and wellness
goals and achievements.
5. School communications with families regularly include
wellness strategies or tips.
6. Schools limit availability of foods that do not contribute to
wellness.
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7. Students have access to community models of excellence in
wellness.
D. Assessing Fitness and Wellness
1. Teachers support students to set personal ftness and
wellness learning targets and to keep track of progress
through journals and data collection.
2. Progress toward personal ftness and wellness learning
targets is shared in student portfolios, student presentations,
and student-led conferences.
3. Wellness learning targets address the dispositions and life
habits important to a healthy lifestyle as well as growth in
physical ftness and skills.
Teaching and Promoting Fitness and Wellness (continued)
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Assessment
Expeditionary Schools leaders, teachers, and students
embrace the power of student-engaged assessment
practices to build student ownership of learning, focus
students on reaching standards-based learning targets, and
drive achievement. This approach to assessment is key to
ensuring that schools achieve educational equity. Students
continually assess and improve the quality of their work
through the use of models, reection, critique, rubrics, and
work with experts. Staff members engage in ongoing data
inquiry and analysis, examining everything from patterns
in student work to results from formal assessments,
disaggregating data by groups of students to recognize and
address gaps in achievement.
Using Student-Engaged Assessment to Create a Culture
of Engagement and Achievement
Using Assessment for Learning Strategies on a Daily
Basis
Creating Quality Assessments
Raising Achievement on Assessments of Learning
Communicating Student Achievement
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ASSESSMENT
KEY HSD 000194
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Core Practice 20
Using Student-Engaged Assessment to Create
a Culture of Engagement and Achievement
Student-engaged assessment is a hallmark of Expeditionary Learning schools. Assessment plays a key role in building an overall
culture of engagement and achievement. Students take responsibility for their own learning and see themselves as the key actors
in their own successes. Additionally, students and adults operate from a growth mindset-a belief that everyone is capable of
high achievement and that learning comes as a result of efort. Habits of scholarship, such as perseverance, craftsmanship, and
responsibility, name specifc characteristics that support students academic achievement. All learning, whether in the realm of
academic progress or habits of scholarship, is supported by the purposeful use of learning targets.

Assessment
A. Growth Mindset
1. Te school community believes and communicates that all
students are capable of high academic achievement. Tis
belief permeates actions and decisions.
2. Teachers praise efort, perseverance, and the use of
strategies, rather than ability, intelligence, or talent.
3. Teachers provide descriptive feedback that empowers
students to build on their strengths and correct errors.
4. School leaders develop a growth mindset in teachers
through professional development and coaching.
B. Student Ownership of Learning and
Assessment
1. Students continually assess and improve the quality of their
work through the use of models, refection, critique, rubrics,
and work with experts. Classrooms are characterized by a
culture of striving for excellence.
2. Students regularly assess their own growth through
organizing and refecting on portfolios of their work. Tey
are required and supported to present their work publicly
and refect on strengths, challenges, and goals.
3. Assessment experiences increase student motivation.
Assessments are not just administered to students, but are
discussed, analyzed, and sometimes created by students.
Students see assessments as a source of information that
helps them learn.
4. Students are engaged in understanding and performing
well on annual and interim standardized assessments. Tey
examine the process of standardized testing, including
tracking and understanding their work patterns and needs
in testing situations, analyzing personal or anonymous
whole-class data of performance on interim assessments,
and participating in practice and actual tests.
5. Teachers and students collect and analyze data as a way to
track progress toward learning targets and set goals.
6. Teachers support a classroom culture of data inquiry.
Students collect data on their own work patterns (e.g.,
how many books they read, how much time they spend
on homework) and analyze patterns in their work (e.g.,
tracking types of errors in math, analyzing a piece of writing
for variety of sentence length).
C. Habits of Scholarship (Performance
Character)
1. Habits of scholarship learning targets support students
academic success and refect the character traits of the
school as they relate to performance (e.g., I can advocate
for myself , I can maintain focus in class, I can complete
quality work on time).
2. Habits of scholarship support student learning and college
readiness. Tey aid students in developing study skills,
time-management skills, persistence, self-awareness, and the
ability to seek feedback and assistance.
3. Te school community views habits of scholarship and
results from skills and content assessments as equally
important.
KEY HSD 000195
53
4. Students track, refect on, and share their progress toward
habits of scholarship. Teachers help students analyze
the relationship between the habits, engagement, and
achievement.
5. Habits of scholarship are assessed and communicated
separately from academic content and skills mastery in
student progress reports.
6. Te school celebrates students who exhibit strong habits of
scholarship (e.g., through afrmations, charts, honor rolls,
awards, privileges).
D. Supporting Purposeful Learning with
Learning Targets
1. Teachers use learning targets to articulate specifc learning
outcomes for students. Learning targets are shared in
instruction to promote student ownership of learning and
are referred to continually by teachers and students.
2. Students understand and own learning targets. When
appropriate, students help to refne or construct learning
targets for individual or class learning.
3. Teachers use learning targets to frame instruction,
assessment, and communication about student progress in
academics.
4. Teachers use character learning targets to frame
instruction and communication about habits of scholarship
(performance character) and relational character.
5. Teachers use learning targets specifcally related to
craftsmanship, which help students better understand and
practice a particular medium, often associated with arts or
technology.
6. Teachers craft quality learning targets with common
characteristics:
a. Tey are derived from national or state standards and
school or district documents such as curriculum maps and
adopted program materials.
b. Tey are written in student-friendly language and begin
with the stem I can...
c. Tey are measurable and use concrete, assessable verbs
(e.g., identify, compare, analyze).
d. Tey are specifc, often referring to the particular context
of a lesson, project, or case study.
e. Tey identify the intended learning. Tey are phrased
as statements around which students can develop
understanding or skill as opposed to naming activities
(e.g., I can describe the ideal habitat for a polar bear
vs. I can write a paragraph about the habitat of a polar
bear).
7. Teachers are clear about whether academic learning targets
are knowledge, reasoning, or skill targets. With this clarity,
they can ensure that a set of learning targets is balanced and
that assessments match the cognitive process demanded of
students.
8. Teachers craft sets of learning targets that include both
long-term and supporting learning targets. Te supporting
learning targets name the discrete learning that has to
happen for students to reach the long-term learning targets.
9. Teachers choose the optimal time to introduce learning
targets during a lesson. For a workshop model, this is
typically at the outset of the lesson, or after a hook that
builds excitement. For a discovery-based lesson, this is
typically after students have had time to explore and grapple
with new material and concepts and raise questions and
hypotheses.
10. School leaders support purposeful learning for teachers by
establishing learning targets for professional development
and coaching.
Using Student-Engaged Assessment to Create a Culture of Engagement and Achievement
(continued)
Assessment
KEY HSD 000196
54
Core Practice 21
Using Assessment for Learning Strategies on a
Daily Basis
In Expeditionary Learning schools, assessment for learning strategies help students engage in, refect on, and take responsibility
for their own learning. Assessment for learning strategies are formative assessment actions that help students improve their
understanding and skills at the outset of learning and during the process of learning. Teachers and students collaborate in the
learning process, and both use these strategies on a daily basis.
A. Communicating Learning Targets and
Criteria for Success
1. Teachers ensure that all students know and understand the
learning targets and the criteria for success.
2. Students articulate a clear vision of the intended learning.
Tey can describe where they are in relation to profciency
and what they need to know and do in order to meet or
exceed profciency.
3. Teachers provide models and exemplars of work similar to
what students will create.
4. Teachers guide students in analyzing models and exemplars
to help them understand quality and format as well as build
vocabulary associated with a project or specifc product.
Examples of strong and weak work help teachers and
students develop criteria for success.
5. Teachers guide students in describing characteristics of
quality rubrics or criteria lists. Students generate criteria
describing only profcient or exemplary work, reinforcing
clear, rigorous expectations.
6. Teachers communicate, at the outset of instruction, how
students will be assessed.
7. Students can describe how they will be assessed.
B. Focusing on One Skill, Concept, or
Strategy at a Time
1. Teachers strategically design a series of lessons that focus on
one skill, concept, or strategy at a time.
2. Teachers ensure that all parts of the lesson (e.g., mini-
lesson, guided practice, practice/application, share, debrief )
link back to the singular focus.
3. Students explain how having mastery of a skill or
understanding a concept is connected to the long-term
learning target.
C. Using Strategic Questioning
1. Teachers lesson plans include strategic questions-pre-
planned questions that promote critical thinking and extend
student understanding of the skill or concept at hand.
2. Teachers support students in formulating their own
strategic questions.
3. Students ask questions of themselves and others to monitor
and increase their understanding of the skill or concept at
hand.
4. Teachers use checking for understanding strategies during
lessons to ensure that all students are accountable during
questioning (e.g., cold call, no opt-out).
D. Strategically Using Critique and
Descriptive Feedback
1. Teachers and students use critique protocols to help
students assess the strengths and weaknesses of their own
and others work.
2. Teachers maintain a safe, respectful classroom culture where
critique, both formal and informal, is always kind, specifc,
and helpful.
3. Teachers diferentiate between critique intended to help
an individual improve his or her work, best accomplished
through individual or small group feedback, and critique
of work that is being used as a whole-class lesson, to build
understanding of quality in a particular genre or medium.
Assessment
KEY HSD 000197
55
4. Teachers often structure lessons as whole-class critique
sessions with compelling models of strong (and perhaps
weak) work to allow students themselves to build criteria for
quality (e.g., instead of telling students what makes a good
essay, the teacher leads a session in which students together
critique essays of varying quality and create a list of qualities
in a good essay).
5. Teachers maintain archives of models of exemplary student
work, particularly in genres frequently used by students (e.g.,
lab reports, math word problem solutions) that students can
access individually to remind them of standards for quality.
6. Teachers use whole-class critique sessions to build a culture
of critique in the classroom and to improve students
critique skills so that students can formally and informally
give efective feedback to classmates.
7. Peer critique is used only when students are clear on a
specifc focus for feedback and are equipped (e.g., through a
prior lesson) to provide insightful and useful feedback.
8. Teachers invite guest experts to visit the classroom to
critique student work. Teachers prepare experts to focus on
specifc learning targets, model the classroom/school norms
for communication, and build vocabulary and standards of
the profession.
9. Teachers provide both oral and written descriptive feedback
as formative assessment-feedback that occurs during
learning and does not act as an evaluative score or grade.
10. Teachers provide descriptive feedback that:
a. Directs attention to the intended learning.
b. Is timely, ensuring that there is time for students to act on
the feedback prior to summative assessment.
c. Addresses a limited number of misunderstandings and
provides the right amount of information that students
can act on.
d. Prompts students to think rather than simply make
corrections.
E. Teaching Students Focused Revision
1. Teachers support students in limiting revision of their work
into manageable chunks (e.g., rehearsing a readers theater,
concentrating on improving oral expression, revising a story
for the trait of sentence fuency).
2. Students revise work intended for a public audience
multiple times. Each revision refects progress toward
specifc, limited criteria.
F. Self-Assessing, Reecting on
Progress, and Setting Goals
1. Teachers use structures to help students self-assess regularly
throughout the process of learning. Tey provide time for
students to refect on their individual and collective progress
using private and public structures for refection (e.g.,
journals, tracking charts, learning logs).
2. Teachers provide explicit instruction on self-assessing with
accuracy and setting specifc, achievable goals on a regular
basis.
3. Students identify strategies and next steps needed to achieve
learning targets. With support from teachers, they develop
goals that will lead them to achievement. Students goals
encompass academic needs as well as habits of scholarship.
4. Students refer to their goals, self-assessments, and
refections when communicating about their progress to
others.
Using Assessment for Learning Strategies on a Daily Basis (continued)
Assessment 55
KEY HSD 000198
56
Core Practice 22
Creating Quality Assessments
Expeditionary Learning teachers craft quality assessments, aligned with standards-based learning targets, in order to collect
meaningful, accurate, and timely information about student learning. Teachers are well-versed in the methods of assessment and
select the best method based on the type of learning target they are assessing. In addition, they involve students in metacognitive
thinking about types of learning targets and matching assessment questions or tasks, and support students to create their own
assessments. Teachers use criteria lists and rubrics to support quality work during the learning process and guide refection and
evaluation. Quality assessments are used to support assessment for and of learning.
A. Aligning Standards, Learning Targets,
and Assessments
1. Prior to instruction, teachers determine what standards they
will assess when teaching an expedition, project, or series of
lessons.
2. Teachers use standards from national, state, district, and
school sources as appropriate.
3. Teachers create long-term learning targets based on the
standards. Tey identify a realistic number of long-term
learning targets that are assessable in a given instructional/
grading period.
4. Teachers develop a realistic number of supporting learning
targets that name the discrete learning necessary for
students to reach each long-term learning target.
5. Teachers identify assessments for each set of learning
targets. Tey almost always develop the assessments/
assessment tools before each chunk of instruction begins.
Tey often use preassessments aligned to learning targets to
inform instruction and diferentiation.
B. Choosing Assessment Methods
1. Teachers match assessments of learning (summative
assessments) to the type of learning target (knowledge,
reasoning, skill). Tey design or select quality summative
assessments to accurately gauge what students understand
or can do.
2. Teachers support students in thinking metacognitively
about the diferent types of learning targets when designing
assessment tasks for one another (e.g., when crafting
questions for a quiz about a book the class is reading,
students attend to the diference between a knowledge-
level question and a question that asks their peers to draw
inferences about what they have read).
3. Teachers guide students in creating, critiquing, and revising
their own assessments to use in class, considering what
makes a quality assessment. Tis practice not only helps
students learn the material, it also helps them see how
assessment is a necessity in the learning process (e.g., when
preparing presentations to teach their classmates, students
create assessments for their peers to ensure that they learn
the intended material).
4. Teachers plan for and implement assessment for learning
strategies (formative assessment) to ensure that students
receive sufcient opportunities to practice and make use of
timely feedback before completing a summative assessment.
5. Teachers use a variety of assessment methods (e.g., quizzes,
conceptual models, essays, performances, response journals).
6. Teachers track the results of these assessments for grading
and reporting purposes.
C. Creating and Using Criteria Lists and
Rubrics
1. Teachers create and use criteria lists or rubrics in
conjunction with performance assessments (e.g., debate,
play, essay, science lab, work of art) and some extended
written responses (e.g., mathematical solutions and
explanations, concept maps, short essays).
2. Teachers involve students in criteria list and rubric
development associated with specifc tasks so that students
develop deep understanding of the criteria and levels of
quality. Students analyze models and exemplars to aid
in rubric development. Tey focus only on describing
profciency or above, not on describing low levels of quality.
Assessment
KEY HSD 000199
57
3. Teachers use criteria lists and rubrics throughout the
instructional process: at the outset of instruction, to clarify
the task, learning targets, and criteria for success; during the
task, to help students revise their work; and after the task is
complete, both to evaluate the product or performance and
to engage students in refection.
4. Teachers often collaborate to create and use common,
school-wide criteria lists and rubrics in targeted areas.
Creating Quality Assessments (continued)
Assessment
KEY HSD 000200
58
Core Practice 23
Raising Achievement on Assessments of
Learning
Assessments of learning (summative assessments) are part of a balanced system of assessment in Expeditionary Learning schools.
Summative assessments fulfll the role of measuring student progress and refecting the level of student learning at a particular
point in time. Te results of such assessments have a variety of uses, including informing teachers about the efectiveness of
instruction and documenting achievement for purposes of grading, reporting, advancement, and graduation. EL seeks excellent
student performance on standardized tests because their results determine opportunities for students and convey to the
community, district, state, and other stakeholders one important measure of academic profciency achieved by students. Teachers
can best prepare students for standardized tests through ongoing, high-quality instruction that is explicitly aligned with assessed
standards rather than through isolated test practice. Tus, when classroom and school-level assessments of learning are of high
quality and purposefully planned, they help to both create a complete and accurate picture of student learning and prepare
students for success on standardized tests.
A. Student Preparation and Readiness for
Assessments of Learning
1. Teachers prepare students for academic and lifelong success
by developing key cognitive strategies such as analysis,
interpretation, problem solving, and reasoning.
2. Teachers scafold instruction to build students knowledge
of content and skills, supporting students in identifying
patterns and big ideas linked to guiding questions.
3. Teachers use formative assessment strategies to give
students experience with summative assessment tasks and
build their capacity to accurately self-assess.
4. Students have a clear understanding of expectations
and take responsibility for learning by studying, asking
questions, and seeking support.
B. Analyzing Assessment Data
1. Teachers align assessments with their curriculum and
learning targets and have the year-end goal in mind.
2. Teachers immediately analyze and use assessment data
to drive instruction. Assessment data results in deliberate
diferentiation to support students learning.
3. Teachers collaboratively create common assessments and
analyze data to identify patterns, establish goals, and inform
lesson planning.
4. Students use assessment data to evaluate their own learning,
address misunderstandings, determine readiness for
next steps, and set longer-range goals with support from
teachers.
5. Teachers use assessment data to check the efectiveness of
instruction.
C. Interim Assessments
1. Teachers and school leaders create or select interim
assessments-assessments that take place every 4-8 weeks
and are closely aligned to college readiness standards and
standardized tests-before the teaching begins. Teachers
design lessons and instruction with the end goals in mind.
2. Teachers and school leaders analyze the quality of interim
assessments vis--vis standardized tests to ensure that
interim assessments meet or exceed the rigor of the state
assessment.
3. School leaders support teachers in creating or selecting and
analyzing interim assessments by providing professional
development time devoted to this work.
4. Teachers and school leaders conduct diagnostic item
analysis to inform instructional improvements (i.e., they
analyze students incorrect answers to best understand
where misunderstandings and misconceptions lie).
5. Teachers and school leaders share interim assessment results
with students, parents, and the school community.
Assessment
KEY HSD 000201
59
D. Standardized Tests
1. Students have positive attitudes toward and exhibit self-
efcacy about standardized tests.
2. To foster student motivation, the school helps families
understand the purpose and value of standardized tests.
3. Teachers prepare students for standardized tests throughout
the school year, not as an isolated event just prior to a
testing situation.
4. Practice tests are used strategically for specifc purposes-to
help students learn how to best prepare for and take tests
and analyze patterns of test performance. Students are then
empowered to take charge of improving their own test
performance based on understanding and adjusting personal
habits and decisions.
5. Teachers help students analyze the formats used on
standardized tests (e.g., writing to prompts, multiple-choice
questions, showing thinking in math and science) and help
them improve their ability to respond to these formats by
applying strategies.
6. Teachers help students practice test-taking strategies (e.g.,
eliminating answers, using context clues).
7. Teachers develop the habits of scholarship needed to build
stamina (e.g., time-management skills).
8. Teachers support students in identifying strategies to reduce
test anxiety.
Raising Achievement on Assessments of Learning (continued)
Assessment
KEY HSD 000202
60
Core Practice 24
Communicating Student Achievement
Expeditionary Learning schools share information about student achievement in a wide variety of ways, most of which feature
students as the key communicators. In this way, students are engaged throughout the assessment process. Students have individual
responsibilities-they maintain a portfolio and discuss their learning during family conferences and passage presentations, and
they participate collectively in communicating about achievement during public presentations of learning. EL schools implement
standards-based grading because it clarifes expectations for students, families, and teachers, and separates academic outcomes
from habits of scholarship. Students understand what they have learned and why. Tey can speak to their own strengths, struggles,
goals, and processes of learning, and they are prepared for college success.
A. Grades
1. Teachers use a faculty grading guide that ensures school-
wide uniformity in grading practices.
2. Grades are separated from habits of scholarship levels.
Success in both areas is required for credit, promotion, and
graduation.
3. Grades are used to communicate about skills and content
understanding, not to motivate or punish.
4. Grades describe students progress toward a set of long-term
learning targets that students and families are aware of at
the outset of instruction.
5. Teachers provide students with multiple opportunities to
make and show progress toward long-term learning targets.
Students understand grades not as subjective judgments of
teachers but rather as documentation of how far they have
progressed toward concrete learning targets.
6. Grades refect a students current level of profciency with
skills and content rather than an average. Te most recent
evidence takes precedence over older evidence.
7. Students and families understand the schools grading
practices.
B. Communicating about Habits of
Scholarship
1. Schools communicate the relationship between habits of
scholarship and academic grades to students, families, and
staf members.
2. Schools determine language to describe progress toward the
habits of scholarship and a consistent system for collecting
quality evidence about progress.
3. Schools report on student progress toward the habits of
scholarship through structures that involve students (e.g.,
written refections, student-led conferences).
4. Progress toward the habits of scholarship is reported
separately from progress about academic achievement.
C. Progress Reports, Report Cards, and
Transcripts
1. Progress toward specifc learning targets (not just grades)
forms the basis of communication about student learning.
2. Parents and students understand how to make meaning
of progress reports, report cards, and transcripts. Te link
between grading policies and reporting practices is clear.
3. Schools have a succinct document that explains how a
students grades were derived and what they mean. Tis
document accompanies student transcripts when they are
sent to outside audiences (e.g., college admissions ofces).
D. Exhibitions of Learning
1. Schools organize grade-level or school-wide events such as
exhibition nights or formal performances/presentations to
celebrate the learning of all students.
2. Families, community members, and school partners
participate in exhibitions to act as an authentic audience,
learn about the work of the students and the school as a
whole, and honor student learning.
E. Student-Led Conferences
1. Te school schedules time at least twice per year to engage
students and their families in conferences in which students
communicate their progress toward both academic learning
targets and habits of scholarship.
Assessment
KEY HSD 000203
61
2. Te school engages families in the process by sharing
expectations, schedules, and information in advance of the
conferences. Families understand their role, the students
role, and the purpose of the conference.
3. Te school creates structures to prepare students for
conferences (e.g., assisting them in archiving and selecting
work).
4. Teachers support students in articulating their progress and
identifying areas for growth.
5. Students select expedition and project work to demonstrate
mastery of learning targets. Tey complete self-assessments
of their performance and share those with their families.
6. Students practice specifc conference skills, such as eye
contact, clear articulation of ideas, and presenting evidence
to support statements.
F. Portfolios
1. Students archive and organize their work across subject
areas using a system that has been agreed upon school-
wide. Students then select specifc work for student-led
conferences, presentations of learning, and/or passages.
2. Students portfolios demonstrate profciency of content
and skills over time. Tey also show students growth and
profciency regarding habits of scholarship.
3. Portfolios include rubrics linked to learning targets for
major projects and assignments.
4. Students portfolios include multiple drafts, self-refections,
and feedback from teachers that show how their work has
improved and how they have met the learning targets.
G. Passages
1. Passages (i.e., portfolio presentations, presentations of
learning) require students to take part in traditions that
confrm their readiness to move forward in all realms of
achievement.
2. Passages may include students articulating their current
levels of profciency in core subjects, sharing exemplary
work from diferent subject areas, sharing artistic, athletic,
and technology accomplishments, outside of school and
service learning contributions, and growth and profciency
with relational and performance character.
3. Te school schedules specifc time for passages (e.g., third,
ffth, eighth, and tenth grades) for all students.
4. Students, with teacher support, analyze their own portfolios
to identify quality evidence that demonstrates progress
toward academic learning targets and habits of scholarship
and readiness for passage.
5. Teachers support students in showcasing their progress and
demonstrating their readiness for passage.
6. Teachers support students in practicing presentation
skills, such as eye contact, clear articulation of ideas, use
of technology, and presenting evidence to support their
statements.
H. Graduation
1. Graduation is based on students meeting standards in both
academics and habits of scholarship.
2. High schools align graduation content and skills standards
with college entrance requirements.
3. Secondary schools provide all students with knowledge
of and access to postsecondary opportunities, with the
assumption that all students will be accepted into college.
Communicating Student Achievement (continued)
Assessment
KEY HSD 000204
62
KEY HSD 000205
63
Expeditionary Learning schools build cultures of respect,
responsibility, courage, and kindness, where students
and adults are committed to quality work and citizenship.
School structures and traditions such as crew, community
meetings, exhibitions of student work, and service learning
ensure that every student is known and cared for, that
student leadership is nurtured, and that contributions to
the school and world are celebrated. Students and staff are
supported to do better work and be better people than they
thought possible.
Building a Community of Learning
Fostering Character
Establishing Structures for Knowing Students Well
Engaging Families and the Community in the Life of the School
Creating Beautiful Spaces for Learning
Promoting Adventure
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KEY HSD 000206
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Core Practice 25
Building a Community of Learning
Te foundation of a successful Expeditionary Learning school is a community that brings out the best in students and staf.
Te school climate is characterized by safety, kindness, joy in learning, and positive leadership by staf and students. Te schools
mission encompasses academic success and compassionate character. Te school celebrates both student academic growth and
character development. Teachers and school leaders communicate clear expectations for student character and model those values
in their own practice. Policies and practices encourage students to take responsibility for learning, to demonstrate empathy and
caring, and to be stewards of the school.
A. Clear School-Wide Expectations
1. School-wide expectations for student character and
behavior are founded in a commitment to learning and
respectful community.
2. Te school formally documents a set of character traits (i.e.,
a code of character) to which all students and staf members
aspire. Tose traits include both relational character
(treating others well) and performance character (doing
ones best), so that success as a good person and success as a
scholar are joined. All school members-students and staf-
are held accountable for upholding the code of character.
3. School faculty members explicitly teach and refer to
the character traits in classrooms. Tey are used daily to
acknowledge positive or challenging behaviors. Teachers
support students to make connections between character
and their academic success.
4. Te school establishes policies and procedures that celebrate
character traits and hold students accountable to them.
Character achievement is identifed in progress reports,
disciplinary protocols, awards, and public acknowledgments.
5. When students or teachers report student progress, learning
targets for academic growth are separate from learning
targets for character. Both are important.
6. Adults model the character traits with students and in their
professional relationships.
7. Te character traits are practiced in the lunchroom, in the
halls, during recess, before and after school, and whenever
students represent the school in the community.
B. Traditions
1. A common set of EL traditions is used in whole-school
settings and in classrooms (e.g., community meetings, crew,
team-building activities) to foster character.
2. Te school customizes EL traditions, developing its own
unique traditions that express the schools vision of a
positive community that is focused on learning.
3. Students play an active role in maintaining school traditions
and acting as leaders (e.g., being ambassadors for visitors,
leading meetings, maintaining the building, mentoring
younger children, leading morning announcements).
4. School spaces accommodate various traditions and
classroom confgurations (e.g., crew circles, collaborative
groups, community meetings).
C. A Climate of Learning
1. Adults act as models of lifelong learning for students. Adult
learning is visibly celebrated (e.g., in community meetings,
in documentation panels of professional development).
2. Multiple forms of intelligence and learning profles are
recognized and cultivated (e.g., mathematical, linguistic,
kinesthetic).
3. Te climate of learning is inclusive of all school members.
Students and staf with diferent cultural backgrounds or
diferent learning needs are treated with respect.
4. School discipline is framed in terms of self-discipline and
becoming a self-directed learner.
5. Student misbehavior is treated as a learning opportunity
for both students and teachers. Teachers probe for causes
of misbehavior or confict, and consequences are logical,
consistent, and clearly communicated.
6. Classroom norms, established by teachers and students,
reinforce the school character traits and establish
classroom cultures focused on responsibility for learning,
compassionate behavior, and positive student leadership.
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Core Practice 26
Fostering Character
Expeditionary Learning defnes character as having two facets-relational character and performance character. Relational
character skills are essential for positive collaboration, ethical interaction, appropriate participation, and personal responsibility
for actions (e.g., kindness, honesty, integrity). Performance character skills (habits of scholarship) are needed to obtain a standard
of excellence in academic or real-world endeavors (e.g., organization, perseverance, craftsmanship). Both types of character are
essential for success in school and in life. Fostering character is not an add-on in EL schools-it is embedded in all aspects of the
school culture and permeates academic studies. Character is a focus all day long. Academic learning in EL schools is seen not
as an end to itself, but rather in service of preparing students and adults to contribute to a better world. Terefore, all learning
is character-based. Students are on a mission to do good work: work that is good in quality, good for the soul, and good for the
world.
A. Relational Character
1. Te schools character traits (i.e., code of character) include
relational character traits (e.g., kindness, honesty, integrity)
and performance character (e.g., organization, perseverance,
craftsmanship).
2. Te school community demands respect for all. Proactive
traditions are implemented consistently to avert bullying
and discrimination (e.g., crew discussions, literature studies,
historical case studies).
3. Students participate in service learning linked to the
curriculum to foster relational character.
4. Teachers explicitly plan opportunities to develop
relational character through collaborative work in learning
expeditions, projects, crew, and community-building
activities.
5. Teachers explicitly teach confict resolution, problem-
solving, and personal communication skills to support
students in collaboration.
6. Crew meetings focus deeply and continuously on kind,
respectful behavior.
7. Teachers incorporate local issues and global awareness into
learning expeditions, projects, and crew to build relational
character.
8. Relational character is addressed throughout the day,
across classrooms and content areas, and in professional
conversations. It is seen not as time away from learning, but
as an investment in student achievement.
B. Performance Character (Habits of
Scholarship)
1. Te schools character traits (i.e., code of character) include
relational character traits (e.g., kindness, honesty, integrity),
and performance character (e.g., organization, perseverance,
craftsmanship).
2. Te school articulates its performance character traits by
defning habits of scholarship (sometimes called habits of
work, habits of mind, or habits of learning).
3. Teachers name specifc, developmentally appropriate
behaviors associated with the habits of scholarship as
learning targets (e.g., I can revise my work to achieve high-
quality products) for which students are held accountable.
4. Teachers intentionally teach habits of scholarship.
5. Habits of scholarship are evident in school structures and
documents (e.g., portfolios, school handbooks).
6. Students can articulate the link between habits of
scholarship and future success in school, career, and life.
7. Habits of scholarship are assessed and communicated
separately from academic content and skills mastery in
student progress reports.
8. Te school celebrates students who exhibit strong habits of
scholarship (e.g., through afrmations, charts, honor rolls,
awards, privileges).
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Core Practice 27
Establishing Structures for Knowing Students
Well
An Expeditionary Learning school culture is planned for, developed, and sustained through practices that bring the community
together, promote shared understandings, and encourage all community members to become crew, not passengers. Students in
EL schools are known well and supported by adults. Te structure of crew allows for relationship building, academic progress
monitoring, and character development. Crew allows students to build positive connections with their peers and with their crew
leader. Crew leaders strategically plan crew to address and assess these multiple goals. Multi-year relationships are also forged in
other school structures (e.g., multi-age classrooms, looping) to ensure that students needs are met and individual strengths are
discovered. Outside of school, mentoring, internships, and apprenticeships foster relationships between students and community
members.
A. Crew in Elementary Classrooms
1. Crew meetings, typically involving the whole class, are held
at the beginning of the day (often referred to as morning
meeting) and frequently at the end of the day as well.
2. As crew leaders, teachers develop learning targets and
instructional plans to support relational and performance
character development, literacy, portfolio work, adventure,
service learning, and school-wide concerns.
3. Crew allows students and teachers to forge productive
relationships over time to support their achievement.
4. Crew provides a time to focus on relationship building
among students and between adults and students (e.g.,
through greetings, personal sharing, classroom discussions).
5. Crew provides a check-in on how the class is doing in
terms of character and academic progress, and how well
individuals are doing. If there are problems with courtesy,
behavior, tolerance, or responsibility in the group, those
problems are often addressed in this setting.
6. Crew provides an opportunity to help students defne what
it means to be an EL school (e.g., commitment to positive
character, exploration of the design principles, the concept
of crew, not passengers).
7. Crew leaders set the tone for high achievement by engaging
students in collaboration and competition in a joyful,
supportive environment (e.g., through the use of cooperative
and problem-solving games).
8. Whenever possible, students in crew sit in a circle so they
can see each other, participate actively in discussion, and
hold each other accountable for high standards of character.
9. Crew leaders form relationships with parents, monitor
academic progress, and lead interventions.
B. Crew in Secondary Classrooms
1. Crew (similar to Advisory in some schools) meets on a
consistent basis, multiple times every week, every day if
possible.
2. Crew is not homeroom. By contrast, crew sizes are small
(ideally 8-16 students) and allow signifcant meeting time
(20-60 minutes), and students are active participants in the
class.
3. To keep crew sizes small, staf beyond classroom teachers
are trained and supported to be crew leaders.
4. Crew leaders develop learning targets and instructional
plans to address relational and performance character
development, literacy, portfolio work, adventure, service,
school-wide concerns, and postsecondary readiness.
5. Crew allows students and teachers to forge productive
relationships over time to support their achievement. To
this end, crew composition is structured in the way the
school feels works best in its culture (i.e., whether the crew
stays together over multiple years, whether the crew is
made up of students who are all in the same grade or from
diferent grades, whether the same crew leader stays for all
the years, or if a college specialist leader is used for junior
and senior high school years).
6. Crew provides a time to focus on relationship building
among students and between adults and students (e.g.,
greetings, personal sharing, classroom discussions).
KEY HSD 000209
67 Culture and Character
7. Crew provides a check-in on how the class is doing in
terms of character and academic progress, and how well
individuals are doing. If there are problems with courtesy,
behavior, tolerance, or responsibility in the group, those
problems are often addressed in this setting.
8. Crew provides an opportunity to help students defne what
it means to be an EL school (e.g., commitment to positive
character, exploration of the design principles, the concept
of crew, not passengers).
9. Whenever possible, students in crew sit in a circle so they
can see each other, participate actively in discussion, and
hold each other accountable for high standards of character.
10. Crew leaders set the tone for high achievement by
engaging students in collaboration and competition in a
joyful, supportive environment.
11. Crew leaders form relationships with parents, monitor
academic progress, lead interventions, and ensure readiness
for graduation.
12. Crew leaders ensure that all their students know about and
have access to demanding academic courses, extracurricular
activities, academic and social supports, and the best
sequence of classes for college placement.
13. Crew is often used as a setting to prepare for student-led
conferences, portfolio refection and presentations, and
school exhibition preparation.
14. For high school students, crew is often the setting
for college pathway preparation (e.g., college visits,
college research, applications, fnancial forms, interview
preparation).
C. Building Relationships
1. Te school ensures that every student is known well by at
least one adult who serves as an advocate for the students
academic and social progress.
2. Teachers use a variety of structures and strategies to get
to know students well (e.g., crew time, fexible grouping,
regular check-ins).
3. Te school celebrates the contributions of members of the
learning community through community meetings.
4. Multi-year connections between students and adults are
created through looping, multi-age classrooms, and/or
mentoring or crew relationships that last more than one
year.
D. Mentoring, Internships, and
Apprenticeships
1. When appropriate and feasible, older students are paired
with younger students for orientation, tutoring, and
mentoring.
2. Mentorships and internships outside the school foster
relationships between students and community members.
3. Mentors provide additional support to secondary students.
4. Internships help high school students build relationships
with adults in the community, accumulate work experience,
and learn about job and career opportunities.
5. Apprenticeships create opportunities for students to master
a craft or a discipline.
Establishing Structures for Knowing Students Well (continued)
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Core Practice 28
Engaging Families and the Community in the
Life of the School
Expeditionary Learning families are key partners in the education of their children. Students and staf in EL schools make
families welcome, know them well, and engage them actively in the life of the school. EL schools explicitly recognize that families
care about their childrens education, bring strengths, and add value to the community. Regular communication and multiple
opportunities for participation encourage families to be strong partners in their childrens learning. In addition, schools build and
sustain partnerships with community organizations and cultural institutions.
A. Welcoming Visitors
1. Students actively welcome visitors to the school, using
established practices and norms. When possible, students
share products and portfolios of their work with guests.
2. Students are capable ambassadors for the school within and
outside of the building.
3. Student-led tours of the school are not just physical tours to
point out the rooms. Tey are tours of learning, where the
student work on the walls and in classrooms is described
and where the schools mission and code of character are
explained.
4. School leaders, teachers, and students have traditions
for recognizing the contributions of outside experts and
volunteers.
B. Building Family Relationships
1. All families are encouraged and supported to participate
in school events through multiple strategies (e.g.,
scheduling events outside of the school day, assisting with
transportation, providing translators).
2. School leaders collect data on family participation and make
action plans to ensure maximum involvement of families.
3. School leaders and teachers learn about and respect the
cultures, backgrounds, and values of their students families.
C. Communication with Families
1. Te faculty begins the school year by establishing a pattern
of positive, regular communication with families.
2. School leaders and teachers create an annual calendar of
events that involves families in a variety of ways.
3. A range of publications and formats is used to ensure that
all families understand the schools policies, curriculum,
approaches to instruction, and assessment system.
4. Teachers communicate regularly with families about
students progress and accomplishments.
5. Student-led conferences are supported as a cornerstone
school structure. Participation of all families is expected and
supported. Conferences are well organized and students are
well prepared.
6. School leaders and teachers develop strategies, such as
enrollment interviews, surveys, or portfolio conferences, to
learn about families and involve them in students learning.
7. Te school establishes forums that guarantee respectful
communication and the opportunity for diverse perspectives
to be heard.
D. Participation in the School
1. Te school has a variety of ways for families to participate
in the school community (e.g., governance, tutoring,
classroom experts, portfolio panelists).
2. Interactive family education nights are held throughout the
year (e.g., an open house to explain the years expeditions,
workshops to show how students are learning in the various
disciplines).
3. Exhibitions of student learning are regularly held at
the school, showcasing the work of students and their
refections as learners for families and community members.
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69 Culture and Character
E. Building Community Partnerships
1. School leaders and teachers build and sustain relationships
with community organizations and cultural institutions.
2. School leaders develop a broad constituency within the
community to advocate for the school.
3. Te school embraces its responsibility as a member of and
contributor to the surrounding community.
Engaging Families and the Community in the Life of the School (continued)
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Core Practice 29
Creating Beautiful Spaces for Learning
In Expeditionary Learning schools, the physical space of the school refects and supports the learning environment. When people
enter the school, they are immediately aware that they are in a place that celebrates learning. Te walls of the school are flled with
high-quality student work showcased in common spaces and classrooms. Student work is displayed in a way that honors the work,
giving parts of the school a museum quality that inspires student and community pride. Work is often supported by explanatory
text that includes student voice and refection. Te mission of the school is evident to guests, students, and teachers in every
hallway. Student achievement-academic, artistic, athletic, and related to character and citizenship-is honored in public spaces.
Students themselves are leaders in caring for common spaces within the school and on the school grounds, helping to make and
keep the school as beautiful as possible.
A. Physical Environment
1. School leaders, teachers, and students ensure that
classrooms and common spaces are clean and maintained
with care and pride. Whenever possible, students are leaders
in this work.
2. Te primary entryways for the school are welcoming and
beautiful, with displays that send a clear message that the
school is a place of high achievement and quality student
work. Signage makes the values and mission of the school
clear to all, and communicates the schools membership in
the EL network.
3. High-quality student work, rather than commercial posters
and signs, is displayed in classrooms and common spaces.
Student work is supported with text that makes clear what
students learned.
4. As much as possible, classrooms are rich with resources for
student learning (e.g., books, technology, manipulatives, art
supplies, science equipment, models, natural specimens).
5. Classrooms are set up to facilitate student thinking,
independence, and care for materials. Supplies are well-
organized and labeled; expectations, directions, schedules,
and protocols are posted; and walls feature artisically
composed displays of the current academic work of the class
as well as anchor charts representing key learning.
6. Students take primary responsibility for the care of
classroom resources. Everything, especially live plants and
animals, is treated with great respect and concern.
7. Items from the natural world (e.g., plants, rocks and
minerals, bones, aquariums and terrariums with live
animals) are displayed and cared for as they would be in a
museum.
8. Student achievement in multiple realms is celebrated
throughout the building. Achievement in academics,
character, arts, service learning, and sports are showcased.
9. Outdoor spaces (e.g., gardens, courtyards) are cared for and
invite teachers and students to connect the natural world to
their classroom learning.
B. Documenting Student Learning
1. Traditional bulletin boards are replaced with artful display
boards created by teachers and students that feature
explanatory text. Almost always, the work of all students is
featured, not just that of a select few, compelling all students
to create work of quality.
2. In addition to display boards, the school features museum-
style documentation panels. Documentation panels explain
student learning through an artistic arrangement of student
work, explanatory text, tasks, scoring guides, photographs,
quotes from students and teachers, rough and fnal draft
student work, and student and teacher refections.
3. Teachers and students use anchor charts and concept maps
to document learning during lessons. Tese charts and maps
are posted in the classroom to reinforce understanding and
provoke thinking.
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Core Practice 30
Promoting Adventure
A clear expression of Expeditionary Learning's roots in Outward Bound, the spirit and experience of adventure permeates EL
schools. It helps to create the student engagement and focus on character that distinguishes the EL experience. Adventure can be
any physical, artistic, or intellectual experience that involves risk, challenge, and discovery. Every adventure has a strong element
of entering the unknown and not being certain of the outcome. EL promotes the kind of adventures that create opportunities for
leadership and collaboration as groups of students and teachers face challenges together. Together, students and adults discover
they can do more than they thought was possible, and fnd aspects of themselves that they didnt know were there.
Refection is a vital component of such adventures, so that each experience is a rich opportunity for learning about oneself, ones
peers, and the world. Teachers take care when planning adventures to ensure physical and emotional safety as they promote risk-
taking and courageous action.
A. The Role of Adventure
1. Physical, intellectual, and artistic adventure is embedded
in the schools traditions and rites of passage, building
community and providing opportunity for leadership and
teamwork.
2. When possible, school leaders and teachers experience
outdoor adventure and investigate the natural world
through feldwork, Outward Bound courses, or school-
organized wilderness and nature experiences.
3. Students have multiple opportunities to refect and learn
from successes and challenges in their physical, intellectual,
and artistic adventures.
B. Integrating Adventure
1. Students engage in intellectual adventure through learning
expeditions, projects, presentations, and performances,
which motivate them to conduct original research, complete
real-world work, collaborate with professionals, take on
multiple perspectives, defend positions, and take risks in
learning.
2. When students leave the building for feldwork, whether
in the natural world or in a city environment, it is
expected and purposeful that some students and teachers
will be stretched beyond their comfort zone. It is in this
environment-taking risks with thoughtful support-that
the most powerful learning often takes place.
3. Within the school building, opportunities for students to
lead or be a part of new school initiatives, structures (e.g.,
leadership teams, peer mediation groups), and performances
often stretch students beyond their comfort zone and
provide opportunities for them to surprise themselves with
their capabilities.
4. Students refect on their successes, challenges, and personal
growth in physical, intellectual, and artistic adventure (e.g.,
risk-taking, courage, perseverance).
5. Teachers explicitly connect adventure experiences to the
schools character expectations and habits of scholarship.
Such experiences include projects, presentations,
performances, feldwork, collaborative and problem-solving
games, Outward Bound courses, outdoor challenges, and
team and individual sports.
C. Ensuring Safety
1. Te school has policies and protocols to ensure that physical
education classes, physical adventure programming, and
feldwork are safe.
2. Teachers use norms, character expectations, and habits of
scholarship, as well as clear structures and strategies for
teaching collaborative skills and confict resolution, to
ensure emotional safety and to promote courage and risk-
taking in intellectual adventure.
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KEY HSD 000215
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Leadership
Expeditionary Learning school leaders build a cohesive
school vision focused on student achievement and
continuous improvement, and they align all activities in the
school to that vision. Leaders use data wisely, boldly shape
school structures to best meet student needs, celebrate
joy in learning, and build a school-wide culture of trust
and collaboration. Leadership in EL schools goes beyond a
single person or team
-
it is a role and expectation for all.
Fostering a School Vision and Strategy
Structuring Time to Support the Vision
Aligning Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment for
Student Achievement
Using Data to Drive Instruction
Cultivating a Positive School Culture
Leading Professional Learning
Promoting Shared Leadership
Shaping School Operations to Elevate Student
Achievement
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Core Practice 31
Fostering a School Vision and Strategy
A cohesive, clear vision for teaching and learning aligns all aspects of an Expeditionary Learning school-curriculum, instruction,
assessment, culture and character, and leadership-to student learning. Tis vision transforms schools into purposeful places of
learning where both students and teachers are fully engaged, working together toward a common vision. Refection and data
analysis ensure strategic, continuous improvement. EL school leaders unite their staf and broader communities around an
inspirational vision of student success. Te school's vision combines academic scholarship with active citizenship for a better
world.
A. Creating, Supporting, and
Communicating School Vision and
Strategy
1. School leaders create and bring to life a shared vision for
school success centered on rigorous academics, efective
instruction, and an empowering school culture. Student
achievement is at the heart of the vision.
2. School leaders clearly articulate how implementing the EL
design principles and core practices helps the school achieve
its vision.
3. School leaders align school policies, resources, structures,
decision-making processes, and other leadership actions
with the vision.
4. School leaders identify and remove impediments from the
path to achieving the vision.
5. School leaders continuously champion the vision to all
stakeholders through formal communications, interpersonal
relationships, and artifacts within the school environment.
6. School leaders develop broad support within the community
to advocate for the school and its vision.
7. School leaders actively monitor progress toward achieving
the vision and share progress with all stakeholders to
interpret fndings and leverage change.
B. Planning for Improvement
1. School leaders ensure that time is set aside and used for
school improvement planning.
2. School leaders develop a clearly articulated EL work plan-
usually a subset of a school improvement plan-that aligns a
few prioritized goals, objectives, strategies, and evidence of
attainment.
3. School leaders solicit input on the work plan from staf and
other partners, including EL staf.
4. School leaders allocate time, funds, and staf in order to
achieve school improvement and work plan goals.
5. School leaders partner with EL to provide organized,
strategic professional development designed to meet work
plan goals.
6. School leaders ensure that all initiatives are aligned with the
prioritized goals, objectives, and strategies.
C. Using Data to Set Goals and Monitor
Progress
1. Teachers and school leaders articulate various levels of
goals-from grade-level to individual student goals that are
aligned with school-wide improvement goals.
2. School improvement and work plans are regularly
monitored, and data collection (both quantitative and
qualitative) related to annual goals is ongoing.
3. School leaders create structures for tracking and celebrating
progress toward goals using data walls and data dashboards,
which allow teachers and students to track progress on an
ongoing basis.
D. Assessing Annual Progress
1. School leaders establish and communicate a process to
track goals and communicate the impact that improvement
eforts have on student achievement, engagement, and
character development.
2. School leaders participate in the annual EL Implementation
Review and use feedback from it, along with other sources
of data, to assess growth and inform the creation of future
work plan and school improvement goals.
3. School leaders and their support staf maintain and share
data in order for EL to monitor performance and improve
network-wide practices.
Leadership
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Core Practice 32
Structuring Time to Support the Vision
Expeditionary Learning schools use time fexibly and variably to respond to the needs of students and the priorities of the
school. While each school is unique, there are key features that all EL schools have in common: extended blocks of class
time, a commitment to integration of the disciplines, opportunities for student research and contribution beyond the school
walls, challenging curriculum and high expectations for every student, and common planning time for teachers. Te schedule
accommodates project work, feldwork, service learning, community meetings, exhibitions of learning, and fexible groupings of
students. Time is scheduled during the school year and summer for whole-school professional development and collaboration
across grade levels and subject areas.
A. Designing the School Schedule
1. School leaders build a schedule to meet identifed needs of
students as well as priorities and goals of the school.
2. School leaders customize the school calendar and schedule
to challenge and support students of all levels. Tis may
include Intensive periods between quarters, trimesters,
or semesters that provide extra support for students not
meeting learning targets and elective enrichment for those
meeting targets. It may also include before- or after-school
activities to challenge and/or support students.
3. School leaders approach scheduling comprehensively, taking
into consideration before- and after-school programs and
collaboration with other schools as well as time in class.
4. Te schedule provides time for teachers to work
collaboratively and for students to work collaboratively.
5. Te schedule allows for uninterrupted blocks of time that
foster in-depth learning.
6. Te schedule facilitates fexible groupings of students while
allowing all students access to a challenging, college-ready
curriculum and maximizing inclusion for all. Any grouping
for remediation is temporary and does not, by design, limit
future opportunities or create difering levels of expectation.
7. Te schedule is fexible to allow for feldwork and service
learning opportunities.
8. Students with disabilities and English language learners are
taught in regular education classrooms to the greatest extent
possible.
B. Creating Time for Staff Collaboration
and Learning
1. School leaders allocate resources, time, and money to
support intensive professional development during school
breaks.
2. Te school develops a calendar to guarantee time (e.g., early
release days, days between terms) and meeting structures
(e.g., whole staf, teaching teams, individual coaching) for
on-site professional development.
3. Te schedule provides uninterrupted time for individual
teacher preparation and planning, team or grade-level
planning, and meetings of the whole staf.
4. Teachers use planning time for designing curriculum,
improving instruction and assessment practices, and
refecting on and refning aspects of school culture.
5. School leaders and teachers employ structures for
productive use of common planning time, including norms,
agendas, minutes, roles for facilitation and participation, and
plans for follow-through.
Leadership
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Core Practice 33
Aligning Curriculum, Instruction, and
Assessment for Student Achievement
School leaders and teachers in Expeditionary Learning schools ensure that curriculum, instruction, and assessment are tightly
aligned to high standards for student achievement, including required district frameworks. School leaders, in coordination
with EL school designers, facilitate a collaborative process for curriculum mapping that includes a comprehensive review of
current practices, careful sequencing and prioritization of content, vertical alignment across grade levels, and opportunities for
interdisciplinary connections. Leaders support the creation of assessment plans for all curriculum units that identify formative
and summative assessments associated with standards-based learning targets. School leaders carefully monitor implementation of
agreed-upon curriculum, instruction, and assessment through frequent classroom visits and feedback to teachers.
A. Adopting Comprehensive Standards
1. School leaders adopt academic standards based on state
standards and college and career readiness. Tey work from
these standards to develop curriculum maps, using data to
determine which standards are most strategic for student
success and are of the greatest enduring value within
particular disciplines.
2. School leaders guide the adoption of school-wide character
expectations/habits of scholarship aligned with college
readiness.
3. School leaders create timelines and transition plans as
necessary when adopting new standards.
B. Mapping Curriculum
1. School leaders establish a process for creating and reviewing
skill and content maps.
2. Skill and content maps refect the importance of key
standards.
3. School leaders and teachers develop and adhere to
curriculum maps to align skills, concepts, and content
across grade levels, to ensure appropriate repetition of
key standards, and to eliminate any gaps or unnecessary
redundancies.
C. Supporting Planning, Instruction, and
Assessment
1. School leaders provide time and professional development
support for teachers to create instructional plans, including
expedition overviews, project plans, and lesson plans.
2. School leaders support teachers in developing strategic
assessment plans aligned with curriculum maps.
3. School leaders review teachers plans, provide feedback as
appropriate, and/or create opportunities for colleagues to
review and critique each others plans for rigor, alignment,
and relevance.
4. School leaders oversee the creation or selection of high-
quality interim assessments that are aligned with the
schools curriculum.
D. Providing Support and Accountability
1. School leaders support and hold teachers accountable for
implementing agreed-upon curricula.
2. School leaders regularly review learning targets, classroom
assessments, student achievement data, and other indicators
of practice to assess the alignment, rigor, and relevance of
curriculum, instruction, and assessment.
3. School leaders celebrate examples of strong student
achievement, curricular alignment, rigor, and relevance and
share these examples with others to replicate successful
practice.
4. School leaders invest in and ensure that teachers have access
to high-quality instructional materials and resources aligned
to school standards and curriculum.
5. School leaders invest in and ensure that teachers have access
to and use high-quality assessment tools aligned to school
standards and standardized tests.
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A. Fostering a Data Culture
1. School leaders establish and articulate a clear, consistent
vision for data use across the school and develop
organizational structures (e.g., data inquiry teams) and
faculty norms consistent with that vision.
2. School leaders consistently model data use and data-based
decision-making.
3. Teachers and school leaders demonstrate a belief in the
efcacy of using data to improve teaching and learning.
4. Teachers and school leaders demonstrate a commitment to
no blame collaboration coupled with shared accountability
for results.
5. School leaders empower teachers to collaboratively analyze
data and to make critical data-based decisions.
6. Teachers and school leaders select and utilize appropriate
technology to support data collection so that they have
access to data in formats that are easy to interpret, analyze,
and act upon.
7. Teachers and school leaders participate in ongoing
professional development to build their capacity to
efectively analyze multiple types of data and properly
interpret results.
8. School leaders support collection and analysis of high-
quality data from multiple sources.
a. Data about student performance may be drawn from the
following:
i. School progress reports
ii. Standardized tests (local, state, and national)
iii. Performance assessments
iv. Student work
v. Classroom observations
vi. Student presentations of learning
vii. Post-graduation performance indicators (e.g., college
acceptance, persistence, success)
b. Data about student character and school-wide culture
may be drawn from the following:
i. School surveys
ii. Attendance, attrition, promotion, and graduation
records
iii. Discipline records
iv. Student engagement and motivation measures
v. Habits of scholarships/character portions of progress
reports
vi. Classroom observations
vii. Student presentations
B. Developing Data Inquiry Teams
1. Grade-level teams and/or academic departments form data
inquiry teams. Every teacher in the school participates in
a data inquiry team. Tese teams regularly collaborate to
examine data from formative and summative assessments.
2. Data inquiry teams conduct item-level and standard-level
analysis for individual students, subgroups, and classes.
3. Data inquiry teams create and monitor action plans based
on their analysis of student data. Tese action plans include
steps that all teachers will take to support increased student
achievement (e.g., reteaching, tuning of curriculum,
academic interventions).
4. Interim assessments are administered by teachers and
analyzed by data inquiry teams.
C. Engaging Students with Data
1. Teachers engage students in regular data-based
conversations about progress toward learning targets in
academics and character.
Core Practice 34
Using Data to Drive Instruction
Teachers and school leaders in Expeditionary Learning schools collect and analyze data to understand student achievement, assess
teaching practices, and make informed decisions about instruction. Data inquiry teams analyze and disaggregate various data to
determine patterns of performance. Tese teams emphasize collaborative inquiry as the keystone for productive data use. Tey use
multiple sources of data, including and going beyond test scores (e.g., classroom assessments, student work, student engagement
indicators). EL schools invest in the capacity of every teacher to access, understand, and use data efectively.
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2. Students use their classwork as a data source, analyzing
strengths, weaknesses, and patterns to improve their work.
3. Students track their progress on interim assessments, analyze
their errors for patterns, and describe what data tells them
about their current level of performance.
4. Students use data to set goals and refect on their progress
over time. Tey incorporate data analysis into student-led
conferences.
D. Using Data to Ensure Equity
1. School leaders and teachers disaggregate and study achievement
patterns by gender and race, and by socioeconomic, English
language learner, and special education status.
2. Teachers know the achievement patterns of subgroups of
students in their classrooms and of subgroups in the school as a
whole.
3. School leaders and teachers use data to monitor and address
achievement gaps.
Using Data to Drive Instruction (continued)
Leadership
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A. Modeling an Expeditionary Learning
School Culture
1. School leaders champion a positive student culture school-
wide. Tey devote time and attention to developing and
maintaining traditions, systems, and structures necessary to
support school culture.
2. School leaders celebrate and defne the values of EL
through their daily words and actions, displays and
materials related to the school vision, and community
meetings and public events.
3. School leaders model and promote EL traditions such as
opening readings, team-building activities, and staf and
student recognition for achievement and acts of character
to build and sustain both staf culture and whole-school
culture.
4. All staf members take responsibility for all students, not
just the ones they interact with regularly, and act proactively
to ensure that the schools code of character is demonstrated
in hallways and common spaces, and during school-
sponsored events of the school grounds.
5. All staf members model the schools code of character in
their words and actions.
6. All staf members frame and address issues related to
student discipline constructively, in line with the EL
commitment to fostering a strong school culture and
individual student character.
7. All staf members believe in all kids, appreciate diversity,
and apply a problem-solving orientation. Tey always
discuss students and their families respectfully.
B. Building a Professional Culture of
Learning
1. School leaders model and actively foster the critical
attributes of trust necessary for achievement: respect,
integrity, competence, and personal regard for others.
2. School leaders intentionally model efective instructional
practices in staf meetings, professional development, and
team meetings.
3. School leaders ensure that new teachers have strong
mentoring and professional development suited to their
needs.
4. School leaders establish and maintain structures such as
mentoring, teaming, and peer observation to build trust and
promote professional growth.
5. School leaders refect regularly on their own progress
toward personal goals and toward addressing school
goals, modeling for staf and students an ethic of self-
improvement.
6. All staf members in the school are themselves learners,
willing to implement and master new practices and model
learning for students.
C. Promoting Effective Collaboration
1. School leaders and staf establish norms for working
together. Tey build systems that compel and support
the group to adhere to those norms in all settings (e.g.,
protocols, check-ins, refections).
2. School leaders use protocols that foster productive,
collaborative inquiry and conversations focused on teaching
and learning, including working collectively to examine and
evaluate instructional plans, assessment plans, student work,
and data.
Core Practice 35
Cultivating a Positive School Culture
All staf members in Expeditionary Learning schools are part of a community of learners. Tey work together on behalf of
students to improve the schools program, share expertise, build knowledge in their disciplines, and model collaborative learning.
Staf culture is characterized by trust and respectful collegiality. Teachers focus on solutions free of judgment, blame, and
defensiveness and support each other in improving their practice. School leaders, teachers, and students join together to maintain
a school culture characterized by self-discipline, compassion, collaboration, and joy in learning.
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3. Trough statements, structures, and actions, school leaders
regularly reinforce the notion that trust in one another is a
foundation for success.
4. School leaders support teachers to expand their repertoire of
practices by drawing on the strengths of colleagues in other
disciplines.
5. School leaders cultivate shared ownership of successes,
challenges, and change initiatives.
Leadership
Cultivating a Positive School Culture (continued)
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A. Leading Change
1. School leaders assume primary responsibility for increasing
student achievement, implementing the EL model, and
coordinating on-site professional development aligned with
the schools work plan.
2. School leaders model being lead learners by participating
in on-site and of-site professional development ofered by
EL as needed to ensure the success of the school.
3. School leaders continue to develop their own knowledge
and skills in efective leadership, curriculum, instruction,
assessment, and school culture.
B. Recruiting and Hiring Teachers
1. School leaders reach beyond the traditional applicant pool
to proactively recruit and select teachers who demonstrate
an alignment with the schools vision and the EL model
through their professional experience, written application
materials and interview process.
2. School leaders recruit and select teachers who display a
passion for raising student achievement, a belief in every
students capacity for leadership and critical thinking, and
the ability to form strong relationships with students and
their families.
3. School leaders intentionally seek innovative, creative
thinkers and cultivate a faculty with diverse perspectives
and backgrounds while also building a cohesive team that is
unselfshly committed to the common vision and mission of
the school.
4. School leaders use clear protocols and processes to hire
teachers and other school staf. Tey involve other faculty
members (and sometimes students, parents and/or
community partners) through hiring committees, group
interview processes and other structures.
5. School leaders require fnalists for positions to demonstrate
their profciency with best practices (e.g., presenting sample
curricula, facilitating a lesson with students or adults,
sharing a portfolio of their work with students).
C. Setting Clear Expectations for Staff
Roles and Responsibilities
1. School leaders establish and maintain clearly articulated
roles and responsibilities for all positions in the organization
in order to implement the vision and goals of the school.
2. School leaders allocate staf members tactically and fexibly
to best meet student needs.
3. Organizational charts communicate relationships and
clarify supervision responsibilities.
4. Job descriptions, performance expectations, and evaluation
processes align to identify the professional knowledge and
skills necessary to achieve the schools vision.
5. School leaders ensure competency (e.g., fulfllment of
each individuals formal responsibilities) to build trust and
achieve the vision.
D. Supporting Professional Growth
1. School and district leaders analyze budgets to maximize
resource allocation for professional development.
2. School leaders ensure a high level of staf participation in
on-site and of-site professional development.
3. School leaders align professional development with the
goals and targets identifed in the work plan.
4. School leaders provide the necessary resources to develop
every teachers content knowledge and instructional
repertoire, ensuring school-wide excellence.
5. School leaders support inquiry-based staf development
approaches such as study groups, coaching, and structured
observations to help teachers focus on the relationship
between student learning and instructional and assessment
practices.
Core Practice 36
Leading Professional Learning
School leaders in Expeditionary Learning schools focus on improving student achievement by developing quality teachers. School
leaders establish and communicate high expectations. Tey align professional development, feedback, and coaching with formal
evaluation systems in order to promote the professional growth of every teacher and ensure school-wide excellence.
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6. School leaders actively support building-based coaches and
instructional guides. Leaders attend to coaches learning
and development through frequent communication, direct
supervision, and explicit guidance regarding professional
growth.
7. School leaders reinforce and institutionalize the
implementation of EL practices through observation,
coaching, and evaluation processes.
8. Staf members who demonstrate a high level of success and
engagement with the EL model share their expertise with
the greater network.
E. Providing Frequent Descriptive
Feedback
1. Learning Walks
a. Teams of school leaders and teachers regularly conduct
learning walks or other forms of protocol-driven
walkthroughs in order to discuss and defne the qualities
of efective instruction and to identify patterns of
instructional strengths and areas for improvement across
classrooms.
b. School leaders and teachers identify areas of focus for
learning walks connected to school goals.
c. School leaders and teachers provide timely and specifc
written feedback to the whole staf focused on the
observed patterns of practice.
2. Mini-Observations
a. Principals and other school leaders supplement formal
observations with shorter, targeted mini-observations.
b. Mini-observations may be set up as lower-stakes visits,
focused on descriptive feedback, as opposed to evaluative
feedback. When used as part of a formal evaluation, these
observations are linked to criteria and/or rubrics used in
formal evaluation processes.
c. Mini-observations result in immediate feedback to
teachers focused on instructional priorities and school
goals.
F. Coaching Teachers
1. Coaching is linked to the schools improvement priorities
and a teachers instructional priorities.
2. Instructional coaching is focused on student achievement
and includes data collection.
3. All teachers, whether one-on-one or in small groups,
engage in nonevaluative coaching cycles with instructional
coaches and/or EL school designers. Sustainable coaching is
grounded by school-wide structures and systems.
4. Instructional coaching cycles include goal setting, learning,
observation and data collection, and refection.
G. Using Data to Inform Coaching and
Supervision
1. School leaders and coaches meet individually with
teachers to discuss data trends in their classrooms. Tese
conversations are designed to be safe and supportive and
are based on data from interim assessments, state tests, and
teacher-designed tasks.
2. School leaders and teachers discuss specifc students and
assessment tasks to identify successes and challenges.
3. School leaders and coaches use these conversations to
identify methods of support and professional development
actions to encourage individual teacher growth.
4. School leaders and teachers disaggregate data by teacher
and program to study patterns of teacher and program
performance, with proper cautions regarding simplistic
assumptions of causality.
H. Evaluating Teachers
1. To the greatest extent possible, the evaluation tool
prioritizes student achievement and growth and includes
measures that encompass ELs expanded vision of student
achievement.
2. To the greatest extent possible, the evaluation tool includes
specifc criteria for teacher performance aligned with the
EL model.
3. School leaders align observations, data analysis, and
feedback with evaluation tools to support teacher growth
and provide assessment for learning.
4. School leaders identify opportunities for expanded teacher
leadership linked to strong performance as indicated by
teacher evaluation tools.
5. Teachers participate in their own evaluation process through
structures such as self-assessment, goal setting, and the
creation of a body of evidence that demonstrates their
growth and achievement.
Leading Professional Learning (continued)
Leadership
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A. Developing Leadership Teams
1. Te leadership team acts as a collective force to increase
the learning and engagement of every student through
continuous improvement of curriculum, instruction,
assessment, and school culture in alignment with the EL
core practices and each schools unique mission.
2. Te leadership team monitors student achievement,
fosters the implementation of the EL model, and supports
continuous school improvement by developing and
following an annual work plan.
3. Te leadership team represents multiple stakeholder groups
including administrators, classroom teachers, and specialists.
In some settings it may be appropriate to include parents
and students as well.
4. Te leadership team is limited to 10 or fewer individuals,
providing balanced perspectives and expertise, but not
necessarily representing every team or stakeholder group.
5. Te leadership team clearly identifes roles and
responsibilities.
6. Te leadership team meets regularly and uses agreed-upon
norms and procedures to build trust and ensure balanced
participation.
B. Facilitating Leadership Team Data
Conversations
1. Te leadership team analyzes data related to student
achievement on standardized tests, school progress reports,
student work, and other measures related to character,
motivation, and engagement. Additionally, the leadership
team may analyze data concerning instructional practice,
school culture, and parental involvement.
2. Te leadership team uses these data to monitor progress
toward school-wide goals, adjust the work plan, allocate
resources to best support student achievement, and identify
grade levels, subgroups, and/or disciplines where additional
support is needed.
C. Upholding Shared Decision-Making
1. Te schools decision-making model articulates the kinds
of decisions to be made and who is responsible for making
each kind of decision. It is publicly shared.
2. Te school has efective mechanisms for communicating
and implementing decisions.
3. Te staf embraces and upholds decisions that support
student learning, even if they disagree with the decision
itself.
D. Engaging the School Community and
Other Stakeholders with Data
1. School leaders, teachers, families, students, and other
stakeholders engage in data-based conversations linked to
school improvement goals.
2. Te conversations are driven by questions that inform a
process of inquiry, problem-solving, and collaboration
and are guided by clear norms that support a culture of
productive data use and collective ownership of student
success.
3. Teachers and school leaders organize data displays that
support analysis by a variety of stakeholders. Te data are
presented so that they can be analyzed efectively and
efciently.
4. Teachers and school leaders make current data available
to stakeholder groups while that data is still relevant and
helpful.
5. School leaders support collection and shared analysis
of data about community engagement using multiple
sources, including student and family satisfaction surveys,
community attendance at school events, and community
events and partnerships.
Core Practice 37
Promoting Shared Leadership
Expeditionary Learning school leaders encourage school staf, families, and community members to assume leadership roles in
their areas of expertise. Supported by a leadership team, they maintain focus on teaching and learning even as they manage other
responsibilities. All stakeholders engage in data-based conversations linked to school improvement, and the school uses a clear
process for making, communicating, and implementing decisions.
Leadership
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6. School leaders support collection and shared analysis of data
about organizational performance using multiple sources,
including applications and enrollment patterns, budget targets,
resources and fundraising, and staf recruitment, retention, and
satisfaction.
7. EL school leaders use data to tell their schools stories, leverage
change, and allocate resources.
Promoting Shared Leadership (continued)
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A. Managing the Budget
1. School leaders develop and manage a sound budget to
support teaching and learning and advance the vision.
2. School leaders create long-range budgets to ensure a
sustained relationship with EL.
3. School leaders identify necessary resources to implement
the vision.
B. Sustaining Operational Systems
1. School leaders design and manage operational systems and
procedures to prevent distractions and keep the focus on
student learning.
2. School leaders manage student recruitment and enrollment
strategically to ensure equitable access, serve the community,
and meet the budget.
3. School leaders ensure the maintenance of the physical
facility and equipment to maximize learning. Tey establish
systems and structures to guarantee that maintenance
occurs safely, efciently, and efectively.
4. School leaders develop and maintain procedures for safety
and risk management.
5. School leaders ensure compliance with laws, regulations,
and policies that impact the school.
6. School leaders provide for the use of appropriate and
efective technology in the management and operations of
the school.
Core Practice 38
Shaping School Operations to Elevate Student
Achievement
In Expeditionary Learning schools, operations support student achievement. School leaders develop and manage budgets and
operational systems to create a safe, high-performing learning environment that aligns with the schools vision and values,
including comprehensive systems for resource acquisition and allocation, facility management, safety and risk management,
student recruitment and enrollment, legal and regulatory compliance, and technology.
Leadership
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A
accountability of teachers, 76
adventure, promoting, 71
annual progress, 74
apprenticeships, 67
arts instruction, 4647
assessment, 5, 5161
alignment with curriculum and instruction, 76
arts instruction, 47
choice of methods, 56
criteria lists and rubrics, 5657
efective lessons and, 33
ftness and wellness, 49
interim assessments, 58
for learning (formative), 5455
mathematics instruction, 41
of learning (summative), 5859
products and performances, 22
projects and learning targets, 21
quality assessments, creating, 5657
reading, 37
science instruction, 43
social studies instruction, 45
standardized tests, 59
student achievement, communicating, 6061
student-engaged, 5253
writing, 39
audience for products, 25
authentic purpose for products, 25
B
budget management, 85
C
case studies, 20
guiding questions in, 19
in learning expeditions, 18, 20
character. See also culture and character
global understanding, building, 26
performance, 5253, 60, 65
relational, 65
coaching of teachers, 82
Index
collaboration, 16, 7980
college and career readiness, 2728
communication with families, 68
community of learning, 64
community partnerships, building, 69
concept maps, 16
conferences, student-led, 6061
content maps, 16
core practices. See also assessment; culture and character;
curriculum; instruction; leadership
defned, 4
dimensions of, 45
educational values, 3
organizations infuencing, 86
craftsmanship, 25
crew, 27, 48, 65, 6667
criteria for success, communicating, 54
criteria lists and rubrics, 5657
critical thinking, 1, 5
curriculum and, 16
efective lessons and, 30, 32
learning expeditions and, 17
mathematics and, 40
projects and, 21
reading and, 21
critique, 33, 5455
cross-disciplinary instruction
reading, 3637
writing, 3839
culture and character, 5, 6371
adventure, promotion of, 71
arts culture, 4647
community of learning, 64
crew structures, 6667
engaging families and community, 68
fostering character, 65
mentoring, internships, and apprenticeships, 67
physical environment of school, 70
positive school culture, 7980
relationship building, 67
curiosity, 32
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curriculum, 5, 1528
alignment with instruction and assessment, 76
case studies, 20
college and career readiness, 2728
feldwork, experts, and service learning, 2324
global skills and knowledge, 26
guiding questions, 19
learning expeditions, 1718
mapping skills and content, 16, 76
producing high-quality student work, 25
projects and products, 2122
D
data collection and analysis
assessment data, 5859
community and stakeholder engagement, 8384
data inquiry teams, 77
driving instruction, 7778
ensuring equity, 78
goals and progress, 74
informing coaching and supervision, 82
leadership team and, 83
student engagement, 7778
debriefng, 31
decision-making, shared, 83
descriptive feedback, 5455
design principles, EL, 2
diferentiated instruction, 3435
discovery-based lessons, 31
E
English language learners, 35
excellence, culture of, 25
exhibitions of learning, 60
expectations, school-wide, 64
Expeditionary Learning (EL). See also core practices
academic success and, 1
approach of, 1
design principles, 2
history of, 3
organizations infuencing, 86
values of, 23
experts, 2324
F
families, engagement with, 68
feedback, descriptive, 5455
feldwork, 18, 23
5Es lessons, 31
504 Plan, 35
fexible heterogeneous grouping, 34
focus, maintaining, 32
focused revision, 55
formative assessment actions, 5455
G
games, instructional, 31
global skills and knowledge, 26
grades and grading, 60
graduation, 61
growth mindset, 52
guided practice, 31
H
habits of scholarship, 5253, 60, 65
Hahn, Kurt, 3
Harvard Graduate School of Education, 3
I
immersion experiences, 17
improvement, planning for, 74
Individual Education Plan, 35
instruction, 5, 2949
alignment with curriculum and assessment, 76
approach to, 5, 29
arts, 4647
delivering efective lessons, 3233
diferentiation in, 3437
mathematics, 4041
planning efective lessons, 3031
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reading, cross-disciplinary teaching, 3637
science, 4243
social studies, 4445
writing, cross-disciplinary teaching, 3839
internships, 67
L
lab sessions, 31
language learning, 26
leadership, 5, 7385
alignment of curriculum, instruction, and assessment, 76
data-driven instruction, 7778
fostering school vision and strategy, 74
positive school culture, 7980
professional learning and, 8182
recruitment of teachers, 81
shared, 8384
supporting student achievement, 85
time structuring, 75
leadership teams, 83
learning
assessment strategies, 5455
climate of, 64
community of, 64
environment, 1
exhibitions of, 60
physical environment documenting, 70
learning expeditions
arts and, 46
case studies, 20
choosing and focusing topic, 17
feldwork, 18, 23
fow of, 17
projects, 21
scope and components, 17
learning targets
alignment with standards and assessments, 56
communication to students, 54
purposeful learning supported by, 53
lectures, 31
lessons, efective
delivering, 3233
planning, 3031
literacy, and projects, 21
M
mapping skills and content, 16, 76
mathematics instruction, 4041
mentoring, 67
mini-lessons, 31
models, use of, 33
O
Outward Bound USA, 3
P
passages, 61
performance character, 5253, 61, 65
perseverance, and high-quality work, 25
physical education, 4849
portfolios, 61
problem-solving, 5, 29
assessments of learning, 58
in curriculum, 16
diversity and inclusion, 2
games, 65, 71
learning expeditions and, 17
mathematics, 4041
refection and, 33
school culture and, 79
shared leadership and, 83
teaching, 65
technology and, 28
products and performances
designing, 2122
exhibitions of learning, 60
producing high-quality work, 25
professional learning and development
change leadership, 81
culture of learning, 79
data informing coaching and supervision, 82
descriptive feedback, 82
expectations for roles and responsibilities, 81
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promoting collaboration, 7980
support for, 81
teacher coaching, 82
teacher evaluation, 82
progress reports, 60
projects, 21, 25
protocol-based lessons, 31, 32
purpose, creating, 32
Q
quality assessments, 5657
quality work, 22, 25
R
reading instruction, 3637
recruitment of teachers, 81
refection, 33
relationship building, 67
report cards, 60
Response to Intervention (RTI) teams, 35
revision, focused, 55
revision, structuring, 33
rigor, and high-quality work, 25
S
safety, ensuring, 71
scholarship, habits of, 5253, 60, 65
schools
physical space, 70
schedule, 75
vision and strategy, 74, 75
school-wide expectations, 64
science instruction, 4243
self-assessment, 55
service learning, 24
skill and concept maps, 16, 26
social studies instruction, 4445
special education, 1, 3435, 78
standardized tests, 59
standards, academic, 5, 16, 17, 20, 56, 76
strategic questioning, 54
student achievement, communicating, 6061
student ownership of learning, 52
student success, supporting, 33
student work, 25
student-engaged assessment, 5253
student-led conferences, 6061
students with disabilities, 3435
success criteria, 54
success, supporting students for, 33
summative assessments, 5859
T
teacher evaluation, 82
teams, leadership, 8384
technology learning, 16, 22, 28
thinking, representing, 33
time structuring, 75
traditions, EL, 64
transcripts, 60
V
video lesson formats, 31
visitors, welcoming, 68
W
wellness, 4849
workshops, 3031
writing, 3839
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We are indebted to the following organizations for their inuence on
Expeditionary Learnings core practices:
Asia Society
Assessment Training Institute
Center for Educational Policy Research
Coalition of Essential Schools
Educators for Social Responsibility
EduChange
Facing History and Ourselves
Harvard Graduate School of Education
Harvard Project Zero
Northeast Foundation for Children
Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory
Outward Bound USA
Partnership for 21st Century Skills
Project Adventure
Public Education and Business Coalition (PEBC)
Technical Education Research Center (TERC)

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Te book cover was designed by Tinkso Creative, LLC, New York, NY.
Expeditionary Learning and Outward Bound are registered marks of Outward Bound, Inc.
Copyright 2011 by Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound.
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247 West 35th Street
Eighth Floor
New York, NY 10001
www.elschools.org
A chartered entity of Outward Bound
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COMMON CORE
STATE STANDARDS
FOR
English Language Arts
&
Literacy in History/Social Studies,
Science, and Technical Subjects
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COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS & LITERACY IN HISTORY/SOCIAL STUDIES, SCIENCE, AND TECHNICAL SUBJECTS
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Introduction 3
Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/
Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects K5 9
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading 10
Reading Standards for Literature K5 11
Reading Standards for Informational Text K5 13
Reading Standards: Foundational Skills K5 15
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing 18
Writing Standards K5 19
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening 22
Speaking and Listening Standards K5 23
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language 25
Language Standards K5 26
Language Progressive Skills, by Grade 30
Standard 10: Range, Quality, and Complexity of Student Reading K5 31
Staying on Topic Within a Grade and Across Grades 33
Standards for English Language Arts 612 34
Reading Standards for Literature 612 36
Reading Standards for Informational Text 612 39
Writing Standards 612 42
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening 48
Speaking and Listening Standards 612 49
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language 51
Language Standards 612 52
Language Progressive Skills, by Grade 56
Standard 10: Range, Quality, and Complexity of Student Reading 612 57
Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies,
Science, and Technical Subjects 59
Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies 612 61
Reading Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects 612 62
Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science,
and Technical Subjects 612 64
Table of Contents
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The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in
History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects (the Standards) are
the culmination of an extended, broad-based efort to fulll the charge issued
by the states to create the next generation of K12 standards in order to help
ensure that all students are college and career ready in literacy no later than the
end of high school.
The present work, led by the Council of Chief State School Ofcers (CCSSO)
and the National Governors Association (NGA), builds on the foundation laid by
states in their decades-long work on crafting high-quality education standards.
The Standards also draw on the most important international models as well
as research and input from numerous sources, including state departments
of education, scholars, assessment developers, professional organizations,
educators from kindergarten through college, and parents, students, and other
members of the public. In their design and content, rened through successive
drafts and numerous rounds of feedback, the Standards represent a synthesis of
the best elements of standards-related work to date and an important advance
over that previous work.
As specied by CCSSO and NGA, the Standards are (1) research and evidence
based, (2) aligned with college and work expectations, (3)rigorous, and
(4) internationally benchmarked. A particular standard was included in the
document only when the best available evidence indicated that its mastery was
essential for college and career readiness in a twenty-rst-century, globally
competitive society. The Standards are intended to be a living work: as new and
better evidence emerges, the Standards will be revised accordingly.
The Standards are an extension of a prior initiative led by CCSSO and NGA to
develop College and Career Readiness (CCR) standards in reading, writing,
speaking, listening, and language as well as in mathematics. The CCR Reading,
Writing, and Speaking and Listening Standards, released in draft form in
September 2009, serve, in revised form, as the backbone for the present
document. Grade-specic K12 standards in reading, writing, speaking, listening,
and language translate the broad (and, for the earliest grades, seemingly
distant) aims of the CCR standards into age- and attainment-appropriate terms.
The Standards set requirements not only for English language arts (ELA)
but also for literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects.
Just as students must learn to read, write, speak, listen, and use language
efectively in a variety of content areas, so too must the Standards specify
the literacy skills and understandings required for college and career
readiness in multiple disciplines. Literacy standards for grade 6 and above
are predicated on teachers of ELA, history/social studies, science, and
technical subjects using their content area expertise to help students meet
the particular challenges of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language
in their respective elds. It is important to note that the 612 literacy
standards in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects are not
meant to replace content standards in those areas but rather to supplement
them. States may incorporate these standards into their standards for those
subjects or adopt them as content area literacy standards.
As a natural outgrowth of meeting the charge to dene college and career
readiness, the Standards also lay out a vision of what it means to be a literate
person in the twenty-rst century. Indeed, the skills and understandings
students are expected to demonstrate have wide applicability outside the
classroom or workplace. Students who meet the Standards readily undertake
the close, attentive reading that is at the heart of understanding and enjoying
complex works of literature. They habitually perform the critical reading
necessary to pick carefully through the staggering amount of information
available today in print and digitally. They actively seek the wide, deep, and
thoughtful engagement with high-quality literary and informational texts
that builds knowledge, enlarges experience, and broadens worldviews.
They reexively demonstrate the cogent reasoning and use of evidence
that is essential to both private deliberation and responsible citizenship in a
democratic republic. In short, students who meet the Standards develop the
skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening that are the foundation for any
creative and purposeful expression in language.
June 2, 2010
Introduction
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CCR and grade-specic standards
The CCR standards anchor the document and dene general, cross-disciplinary
literacy expectations that must be met for students to be prepared to
enter college and workforce training programs ready to succeed. The K12
grade-specic standards dene end-of-year expectations and a cumulative
progression designed to enable students to meet college and career readiness
expectations no later than the end of high school. The CCR and high school
(grades 912) standards work in tandem to dene the college and career
readiness linethe former providing broad standards, the latter providing
additional specicity. Hence, both should be considered when developing
college and career readiness assessments.
Students advancing through the grades are expected to meet each years grade-
specic standards, retain or further develop skills and understandings mastered
in preceding grades, and work steadily toward meeting the more general
expectations described by the CCR standards.
Grade levels for K8; grade bands for 910 and 1112
The Standards use individual grade levels in kindergarten through grade 8 to
provide useful specicity; the Standards use two-year bands in grades 912 to
allow schools, districts, and states exibility in high school course design.
A focus on results rather than means
By emphasizing required achievements, the Standards leave room for teachers,
curriculum developers, and states to determine how those goals should be
reached and what additional topics should be addressed. Thus, the Standards
do not mandate such things as a particular writing process or the full range of
metacognitive strategies that students may need to monitor and direct their
thinking and learning. Teachers are thus free to provide students with whatever
tools and knowledge their professional judgment and experience identify as
most helpful for meeting the goals set out in the Standards.
An integrated model of literacy
Although the Standards are divided into Reading, Writing, Speaking and
Listening, and Language strands for conceptual clarity, the processes of
communication are closely connected, as reected throughout this document.
For example, Writing standard 9 requires that students be able to write
about what they read. Likewise, Speaking and Listening standard 4 sets the
expectation that students will share ndings from their research.
Research and media skills blended into the Standards as a whole
To be ready for college, workforce training, and life in a technological society,
students need the ability to gather, comprehend, evaluate, synthesize, and
report on information and ideas, to conduct original research in order to answer
questions or solve problems, and to analyze and create a high volume and
extensive range of print and nonprint texts in media forms old and new. The
need to conduct research and to produce and consume media is embedded
into every aspect of todays curriculum. In like fashion, research and media
skills and understandings are embedded throughout the Standards rather than
treated in a separate section.
Shared responsibility for students literacy development
The Standards insist that instruction in reading, writing, speaking, listening,
and language be a shared responsibility within the school. The K5 standards
include expectations for reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language
applicable to a range of subjects, including but not limited to ELA. The grades
612 standards are divided into two sections, one for ELA and the other for
history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. This division reects the
unique, time-honored place of ELA teachers in developing students literacy
skills while at the same time recognizing that teachers in other areas must have
a role in this development as well.
Part of the motivation behind the interdisciplinary approach to literacy
promulgated by the Standards is extensive research establishing the need
for college and career ready students to be procient in reading complex
informational text independently in a variety of content areas. Most of the
required reading in college and workforce training programs is informational
in structure and challenging in content; postsecondary education programs
typically provide students with both a higher volume of such reading than is
generally required in K12 schools and comparatively little scafolding.
The Standards are not alone in calling for a special emphasis on informational
text. The 2009 reading framework of the National Assessment of Educational
Progress (NAEP) requires a high and increasing proportion of informational text
on its assessment as students advance through the grades.
Key Design Considerations
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Distribution of Literary and Informational Passages by Grade in
the 2009 NAEP Reading Framework
Grade Literary Informational
4 50% 50%
8 45% 55%
12 30% 70%
Source: National Assessment Governing Board. (2008). Reading framework for the 2009 National Assess-
ment of Educational Progress. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Ofce.
The Standards aim to align instruction with this framework so that many more
students than at present can meet the requirements of college and career
readiness. In K5, the Standards follow NAEPs lead in balancing the reading
of literature with the reading of informational texts, including texts in history/
social studies, science, and technical subjects. In accord with NAEPs growing
emphasis on informational texts in the higher grades, the Standards demand
that a signicant amount of reading of informational texts take place in and
outside the ELA classroom. Fullling the Standards for 612 ELA requires
much greater attention to a specic category of informational textliterary
nonctionthan has been traditional. Because the ELA classroom must focus
on literature (stories, drama, and poetry) as well as literary nonction, a great
deal of informational reading in grades 612 must take place in other classes if
the NAEP assessment framework is to be matched instructionally.
1
To measure
students growth toward college and career readiness, assessments aligned with
the Standards should adhere to the distribution of texts across grades cited in
the NAEP framework.
NAEP likewise outlines a distribution across the grades of the core purposes
and types of student writing. The 2011 NAEP framework, like the Standards,
cultivates the development of three mutually reinforcing writing capacities:
writing to persuade, to explain, and to convey real or imagined experience.
Evidence concerning the demands of college and career readiness gathered
during development of the Standards concurs with NAEPs shifting emphases:
standards for grades 912 describe writing in all three forms, but, consistent
with NAEP, the overwhelming focus of writing throughout high school should
be on arguments and informative/explanatory texts.
2

1
The percentages on the table reect the sum of student reading, not just reading in ELA
settings. Teachers of senior English classes, for example, are not required to devote 70
percent of reading to informational texts. Rather, 70 percent of student reading across the
grade should be informational.
2
As with reading, the percentages in the table reect the sum of student writing, not just
writing in ELA settings.
Distribution of Communicative Purposes by Grade
in the 2011 NAEP Writing Framework
Grade To Persuade To Explain To Convey Experience
4 30% 35% 35%
8 35% 35% 30%
12 40% 40% 20%
Source: National Assessment Governing Board. (2007). Writing framework for the 2011 National
Assessment of Educational Progress, pre-publication edition. Iowa City, IA: ACT, Inc.
It follows that writing assessments aligned with the Standards should adhere to
the distribution of writing purposes across grades outlined by NAEP.
Focus and coherence in instruction and assessment
While the Standards delineate specic expectations in reading, writing,
speaking, listening, and language, each standard need not be a separate focus
for instruction and assessment.Often, several standards can be addressed by
a single rich task.For example, when editing writing, students address Writing
standard 5 (Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising,
editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach) as well as Language standards 13
(which deal with conventions of standard English and knowledge of language).
When drawing evidence from literary and informational texts per Writing
standard 9, students are also demonstrating their comprehension skill in relation
to specic standards in Reading. When discussing something they have
read or written, students are also demonstrating their speaking and listening
skills.The CCR anchor standards themselves provide another source of focus
and coherence.
The same ten CCR anchor standards for Reading apply to both literary and
informational texts, including texts in history/social studies, science, and
technical subjects.The ten CCR anchor standards for Writing cover numerous
text types and subject areas. This means that students can develop mutually
reinforcing skills and exhibit mastery of standards for reading and writing across
a range of texts and classrooms.
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1. The Standards dene what all students are expected to know and be
able to do, not how teachers should teach. For instance, the use of
play with young children is not specied by the Standards, but it is
welcome as a valuable activity in its own right and as a way to help
students meet the expectations in this document. Furthermore, while
the Standards make references to some particular forms of content,
including mythology, foundational U.S. documents, and Shakespeare,
they do notindeed, cannotenumerate all or even most of the
content that students should learn. The Standards must therefore
be complemented by a well-developed, content-rich curriculum
consistent with the expectations laid out in this document.
2. While the Standards focus on what is most essential, they do not
describe all that can or should be taught. A great deal is left to
the discretion of teachers and curriculum developers. The aim of
the Standards is to articulate the fundamentals, not to set out an
exhaustive list or a set of restrictions that limits what can be taught
beyond what is specied herein.
3. The Standards do not dene the nature of advanced work for students
who meet the Standards prior to the end of high school. For those
students, advanced work in such areas as literature, composition,
language, and journalism should be available. This work should provide
the next logical step up from the college and career readiness baseline
established here.
4. The Standards set grade-specic standards but do not dene the
intervention methods or materials necessary to support students
who are well below or well above grade-level expectations. No set of
grade-specic standards can fully reect the great variety in abilities,
needs, learning rates, and achievement levels of students in any given
classroom. However, the Standards do provide clear signposts along
the way to the goal of college and career readiness for all students.

5. It is also beyond the scope of the Standards to dene the full range of
supports appropriate for English language learners and for students
with special needs. At the same time, all students must have the
opportunity to learn and meet the same high standards if they are to
access the knowledge and skills necessary in their posthigh school
lives.

Each grade will include students who are still acquiring English.
For those students, it ispossibleto meet thestandards in reading,
writing, speaking, and listening without displaying native-like control
of conventions and vocabulary.

The Standards should also be read as allowing for the widest
possible range of students to participate fully from the outset and
as permitting appropriate accommodations to ensure maximum
participation of students with special education needs. For example,
for students with disabilities reading should allow for the use of
Braille, screen-reader technology, or other assistive devices, while
writing should include the use of a scribe, computer, or speech-to-
text technology. In a similar vein, speaking and listening should be
interpreted broadly to include sign language.
6. While the ELA and content area literacy components described
herein are critical to college and career readiness, they do not
dene the whole of such readiness. Students require a wide-
ranging, rigorous academic preparation and, particularly in the early
grades, attention to such matters as social, emotional, and physical
development and approaches to learning. Similarly, the Standards
dene literacy expectations in history/social studies, science, and
technical subjects, but literacy standards in other areas, such
as mathematics and health education, modeled on those in this
document are strongly encouraged to facilitate a comprehensive,
schoolwide literacy program.
What is Not Covered by the Standards
The Standards should be recognized for what they are not as well as what they are. The most important intentional design limitations are as follows:
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They demonstrate independence.
Students can, without signicant scafolding, comprehend and evaluate
complex texts across a range of types and disciplines, and they can construct
efective arguments and convey intricate or multifaceted information. Likewise,
students are able independently to discern a speakers key points, request
clarication, and ask relevant questions. They build on others ideas, articulate
their own ideas, and conrm they have been understood. Without prompting,
they demonstrate command of standard English and acquire and use a
wide-ranging vocabulary. More broadly, they become self-directed learners,
efectively seeking out and using resources to assist them, including teachers,
peers, and print and digital reference materials.
They build strong content knowledge.
Students establish a base of knowledge across a wide range of subject matter
by engaging with works of quality and substance. They become procient
in new areas through research and study. They read purposefully and listen
attentively to gain both general knowledge and discipline-specic expertise.
They rene and share their knowledge through writing and speaking.
They respond to the varying demands of audience, task, purpose,
and discipline.
Students adapt their communication in relation to audience, task, purpose, and
discipline. They set and adjust purpose for reading, writing, speaking, listening,
and language use as warranted by the task. They appreciate nuances, such as
how the composition of an audience should afect tone when speaking and
how the connotations of words afect meaning. They also know that diferent
disciplines call for diferent types of evidence (e.g., documentary evidence in
history, experimental evidence in science).

They comprehend as well as critique.
Students are engaged and open-mindedbut discerningreaders and listeners.
They work diligently to understand precisely what an author or speaker is
saying, but they also question an authors or speakers assumptions and
premises and assess the veracity of claims and the soundness of reasoning.
They value evidence.
Students cite specic evidence when ofering an oral or written interpretation
of a text. They use relevant evidence when supporting their own points in
writing and speaking, making their reasoning clear to the reader or listener, and
they constructively evaluate others use of evidence.
They use technology and digital media strategically and capably.
Students employ technology thoughtfully to enhance their reading, writing,
speaking, listening, and language use. They tailor their searches online to
acquire useful information efciently, and they integrate what they learn using
technology with what they learn ofine. They are familiar with the strengths and
limitations of various technological tools and mediums and can select and use
those best suited to their communication goals.
They come to understand other perspectives and cultures.
Students appreciate that the twenty-rst-century classroom and workplace
are settings in which people from often widely divergent cultures and who
represent diverse experiences and perspectives must learn and work together.
Students actively seek to understand other perspectives and cultures through
reading and listening, and they are able to communicate efectively with
people of varied backgrounds. They evaluate other points of view critically
and constructively. Through reading great classic and contemporary works
of literature representative of a variety of periods, cultures, and worldviews,
students can vicariously inhabit worlds and have experiences much diferent
than their own.
Students Who are College and Career Ready
in Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening, and Language
The descriptions that follow are not standards themselves but instead ofer a portrait of students who meet the standards set out in this document. As students
advance through the grades and master the standards in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language, they are able to exhibit with increasing fullness and
regularity these capacities of the literate individual.
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How to Read This Document
Overall Document Organization
The Standards comprise three main sections: a comprehensive K5 section
and two content areaspecic sections for grades 612, one for ELA and one
for history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. Three appendices
accompany the main document.
Each section is divided into strands. K5 and 612 ELA have Reading, Writing,
Speaking and Listening, and Language strands; the 612 history/ social studies,
science, and technical subjects section focuses on Reading and Writing. Each
strand is headed by a strand-specic set of College and Career Readiness
Anchor Standards that is identical across all grades and content areas.
Standards for each grade within K8 and for grades 910 and 1112 follow the
CCR anchor standards in each strand. Each grade-specic standard (as these
standards are collectively referred to) corresponds to the same-numbered
CCR anchor standard. Put another way, each CCR anchor standard has an
accompanying grade-specic standard translating the broader CCR statement
into grade-appropriate end-of-year expectations.
Individual CCR anchor standards can be identied by their strand, CCR status,
and number (R.CCR.6, for example). Individual grade-specic standards can
be identied by their strand, grade, and number (or number and letter, where
applicable), so that RI.4.3, for example, stands for Reading, Informational Text,
grade 4, standard 3 and W.5.1a stands for Writing, grade 5, standard 1a. Strand
designations can be found in brackets alongside the full strand title.
Who is responsible for which portion of the Standards
A single K5 section lists standards for reading, writing, speaking, listening,
and language across the curriculum, reecting the fact that most or all of the
instruction students in these grades receive comes from one teacher. Grades
612 are covered in two content areaspecic sections, the rst for the English
language arts teacher and the second for teachers of history/social studies,
science, and technical subjects. Each section uses the same CCR anchor
standards but also includes grade-specic standards tuned to the literacy
requirements of the particular discipline(s).
Key Features of the Standards
Reading: Text complexity and the growth of comprehension
The Reading standards place equal emphasis on the sophistication of what
students read and the skill with which they read. Standard 10 denes a grade-by-
grade staircase of increasing text complexity that rises from beginning reading
to the college and career readiness level. Whatever they are reading, students
must also show a steadily growing ability to discern more from and make fuller
use of text, including making an increasing number of connections among ideas
and between texts, considering a wider range of textual evidence, and becoming
more sensitive to inconsistencies, ambiguities, and poor reasoning in texts.
Writing: Text types, responding to reading, and research
The Standards acknowledge the fact that whereas some writing skills, such
as the ability to plan, revise, edit, and publish, are applicable to many types of
writing, other skills are more properly dened in terms of specic writing types:
arguments, informative/explanatory texts, and narratives. Standard 9 stresses
the importance of the writing-reading connection by requiring students to draw
upon and write about evidence from literary and informational texts. Because
of the centrality of writing to most forms of inquiry, research standards are
prominently included in this strand, though skills important to research are
infused throughout the document.
Speaking and Listening: Flexible communication and collaboration
Including but not limited to skills necessary for formal presentations, the
Speaking and Listening standards require students to develop a range of
broadly useful oral communication and interpersonal skills. Students must learn
to work together, express and listen carefully to ideas, integrate information
from oral, visual, quantitative, and media sources, evaluate what they hear, use
media and visual displays strategically to help achieve communicative purposes,
and adapt speech to context and task.
Language: Conventions, efective use, and vocabulary
The Language standards include the essential rules of standard written
and spoken English, but they also approach language as a matter of craft
and informed choice among alternatives. The vocabulary standards focus on
understanding words and phrases, their relationships, and their nuances and on
acquiring new vocabulary, particularly general academic and domain-specic
words and phrases.
Appendices A, B, and C
Appendix A contains supplementary material on reading, writing, speaking and
listening, and language as well as a glossary of key terms. Appendix B consists of
text exemplars illustrating the complexity, quality, and range of reading appropriate
for various grade levels with accompanying sample performance tasks. Appendix
C includes annotated samples demonstrating at least adequate performance in
student writing at various grade levels.
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&
Literacy in History/Social Studies,
K5
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College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading
The K5 standards on the following pages dene what students should understand and be able to do by
the end of each grade. They correspond to the College and Career Readiness (CCR) anchor standards
below by number. The CCR and grade-specic standards are necessary complementsthe former
providing broadstandards, the latter providingadditionalspecicitythat together dene the skills and
understandings that all students must demonstrate.
Key Ideas and Details
1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specic
textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting
details and ideas.
3. Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.
Craft and Structure
4. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and
gurative meanings, and analyze how specic word choices shape meaning or tone.
5. Analyze the structure of texts, including how specic sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g.,
a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.
6. Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as
well as in words.*
8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specic claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well
as the relevance and sufciency of the evidence.
9. Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the
approaches the authors take.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
10. Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and prociently.
*Please see Research to Build and Present Knowledge in Writing and Comprehension and Collaboration in Speaking and Listening for
additional standards relevant to gathering, assessing, and applying information from print and digital sources.
Note on range and content
of student reading
To build a foundation for college
and career readiness, students
must read widely and deeply from
among a broad range of high-quality,
increasingly challenging literary and
informational texts.Through extensive
reading of stories, dramas, poems,
and myths from diverse cultures and
diferent time periods, students gain
literary and cultural knowledge as
well as familiarity with various text
structures and elements. By reading
texts in history/social studies, science,
and other disciplines, students build
a foundation of knowledge in these
elds that will also give them the
background to be better readers in all
content areas. Students can only gain
this foundation when the curriculum is
intentionally and coherently structured
to develop rich content knowledge
within and across grades. Students
also acquire the habits of reading
independently and closely, which are
essential to their future success.
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RL Reading Standards for Literature K5 RL
The following standards ofer a focus for instruction each year and help ensure that students gain adequate exposure to a range of texts and tasks. Rigor is also
infused through the requirement that students read increasingly complex texts through the grades. Students advancing through the grades are expected to meet
each years grade-specic standards and retain or further develop skills and understandings mastered in preceding grades.
Kindergartners: Grade 1 students: Grade 2 students:
1. With prompting and support, ask and answer
questions about key details in a text.
1. Ask and answer questions about key details in a
text.
1. Ask and answer such questions as who, what,
where, when, why, and how to demonstrate
understanding of key details in a text.
2. With prompting and support, retell familiar
stories, including key details.
2. Retell stories, including key details, and
demonstrate understanding of their central
message or lesson.
2. Recount stories, including fables and folktales
from diverse cultures, and determine their central
message, lesson, or moral.
3. With prompting and support, identify characters,
settings, and major events in a story.
3. Describe characters, settings, and major events in
a story, using key details.
3. Describe how characters in a story respond to
major events and challenges.
Craft and Structure
4. Ask and answer questions about unknown words
in a text.
4. Identify words and phrases in stories or poems
that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.
4. Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular
beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply
rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.
5. Recognize common types of texts (e.g.,
storybooks, poems).
5. Explain major diferences between books that tell
stories and books that give information, drawing
on a wide reading of a range of text types.
5. Describe the overall structure of a story, including
describing how the beginning introduces the
story and the ending concludes the action.
6. With prompting and support, name the author
and illustrator of a story and dene the role of
each in telling the story.
6. Identify who is telling the story at various points
in a text.
6. Acknowledge diferences in the points of view of
characters, including by speaking in a diferent
voice for each character when reading dialogue
aloud.
7. With prompting and support, describe the
relationship between illustrations and the story in
which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story
an illustration depicts).
7. Use illustrations and details in a story to describe
its characters, setting, or events.
7. Use information gained from the illustrations and
words in a print or digital text to demonstrate
understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.
8. (Not applicable to literature) 8. (Not applicable to literature) 8. (Not applicable to literature)
9. With prompting and support, compare and
contrast the adventures and experiences of
characters in familiar stories.
9. Compare and contrast the adventures and
experiences of characters in stories.
9. Compare and contrast two or more versions
of the same story (e.g., Cinderella stories) by
diferent authors or from diferent cultures.
10. Actively engage in group reading activities with
purpose and understanding.
10. With prompting and support, read prose and
poetry of appropriate complexity for grade 1.
10. By the end of the year, read and comprehend
literature, including stories and poetry, in the
grades 23 text complexity band prociently,
with scafolding as needed at the high end of the
range.
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RL Reading Standards for Literature K5
Grade 3 students: Grade 4 students: Grade 5 students:
1. Ask and answer questions to demonstrate
understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the
text as the basis for the answers.
1. Refer to details and examples in a text when
explaining what the text says explicitly and when
drawing inferences from the text.
1. Quote accurately from a text when explaining
what the text says explicitly and when drawing
inferences from the text.
2. Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and
myths from diverse cultures; determine the
central message, lesson, or moral and explain
how it is conveyed through key details in the text.
2. Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem
from details in the text; summarize the text.
2. Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem
from details in the text, including how characters
in a story or drama respond to challenges or
how the speaker in a poem reects upon a topic;
summarize the text.
3. Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits,
motivations, or feelings) and explain how their
actions contribute to the sequence of events.
3. Describe in depth a character, setting, or event
in a story or drama, drawing on specic details
in the text (e.g., a characters thoughts, words, or
actions).
3. Compare and contrast two or more characters,
settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing
on specic details in the text (e.g., how
characters interact).
Craft and Structure
4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as
they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from
nonliteral language.
4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases
as they are used in a text, including those
that allude to signicant characters found in
mythology (e.g., Herculean).
as they are used in a text, including gurative
language such as metaphors and similes.
5. Refer to parts of stories, dramas, and poems
when writing or speaking about a text, using
terms such as chapter, scene, and stanza;
describe how each successive part builds on
earlier sections.
5. Explain major diferences between poems,
drama, and prose, and refer to the structural
elements of poems (e.g., verse, rhythm, meter)
and drama (e.g., casts of characters, settings,
descriptions, dialogue, stage directions) when
writing or speaking about a text.
5. Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or
stanzas ts together to provide the overall
structure of a particular story, drama, or poem.
6. Distinguish their own point of view from that of
the narrator or those of the characters.
6. Compare and contrast the point of view from which
diferent stories are narrated, including the diference
between rst- and third-person narrations.
6. Describe how a narrators or speakers point of
view inuences how events are described.
7. Explain how specic aspects of a texts
illustrations contribute to what is conveyed
by the words in a story (e.g., create mood,
emphasize aspects of a character or setting).
7. Make connections between the text of a story
or drama and a visual or oral presentation of
the text, identifying where each version reects
specic descriptions and directions in the text.
7. Analyze how visual and multimedia elements
contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a
text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentation
of ction, folktale, myth, poem).
9. Compare and contrast the themes, settings, and
plots of stories written by the same author about
the same or similar characters (e.g., in books
from a series).
9. Compare and contrast the treatment of similar
themes and topics (e.g., opposition of good and
evil) and patterns of events (e.g., the quest) in
stories, myths, and traditional literature from
diferent cultures.
9. Compare and contrast stories in the same genre
(e.g., mysteries and adventure stories) on their
approaches to similar themes and topics.
literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry,
at the high end of the grades 23 text complexity
band independently and prociently.
literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, in
the grades 45 text complexity band prociently,
range.
literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry,
at the high end of the grades 45 text complexity
band independently and prociently.
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RI Reading Standards for Informational Text K5
questions about key details in a text.
text.
1. Ask and answer such questions as who, what,
where, when, why, and how to demonstrate
understanding of key details in a text.
2. With prompting and support, identify the main
topic and retell key details of a text.
2. Identify the main topic and retell key details of a
text.
2. Identify the main topic of a multiparagraph text
as well as the focus of specic paragraphs within
the text.
connection between two individuals, events,
ideas, or pieces of information in a text.
3. Describe the connection between two
individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information
in a text.
3. Describe the connection between a series of
historical events, scientic ideas or concepts, or
steps in technical procedures in a text.
Craft and Structure
questions about unknown words in a text.
4. Ask and answer questions to help determine or
clarify the meaning of words and phrases in a
text.
4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a
text relevant to a grade 2 topic or subject area.
5. Identify the front cover, back cover, and title
page of a book.
5. Know and use various text features (e.g.,
headings, tables of contents, glossaries,
electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or
information in a text.
5. Know and use various text features (e.g.,
captions, bold print, subheadings, glossaries,
indexes, electronic menus, icons) to locate key
facts or information in a text efciently.
6. Name the author and illustrator of a text and
dene the role of each in presenting the ideas or
information in a text.
6. Distinguish between information provided by
pictures or other illustrations and information
provided by the words in a text.
6. Identify the main purpose of a text, including
what the author wants to answer, explain, or
describe.
relationship between illustrations and the text
in which they appear (e.g., what person, place,
thing, or idea in the text an illustration depicts).
7. Use the illustrations and details in a text to
describe its key ideas.
7. Explain how specic images (e.g., a diagram
showing how a machine works) contribute to and
clarify a text.
8. With prompting and support, identify the
reasons an author gives to support points in a
text.
8. Identify the reasons an author gives to support
points in a text.
8. Describe how reasons support specic points the
author makes in a text.
9. With prompting and support, identify basic
similarities in and diferences between two
texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations,
descriptions, or procedures).
9. Identify basic similarities in and diferences
between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in
illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).
9. Compare and contrast the most important points
presented by two texts on the same topic.
10. Actively engage in group reading activities with
purpose and understanding.
10. With prompting and support, read informational
texts appropriately complex for grade 1.
10. By the end of year, read and comprehend
informational texts, including history/social
studies, science, and technical texts, in the
grades 23 text complexity band prociently,
range.
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Reading Standards for Informational Text K5
1. Ask and answer questions to demonstrate
understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the
text as the basis for the answers.
1. Refer to details and examples in a text when
explaining what the text says explicitly and when
drawing inferences from the text.
1. Quote accurately from a text when explaining
what the text says explicitly and when drawing
inferences from the text.
2. Determine the main idea of a text; recount the
key details and explain how they support the
main idea.
2. Determine the main idea of a text and explain
how it is supported by key details; summarize the
text.
2. Determine two or more main ideas of a text and
explain how they are supported by key details;
summarize the text.
3. Describe the relationship between a series of
historical events, scientic ideas or concepts,
or steps in technical procedures in a text, using
language that pertains to time, sequence, and
cause/efect.
3. Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in
a historical, scientic, or technical text, including
what happened and why, based on specic
information in the text.
3. Explain the relationships or interactions between
two or more individuals, events, ideas, or
concepts in a historical, scientic, or technical
text based on specic information in the text.
Craft and Structure
4. Determine the meaning of general academic
and domain-specic words and phrases in a text
relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area.
and domain-specic words or phrases in a text
and domain-specic words and phrases in a text
5. Use text features and search tools (e.g., key
words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information
relevant to a given topic efciently.
5. Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology,
comparison, cause/efect, problem/solution) of
events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text
or part of a text.
5. Compare and contrast the overall structure
(e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/efect,
problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or
information in two or more texts.
6. Distinguish their own point of view from that of
the author of a text.
6. Compare and contrast a rsthand and
secondhand account of the same event or
topic; describe the diferences in focus and the
information provided.
6. Analyze multiple accounts of the same event
or topic, noting important similarities and
diferences in the point of view they represent.
7. Use information gained from illustrations (e.g.,
maps, photographs) and the words in a text to
demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g.,
where, when, why, and how key events occur).
7. Interpret information presented visually, orally, or
quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams,
time lines, animations, or interactive elements
on Web pages) and explain how the information
contributes to an understanding of the text in
which it appears.
7. Draw on information from multiple print or digital
sources, demonstrating the ability to locate
an answer to a question quickly or to solve a
problem efciently.
8. Describe the logical connection between
particular sentences and paragraphs in a text
(e.g., comparison, cause/efect, rst/second/third
in a sequence).
8. Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence
to support particular points in a text.
8. Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence
to support particular points in a text, identifying
which reasons and evidence support which
point(s).
9. Compare and contrast the most important points
and key details presented in two texts on the
same topic.
9. Integrate information from two texts on the same
topic in order to write or speak about the subject
knowledgeably.
9. Integrate information from several texts on the
same topic in order to write or speak about the
subject knowledgeably.
studies, science, and technical texts, at the high
end of the grades 23 text complexity band
independently and prociently.
10. By the end of year, read and comprehend
informational texts, including history/social studies,
science, and technical texts, in the grades 45 text
complexity band prociently, with scafolding as
needed at the high end of the range.
studies, science, and technical texts, at the high
end of the grades 45 text complexity band
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Reading Standards: Foundational Skills (K5)
These standards are directed toward fostering students understanding and working knowledge of concepts of print, the alphabetic principle, and other basic
conventions of the English writing system. These foundational skills are not an end in and of themselves; rather, they are necessary and important components
of an efective, comprehensive reading program designed to develop procient readers with the capacity to comprehend texts across a range of types and
disciplines. Instruction should be diferentiated: good readers will need much less practice with these concepts than struggling readers will. The point is to teach
students what they need to learn and not what they already knowto discern when particular children or activities warrant more or less attention.
Note: In kindergarten, children are expected to demonstrate increasing awareness and competence in the areas that follow.
Kindergartners: Grade 1 students:
Print Concepts
1. Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print.
a. Follow words from left to right, top to bottom, and page by page.
b. Recognize that spoken words are represented in written language by
specic sequences of letters.
c. Understand that words are separated by spaces in print.
d. Recognize and name all upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet.
1. Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print.
a. Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence (e.g., rst word,
capitalization, ending punctuation).
Phonological Awareness
2. Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds
(phonemes).
a. Recognize and produce rhyming words.
b. Count, pronounce, blend, and segment syllables in spoken words.
c. Blend and segment onsets and rimes of single-syllable spoken words.
d. Isolate and pronounce the initial, medial vowel, and nal sounds (phonemes)
in three-phoneme (consonant-vowel-consonant, or CVC) words.* (This does
not include CVCs ending with /l/, /r/, or /x/.)
e. Add or substitute individual sounds (phonemes) in simple, one-syllable
words to make new words.
2. Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds
(phonemes).
a. Distinguish long from short vowel sounds in spoken single-syllable words.
b. Orally produce single-syllable words by blending sounds (phonemes),
including consonant blends.
c. Isolate and pronounce initial, medial vowel, and nal sounds (phonemes) in
spoken single-syllable words.
d. Segment spoken single-syllable words into their complete sequence of
individual sounds (phonemes).
*
Words, syllables, or phonemes written in /slashes/refer to their pronunciation or phonology.
Thus, /CVC/ is a word with three phonemes regardless of the number of letters in the spelling of the word.
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Note: In kindergarten children are expected to demonstrate increasing awareness and competence in the areas that follow.
Phonics and Word Recognition
3. Know and apply grade-level phonics and word
analysis skills in decoding words.
a. Demonstrate basic knowledge of one-to-one
letter-sound correspondences by producing
the primary sound or many of the most
frequent sounds for each consonant.
b. Associate the long and short sounds with
common spellings (graphemes) for the ve
major vowels.
c. Read common high-frequency words by sight
(e.g., the, of, to, you, she, my, is, are, do, does).
d. Distinguish between similarly spelled words by
identifying the sounds of the letters that difer.
a. Know the spelling-sound correspondences for
common consonant digraphs.
b. Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words.
c. Know nal -e and common vowel team
conventions for representing long vowel
sounds.
d. Use knowledge that every syllable must have
a vowel sound to determine the number of
syllables in a printed word.
e. Decode two-syllable words following basic
patterns by breaking the words into syllables.
f. Read words with inectional endings.
g. Recognize and read grade-appropriate
irregularly spelled words.
a. Distinguish long and short vowels when
reading regularly spelled one-syllable words.
b. Know spelling-sound correspondences for
additional common vowel teams.
c. Decode regularly spelled two-syllable words
with long vowels.
d. Decode words with common prexes and
sufxes.
e. Identify words with inconsistent but common
spelling-sound correspondences.
f. Recognize and read grade-appropriate
irregularly spelled words.
Fluency
4. Read emergent-reader texts with purpose and
understanding.
4. Read with sufcient accuracy and uency to
support comprehension.
a. Read grade-level text with purpose and
understanding.
b. Read grade-level text orally with accuracy,
appropriate rate, and expression on successive
readings.
c. Use context to conrm or self-correct word
recognition and understanding, rereading as
necessary.
understanding.
b. Read grade-level text orally with accuracy,
appropriate rate, and expression on successive
readings.
necessary.
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Phonics and Word Recognition
a. Identify and know the meaning of the most
common prexes and derivational sufxes.
b. Decode words with common Latin sufxes.
c. Decode multisyllable words.
d. Read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled
words.
a. Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound
correspondences, syllabication patterns, and
morphology (e.g., roots and afxes) to read
accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in
context and out of context.
a. Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound
correspondences, syllabication patterns, and
morphology (e.g., roots and afxes) to read
accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in
context and out of context.
Fluency
understanding.
b. Read grade-level prose and poetry orally with
accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on
successive readings
necessary.
understanding.
successive readings.
necessary.
understanding.
successive readings.
necessary.
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College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing
The K5 standards on the following pages dene what students should understand and be able to do by the end of
each grade. They correspond to the College and Career Readiness (CCR) anchor standards below by number. The
CCR and grade-specic standards are necessary complementsthe former providing broadstandards, the latter
providingadditionalspecicitythat together dene the skills and understandings that all students must demonstrate.
Text Types and Purposes*
1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant
and sufcient evidence.
2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately
through the efective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using efective technique, well-chosen details,
and well-structured event sequences.
Production and Distribution of Writing
4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task,
purpose, and audience.
5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.
Research to Build and Present Knowledge
7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating
understanding of the subject under investigation.
8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each
source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.
9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reection, and research.
Range of Writing
10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a
single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
*These broad types of writing include many subgenres. See Appendix A for denitions of key writing types.
of student writing
and career readiness, students need
to learn to use writing as a way of
ofering and supporting opinions,
demonstrating understanding of
the subjects they are studying,
and conveying real and imagined
experiences and events. They learn
to appreciate that a key purpose of
writing is to communicate clearly to
an external, sometimes unfamiliar
audience, and they begin to adapt
the form and content of their writing
to accomplish a particular task and
purpose. They develop the capacity
to build knowledge on a subject
through research projects and to
respond analytically to literary and
informational sources. To meet these
goals, students must devote signicant
time and efort to writing, producing
numerous pieces over short and
extended time frames throughout the
year.
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Writing Standards K5
The following standards for K5 ofer a focus for instruction each year to help ensure that students gain adequate mastery of a range of skills and applications.
Each year in their writing, students should demonstrate increasing sophistication in all aspects of language use, from vocabulary and syntax to the development
and organization of ideas, and they should address increasingly demanding content and sources. Students advancing through the grades are expected to meet
each years grade-specic standards and retain or further develop skills and understandings mastered in preceding grades. The expected growth in student writing
ability is reected both in the standards themselves and in the collection of annotated student writing samples in Appendix C.
Text Types and Purposes
1. Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and
writing to compose opinion pieces in which they
tell a reader the topic or the name of the book
they are writing about and state an opinion or
preference about the topic or book (e.g., My
favorite book is . . .).
1. Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the
topic or name the book they are writing about,
state an opinion, supply a reason for the opinion,
and provide some sense of closure.
1. Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the
topic or book they are writing about, state an
opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion,
use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to
connect opinion and reasons, and provide a
concluding statement or section.
writing to compose informative/explanatory
texts in which they name what they are writing
about and supply some information about the
topic.
2. Write informative/explanatory texts in which they
name a topic, supply some facts about the topic,
and provide some sense of closure.
2. Write informative/explanatory texts in which
they introduce a topic, use facts and denitions
to develop points, and provide a concluding
statement or section.
writing to narrate a single event or several
loosely linked events, tell about the events in
the order in which they occurred, and provide a
reaction to what happened.
3. Write narratives in which they recount two or
more appropriately sequenced events, include
some details regarding what happened, use
temporal words to signal event order, and
provide some sense of closure.
3. Write narratives in which they recount a well-
elaborated event or short sequence of events,
include details to describe actions, thoughts,
and feelings, use temporal words to signal event
order, and provide a sense of closure.
4. (Begins in grade 3) 4. (Begins in grade 3) 4. (Begins in grade 3)
5. With guidance and support from adults, respond
to questions and suggestions from peers and
add details to strengthen writing as needed.
5. With guidance and support from adults, focus on
a topic, respond to questions and suggestions
from peers, and add details to strengthen writing
as needed.
5. With guidance and support from adults and
peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as
needed by revising and editing.
6. With guidance and support from adults, explore
a variety of digital tools to produce and publish
writing, including in collaboration with peers.
6. With guidance and support from adults, use a
variety of digital tools to produce and publish
6. With guidance and support from adults, use a
variety of digital tools to produce and publish
7. Participate in shared research and writing
projects (e.g., explore a number of books by
a favorite author and express opinions about
them).
projects (e.g., explore a number of how-to
books on a given topic and use them to write a
sequence of instructions).
projects (e.g., read a number of books on a
single topic to produce a report; record science
observations).
8. With guidance and support from adults,
recall information from experiences or gather
information from provided sources to answer a
question.
recall information from experiences or gather
question.
8. Recall information from experiences or gather
question.
Range of Writing
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1. Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting
a point of view with reasons.
a. Introduce the topic or text they are writing
about, state an opinion, and create an
organizational structure that lists reasons.
b. Provide reasons that support the opinion.
c. Use linking words and phrases (e.g., because,
therefore, since, for example) to connect
opinion and reasons.
d. Provide a concluding statement or section.
1. Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a
point of view with reasons and information.
a. Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an
opinion, and create an organizational structure
in which related ideas are grouped to support
the writers purpose.
b. Provide reasons that are supported by facts
and details.
c. Link opinion and reasons using words and
phrases (e.g., for instance, in order to, in
addition).
d. Provide a concluding statement or section
related to the opinion presented.
1. Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a
point of view with reasons and information.
a. Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an
opinion, and create an organizational structure
in which ideas are logically grouped to support
the writers purpose.
b. Provide logically ordered reasons that are
supported by facts and details.
c. Link opinion and reasons using words, phrases,
and clauses (e.g., consequently, specically).
d. Provide a concluding statement or section
related to the opinion presented.
2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a
topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
a. Introduce a topic and group related
information together; include illustrations
when useful to aiding comprehension.
b. Develop the topic with facts, denitions, and
details.
c. Use linking words and phrases (e.g., also,
another, and, more, but) to connect ideas
within categories of information.
d. Provide a concluding statement or section.
a. Introduce a topic clearly and group related
information in paragraphs and sections;
include formatting (e.g., headings),
illustrations, and multimedia when useful to
aiding comprehension.
b. Develop the topic with facts, denitions,
concrete details, quotations, or other
information and examples related to the topic.
c. Link ideas within categories of information
using words and phrases (e.g., another, for
example, also, because).
d. Use precise language and domain-specic
vocabulary to inform about or explain the
topic.
e. Provide aconcluding statement or section
related to the information or explanation
presented.
a. Introduce a topic clearly, provide a general
observation and focus, and group related
information logically; include formatting (e.g.,
headings), illustrations, and multimedia when
useful to aiding comprehension.
b. Develop the topic with facts, denitions,
information and examples related to the topic.
c. Link ideas within and across categories of
information using words, phrases, and clauses
(e.g., in contrast, especially).
topic.
e. Provide aconcluding statement or section
related to the information or explanation
presented.
3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined
experiences or events using efective technique,
descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
a. Establish a situation and introduce a narrator
and/or characters; organize an event sequence
that unfolds naturally.
b. Use dialogue and descriptions of actions,
thoughts, and feelings to develop experiences
and events or show the response of characters
to situations.
c. Use temporal words and phrases to signal
event order.
d. Provide a sense of closure.
a. Orient the reader by establishing a
situationand introducing a narrator and/or
characters; organize an event sequence that
unfolds naturally.
b. Use dialogue and description to develop
experiences and events or show the responses
of characters to situations.
c. Use a variety of transitional words and phrases
to manage the sequence of events.
d. Use concrete words and phrases and sensory
details to convey experiences and events
precisely.
e. Provide a conclusion that follows from the
narrated experiences or events.
a. Orient the reader by establishing a situation
and introducing a narrator and/or characters;
organize an event sequence that unfolds
naturally.
b. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue,
description, and pacing, to develop
experiences and events or show the responses
of characters to situations.
c. Use a variety of transitional words, phrases,
and clauses to manage the sequence of events.
d. Use concrete words and phrases and sensory
details to convey experiences and events
precisely.
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produce writing in which the development
and organization are appropriate to task and
purpose. (Grade-specic expectations for writing
types are dened in standards 13 above.)
4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the
development and organization are appropriate
to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specic
expectations for writing types are dened in
standards 13 above.)
4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the
development and organization are appropriate
to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specic
expectations for writing types are dened in
standards 13 above.)
5. With guidance and support from peers and
adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed
by planning, revising, and editing. (Editing for
conventions should demonstrate command of
Language standards 13 up to and including
grade 3 on page 29.)
5. With guidance and support from peers and
by planning, revising, and editing. (Editing for
Language standards 13 up to and including
grade 4 on page 29.)
5. With guidance and support from peers and adults,
develop and strengthen writing as needed by
planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a
new approach. (Editing for conventions should
demonstrate command of Language standards
13 up to and including grade 5 on page 29.)
6. With guidance and support from adults, use
technology to produce and publish writing (using
keyboarding skills) as well as to interact and
collaborate with others.
6. With some guidance and support from adults,
use technology, including the Internet, to
produce and publish writing as well as to interact
and collaborate with others; demonstrate
sufcient command of keyboarding skills to type
a minimum of one page in a single sitting.
6. With some guidance and support from adults,
use technology, including the Internet, to
produce and publish writing as well as to interact
and collaborate with others; demonstrate
sufcient command of keyboarding skills to type
a minimum of two pages in a single sitting.
7. Conduct short research projects that build
knowledge about a topic.
7. Conduct short research projects that build
knowledge through investigation of diferent
aspects of a topic.
7. Conduct short research projects that use several
sources to build knowledge through investigation
of diferent aspects of a topic.
8. Recall information from experiences or gather
information from print and digital sources; take
brief notes on sources and sort evidence into
provided categories.
8. Recall relevant information from experiences or
gather relevant information from print and digital
sources; take notes and categorize information,
and provide a list of sources.
8. Recall relevant information from experiences or
gather relevant information from print and digital
sources; summarize or paraphrase information
in notes and nished work, and provide a list of
sources.
9. (Begins in grade 4) 9. Draw evidence from literary or informational
texts to support analysis, reection, and research.
a. Apply grade 4 Reading standards to literature
(e.g., Describe in depth a character, setting,
or event in a story or drama, drawing on
specic details in the text [e.g., a characters
thoughts, words, or actions].).
b. Apply grade 4 Reading standards to
informational texts (e.g., Explain how an
author uses reasons and evidence to support
particular points in a text).
9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts
to support analysis, reection, and research.
(e.g., Compare and contrast two or more
characters, settings, or events in a story or a
drama, drawing on specic details in the text
[e.g., how characters interact]).
b. Apply grade 5 Reading standards to
informational texts (e.g., Explain how
an author uses reasons and evidence to
support particular points in a text, identifying
which reasons and evidence support which
point[s]).
Range of Writing
10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time
for research, reection, and revision) and shorter
time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for
a range of discipline-specic tasks, purposes, and
audiences.
audiences.
audiences.
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of student speaking and
listening
and career readiness, students must
have ample opportunities to take
part in a variety of rich, structured
conversationsas part of a whole
class, in small groups, and with a
partner. Being productive members
of these conversations requires
that students contribute accurate,
relevant information; respond to
and develop what others have said;
make comparisons and contrasts; and
analyze and synthesizea multitude of
ideas in various domains.
New technologies have broadened
and expanded the role that speaking
and listening play in acquiring
and sharing knowledge and have
tightened their link to other forms
of communication. Digital texts
confront students with the potential
for continually updated content and
dynamically changing combinations of
words, graphics, images, hyperlinks,
and embedded video and audio.
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards
for Speaking and Listening
Comprehension and Collaboration
1. Prepare for and participate efectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners,
building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
2. Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and
orally.
3. Evaluate a speakers point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
4. Present information, ndings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the
organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
5. Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding
of presentations.
6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when
indicated or appropriate.
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Speaking and Listening Standards K5
The following standards for K5 ofer a focus for instruction each year to help ensure that students gain adequate mastery of a range of skills and applications.
Students advancing through the grades are expected to meet each years grade-specic standards and retain or further develop skills and understandings mastered
in preceding grades.
1. Participate in collaborative conversations with
diverse partners about kindergarten topics and
texts with peers and adults in small and larger
groups.
a. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g.,
listening to others and taking turns speaking
about the topics and texts under discussion).
b. Continue a conversation through multiple
exchanges.
diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts
with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
listening to others with care, speaking one
at a time about the topics and texts under
discussion).
b. Build on others talk in conversations by
responding to the comments of others through
multiple exchanges.
c. Ask questions to clear up any confusion about
the topics and texts under discussion.
diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts
with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
gaining the oor in respectful ways, listening to
others with care, speaking one at a time about
the topics and texts under discussion).
b. Build on others talk in conversations by linking
their comments to the remarks of others.
c. Ask for clarication and further explanation
as needed about the topics and texts under
discussion.
2. Conrm understanding of a text read aloud or
information presented orally or through other
media by asking and answering questions
about key details and requesting clarication if
something is not understood.
text read aloud or information presented orally or
through other media.
2. Recount or describe key ideas or details from a
text read aloud or information presented orally or
through other media.
3. Ask and answer questions in order to seek help,
get information, or clarify something that is not
understood.
3. Ask and answer questions about what a speaker
says in order to gather additional information or
clarify something that is not understood.
3. Ask and answer questions about what a speaker
says in order to clarify comprehension, gather
additional information, or deepen understanding
of a topic or issue.
4. Describe familiar people, places, things, and
events and, with prompting and support, provide
additional detail.
4. Describe people, places, things, and events with
relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings
clearly.
4. Tell a story or recount an experience with
appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details,
speaking audibly in coherent sentences.
5. Add drawings or other visual displays to
descriptions as desired to provide additional
detail.
5. Add drawings or other visual displays to
descriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas,
thoughts, and feelings.
5. Create audio recordings of stories or poems;
add drawings or other visual displays to stories
or recounts of experiences when appropriate to
clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.
6. Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and
ideas clearly.
6. Produce complete sentences when appropriate
to task and situation. (See grade 1 Language
standards 1 and 3 on page 26 for specic
expectations.)
6. Produce complete sentences when appropriate to
task and situation in order to provide requested
detail or clarication. (See grade 2 Language
expectations.)
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Speaking and Listening Standards K5
1. Engage efectively in a range of collaborative
discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-
led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and
texts, building on others ideas and expressing
their own clearly.
a. Come to discussions prepared, having read
or studied required material; explicitly draw
on that preparation and other information
known about the topic to explore ideas under
discussion.
b. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g.,
gaining the oor in respectful ways, listening to
others with care, speaking one at a time about
the topics and texts under discussion).
c. Ask questions to check understanding of
information presented, stay on topic, and link
their comments to the remarks of others.
d. Explain their own ideas and understanding in
light of the discussion.
their own clearly.
discussion.
b. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and
carry out assigned roles.
c. Pose and respond to specic questions to
clarify or follow up on information, and make
comments that contribute to the discussion
and link to the remarks of others.
d. Review the key ideas expressed and explain
their own ideas and understanding in light of
the discussion.
their own clearly.
discussion.
b. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and
carry out assigned roles.
c. Pose and respond to specic questions by
making comments that contribute to the
discussion and elaborate on the remarks of
others.
d. Review the key ideas expressed and draw
conclusions in light of information and
knowledge gained from the discussions.
2. Determine the main ideas and supporting details
of a text read aloud or information presented in
diverse media and formats, including visually,
quantitatively, and orally.
2. Paraphrase portions of a text read aloud or
information presented in diverse media and
formats, including visually, quantitatively, and
orally.
2. Summarize a written text read aloud or
information presented in diverse media and
formats, including visually, quantitatively, and
orally.
3. Ask and answer questions about information from
a speaker, ofering appropriate elaboration and
detail.
3. Identify the reasons and evidence a speaker
provides to support particular points.
3. Summarize the points a speaker makes and
explain how each claim is supported by reasons
and evidence.
4. Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount
an experience with appropriate facts and relevant,
descriptive details, speaking clearly at an
understandable pace.
4. Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount
an experience in an organized manner, using
appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details
to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at
an understandable pace.
4. Report on a topic or text or present an opinion,
sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate
facts and relevant, descriptive details to support
main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an
understandable pace.
5. Create engaging audio recordings of stories
or poems that demonstrate uid reading at an
understandable pace; add visual displays when
appropriate to emphasize or enhance certain facts
or details.
5. Add audio recordings and visual displays to
presentations when appropriate to enhance the
development of main ideas or themes.
5. Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics,
sound) and visual displays in presentations when
appropriate to enhance the development of main
ideas or themes.
6. Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to
task and situation in order to provide requested
detail or clarication. (See grade 3 Language
expectations.)
6. Diferentiate between contexts that call for formal
English (e.g., presenting ideas) and situations
where informal discourse is appropriate (e.g.,
small-group discussion); use formal English when
appropriate to task and situation. (See grade 4
Language standards 1 on page 28 for specic
expectations.)
6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks,
using formal English when appropriate to task and
situation. (See grade 5 Language standards 1 and
3 on page 28 for specic expectations.)
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College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language
Conventions of Standard English
1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when
writing.
Knowledge of Language
3. Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in diferent contexts, to make efective
choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues,
analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials, as appropriate.
5. Demonstrate understanding of gurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
6. Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and domain-specic words and phrases sufcient for
reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in
gathering vocabulary knowledge when encountering an unknown term important to comprehension or expression.
of student language use
and career readiness in language,
students must gain control over many
conventions of standard English
grammar, usage, and mechanics
as well as learn other ways to
use language to convey meaning
efectively. They must also be able to
determine or clarify the meaning of
grade-appropriate words encountered
through listening, reading, and media
use; come to appreciate that words
have nonliteral meanings, shadings of
meaning, and relationships to other
words; and expand their vocabulary
in the course of studying content. The
inclusion of Language standards in
their own strand should not be taken
as an indication that skills related
to conventions, efective language
use, and vocabulary are unimportant
to reading, writing, speaking, and
listening; indeed, they are inseparable
from such contexts.
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Language Standards K5
The following standards for grades K5 ofer a focus for instruction each year to help ensure that students gain adequate mastery of a range of skills and
applications. Students advancing through the grades are expected to meet each years grade-specic standards and retain or further develop skills and
understandings mastered in preceding grades. Beginning in grade 3, skills and understandings that are particularly likely to require continued attention in higher
grades as they are applied to increasingly sophisticated writing and speaking are marked with an asterisk (*). See the table on page 30 for a complete list and
Appendix A for an example of how these skills develop in sophistication.
1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of
standard English grammar and usage when
writing or speaking.
a. Print many upper- and lowercase letters.
b. Use frequently occurring nouns and verbs.
c. Form regular plural nouns orally by adding /s/
or /es/ (e.g., dog, dogs; wish, wishes).
d. Understand and use question words
(interrogatives) (e.g., who, what, where, when,
why, how).
e. Use the most frequently occurring
prepositions (e.g., to, from, in, out, on, of, for,
of, by, with).
f. Produce and expand complete sentences in
shared language activities.
a. Print all upper- and lowercase letters.
b. Use common, proper, and possessive nouns.
c. Use singular and plural nouns with matching
verbs in basic sentences (e.g., He hops; We
hop).
d. Use personal, possessive, and indenite
pronouns (e.g., I, me, my; they, them, their;
anyone, everything).
e. Use verbs to convey a sense of past, present,
and future (e.g., Yesterday I walked home;
Today I walk home; Tomorrow I will walk
home).
f. Use frequently occurring adjectives.
g. Use frequently occurring conjunctions (e.g.,
and, but, or, so, because).
h. Use determiners (e.g., articles,
demonstratives).
i. Use frequently occurring prepositions (e.g.,
during, beyond, toward).
j. Produce and expand complete simple
and compound declarative, interrogative,
imperative, and exclamatory sentences in
response to prompts.
standard English grammar and usage when writing
or speaking.
a. Use collective nouns (e.g., group).
b. Form and use frequently occurring irregular
plural nouns (e.g., feet, children, teeth, mice,
sh).
c. Use reexive pronouns (e.g., myself, ourselves).
d. Form and use the past tense of frequently
occurring irregular verbs (e.g., sat, hid, told).
e. Use adjectives and adverbs, and choose
between them depending on what is to be
modied.
f. Produce, expand, and rearrange complete
simple and compound sentences (e.g., The boy
watched the movie; The little boy watched the
movie; The action movie was watched by the
little boy).
standard English capitalization, punctuation, and
spelling when writing.
a. Capitalize the rst word in a sentence and the
pronoun I.
b. Recognize and name end punctuation.
c. Write a letter or letters for most consonant
and short-vowel sounds (phonemes).
d. Spell simple words phonetically, drawing on
knowledge of sound-letter relationships.
a. Capitalize dates and names of people.
b. Use end punctuation for sentences.
c. Use commas in dates and to separate single
words in a series.
d. Use conventional spelling for words with
common spelling patterns and for frequently
occurring irregular words.
e. Spell untaught words phonetically, drawing on
phonemic awareness and spelling conventions.
a. Capitalize holidays, product names, and
geographic names.
b. Use commas in greetings and closings of
letters.
c. Use an apostrophe to form contractions and
frequently occurring possessives.
d. Generalize learned spelling patterns when
writing words (e.g., cage badge; boy boil).
e. Consult reference materials, including
beginning dictionaries, as needed to check and
correct spellings.
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3. (Begins in grade 2) 3. (Begins in grade 2) 3. Use knowledge of language and its conventions
when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
a. Compare formal and informal uses of English.
4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and
multiple-meaning words and phrases based on
kindergarten reading and content.
a. Identify new meanings for familiar words and
apply them accurately (e.g., knowing duck is a
bird and learning the verb to duck).
b. Use the most frequently occurring inections
and afxes (e.g., -ed, -s, re-, un-, pre-, -ful,
-less) as a clue to the meaning of an unknown
word.
4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown
and multiple-meaning words and phrases based
on grade 1 reading and content, choosing exibly
from an array of strategies.
a. Use sentence-level context as a clue to the
meaning of a word or phrase.
b. Use frequently occurring afxes as a clue to
the meaning of a word.
c. Identify frequently occurring root words (e.g.,
look) and their inectional forms (e.g., looks,
looked, looking).
grade 2 reading and content, choosing exibly
from an array of strategies.
b. Determine the meaning of the new word
formed when a known prex is added to a
known word (e.g., happy/unhappy, tell/retell).
c. Use a known root word as a clue to the
meaning of an unknown word with the same
root (e.g., addition, additional).
d. Use knowledge of the meaning of individual
words to predict the meaning of compound
words (e.g., birdhouse, lighthouse, housey;
bookshelf, notebook, bookmark).
e. Use glossaries and beginning dictionaries, both
print and digital, to determine or clarify the
meaning of words and phrases.
5. With guidance and support from adults, explore
word relationships and nuances in word meanings.
a. Sort common objects into categories (e.g.,
shapes, foods) to gain a sense of the concepts
the categories represent.
b. Demonstrate understanding of frequently
occurring verbs and adjectives by relating
them to their opposites (antonyms).
c. Identify real-life connections between words
and their use (e.g., note places at school that
are colorful).
d. Distinguish shades of meaning among verbs
describing the same general action (e.g.,
walk, march, strut, prance) by acting out the
meanings.
demonstrate understanding of word relationships
and nuances in word meanings.
a. Sort words into categories (e.g., colors,
clothing) to gain a sense of the concepts the
categories represent.
b. Dene words by category and by one or more
key attributes (e.g., a duck is a bird that swims;
a tiger is a large cat with stripes).
c. Identify real-life connections between words
and their use (e.g., note places at home that
are cozy).
d. Distinguish shades of meaning among verbs
difering in manner (e.g., look, peek, glance,
stare, glare, scowl) and adjectives difering in
intensity (e.g., large, gigantic) by dening or
choosing them or by acting out the meanings.
5. Demonstrate understanding of word relationships
a. Identify real-life connections between words
and their use (e.g., describe foods that are
spicy or juicy).
b. Distinguish shades of meaning among closely
related verbs (e.g., toss, throw, hurl) and closely
related adjectives (e.g., thin, slender, skinny,
scrawny).
6. Use words and phrases acquired through
conversations, reading and being read to, and
responding to texts.
responding to texts, including using frequently
occurring conjunctions to signal simple
relationships (e.g., because).
responding to texts, including using adjectives
and adverbs to describe (e.g., When other kids are
happy that makes me happy).
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a. Explain the function of nouns, pronouns, verbs,
adjectives, and adverbs in general and their
functions in particular sentences.
b. Form and use regular and irregular plural
nouns.
c. Use abstract nouns (e.g., childhood).
d. Form and use regular and irregular verbs.
e. Form and use the simple (e.g., I walked; I walk;
I will walk) verb tenses.
f. Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent
agreement.*
g. Form and use comparative and superlative
adjectives and adverbs, and choose between
them depending on what is to be modied.
h. Use coordinating and subordinating
conjunctions.
i. Produce simple, compound, and complex
sentences.
a. Use relative pronouns (who, whose, whom,
which, that) and relative adverbs (where,
when, why).
b. Form and use the progressive (e.g., I was
walking; I am walking; I will be walking) verb
tenses.
c. Use modal auxiliaries (e.g., can, may, must) to
convey various conditions.
d. Order adjectives within sentences according
to conventional patterns (e.g., a small red bag
rather than a red small bag).
e. Form and use prepositional phrases.
f. Produce complete sentences, recognizing
and correcting inappropriate fragments and
run-ons.*
g. Correctly use frequently confused words (e.g.,
to, too, two; there, their).*
or speaking.
a. Explain the function of conjunctions,
prepositions, and interjections in general and
their function in particular sentences.
b. Form and use the perfect (e.g., I had walked; I
have walked; I will have walked) verb tenses.
c. Use verb tense to convey various times,
sequences, states, and conditions.
d. Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in
verb tense.*
e. Use correlative conjunctions (e.g., either/or,
neither/nor).
a. Capitalize appropriate words in titles.
b. Use commas in addresses.
c. Use commas and quotation marks in dialogue.
d. Form and use possessives.
e. Use conventional spelling for high-frequency
and other studied words and for adding
sufxes to base words (e.g., sitting, smiled,
cries, happiness).
f. Use spelling patterns and generalizations
(e.g., word families, position-based spellings,
syllable patterns, ending rules, meaningful
word parts) in writing words.
g. Consult reference materials, including
beginning dictionaries, as needed to check
and correct spellings.
a. Use correct capitalization.
b. Use commas and quotation marks to mark
direct speech and quotations from a text.
c. Use a comma before a coordinating
conjunction in a compound sentence.
d. Spell grade-appropriate words correctly,
consulting references as needed.
a. Use punctuation to separate items in a series.*
b. Use a comma to separate an introductory
element from the rest of the sentence.
c. Use a comma to set of the words yes and no
(e.g., Yes, thank you), to set of a tag question
from the rest of the sentence (e.g., Its true, isnt
it?), and to indicate direct address (e.g., Is that
you, Steve?).
d. Use underlining, quotation marks, or italics to
indicate titles of works.
e. Spell grade-appropriate words correctly,
consulting references as needed.
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3. Use knowledge of language and its conventions
a. Choose words and phrases for efect.*
b. Recognize and observe diferences between
the conventions of spoken and written
standard English.
a. Choose words and phrases to convey ideas
precisely.*
b. Choose punctuation for efect.*
c. Diferentiate between contexts that call
for formal English (e.g., presenting ideas)
and situations where informal discourse is
appropriate (e.g., small-group discussion).
a. Expand, combine, and reduce sentences for
meaning, reader/listener interest, and style.
b. Compare and contrast the varieties of English
(e.g., dialects, registers) used in stories, dramas,
or poems.
4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown
and multiple-meaning word and phrases based
on grade 3 reading and content, choosing exibly
from a range of strategies.
b. Determine the meaning of the new word
formed when a known afx is added to a
known word (e.g., agreeable/disagreeable,
comfortable/uncomfortable, care/careless,
heat/preheat).
c. Use a known root word as a clue to the
meaning of an unknown word with the same
root (e.g., company, companion).
d. Use glossaries or beginning dictionaries, both
print and digital, to determine or clarify the
precise meaning of key words and phrases.
a. Use context (e.g., denitions, examples, or
restatements in text) as a clue to the meaning
of a word or phrase.
b. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and
Latin afxes and roots as clues to the meaning
of a word (e.g., telegraph, photograph,
autograph).
c. Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries,
glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital,
to nd the pronunciation and determine or
clarify the precise meaning of key words and
phrases.
a. Use context (e.g., cause/efect relationships
and comparisons in text) as a clue to the
b. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and
of a word (e.g., photograph, photosynthesis).
glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital,
to nd the pronunciation and determine or
clarify the precise meaning of key words and
phrases.
5. Demonstrate understanding of word relationships
a. Distinguish the literal and nonliteral meanings
of words and phrases in context (e.g., take
steps).
b. Identify real-life connections between words
and their use (e.g., describe people who are
friendly or helpful).
c. Distinguish shades of meaning among related
words that describe states of mind or degrees
of certainty (e.g., knew, believed, suspected,
heard, wondered).
5. Demonstrate understanding of gurative
language, word relationships, and nuances in word
meanings.
a. Explain the meaning of simple similes and
metaphors (e.g., as pretty as a picture) in
context.
b. Recognize and explain the meaning of
common idioms, adages, and proverbs.
c. Demonstrate understanding of words by
relating them to their opposites (antonyms)
and to words with similar but not identical
meanings (synonyms).
5. Demonstrate understanding of gurative language,
word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
a. Interpret gurative language, including similes
and metaphors, in context.
b. Recognize and explain the meaning of common
idioms, adages, and proverbs.
c. Use the relationship between particular words
(e.g., synonyms, antonyms, homographs) to
better understand each of the words.
6. Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate
conversational, general academic, and domain-
specic words and phrases, including those that
signal spatial and temporal relationships (e.g.,
After dinner that night we went looking for them).
general academic and domain-specic words
and phrases, including those that signal precise
actions, emotions, or states of being (e.g., quizzed,
whined, stammered) and that are basic to a
particular topic (e.g., wildlife, conservation, and
endangered when discussing animal preservation).
and phrases, including those that signal contrast,
addition, and other logical relationships (e.g.,
however, although, nevertheless, similarly,
moreover, in addition).
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Language Progressive Skills, by Grade
The following skills, marked with an asterisk (*) in Language standards 13, are particularly likely to require continued attention in higher grades as they are
applied to increasingly sophisticated writing and speaking.
Standard
Grade(s)
3 4 5 6 7 8 910 1112
L.3.1f. Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement.
L.3.3a. Choose words and phrases for efect.
L.4.1f. Produce complete sentences, recognizing and correcting inappropriate fragments and run-ons.
L.4.1g. Correctly use frequently confused words (e.g., to/too/two; there/their).
L.4.3a. Choose words and phrases to convey ideas precisely.
*
L.4.3b. Choose punctuation for efect.
L.5.1d. Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense.
L.5.2a. Use punctuation to separate items in a series.
L.6.1c. Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person.
L.6.1d. Recognize and correct vague pronouns (i.e., ones with unclear or ambiguous antecedents).
L.6.1e. Recognize variations from standard English in their own and others writing and speaking, and identify and
use strategies to improve expression in conventional language.
L.6.2a. Use punctuation (commas, parentheses, dashes) to set of nonrestrictive/parenthetical elements.
L.6.3a. Vary sentence patterns for meaning, reader/listener interest, and style.
L.6.3b. Maintain consistency in style and tone.

L.7.1c. Place phrases and clauses within a sentence, recognizing and correcting misplaced and dangling modiers.
L.7.3a. Choose language that expresses ideas precisely and concisely, recognizing and eliminating wordiness and
redundancy.
L.8.1d. Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb voice and mood.
L.910.1a. Use parallel structure.
*
Subsumed by L.7.3a
Subsumed by L.910.1a
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Measuring Text Complexity: Three Factors
Qualitative evaluation of the text: Levels of meaning, structure, language conventionality
and clarity, and knowledge demands
Quantitative evaluation of the text: Readability measures and other scores of text complexity
Matching reader to text and task: Reader variables (such as motivation, knowledge, and
experiences) and task variables (such as purpose and the
complexity generated by the task assigned and the ques-
tions posed)
Note: More detailed information on text complexity and how it is measured is contained in
Appendix A.
Range of Text Types for K5
Students in K5 apply the Reading standards to the following range of text types, with texts selected from a broad range of cultures and periods.
Literature Informational Text
Stories Dramas Poetry Literary Nonction and Historical, Scientic, and Technical Texts
Includes childrens adventure
stories, folktales, legends,
fables, fantasy, realistic ction,
and myth
Includes staged dialogue and
brief familiar scenes
Includes nursery rhymes and
the subgenres of the narrative
poem, limerick, and free verse
poem
Includes biographies and autobiographies; books about history, social
studies, science, and the arts; technical texts, including directions,
forms, and information displayed in graphs, charts, or maps; and digital
sources on a range of topics
Standard 10: Range, Quality, and Complexity of Student Reading K5
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Literature: Stories, Drama, Poetry Informational Texts: Literary Nonction and Historical, Scientic, and Technical Texts
K*
Over in the Meadow by John Langstaf (traditional) (c1800)*
A Boy, a Dog, and a Frog by Mercer Mayer (1967)
Pancakes for Breakfast by Tomie DePaola (1978)
A Story, A Story by Gail E. Haley (1970)*
Kittens First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes (2004)*
My Five Senses by Aliki (1962)**
Truck by Donald Crews (1980)
I Read Signs by Tana Hoban (1987)
What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page (2003)*
Amazing Whales! by Sarah L. Thomson (2005)*
1*
Mix a Pancake by Christina G. Rossetti (1893)**
Mr. Poppers Penguins by Richard Atwater (1938)*
Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik, illustrated by Maurice Sendak (1957)**
Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel (1971)**
Hi! Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold (2006)
A Tree Is a Plant by Clyde Robert Bulla, illustrated by Stacey Schuett (1960)**
Starsh by Edith Thacher Hurd (1962)
Follow the Water from Brook to Ocean by Arthur Dorros (1991)**
From Seed to Pumpkin by Wendy Pfefer, illustrated by James Graham Hale (2004)*
How People Learned to Fly by Fran Hodgkins and True Kelley (2007)*
23
Who Has Seen the Wind? by Christina G. Rossetti (1893)
Charlottes Web by E. B. White (1952)*
Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan (1985)
Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens (1995)
Poppleton in Winter by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Mark Teague (2001)
A Medieval Feast by Aliki (1983)
From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons (1991)
The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles (1995)*
A Drop of Water: A Book of Science and Wonder by Walter Wick (1997)
Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 by Brian Floca (2009)
45
Alices Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (1865)
Casey at the Bat by Ernest Lawrence Thayer (1888)
The Black Stallion by Walter Farley (1941)
Zlateh the Goat by Isaac Bashevis Singer (1984)
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin (2009)
Discovering Mars: The Amazing Story of the Red Planet by Melvin Berger (1992)
Hurricanes: Earths Mightiest Storms by Patricia Lauber (1996)
A History of US by Joy Hakim (2005)
Horses by Seymour Simon (2006)
Quest for the Tree Kangaroo: An Expedition to the Cloud Forest of New Guinea by
Sy Montgomery (2006)
Note: Given space limitations, the illustrative texts listed above are meant only to show individual titles that are representative of a wide range of topics and genres. (See Appendix
B for excerpts of these and other texts illustrative of K5 text complexity, quality, and range.) At a curricular or instructional level, within and across grade levels, texts need to
be selected around topics or themes that generate knowledge and allow students to study those topics or themes in depth. On the next page is an example of progressions of
texts building knowledge across grade levels.
*Children at the kindergarten and grade 1 levels should be expected to read texts independently that have been specically written to correlate to their reading level and their word knowl-
edge. Many of the titles listed above are meant to supplement carefully structured independent reading with books to read along with a teacher or that are read aloud to students to build
knowledge and cultivate a joy in reading.
* Read-aloud
** Read-along
Texts Illustrating the Complexity, Quality, and Range of Student Reading K5
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Staying on Topic Within a Grade and Across Grades:
How to Build Knowledge Systematically in English Language Arts K5
Building knowledge systematically in English language arts is like giving children various pieces of a puzzle in each grade that, over time, will form one big picture.
At a curricular or instructional level, textswithin and across grade levelsneed to be selected around topics or themes that systematically develop the knowledge
base of students. Within a grade level, there should be an adequate number of titles on a single topic that would allow children to study that topic for a sustained
period. The knowledge children have learned about particular topics in early grade levels should then be expanded and developed in subsequent grade levels to
ensure an increasingly deeper understanding of these topics. Children in the upper elementary grades will generally be expected to read these texts independently
and reect on them in writing. However, children in the early grades (particularly K2) should participate in rich, structured conversations with an adult in response
to the written texts that are read aloud, orally comparing and contrasting as well as analyzing and synthesizing, in the manner called for by the Standards.
Preparation for reading complex informational texts should begin at the very earliest elementary school grades. What follows is one example that uses domain-
specic nonction titles across grade levels to illustrate howcurriculum designers and classroom teachers can infuse the English language arts block with rich,
age-appropriate content knowledge and vocabulary in history/social studies, science, and the arts. Having students listen to informational read-alouds in the early
grades helps lay the necessary foundation for students reading and understanding of increasingly complex texts on their own in subsequent grades.
Exemplar Texts on a Topic
Across Grades
K 1 23 45
The Human Body
Students can begin learning
about the human body
starting in kindergarten
and then review and extend
their learning during each
subsequent grade.
The ve senses and associated
body parts
My Five Senses by Aliki (1989)
Hearing by Maria Rius (1985)
Sight by Maria Rius (1985)
Smell by Maria Rius (1985)
Taste by Maria Rius (1985)
Touch by Maria Rius (1985)
Taking care of your body:
Overview (hygiene, diet, exercise,
rest)
My Amazing Body: A First
Look at Health & Fitness by Pat
Thomas (2001)
Get Up and Go! by Nancy
Carlson (2008)
Go Wash Up by Doering
Tourville (2008)
Sleep by Paul Showers (1997)
Fuel the Body by Doering
Tourville (2008)
Introduction to the systems of the
human body and associated body
parts
Under Your Skin: Your Amazing
Body by Mick Manning (2007)
Me and My Amazing Body by
Joan Sweeney (1999)
The Human Body by Gallimard
Jeunesse (2007)
The Busy Body Book by Lizzy
Rockwell (2008)
First Encyclopedia of the
Human Body by Fiona Chandler
(2004)
Taking care of your body: Germs,
diseases, and preventing illness
Germs Make Me Sick by Marilyn
Berger (1995)
Tiny Life on Your Body by
Christine Taylor-Butler (2005)
Germ Stories by Arthur
Kornberg (2007)
All About Scabs by
GenichiroYagu (1998)
Digestive and excretory systems
What Happens to a Hamburger
by Paul Showers (1985)
The Digestive System by
Christine Taylor-Butler (2008)
The Digestive System by
Rebecca L. Johnson (2006)
The Digestive System by Kristin
Petrie (2007)
Taking care of your body:
Healthy eating and nutrition
Good Enough to Eat by Lizzy
Rockwell (1999)
Showdown at the Food Pyramid
by Rex Barron (2004)
Muscular, skeletal, and nervous
systems
The Mighty Muscular and
Skeletal Systems Crabtree
Publishing (2009)
Muscles by Seymour Simon
(1998)
Bones by Seymour Simon
(1998)
The Astounding Nervous System
Crabtree Publishing (2009)
The Nervous System by Joelle
Riley (2004)
Circulatory system
The Heart by Seymour Simon
(2006)
The Heart and Circulation by
Carol Ballard (2005)
The Circulatory System by
Kristin Petrie (2007)
The Amazing Circulatory System
by John Burstein (2009)
Respiratory system
The Lungs by Seymour Simon
(2007)
The Respiratory System by
Susan Glass (2004)
The Respiratory System by
Kristin Petrie (2007)
The Remarkable Respiratory
System by John Burstein (2009)
Endocrine system
The Endocrine System by
Rebecca Olien (2006)
The Exciting Endocrine System
by John Burstein (2009)
KEY HSD 000283
STANDARDS FOR
612
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The grades 612 standards on the following pages dene what students should understand and be able to do by the
end of each grade. They correspond to the College and Career Readiness (CCR) anchor standards below by number.
The CCR and grade-specic standards are necessary complementsthe former providing broadstandards, the latter
1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specic textual
evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details
and ideas.
3. Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.
Craft and Structure
4. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and gurative
meanings, and analyze how specic word choices shape meaning or tone.
5. Analyze the structure of texts, including how specic sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text
(e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.
7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media, including visually and quantitatively, as
well as in words.*
8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specic claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as
the relevance and sufciency of the evidence.
*
Please see Research to Build Knowledge in Writing and Comprehension and Collaboration in Speaking and Listening for
additional standards relevant to gathering, assessing, and applying information from print and digital sources.
of student reading
To become college and career ready,
students must grapple with works
of exceptional craft and thought
whose range extends across genres,
cultures, and centuries. Such works
ofer profound insights into the human
condition and serve as models for
students own thinking and writing.
Along with high-quality contemporary
works, these texts should be chosen
from among seminal U.S. documents,
the classics of American literature, and
the timeless dramas of Shakespeare.
Through wide and deep reading of
literature and literary nonction of
steadily increasing sophistication,
students gain a reservoir of literary
and cultural knowledge, references,
and images; the ability to evaluate
intricate arguments; and the capacity
to surmount the challenges posed by
complex texts.
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1. Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what
the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn
from the text.
1. Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support
analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as
inferences drawn from the text.
1. Cite the textual evidence that most strongly
supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly
as well as inferences drawn from the text.
2. Determine a theme or central idea of a text and
how it is conveyed through particular details;
provide a summary of the text distinct from
personal opinions or judgments.
analyze its development over the course of the
text; provide an objective summary of the text.
analyze its development over the course of the text,
including its relationship to the characters, setting,
and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.
3. Describe how a particular storys or dramas plot
unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the
characters respond or change as the plot moves
toward a resolution.
3. Analyze how particular elements of a story or
drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the
characters or plot).
3. Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or
incidents in a story or drama propel the action,
reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.
Craft and Structure
they are used in a text, including gurative and
connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a
specic word choice on meaning and tone.
and connotative meanings; analyze the impact
of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds (e.g.,
alliteration) on a specic verse or stanza of a
poem or section of a story or drama.
and connotative meanings; analyze the impact
of specic word choices on meaning and tone,
including analogies or allusions to other texts.
5. Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter,
scene, or stanza ts into the overall structure of
a text and contributes to the development of the
theme, setting, or plot.
5. Analyze how a dramas or poems form or
structure (e.g., soliloquy, sonnet) contributes to
its meaning.
5. Compare and contrast the structure of two or more
texts and analyze how the difering structure of
each text contributes to its meaning and style.
6. Explain how an author develops the point of view
of the narrator or speaker in a text.
6. Analyze how an author develops and contrasts
the points of view of diferent characters or
narrators in a text.
6. Analyze how diferences in the points of view of the
characters and the audience or reader (e.g., created
through the use of dramatic irony) create such
efects as suspense or humor.
Reading Standards for Literature 612
The following standards ofer a focus for instruction each year and help ensure that students gain adequate exposure to a range of texts and tasks. Rigor is also
infused through the requirement that students read increasingly complex texts through the grades. Students advancing through the grades are expected to meet
each years grade-specic standards and retain or further develop skills and understandings mastered in preceding grades.
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7. Compare and contrast the experience of reading
a story, drama, or poem to listening to or viewing
an audio, video, or live version of the text,
including contrasting what they see and hear
when reading the text to what they perceive
when they listen or watch.
7. Compare and contrast a written story, drama, or
poem to its audio, lmed, staged, or multimedia
version, analyzing the efects of techniques unique
to each medium (e.g., lighting, sound, color, or
camera focus and angles in a lm).
7. Analyze the extent to which a lmed or live
production of a story or drama stays faithful to
or departs from the text or script, evaluating the
choices made by the director or actors.
9. Compare and contrast texts in diferent forms or
genres (e.g., stories and poems; historical novels
and fantasy stories) in terms of their approaches
to similar themes and topics.
9. Compare and contrast a ctional portrayal of a
time, place, or character and a historical account
of the same period as a means of understanding
how authors of ction use or alter history.
9. Analyze how a modern work of ction draws on
themes, patterns of events, or character types from
myths, traditional stories, or religious works such as
the Bible, including describing how the material is
rendered new.
literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in
range.
literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in
range.
literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at
the high end of grades 68 text complexity band
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The CCR anchor standards and high school grade-specic standards work in tandem to dene college and career readiness expectationsthe former providing
broad standards, the latter providing additional specicity.
Grades 910 students: Grades 1112 students:
1. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text
says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining
where the text leaves matters uncertain.
2. Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its
development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is
shaped and rened by specic details; provide an objective summary of the
text.
2. Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their
development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build
on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of
the text.
3. Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conicting
motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters,
and advance the plot or develop the theme.
3. Analyze the impact of the authors choices regarding how to develop and
relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is
ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed).
Craft and Structure
4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text,
including gurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact
of specic word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes
a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).
4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text,
including gurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specic
word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or
language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful. (Include Shakespeare
as well as other authors.)
5. Analyze how an authors choices concerning how to structure a text, order
events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing,
ashbacks) create such efects as mystery, tension, or surprise.
5. Analyze how an authors choices concerning how to structure specic parts of
a text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a
comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as
well as its aesthetic impact.
6. Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reected in a work of
literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world
literature.
6. Analyze a case in which grasping point of view requires distinguishing what is
directly stated in a text from what is really meant (e.g., satire, sarcasm, irony, or
understatement).
7. Analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two diferent artistic
mediums, including what is emphasized or absent in each treatment (e.g.,
Audens Muse des Beaux Arts and Breughels Landscape with the Fall of
Icarus).
7. Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (e.g., recorded or live
production of a play or recorded novel or poetry), evaluating how each version
interprets the source text. (Include at least one play by Shakespeare and one
play by an American dramatist.)
8. (Not applicable to literature) 8. (Not applicable to literature)
9. Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specic
work (e.g., how Shakespeare treats a theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible or
how a later author draws on a play by Shakespeare).
9. Demonstrate knowledge of eighteenth-, nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century
foundational works of American literature, including how two or more texts from
the same period treat similar themes or topics.
10. By the end of grade 9, read and comprehend literature, including stories,
dramas, and poems, in the grades 910 text complexity band prociently, with
scafolding as needed at the high end of the range.
By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend literature, including stories,
dramas, and poems, at the high end of the grades 910 text complexity band
10. By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literature, including stories,
dramas, and poems, in the grades 11CCR text complexity band prociently, with
scafolding as needed at the high end of the range.
By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend literature, including stories,
dramas, and poems, at the high end of the grades 11CCR text complexity band
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Reading Standards for Informational Text 612
1. Cite textual evidence to support analysis of
what the text says explicitly as well as inferences
drawn from the text.
1. Citeseveral pieces of textual evidence to support
analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as
1. Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports
an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as
2. Determine a central idea of a text and how it
is conveyed through particular details; provide
a summary of the text distinct from personal
opinions or judgments.
2. Determine two or more central ideas in a text
and analyze their development over the course
of the text; provide an objective summary of the
text.
2. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its
relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective
summary of the text.
3. Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or
idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in a
text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes).
3. Analyze the interactions between individuals,
events, and ideas in a text (e.g., how ideas
inuence individuals or events, or how individuals
inuence ideas or events).
3. Analyze how a text makes connections among and
distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events
(e.g., through comparisons, analogies, or categories).
Craft and Structure
as they are used in a text, including gurative,
connotative, and technical meanings.
as they are used in a text, including gurative,
connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the
impact of a specic word choice on meaning and
tone.
4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they
are used in a text, including gurative, connotative,
and technical meanings; analyze the impact of
specic word choices on meaning and tone,
including analogies or allusions to other texts.
5. Analyze how a particular sentence, paragraph,
chapter, or section ts into the overall structure
of a text and contributes to the development of
the ideas.
5. Analyze the structure an author uses to organize
a text, including how the major sections
contribute to the whole and to the development
of the ideas.
5. Analyze in detail the structure of a specic
paragraph in a text, including the role of particular
sentences in developing and rening a key concept.
6. Determine an authors point of view or purpose
in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the
text.
6. Determine an authors point of view or
purpose in a text and analyze how the author
distinguishes his or her position from that of
others.
6. Determine an authors point of view or purpose in a
text and analyze how the author acknowledges and
responds to conicting evidence or viewpoints.
7. Integrate information presented in diferent
media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively)
as well as in words to develop a coherent
understanding of a topic or issue.
7. Compare and contrast a text to an audio, video,
or multimedia version of the text, analyzing each
mediums portrayal of the subject (e.g., how the
delivery of a speech afects the impact of the
words).
7. Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using
diferent mediums (e.g., print or digital text, video,
multimedia) to present a particular topic or idea.
8. Trace and evaluate the argument and specic
claims in a text, distinguishing claims that are
supported by reasons and evidence from claims
that are not.
8. Trace and evaluate the argument and specic
claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning
is sound and the evidence is relevant and
sufcient to support the claims.
8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specic
claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is
sound and the evidence is relevant and sufcient;
recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced.
9. Compare and contrast one authors presentation
of events with that of another (e.g., a memoir
written by and a biography on the same person).
9. Analyze how two or more authors writing about
the same topic shape their presentations of key
information by emphasizing diferent evidence or
advancing diferent interpretations of facts.
9. Analyze a case in which two or more texts provide
conicting information on the same topic and
identify where the texts disagree on matters of fact
or interpretation.
literary nonction in the grades 68 text
literary nonction in the grades 68 text
10. By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary
nonction at the high end of the grades 68 text
complexity band independently and prociently.
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Reading Standards for Informational Text 612
says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining
where the text leaves matters uncertain.
2. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course
of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and rened by specic
details; provide an objective summary of the text.
2. Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development
over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another
to provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text.
3. Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events,
including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and
developed, and the connections that are drawn between them.
3. Analyze a complex set of ideas or sequence of events and explain how specic
individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop over the course of the text.
Craft and Structure
4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text,
including gurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the
cumulative impact of specic word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the
language of a court opinion difers from that of a newspaper).
4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text,
including gurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze how an author
uses and renes the meaning of a key term or terms over the course of a text
(e.g., how Madison denes faction in Federalist No. 10).
5. Analyze in detail how an authors ideas or claims are developed and rened by
particular sentences, paragraphs, or larger portions of a text (e.g., a section or
chapter).
5. Analyze and evaluate the efectiveness of the structure an author uses in his or
her exposition or argument, including whether the structure makes points clear,
convincing, and engaging.
6. Determine an authors point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an
author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose.
6. Determine an authors point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is
particularly efective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power,
persuasiveness, or beauty of the text.
7. Analyze various accounts of a subject told in diferent mediums (e.g., a
persons life story in both print and multimedia), determining which details are
emphasized in each account.
7. Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diferent
media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to
address a question or solve a problem.
8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specic claims in a text, assessing
whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufcient;
identify false statements and fallacious reasoning.
8. Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including the
application of constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning (e.g., in U.S.
Supreme Court majority opinions and dissents) and the premises, purposes,
and arguments in works of public advocacy (e.g., The Federalist, presidential
addresses).
9. Analyze seminal U.S. documents of historical and literary signicance (e.g.,
Washingtons Farewell Address, the Gettysburg Address, Roosevelts Four
Freedoms speech, Kings Letter from Birmingham Jail), including how they
address related themes and concepts.
9. Analyze seventeenth-, eighteenth-, and nineteenth-century foundational U.S.
documents of historical and literary signicance (including The Declaration of
Independence, the Preamble to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and Lincolns
Second Inaugural Address) for their themes, purposes, and rhetorical features.
10. By the end of grade 9, read and comprehend literary nonction in the grades
910 text complexity band prociently, with scafolding as needed at the high
end of the range.
By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend literary nonction at the high
end of the grades 910 text complexity band independently and prociently.
10. By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literary nonction in the grades
11CCR text complexity band prociently, with scafolding as needed at the high
end of the range.
By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend literary nonction at the high end
of the grades 11CCR text complexity band independently and prociently.
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1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant
3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using efective technique, well-chosen details,
Range of Writing
*
These broad types of writing include many subgenres. See Appendix A for denitions of key writing types.
of student writing
For students, writing is a key means
of asserting and defending claims,
showing what they know about a
subject, and conveying what they
have experienced, imagined, thought,
and felt. To be college- and career-
ready writers, students must take
task, purpose, and audience into
careful consideration, choosing words,
information, structures, and formats
deliberately. They need to know how
to combine elements of diferent
kinds of writingfor example, to use
narrative strategies within argument
and explanation within narrative
to produce complex and nuanced
writing. They need to be able to
use technology strategically when
creating, rening, and collaborating on
writing. They have to become adept
at gathering information, evaluating
sources, and citing material accurately,
reporting ndings from their research
and analysis of sources in a clear
and cogent manner. They must have
the exibility, concentration, and
uency to produce high-quality rst-
draft text under a tight deadline as
well as the capacity to revisit and
make improvements to a piece of
writing over multiple drafts when
circumstances encourage or require it.
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Writing Standards 612
The following standards for grades 612 ofer a focus for instruction each year to help ensure that students gain adequate mastery of a range of skills and
applications. Each year in their writing, students should demonstrate increasing sophistication in all aspects of language use, from vocabulary and syntax to
the development and organization of ideas, and they should address increasingly demanding content and sources. Students advancing through the grades are
expected to meet each years grade-specic standards and retain or further develop skills and understandings mastered in preceding grades. The expected growth
in student writing ability is reected both in the standards themselves and in the collection of annotated student writing samples in Appendix C.
1. Write arguments to support claims with clear
reasons and relevant evidence.
a. Introduce claim(s) and organize the reasons
and evidence clearly.
b. Support claim(s) with clear reasons and
relevant evidence, using credible sources and
demonstrating an understanding of the topic
or text.
c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to clarify the
relationships among claim(s) and reasons.
d. Establish and maintain a formal style.
e. Provide a concluding statement or section
that follows from the argument presented.
a. Introduce claim(s), acknowledge alternate or
opposing claims, and organize the reasons and
evidence logically.
b. Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and
relevant evidence, using accurate, credible
sources and demonstrating an understanding
of the topic or text.
c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to create
cohesion and clarify the relationships among
claim(s), reasons, and evidence.
that follows from and supports the argument
presented.
a. Introduce claim(s), acknowledge and
distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or
opposing claims, and organize the reasons and
evidence logically.
relevant evidence, using accurate, credible
sources and demonstrating an understanding
of the topic or text.
claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
presented.
topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information
through the selection, organization, and analysis
of relevant content.
a. Introduce a topic; organize ideas, concepts,
and information, using strategies such as
denition, classication, comparison/contrast,
and cause/efect; include formatting (e.g.,
headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables),
and multimedia when useful to aiding
comprehension.
b. Develop the topic with relevant facts,
denitions, concrete details, quotations, or
other information and examples.
c. Use appropriate transitions to clarify the
relationships among ideas and concepts.
topic.
e. Establish and maintain a formal style.
f. Provide a concluding statement or section that
follows from the information or explanation
presented.
through the selection, organization, and analysis
of relevant content.
a. Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what
is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and
information, using strategies such as denition,
classication, comparison/contrast, and cause/
efect; include formatting (e.g., headings),
graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia
when useful to aiding comprehension.
b. Develop the topic with relevant facts,
other information and examples.
c. Use appropriate transitions to create cohesion
and clarify the relationships among ideas and
concepts.
topic.
f. Provide a concluding statement or section
that follows from and supports the information
or explanation presented.
through the selection, organization, and analysis of
relevant content.
information into broader categories; include
formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g.,
charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to
b. Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen
facts, denitions, concrete details, quotations,
or other information and examples.
c. Use appropriate and varied transitions to create
ideas and concepts.
vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
follows from and supports the information or
explanation presented.
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Text Types and Purposes (continued)
relevant descriptive details, and well-structured
event sequences.
a. Engage and orient the reader by establishing
a context and introducing a narrator and/or
characters; organize an event sequence that
unfolds naturally and logically.
pacing, and description, to develop
experiences, events, and/or characters.
c. Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and
clauses to convey sequence and signal shifts
from one time frame or setting to another.
d. Use precise words and phrases, relevant
descriptive details, and sensory language to
convey experiences and events.
event sequences.
a context and point of view and introducing a
narrator and/or characters; organize an event
sequence that unfolds naturally and logically.
pacing, and description, to develop
c. Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and
clauses to convey sequence and signal shifts
from one time frame or setting to another.
capture the action and convey experiences
and events.
e. Provide a conclusion that follows from and
reects on the narrated experiences or events.
event sequences.
a context and point of view and introducing a
narrator and/or characters; organize an event
sequence that unfolds naturally and logically.
pacing, description, and reection, to develop
c. Use a variety of transition words, phrases,
and clauses to convey sequence, signal shifts
from one time frame or setting to another, and
show the relationships among experiences and
events.
capture the action and convey experiences and
events.
e. Provide a conclusion that follows from and
reects on the narrated experiences or events.
4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which
the development, organization, and style are
appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
(Grade-specic expectations for writing types are
dened in standards 13 above.)
5. With some guidance and support from peers and
by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying
a new approach. (Editing for conventions should
demonstrate command of Language standards
13 up to and including grade 6 on page 53.)
a new approach, focusing on how well purpose
and audience have been addressed. (Editing for
Language standards 13 up to and including grade
7 on page 53.)
a new approach, focusing on how well purpose
and audience have been addressed. (Editing for
Language standards 13 up to and including grade
8 on page 53.)
6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce
and publish writing as well as to interact and
collaborate with others; demonstrate sufcient
command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum
of three pages in a single sitting.
and publish writing and link to and cite sources
as well as to interact and collaborate with others,
including linking to and citing sources.
and publish writing and present the relationships
between information and ideas efciently as well
as to interact and collaborate with others.
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7. Conduct short research projects to answer
a question, drawing on several sources and
refocusing the inquiry when appropriate.
7. Conduct short research projects to answer
a question, drawing on several sources and
generating additional related, focused questions
for further research and investigation.
7. Conduct short research projects to answer a
question (including a self-generated question),
drawing on several sources and generating
additional related, focused questions that allow for
multiple avenues of exploration.
8. Gather relevant information from multiple print
and digital sources; assess the credibility of each
source; and quote or paraphrase the data and
conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism
and providing basic bibliographic information for
sources.
and digital sources, using search terms efectively;
assess the credibility and accuracy of each source;
and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions
of others while avoiding plagiarism and following
a standard format for citation.
of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a
standard format for citation.
(e.g., Compare and contrast texts in diferent
forms or genres [e.g., stories and poems;
historical novels and fantasy stories] in terms
of their approaches to similar themes and
topics).
b. Apply grade 6 Reading standards toliterary
nonction (e.g., Trace and evaluate the
argument and specic claims in a text,
distinguishing claims that are supported by
reasons and evidence from claims that are
not).
(e.g.,Compare and contrast a ctional
portrayal of a time, place, or character and
a historical account of the same period as a
means of understanding how authors of ction
use or alter history).
b. Apply grade 7 Reading standards toliterary
nonction (e.g. Trace and evaluate the
argument and specic claims in a text,
assessing whether the reasoning is sound
and the evidence is relevant and sufcient to
support the claims).
(e.g., Analyze how a modern work of ction
draws on themes, patterns of events, or
character types from myths, traditional stories,
or religious works such as the Bible, including
describing how the material is rendered new).
b. Apply grade 8 Reading standards to literary
nonction (e.g.,Delineate and evaluate
the argument and specic claims in a text,
assessing whether the reasoning is sound
and the evidence is relevant and sufcient;
recognize when irrelevant evidence is
introduced).
Range of Writing
audiences.
audiences.
audiences.
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1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts,
using valid reasoning and relevant and sufcient evidence.
a. Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or
opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear
relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
b. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying evidence for each
while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that
anticipates the audiences knowledge level and concerns.
c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text,
create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons,
between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.
d. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to
the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports
the argument presented.
1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts,
using valid reasoning and relevant and sufcient evidence.
a. Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the signicance of the
claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and
create an organization that logically sequences claim(s), counterclaims,
reasons, and evidence.
b. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the
most relevant evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and
limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audiences knowledge
level, concerns, values, and possible biases.
c. Use words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax to link the major
sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between
claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s)
and counterclaims.
d. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to
e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports
the argument presented.
2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas,
concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the efective
selection, organization, and analysis of content.
a. Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information to
make important connections and distinctions; include formatting (e.g.,
headings), graphics (e.g., gures, tables), and multimedia when useful to
b. Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and sufcient facts, extended
denitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples
appropriate to the audiences knowledge of the topic.
c. Use appropriate and varied transitions to link the major sections of the text,
create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and
concepts.
d. Use precise language and domain-specic vocabulary to manage the
complexity of the topic.
e. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to
f. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports
the information or explanation presented (e.g., articulating implications or
the signicance of the topic).
2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas,
concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the efective selection,
organization, and analysis of content.
a. Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information so
that each new element builds on that which precedes it to create a unied
whole; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., gures, tables), and
multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
b. Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most signicant and relevant
facts, extended denitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information
and examples appropriate to the audiences knowledge of the topic.
c. Use appropriate and varied transitions and syntax to link the major sections
of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex
ideas and concepts.
d. Use precise language, domain-specic vocabulary, and techniques such as
metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic.
e. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to
f. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports
the information or explanation presented (e.g., articulating implications or
the signicance of the topic).
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3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using
efective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
a. Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or
observation, establishing one or multiple point(s) of view, and introducing a
narrator and/or characters; create a smooth progression of experiences or
events.
b. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reection,
and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
c. Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one
another to create a coherent whole.
d. Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to
convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.
e. Provide a conclusion that follows from and reects on what is experienced,
observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative.
3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using
efective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
a. Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or
observation and its signicance, establishing one or multiple point(s)
of view, and introducing a narrator and/or characters; create a smooth
progression of experiences or events.
b. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reection,
and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
c. Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one
another to create a coherent whole and build toward a particular tone and
outcome (e.g., a sense of mystery, suspense, growth, or resolution).
d. Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to
convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.
e. Provide a conclusion that follows from and reects on what is experienced,
observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative.
4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization,
and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specic
expectations for writing types are dened in standards 13 above.)
4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization,
and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specic
expectations for writing types are dened in standards 13 above.)
5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing,
rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most
signicant for a specic purpose and audience. (Editing for conventions should
demonstrate command of Language standards 13 up to and including grades
910 on page 55.)
5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing,
rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most
signicant for a specic purpose and audience. (Editing for conventions should
demonstrate command of Language standards 13 up to and including grades
1112 on page 55.)
6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update
individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technologys
capacity to link to other information and to display information exibly and
dynamically.
6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update
individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback,
including new arguments or information.
7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question
(including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden
the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject,
demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question
(including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden
the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject,
demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
8. Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital
sources, using advanced searches efectively; assess the usefulness of each
source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text
selectively to maintain the ow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a
8. Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources,
using advanced searches efectively; assess the strengths and limitations of
each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information
into the text selectively to maintain the ow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and
overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.
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Research to Build and Present Knowledge (continued)
9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis,
reection, and research.
a. Apply grades 910 Reading standards to literature (e.g., Analyze how an
author draws on and transforms source material in a specic work [e.g., how
Shakespeare treats a theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible or how a later
author draws on a play by Shakespeare]).
b. Apply grades 910 Reading standards to literary nonction (e.g., Delineate
and evaluate the argument and specic claims in a text, assessing whether
the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufcient; identify
false statements and fallacious reasoning).
9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis,
reection, and research.
a. Apply grades 1112 Reading standards to literature (e.g., Demonstrate
knowledge of eighteenth-, nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century
foundational works of American literature, including how two or more texts
from the same period treat similar themes or topics).
b. Apply grades 1112 Reading standards to literary nonction (e.g., Delineate
and evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including the application
of constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning [e.g., in U.S. Supreme
Court Case majority opinions and dissents] and the premises, purposes, and
arguments in works of public advocacy [e.g., The Federalist, presidential
addresses]).
Range of Writing
10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reection, and
revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of
tasks, purposes, and audiences.
10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reection, and
revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of
tasks, purposes, and audiences.
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College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards
for Speaking and Listening
1. Prepare for and participate efectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners,
building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
2. Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and
orally.
3. Evaluate a speakers point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.
4. Present information, ndings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the
organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
5. Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding
of presentations.
6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when
indicated or appropriate.
Note on range and content of
student speaking and listening
To become college and career
ready, students must have ample
opportunities to take part in a variety
of rich, structured conversationsas
part of a whole class, in small groups,
and with a partnerbuilt around
important content in various domains.
They must be able to contribute
appropriately to these conversations,
to make comparisons and contrasts,
and to analyze and synthesizea
multitude of ideas in accordance with
the standards of evidence appropriate
to a particular discipline. Whatever
their intended major or profession, high
school graduates will depend heavily
on their ability to listen attentively to
others so that they are able to build
on others meritorious ideas while
expressing their own clearly and
persuasively.
New technologies have broadened and
expanded the role that speaking and
listening play in acquiring and sharing
knowledge and have tightened their
link to other forms of communication.
The Internet has accelerated the
speed at which connections between
speaking, listening, reading, and writing
can be made, requiring that students
be ready to use these modalities nearly
simultaneously. Technology itself
is changing quickly, creating a new
urgency for students to be adaptable in
response to change.
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Speaking and Listening Standards 612
The following standards for grades 612 ofer a focus for instruction in each year to help ensure that students gain adequate mastery of a range of skills
and applications. Students advancing through the grades are expected to meet each years grade-specic standards and retain or further develop skills and
understandings mastered in preceding grades.
led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics,
texts, and issues, building on others ideas and
expressing their own clearly.
a. Come to discussions prepared, having read or
studied required material; explicitly draw on
that preparation by referring to evidence on
the topic, text, or issue to probe and reect on
ideas under discussion.
b. Follow rules for collegial discussions, set
specic goals and deadlines, and dene
individual roles as needed.
c. Pose and respond to specic questions with
elaboration and detail by making comments
that contribute to the topic, text, or issue
under discussion.
d. Review the key ideas expressed and
demonstrate understanding of multiple
perspectives through reection and
paraphrasing.
or researched material under study; explicitly
draw on that preparation by referring to
evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe
and reect on ideas under discussion.
b. Follow rules for collegial discussions, track
progress toward specic goals and deadlines,
and dene individual roles as needed.
c. Pose questions that elicit elaboration and
respond to others questions and comments
with relevant observations and ideas that bring
the discussion back on topic as needed.
d. Acknowledge new information expressed by
others and, when warranted, modify their own
views.
or researched material under study; explicitly
draw on that preparation by referring to
evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe
and reect on ideas under discussion.
b. Follow rules for collegial discussions and
decision-making, track progress toward
specic goals and deadlines, and dene
individual roles as needed.
c. Pose questions that connect the ideas of
several speakers and respond to others
questions and comments with relevant
evidence, observations, and ideas.
d. Acknowledge new information expressed
by others, and, when warranted, qualify or
justify their own views in light of the evidence
presented.
2. Interpret information presented in diverse media
and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally)
and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or
issue under study.
2. Analyze the main ideas and supporting details
presented in diverse media and formats (e.g.,
visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how the
ideas clarify a topic, text, or issue under study.
2. Analyze the purpose of information presented
in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually,
quantitatively, orally) and evaluate the motives
(e.g., social, commercial, political) behind its
presentation.
3. Delineate a speakers argument and specic
claims, distinguishing claims that are supported by
reasons and evidence from claims that are not.
claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning
and the relevance and sufciency of the evidence.
claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning
and relevance and sufciency of the evidence and
identifying when irrelevant evidence is introduced.
4. Present claims and ndings, sequencing ideas
logically and using pertinent descriptions, facts,
and details to accentuate main ideas or themes;
use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume,
and clear pronunciation.
4. Present claims and ndings, emphasizing
salient points in a focused, coherent manner
with pertinent descriptions, facts, details, and
examples; use appropriate eye contact, adequate
volume, and clear pronunciation.
4. Present claims and ndings, emphasizing salient
points in a focused, coherent manner with relevant
evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well-chosen
details; use appropriate eye contact, adequate
volume, and clear pronunciation.
5. Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics,
images, music, sound) and visual displays in
presentations to clarify information.
5. Include multimedia components and visual
displays in presentations to clarify claims and
ndings and emphasize salient points.
5. Integrate multimedia and visual displays into
presentations to clarify information, strengthen
claims and evidence, and add interest.
demonstrating command of formal English when
indicated or appropriate. (See grade 6 Language
expectations.)
expectations.)
expectations.)
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Speaking and Listening Standards 612
1. Initiate and participate efectively in a range of collaborative discussions
(one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 910
topics, texts, and issues, building on others ideas and expressing their own
clearly and persuasively.
a. Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under
study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from
texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful,
well-reasoned exchange of ideas.
b. Work with peers to set rules for collegial discussions and decision-making
(e.g., informal consensus, taking votes on key issues, presentation of
alternate views), clear goals and deadlines, and individual roles as needed.
c. Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the
current discussion to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate
others into the discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and
conclusions.
d. Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarize points of
agreement and disagreement, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their
own views and understanding and make new connections in light of the
evidence and reasoning presented.
1. Initiate and participate efectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-
on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 1112 topics,
texts, and issues, building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly and
persuasively.
a. Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under
study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts
and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-
reasoned exchange of ideas.
b. Work with peers to promote civil, democratic discussions and decision-
making, set clear goals and deadlines, and establish individual roles as
needed.
c. Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe
reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a
topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote
divergent and creative perspectives.
d. Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives; synthesize comments, claims,
and evidence made on all sides of an issue; resolve contradictions when
possible; and determine what additional information or research is required
to deepen the investigation or complete the task.
2. Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats
(e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of
each source.
2. Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and
media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions
and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and
noting any discrepancies among the data.
3. Evaluate a speakers point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric,
identifying any fallacious reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence.
3. Evaluate a speakers point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric,
assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of
emphasis, and tone used.
4. Present information, ndings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely,
and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the
organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose,
audience, and task.
4. Present information, ndings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear
and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning,
alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization,
development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a
range of formal and informal tasks.
5. Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and
interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of ndings,
reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.
5. Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and
interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of ndings,
reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.
6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command
of formal English when indicated or appropriate. (See grades 910 Language
standards 1 and 3 on page 54 for specic expectations.)
6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating a command
of formal English when indicated or appropriate. (See grades 1112 Language
standards 1 and 3 on page 54 for specic expectations.)
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College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language
1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when
writing.
3. Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in diferent contexts, to make efective
choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.
4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues,
analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials, as appropriate.
5. Demonstrate understanding of gurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
6. Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and domain-specic words and phrases sufcient for
reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in
gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
of student language use
To be college and career ready in
language, students must have rm
control over the conventions of
standard English. At the same time,
they must come to appreciate that
language is as at least as much a
matter of craft as of rules and be
able to choose words, syntax, and
punctuation to express themselves
and achieve particular functions and
rhetorical efects. They must also
have extensive vocabularies, built
through reading and study, enabling
them to comprehend complex texts
and engage in purposeful writing
about and conversations around
content. They need to become
skilled in determining or clarifying
the meaning of words and phrases
they encounter, choosing exibly
from an array of strategies to aid
them. They must learn to see an
individual word as part of a network
of other wordswords, for example,
that have similar denotations but
diferent connotations. The inclusion
of Language standards in their
own strand should not be taken as
an indication that skills related to
conventions, efective language use,
and vocabulary are unimportant
to reading, writing, speaking, and
listening; indeed, they are inseparable
from such contexts.
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Language Standards 612
The following standards for grades 612 ofer a focus for instruction each year to help ensure that students gain adequate mastery of a range of skills and
applications. Students advancing through the grades are expected to meet each years grade-specic standards and retain or further develop skills and
understandings mastered in preceding grades. Beginning in grade 3, skills and understandings that are particularly likely to require continued attention in higher
grades as they are applied to increasingly sophisticated writing and speaking are marked with an asterisk (*). See the table on page 56 for a complete listing and
Appendix A for an example of how these skills develop in sophistication.
a. Ensure that pronouns are in the proper case
(subjective, objective, possessive).
b. Use intensive pronouns (e.g., myself,
ourselves).
c. Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in
pronoun number and person.*
d. Recognize and correct vague pronouns
(i.e., ones with unclear or ambiguous
antecedents).*
e. Recognize variations from standard English
in their own and others writing and
speaking,and identify and use strategies to
improve expression in conventional language.*
a. Explain the function of phrases and clauses
in general and their function in specic
sentences.
b. Choose among simple, compound, complex,
and compound-complex sentences to signal
difering relationships among ideas.
c. Place phrases and clauses within a sentence,
recognizing and correcting misplaced and
dangling modiers.*
or speaking.
a. Explain the function of verbals (gerunds,
participles, innitives) in general and their
function in particular sentences.
b. Form and use verbs in the active and passive
voice.
c. Form and use verbs in the indicative, imperative,
interrogative, conditional, and subjunctive
mood.
d. Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in
verb voice and mood.*
a. Use punctuation (commas, parentheses,
dashes) to set of nonrestrictive/parenthetical
elements.*
b. Spell correctly.
a. Use a comma to separate coordinate
adjectives (e.g., It was a fascinating, enjoyable
movie but not He wore an old[,] green shirt).
b. Spell correctly.
a. Use punctuation (comma, ellipsis, dash) to
indicate a pause or break.
b. Use an ellipsis to indicate an omission.
c. Spell correctly.
a. Vary sentence patterns for meaning, reader/
listener interest, and style.*
b. Maintain consistency in style and tone.*
a. Choose language that expresses ideas
precisely and concisely, recognizing and
eliminating wordiness and redundancy.*
a. Use verbs in the active and passive voice and
in the conditional and subjunctive mood to
achieve particular efects (e.g., emphasizing the
actor or the action; expressing uncertainty or
describing a state contrary to fact).
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a. Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a
sentence or paragraph; a words position
or function in a sentence) as a clue to the
b. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or
of a word (e.g., audience, auditory, audible).
glossaries, thesauruses), both print and
digital, to nd the pronunciation of a word or
determine or clarify its precise meaning or its
part of speech.
d. Verify the preliminary determination of
the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by
checking the inferred meaning in context or in
a dictionary).
sentence or paragraph; a words position
or function in a sentence) as a clue to the
b. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or
of a word (e.g., belligerent, bellicose, rebel).
c. Consult general and specialized reference
materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries,
thesauruses), both print and digital, to nd
the pronunciation of a word or determine
or clarify its precise meaning or its part of
speech.
d. Verify the preliminary determination of
the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by
checking the inferred meaning in context or in
a dictionary).
multiple-meaning words or phrases based on grade
8 reading and content, choosing exibly from a
range of strategies.
sentence or paragraph; a words position or
function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning
of a word or phrase.
b. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin
afxes and roots as clues to the meaning of a
word (e.g., precede, recede, secede).
c. Consult general and specialized reference
materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries,
thesauruses), both print and digital, to nd the
pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify
its precise meaning or its part of speech.
d. Verify the preliminary determination of the
meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking
the inferred meaning in context or in a
dictionary).
meanings.
a. Interpret gures of speech (e.g.,
personication) in context.
b. Use the relationship between particular words
(e.g., cause/efect, part/whole, item/category)
to better understand each of the words.
c. Distinguish among the connotations
(associations) of words with similar
denotations (denitions) (e.g., stingy,
scrimping, economical, unwasteful, thrifty).
meanings.
a. Interpret gures of speech (e.g., literary,
biblical, and mythological allusions) in context.
(e.g., synonym/antonym, analogy) to better
understand each of the words.
(associations) of words with similar
denotations (denitions) (e.g., rened,
respectful, polite, diplomatic, condescending).
5. Demonstrate understanding of gurative language,
word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
a. Interpret gures of speech (e.g. verbal irony,
puns) in context.
to better understand each of the words.
(associations) of words with similar denotations
(denitions) (e.g., bullheaded, willful, rm,
persistent, resolute).
and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge
when considering a word or phrase important to
comprehension or expression.
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1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and
usage when writing or speaking.
a. Use parallel structure.*
b. Use various types of phrases (noun, verb, adjectival, adverbial, participial,
prepositional, absolute) and clauses (independent, dependent; noun,
relative, adverbial) to convey specic meanings and add variety and interest
to writing or presentations.
1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and
usage when writing or speaking.
a. Apply the understanding that usage is a matter of convention, can change
over time, and is sometimes contested.
b. Resolve issues of complex or contested usage, consulting references (e.g.,
Merriam-Websters Dictionary of English Usage, Garners Modern American
Usage) as needed.
2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization,
punctuation, and spelling when writing.
a. Use a semicolon (and perhaps a conjunctive adverb) to link two or more
closely related independent clauses.
b. Use a colon to introduce a list or quotation.
c. Spell correctly.
2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization,
punctuation, and spelling when writing.
a. Observe hyphenation conventions.
b. Spell correctly.
3. Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in
diferent contexts, to make efective choices for meaning or style, and to
comprehend more fully when reading or listening.
a. Write and edit work so that it conforms to the guidelines in a style manual
(e.g., MLA Handbook, Turabians Manual for Writers) appropriate for the
discipline and writing type.
3. Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in
diferent contexts, to make efective choices for meaning or style, and to
comprehend more fully when reading or listening.
a. Vary syntax for efect, consulting references (e.g., Tuftes Artful Sentences)
for guidance as needed; apply an understanding of syntax to the study of
complex texts when reading.
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4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and
phrases based on grades 910 reading and content, choosing exibly from a
a. Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a
words position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word
or phrase.
b. Identify and correctly use patterns of word changes that indicate diferent
meanings or parts of speech (e.g., analyze, analysis, analytical; advocate,
advocacy).
c. Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries,
glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to nd the pronunciation of
a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning, its part of speech, or its
etymology.
d. Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase
(e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).
4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and
phrases based on grades 1112 reading and content, choosing exibly from a
a. Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a
words position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word
or phrase.
b. Identify and correctly use patterns of word changes that indicate diferent
meanings or parts of speech (e.g., conceive, conception, conceivable).
c. Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries,
glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to nd the pronunciation
of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning, its part of speech, its
etymology, or its standard usage.
d. Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase
(e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).
5. Demonstrate understanding of gurative language, word relationships, and
nuances in word meanings.
a. Interpret gures of speech (e.g., euphemism, oxymoron) in context and
analyze their role in the text.
b. Analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations.
5. Demonstrate understanding of gurative language, word relationships, and
nuances in word meanings.
a. Interpret gures of speech (e.g., hyperbole, paradox) in context and analyze
their role in the text.
b. Analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations.
6. Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specic words and
phrases, sufcient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college
and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary
knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or
expression.
6. Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specic words and
phrases, sufcient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college
and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary
knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or
expression.
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Language Progressive Skills, by Grade
The following skills, marked with an asterisk (*) in Language standards 13, are particularly likely to require continued attention in higher grades as they are applied
to increasingly sophisticated writing and speaking.
Standard
Grade(s)
3 4 5 6 7 8 910 1112
L.3.1f. Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement.
L.3.3a. Choose words and phrases for efect.
L.4.1f. Produce complete sentences, recognizing and correcting inappropriate fragments and run-ons.
L.4.1g. Correctly use frequently confused words (e.g., to/too/two; there/their).
L.4.3a. Choose words and phrases to convey ideas precisely.
*
L.4.3b. Choose punctuation for efect.
L.5.1d. Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense.
L.5.2a. Use punctuation to separate items in a series.
L.6.1c. Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person.
L.6.1d. Recognize and correct vague pronouns (i.e., ones with unclear or ambiguous antecedents).
L.6.1e. Recognize variations from standard English in their own and others writing and speaking, and identify and
use strategies to improve expression in conventional language.
L.6.2a. Use punctuation (commas, parentheses, dashes) to set of nonrestrictive/parenthetical elements.
L.6.3a. Vary sentence patterns for meaning, reader/listener interest, and style.
L.6.3b. Maintain consistency in style and tone.

L.7.1c. Place phrases and clauses within a sentence, recognizing and correcting misplaced and dangling modiers.
L.7.3a. Choose language that expresses ideas precisely and concisely, recognizing and eliminating wordiness and
redundancy.
L.8.1d. Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb voice and mood.
L.910.1a. Use parallel structure.
*
Subsumed by L.7.3a


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Standard 10: Range, Quality, and Complexity of Student Reading 612
Measuring Text Complexity: Three Factors
Qualitative evaluation of the text: Levels of meaning, structure, language conventionality
and clarity, and knowledge demands
Quantitative evaluation of the text: Readability measures and other scores of text com-
plexity
Matching reader to text and task: Reader variables (such as motivation, knowledge, and
experiences) and task variables (such as purpose and
the complexity generated by the task assigned and the
questions posed)
Note: More detailed information on text complexity and how it is measured is contained in
Appendix A.
Range of Text Types for 612
Students in grades 612 apply the Reading standards to the following range of text types, with texts selected from a broad range of cultures and periods.
Literature Informational Text
Stories Drama Poetry Literary Nonction
Includes the subgenres of
adventure stories, historical
ction, mysteries, myths,
science ction, realistic ction,
allegories, parodies, satire, and
graphic novels
Includes one-act and multi-act
plays, both in written form and
on lm
Includes the subgenres of
narrative poems, lyrical poems,
free verse poems, sonnets,
odes, ballads, and epics
Includes the subgenres of exposition, argument, and functional text in
the form of personal essays, speeches, opinion pieces, essays about
art or literature, biographies, memoirs, journalism, and historical,
scientic, technical, or economic accounts (including digital sources)
written for a broad audience
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Texts Illustrating the Complexity, Quality, and Range of Student Reading 612
Literature: Stories, Dramas, Poetry Informational Texts: Literary Nonction
68
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (1869)
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (1876)
The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost (1915)
The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper (1973)
Dragonwings by Laurence Yep (1975)
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor (1976)
Letter on Thomas Jeferson by John Adams (1776)
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by
Frederick Douglass (1845)
Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat: Address to Parliament on May 13th,
1940 by Winston Churchill (1940)
Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad by Ann
Petry (1955)
Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck (1962)
910
The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare (1592)
Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1817)
The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe (1845)
The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry (1906)
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (1939)
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (1953)
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara (1975)
Speech to the Second Virginia Convention by Patrick Henry (1775)
Farewell Address by George Washington (1796)
Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln (1863)
State of the Union Address by Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1941)
Letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King, Jr. (1964)
Hope, Despair and Memory by Elie Wiesel (1997)
11
CCR
Ode on a Grecian Urn by John Keats (1820)
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bront (1848)
Because I Could Not Stop for Death by Emily Dickinson (1890)
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925)
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (1937)
A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry (1959)
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri (2003)
Common Sense by Thomas Paine (1776)
Walden by Henry David Thoreau (1854)
Society and Solitude by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1857)
The Fallacy of Success by G. K. Chesterton (1909)
Black Boy by Richard Wright (1945)
Politics and the English Language by George Orwell (1946)
Take the Tortillas Out of Your Poetry by Rudolfo Anaya (1995)
Note: Given space limitations, the illustrative texts listed above are meant only to show individual titles that are representative of a range of topics and genres.
(See Appendix B for excerpts of these and other texts illustrative of grades 612 text complexity, quality, and range.) At a curricular or instructional level,
within and across grade levels, texts need to be selected around topics or themes that generate knowledge and allow students to study those topics or
themes in depth.
KEY HSD 000308
STANDARDS FOR
Literacy in
History/Social Studies,
612
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The grades 612 standards on the following pages dene what students should understand and be able to do by the end
of each grade span. They correspond to the College and Career Readiness (CCR) anchor standards below by number.
1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specic textual
evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details
and ideas.
3. Analyze how and why individuals, events, or ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.
Craft and Structure
4. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and gurative
meanings, and analyze how specic word choices shape meaning or tone.
5. Analyze the structure of texts, including how specic sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a
section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.
7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media, including visually and quantitatively, as
well as in words.*
8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specic claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as
the relevance and sufciency of the evidence.
*
Please see Research to Build and Present Knowledge in Writing for additional standards relevant to gath-
ering, assessing, and applying information from print and digital sources.
of student reading
Reading is critical to building
knowledge in history/social studies
as well as in science and technical
subjects. College and career ready
reading in these elds requires
an appreciation of the norms and
conventions of each discipline, such as
the kinds of evidence used in history
and science; an understanding of
domain-specic words and phrases;
an attention to precise details; and
the capacity to evaluate intricate
arguments, synthesize complex
information, and follow detailed
descriptions of events and concepts.
In history/social studies, for example,
students need to be able to analyze,
evaluate, and diferentiate primary
and secondary sources.When
reading scientic and technical
texts, students need to be able to
gain knowledge from challenging
texts that often make extensive use
of elaborate diagrams and data to
convey information and illustrate
concepts. Students must be able to
read complex informational texts
in these elds with independence
and condence because the vast
majority of reading in college and
workforce training programs will
be sophisticated nonction. It is
important to note that these Reading
standards are meant to complement
the specic content demands of the
disciplines, not replace them.
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RH Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies 612
The standards below begin at grade 6; standards for K5 reading in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects are integrated into the K5 Reading
standards. The CCR anchor standards and high school standards in literacy work in tandem to dene college and career readiness expectationsthe former
providing broad standards, the latter providing additional specicity.
Grades 68 students: Grades 910 students: Grades 1112 students:
1. Cite specic textual evidence to support analysis
of primary and secondary sources.
of primary and secondary sources, attending
to such features as the date and origin of the
information.
of primary and secondary sources, connecting
insights gained from specic details to an
understanding of the text as a whole.
2. Determine the central ideas or information of a
primary or secondary source; provide an accurate
summary of the source distinct from prior
knowledge or opinions.
summary of how key events or ideas develop over
the course of the text.
summary that makes clear the relationships among
the key details and ideas.
3. Identify key steps in a texts description of a
process related to history/social studies (e.g., how
a bill becomes law, how interest rates are raised
or lowered).
3. Analyze in detail a series of events described in
a text; determine whether earlier events caused
later ones or simply preceded them.
3. Evaluate various explanations for actions or events
and determine which explanation best accords
with textual evidence, acknowledging where the
text leaves matters uncertain.
Craft and Structure
as they are used in a text, including vocabulary
specic to domains related to history/social
studies.
as they are used in a text, including vocabulary
describing political, social, or economic aspects of
history/social studies.
they are used in a text, including analyzing how an
author uses and renes the meaning of a key term
over the course of a text (e.g., how Madison denes
faction in Federalist No. 10).
5. Describe how a text presents information (e.g.,
sequentially, comparatively, causally).
5. Analyze how a text uses structure to emphasize
key points or advance an explanation or analysis.
5. Analyze in detail how a complex primary source
is structured, including how key sentences,
paragraphs, and larger portions of the text
contribute to the whole.
6. Identify aspects of a text that reveal an authors
point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language,
inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).
6. Compare the point of view of two or more
authors for how they treat the same or similar
topics, including which details they include and
emphasize in their respective accounts.
6. Evaluate authors difering points of view on the
same historical event or issue by assessing the
authors claims, reasoning, and evidence.
7. Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts,
graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other
information in print and digital texts.
7. Integrate quantitative or technical analysis (e.g.,
charts, research data) with qualitative analysis in
print or digital text.
7. Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of
information presented in diverse formats and media
(e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in
order to address a question or solve a problem.
8. Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned
judgment in a text.
8. Assess the extent to which the reasoning and
evidence in a text support the authors claims.
8. Evaluate an authors premises, claims, and evidence
by corroborating or challenging them with other
information.
9. Analyze the relationship between a primary and
secondary source on the same topic.
9. Compare and contrast treatments of the same
topic in several primary and secondary sources.
9. Integrate information from diverse sources,
both primary and secondary, into a coherent
understanding of an idea or event, noting
discrepancies among sources.
10. By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend
history/social studies texts in the grades 68 text
history/social studies texts in the grades 910 text
history/social studies texts in the grades 11CCR text
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RST RST Reading Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects 612
of science and technical texts.
of science and technical texts, attending to the
precise details of explanations or descriptions.
1. Cite specic textual evidence to support analysis of
science and technical texts, attending to important
distinctions the author makes and to any gaps or
inconsistencies in the account.
2. Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a
text; provide an accurate summary of the text
distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
text; trace the texts explanation or depiction of
a complex process, phenomenon, or concept;
provide an accurate summary of the text.
text; summarize complex concepts, processes, or
information presented in a text by paraphrasing
them in simpler but still accurate terms.
3. Follow precisely a multistep procedure when
carrying out experiments, taking measurements,
or performing technical tasks.
3. Follow precisely a complex multistep procedure
when carrying out experiments, taking
measurements, or performing technical tasks,
attending to special cases or exceptions dened
in the text.
3. Follow precisely a complex multistep procedure
when carrying out experiments, taking
measurements, or performing technical tasks;
analyze the specic results based on explanations
in the text.
Craft and Structure
4. Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms,
and other domain-specic words and phrases as
they are used in a specic scientic or technical
context relevant to grades 68 texts and topics.
4. Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms,
and other domain-specic words and phrases as
they are used in a specic scientic or technical
context relevant to grades 910 texts and topics.
4. Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and
other domain-specic words and phrases as they
are used in a specic scientic or technical context
relevant to grades 1112 texts and topics.
5. Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a
text, including how the major sections contribute
to the whole and to an understanding of the topic.
5. Analyze the structure of the relationships among
concepts in a text, including relationships among
key terms (e.g., force, friction, reaction force,
energy).
5. Analyze how the text structures information or
ideas into categories or hierarchies, demonstrating
understanding of the information or ideas.
6. Analyze the authors purpose in providing an
explanation, describing a procedure, or discussing
an experiment in a text.
an experiment in a text, dening the question the
author seeks to address.
an experiment in a text, identifying important
issues that remain unresolved.
7. Integrate quantitative or technical information
expressed in words in a text with a version of that
information expressed visually (e.g., in a owchart,
diagram, model, graph, or table).
7. Translate quantitative or technical information
expressed in words in a text into visual form
(e.g., a table or chart) and translate information
expressed visually or mathematically (e.g., in an
equation) into words.
7. Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of
information presented in diverse formats and
media (e.g., quantitative data, video, multimedia) in
order to address a question or solve a problem.
8. Distinguish among facts, reasoned judgment
based on research ndings, and speculation in a
text.
8. Assess the extent to which the reasoning and
evidence in a text support the authors claim
or a recommendation for solving a scientic or
technical problem.
8. Evaluate the hypotheses, data, analysis, and
conclusions in a science or technical text, verifying
the data when possible and corroborating or
challenging conclusions with other sources of
information.
9. Compare and contrast the information gained
from experiments, simulations, video, or
multimedia sources with that gained from reading
a text on the same topic.
9. Compare and contrast ndings presented in a text
to those from other sources (including their own
experiments), noting when the ndings support or
contradict previous explanations or accounts.
9. Synthesize information from a range of sources
(e.g., texts, experiments, simulations) into a
coherent understanding of a process, phenomenon,
or concept, resolving conicting information when
possible.
science/technical texts in the grades 68 text
science/technical texts in the grades 910 text
science/technical texts in the grades 11CCR text
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The grades 612 standards on the following pages dene what students should understand and be able to do by the end
of each grade span. They correspond to the College and Career Readiness (CCR) anchor standards below by number.
1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts using valid reasoning and relevant
3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using efective technique, well-chosen details
Range of Writing
*These broad types of writing include many subgenres. See Appendix A for denitions of key writing types.
of student writing
For students, writing is a key means
of asserting and defending claims,
showing what they know about a
subject, and conveying what they
have experienced, imagined, thought,
and felt. To be college and career
ready writers, students must take
task, purpose, and audience into
careful consideration, choosing words,
information, structures, and formats
deliberately. They need to be able to
use technology strategically when
creating, rening, and collaborating on
writing. They have to become adept
at gathering information, evaluating
sources, and citing material accurately,
reporting ndings from their research
and analysis of sources in a clear
and cogent manner. They must have
the exibility, concentration, and
uency to produce high-quality rst-
draft text under a tight deadline
and the capacity to revisit and
make improvements to a piece of
writing over multiple drafts when
circumstances encourage or require
it. To meet these goals, students must
devote signicant time and efort to
writing, producing numerous pieces
over short and long time frames
throughout the year.
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Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects 612
The standards below begin at grade 6; standards for K5 writing in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects are integrated into the K5 Writing
standards. The CCR anchor standards and high school standards in literacy work in tandem to dene college and career readiness expectationsthe former
providing broad standards, the latter providing additional specicity.
1. Write arguments focused on discipline-specic
content.
a. Introduce claim(s) about a topic or issue,
acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from
alternate or opposing claims, and organize the
reasons and evidence logically.
relevant, accurate data and evidence that
demonstrate an understanding of the topic or
text, using credible sources.
claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
presented.
content.
a. Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the
claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims,
and create an organization that establishes
clear relationships among the claim(s),
counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
b. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly,
supplying data and evidence for each while
pointing out the strengths and limitations
of both claim(s) and counterclaims in a
discipline-appropriate form and in a manner
that anticipates the audiences knowledge
level and concerns.
c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to link the
major sections of the text, create cohesion,
and clarify the relationships between claim(s)
and reasons, between reasons and evidence,
and between claim(s) and counterclaims.
d. Establish and maintain a formal style and
objective tone while attending to the norms
and conventions of the discipline in which they
are writing.
that follows from or supports the argument
presented.
content.
a. Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s),
establish the signicance of the claim(s),
distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or
opposing claims, and create an organization
that logically sequences the claim(s),
counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
b. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and
thoroughly, supplying the most relevant data
and evidence for each while pointing out the
strengths and limitations of both claim(s) and
counterclaims in a discipline-appropriate form
that anticipates the audiences knowledge
level, concerns, values, and possible biases.
c. Use words, phrases, and clauses as well as
varied syntax to link the major sections of
the text, create cohesion, and clarify the
relationships between claim(s) and reasons,
between reasons and evidence, and between
claim(s) and counterclaims.
d. Establish and maintain a formal style and
are writing.
that follows from or supports the argument
presented.
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2. Write informative/explanatory texts, including
the narration of historical events, scientic
procedures/ experiments, or technical processes.
information into broader categories as
appropriate to achieving purpose; include
charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to
b. Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen
facts, denitions, concrete details, quotations,
or other information and examples.
c. Use appropriate and varied transitions to
create cohesion and clarify the relationships
among ideas and concepts.
topic.
e. Establish and maintain a formal style and
objective tone.
follows from and supports the information or
explanation presented.
a. Introduce a topic and organize ideas,
concepts, and information to make important
connections and distinctions; include
gures, tables), and multimedia when useful to
b. Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant,
and sufcient facts, extended denitions,
information and examples appropriate to the
audiences knowledge of the topic.
c. Use varied transitions and sentence structures
to link the major sections of the text, create
cohesion, and clarify the relationships among
ideas and concepts.
vocabulary to manage the complexity of
the topic and convey a style appropriate to
the discipline and context as well as to the
expertise of likely readers.
e. Establish and maintain a formal style and
are writing.
f. Provide a concluding statement or section
or explanation presented (e.g., articulating
implications or the signicance of the topic).
a. Introduce a topic and organize complex ideas,
concepts, and information so that each new
element builds on that which precedes it to
create a unied whole; include formatting
(e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., gures,
tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding
comprehension.
b. Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the
most signicant and relevant facts, extended
other information and examples appropriate to
the audiences knowledge of the topic.
c. Use varied transitions and sentence structures
to link the major sections of the text, create
cohesion, and clarify the relationships among
complex ideas and concepts.
d. Use precise language, domain-specic
vocabulary and techniques such as metaphor,
simile, and analogy to manage the complexity
of the topic; convey a knowledgeable stance
in a style that responds to the discipline and
context as well as to the expertise of likely
readers.
or explanation provided (e.g., articulating
implications or the signicance of the topic).
3. (See note; not applicable as a separate
requirement)
requirement)
requirement)
Note: Students narrative skills continue to grow in these grades. The Standards require that students be able to incorporate narrative elements efectively into
arguments and informative/explanatory texts. In history/social studies, students must be able to incorporate narrative accounts into their analyses of
individuals or events of historical import. In science and technical subjects, students must be able to write precise enough descriptions of the step-by-step
procedures they use in their investigations or technical work that others can replicate them and (possibly) reach the same results.
KEY HSD 000315
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by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a
new approach, focusing on how well purpose and
audience have been addressed.
5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by
planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying
a new approach, focusing on addressing what
is most signicant for a specic purpose and
audience.
5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by
planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying
a new approach, focusing on addressing what
is most signicant for a specic purpose and
audience.
and publish writing and present the relationships
between information and ideas clearly and
efciently.
6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce,
publish, and update individual or shared writing
products, taking advantage of technologys
capacity to link to other information and to display
information exibly and dynamically.
6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce,
publish, and update individual or shared writing
products in response to ongoing feedback,
including new arguments or information.
7. Conduct short research projects to answer a
question (including a self-generated question),
drawing on several sources and generating
additional related, focused questions that allow for
multiple avenues of exploration.
7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research
projects to answer a question (including a self-
generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or
broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize
multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating
7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research
projects to answer a question (including a self-
generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or
broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize
multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating
of others while avoiding plagiarism and following
a standard format for citation.
8. Gather relevant information from multiple
authoritative print and digital sources, using
advanced searches efectively; assess the
usefulness of each source in answering the
research question; integrate information into the
text selectively to maintain the ow of ideas,
avoiding plagiarism and following a standard
format for citation.
8. Gather relevant information from multiple
authoritative print and digital sources, using
advanced searches efectively; assess the
strengths and limitations of each source in terms
of the specic task, purpose, and audience;
integrate information into the text selectively to
maintain the ow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and
overreliance on any one source and following a
9. Draw evidence from informational texts to support
analysis reection, and research.
analysis, reection, and research.
analysis, reection, and research.
Range of Writing
for reection and revision) and shorter time
frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a
range of discipline-specic tasks, purposes, and
audiences.
audiences.
audiences.
KEY HSD 000316
COMMON CORE
STATE STANDARDS

FOR
Mathematics
KEY HSD 000317
COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS for MATHEMATICS
Table of Contents
Introduction 3
Standards for Mathematical Practice 6
Standards for Mathematical Content
Kindergarten 9
Grade 1 13
Grade 2 17
Grade 3 21
Grade 4 27
Grade 5 33
Grade 6 39
Grade 7 46
Grade 8 52
High School Introduction
High School Number and Quantity 58
High School Algebra 62
High School Functions 67
High School Modeling 72
High School Geometry 74
High School Statistics and Probability 79
Glossary 85
Sample of Works Consulted 91
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Introduction
Toward greater focus and coherence
Mathematics experiences in early childhood settings should concentrate on
(1) number (which includes whole number, operations, and relations) and (2)
geometry, spatial relations, and measurement, with more mathematics learning
time devoted to number than to other topics. Mathematical process goals
should be integrated in these content areas.
Mathematics Learning in Early Childhood, National Research Council, 2009
The composite standards [of Hong Kong, Korea and Singapore] have a number
of features that can inform an international benchmarking process for the
development of K6 mathematics standards in the U.S. First, the composite
standards concentrate the early learning of mathematics on the number,
measurement, and geometry strands with less emphasis on data analysis and
little exposure to algebra. The Hong Kong standards for grades 13 devote
approximately half the targeted time to numbers and almost all the time
remaining to geometry and measurement.
Ginsburg, Leinwand and Decker, 2009
Because the mathematics concepts in [U.S.] textbooks are often weak, the
presentation becomes more mechanical than is ideal. We looked at both
traditional and non-traditional textbooks used in the US and found this
conceptual weakness in both.
Ginsburg et al., 2005
There are many ways to organize curricula. The challenge, now rarely met, is to
avoid those that distort mathematics and turn of students.
Steen, 2007
For over a decade, research studies of mathematics education in high-performing
countries have pointed to the conclusion that the mathematics curriculum in the
United States must become substantially more focused and coherent in order to
improve mathematics achievement in this country. To deliver on the promise of
common standards, the standards must address the problem of a curriculum that
is a mile wide and an inch deep. These Standards are a substantial answer to that
challenge.
It is important to recognize that fewer standards are no substitute for focused
standards. Achieving fewer standards would be easy to do by resorting to broad,
general statements. Instead, these Standards aim for clarity and specicity.
Assessing the coherence of a set of standards is more difcult than assessing
their focus. William Schmidt and Richard Houang (2002) have said that content
standards and curricula are coherent if they are:
articulated over time as a sequence of topics and performances that are
logical and reect, where appropriate, the sequential or hierarchical nature
of the disciplinary content from which the subject matter derives. That is,
what and how students are taught should reect not only the topics that fall
within a certain academic discipline, but also the key ideas that determine
how knowledge is organized and generated within that discipline. This implies
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that to be coherent, a set of content standards must evolve from particulars
(e.g., the meaning and operations of whole numbers, including simple math
facts and routine computational procedures associated with whole numbers
and fractions) to deeper structures inherent in the discipline. These deeper
structures then serve as a means for connecting the particulars (such as an
understanding of the rational number system and its properties). (emphasis
added)
These Standards endeavor to follow such a design, not only by stressing conceptual
understanding of key ideas, but also by continually returning to organizing
principles such as place value or the properties of operations to structure those
ideas.
In addition, the sequence of topics and performances that is outlined in a body of
mathematics standards must also respect what is known about how students learn.
As Confrey (2007) points out, developing sequenced obstacles and challenges
for studentsabsent the insights about meaning that derive from careful study of
learning, would be unfortunate and unwise. In recognition of this, the development
of these Standards began with research-based learning progressions detailing
what is known today about how students mathematical knowledge, skill, and
understanding develop over time.
Understanding mathematics
These Standards dene what students should understand and be able to do in
their study of mathematics. Asking a student to understand something means
asking a teacher to assess whether the student has understood it. But what does
mathematical understanding look like? One hallmark of mathematical understanding
is the ability to justify, in a way appropriate to the students mathematical maturity,
why a particular mathematical statement is true or where a mathematical rule
comes from. There is a world of difference between a student who can summon a
mnemonic device to expand a product such as (a +b)(x + y) and a student who
can explain where the mnemonic comes from. The student who can explain the rule
understands the mathematics, and may have a better chance to succeed at a less
familiar task such as expanding (a +b + c)(x + y). Mathematical understanding and
procedural skill are equally important, and both are assessable using mathematical
tasks of sufcient richness.
The Standards set grade-specic standards but do not dene the intervention
methods or materials necessary to support students who are well below or well
above grade-level expectations. It is also beyond the scope of the Standards to
dene the full range of supports appropriate for English language learners and
for students with special needs. At the same time, all students must have the
opportunity to learn and meet the same high standards if they are to access the
knowledge and skills necessary in their post-school lives. The Standards should
be read as allowing for the widest possible range of students to participate fully
from the outset, along with appropriate accommodations to ensure maximum
participaton of students with special education needs. For example, for students
with disabilities reading should allow for use of Braille, screen reader technology, or
other assistive devices, while writing should include the use of a scribe, computer,
or speech-to-text technology. In a similar vein, speaking and listening should be
interpreted broadly to include sign language. No set of grade-specic standards
can fully reect the great variety in abilities, needs, learning rates, and achievement
levels of students in any given classroom. However, the Standards do provide clear
signposts along the way to the goal of college and career readiness for all students.
The Standards begin on page 6 with eight Standards for Mathematical Practice.
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How to read the grade level standards
Standards dene what students should understand and be able to do.
Clusters are groups of related standards. Note that standards from different clusters
may sometimes be closely related, because mathematics
is a connected subject.
Domains are larger groups of related standards. Standards from different domains
may sometimes be closely related.
Number and Operations in Base Ten 3.NBT
Use place value understanding and properties of operations to
perform multi-digit arithmetic.
1. Use place value understanding to round whole numbers to the nearest
10 or 100.
2. Fluently add and subtract within 1000 using strategies and algorithms
based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship
between addition and subtraction.
3. Multiply one-digit whole numbers by multiples of 10 in the range
10-90 (e.g., 9 80, 5 60) using strategies based on place value and
properties of operations.
These Standards do not dictate curriculum or teaching methods. For example, just
because topic A appears before topic B in the standards for a given grade, it does
not necessarily mean that topic A must be taught before topic B. A teacher might
prefer to teach topic B before topic A, or might choose to highlight connections by
teaching topic A and topic B at the same time. Or, a teacher might prefer to teach a
topic of his or her own choosing that leads, as a byproduct, to students reaching the
standards for topics A and B.
What students can learn at any particular grade level depends upon what they
have learned before. Ideally then, each standard in this document might have been
phrased in the form, Students who already know ... should next come to learn ....
But at present this approach is unrealisticnot least because existing education
research cannot specify all such learning pathways. Of necessity therefore,
grade placements for specic topics have been made on the basis of state and
international comparisons and the collective experience and collective professional
judgment of educators, researchers and mathematicians. One promise of common
state standards is that over time they will allow research on learning progressions
to inform and improve the design of standards to a much greater extent than is
possible today. Learning opportunities will continue to vary across schools and
school systems, and educators should make every effort to meet the needs of
individual students based on their current understanding.
These Standards are not intended to be new names for old ways of doing business.
They are a call to take the next step. It is time for states to work together to build
on lessons learned from two decades of standards based reforms. It is time to
recognize that standards are not just promises to our children, but promises we
intend to keep.
Domain
Cluster
Standard
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Mathematics | Standards
for Mathematical Practice
The Standards for Mathematical Practice describe varieties of expertise that
mathematics educators at all levels should seek to develop in their students.
These practices rest on important processes and prociencies with longstanding
importance in mathematics education. The rst of these are the NCTM process
standards of problem solving, reasoning and proof, communication, representation,
and connections. The second are the strands of mathematical prociency specied
in the National Research Councils report Adding It Up: adaptive reasoning, strategic
competence, conceptual understanding (comprehension of mathematical concepts,
operations and relations), procedural uency (skill in carrying out procedures
exibly, accurately, efciently and appropriately), and productive disposition
(habitual inclination to see mathematics as sensible, useful, and worthwhile, coupled
with a belief in diligence and ones own efcacy).
1 Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
Mathematically procient students start by explaining to themselves the meaning
of a problem and looking for entry points to its solution. They analyze givens,
constraints, relationships, and goals. They make conjectures about the form and
meaning of the solution and plan a solution pathway rather than simply jumping into
a solution attempt. They consider analogous problems, and try special cases and
simpler forms of the original problem in order to gain insight into its solution. They
monitor and evaluate their progress and change course if necessary. Older students
might, depending on the context of the problem, transform algebraic expressions or
change the viewing window on their graphing calculator to get the information they
need. Mathematically procient students can explain correspondences between
equations, verbal descriptions, tables, and graphs or draw diagrams of important
features and relationships, graph data, and search for regularity or trends. Younger
students might rely on using concrete objects or pictures to help conceptualize
and solve a problem. Mathematically procient students check their answers to
problems using a different method, and they continually ask themselves, Does this
make sense? They can understand the approaches of others to solving complex
problems and identify correspondences between different approaches.
2 Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
Mathematically procient students make sense of quantities and their relationships
in problem situations. They bring two complementary abilities to bear on problems
involving quantitative relationships: the ability to decontextualizeto abstract
a given situation and represent it symbolically and manipulate the representing
symbols as if they have a life of their own, without necessarily attending to
their referentsand the ability to contextualize, to pause as needed during the
manipulation process in order to probe into the referents for the symbols involved.
Quantitative reasoning entails habits of creating a coherent representation of
the problem at hand; considering the units involved; attending to the meaning of
quantities, not just how to compute them; and knowing and exibly using different
properties of operations and objects.
3 Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
Mathematically procient students understand and use stated assumptions,
denitions, and previously established results in constructing arguments. They
make conjectures and build a logical progression of statements to explore the
truth of their conjectures. They are able to analyze situations by breaking them into
cases, and can recognize and use counterexamples. They justify their conclusions,
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communicate them to others, and respond to the arguments of others. They reason
inductively about data, making plausible arguments that take into account the
context from which the data arose. Mathematically procient students are also able
to compare the effectiveness of two plausible arguments, distinguish correct logic or
reasoning from that which is awed, andif there is a aw in an argumentexplain
what it is. Elementary students can construct arguments using concrete referents
such as objects, drawings, diagrams, and actions. Such arguments can make sense
and be correct, even though they are not generalized or made formal until later
grades. Later, students learn to determine domains to which an argument applies.
Students at all grades can listen or read the arguments of others, decide whether
they make sense, and ask useful questions to clarify or improve the arguments.
4 Model with mathematics.
Mathematically procient students can apply the mathematics they know to solve
problems arising in everyday life, society, and the workplace. In early grades, this might
be as simple as writing an addition equation to describe a situation. In middle grades,
a student might apply proportional reasoning to plan a school event or analyze a
problem in the community. By high school, a student might use geometry to solve a
design problem or use a function to describe how one quantity of interest depends
on another. Mathematically procient students who can apply what they know are
comfortable making assumptions and approximations to simplify a complicated
situation, realizing that these may need revision later. They are able to identify
important quantities in a practical situation and map their relationships using such
tools as diagrams, two-way tables, graphs, owcharts and formulas. They can analyze
those relationships mathematically to draw conclusions. They routinely interpret their
mathematical results in the context of the situation and reect on whether the results
make sense, possibly improving the model if it has not served its purpose.
5 Use appropriate tools strategically.
Mathematically procient students consider the available tools when solving a
mathematical problem. These tools might include pencil and paper, concrete
models, a ruler, a protractor, a calculator, a spreadsheet, a computer algebra system,
a statistical package, or dynamic geometry software. Procient students are
sufciently familiar with tools appropriate for their grade or course to make sound
decisions about when each of these tools might be helpful, recognizing both the
insight to be gained and their limitations. For example, mathematically procient
high school students analyze graphs of functions and solutions generated using a
graphing calculator. They detect possible errors by strategically using estimation
and other mathematical knowledge. When making mathematical models, they know
that technology can enable them to visualize the results of varying assumptions,
explore consequences, and compare predictions with data. Mathematically
procient students at various grade levels are able to identify relevant external
mathematical resources, such as digital content located on a website, and use them
to pose or solve problems. They are able to use technological tools to explore and
deepen their understanding of concepts.
6 Attend to precision.
Mathematically procient students try to communicate precisely to others. They
try to use clear denitions in discussion with others and in their own reasoning.
They state the meaning of the symbols they choose, including using the equal sign
consistently and appropriately. They are careful about specifying units of measure,
and labeling axes to clarify the correspondence with quantities in a problem. They
calculate accurately and efciently, express numerical answers with a degree of
precision appropriate for the problem context. In the elementary grades, students
give carefully formulated explanations to each other. By the time they reach high
school they have learned to examine claims and make explicit use of denitions.
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7 Look for and make use of structure.
Mathematically procient students look closely to discern a pattern or structure.
Young students, for example, might notice that three and seven more is the same
amount as seven and three more, or they may sort a collection of shapes according
to how many sides the shapes have. Later, students will see 7 8 equals the
well remembered 7 5 + 7 3, in preparation for learning about the distributive
property. In the expression x
2
+ 9x + 14, older students can see the 14 as 2 7 and
the 9 as 2 + 7. They recognize the signicance of an existing line in a geometric
gure and can use the strategy of drawing an auxiliary line for solving problems.
They also can step back for an overview and shift perspective. They can see
complicated things, such as some algebraic expressions, as single objects or as
being composed of several objects. For example, they can see 5 3(x y)
2
as 5
minus a positive number times a square and use that to realize that its value cannot
be more than 5 for any real numbers x and y.
8 Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.
Mathematically procient students notice if calculations are repeated, and look
both for general methods and for shortcuts. Upper elementary students might
notice when dividing 25 by 11 that they are repeating the same calculations over
and over again, and conclude they have a repeating decimal. By paying attention
to the calculation of slope as they repeatedly check whether points are on the line
through (1, 2) with slope 3, middle school students might abstract the equation
(y 2)/(x 1) = 3. Noticing the regularity in the way terms cancel when expanding
(x 1)(x + 1), (x 1)(x
2
+ x + 1), and (x 1)(x
3
+ x
2
+ x + 1) might lead them to the
general formula for the sum of a geometric series. As they work to solve a problem,
mathematically procient students maintain oversight of the process, while
attending to the details. They continually evaluate the reasonableness of their
intermediate results.
Connecting the Standards for Mathematical Practice to the Standards for
Mathematical Content
The Standards for Mathematical Practice describe ways in which developing student
practitioners of the discipline of mathematics increasingly ought to engage with
the subject matter as they grow in mathematical maturity and expertise throughout
the elementary, middle and high school years. Designers of curricula, assessments,
and professional development should all attend to the need to connect the
mathematical practices to mathematical content in mathematics instruction.
The Standards for Mathematical Content are a balanced combination of procedure
and understanding. Expectations that begin with the word understand are often
especially good opportunities to connect the practices to the content. Students
who lack understanding of a topic may rely on procedures too heavily. Without
a exible base from which to work, they may be less likely to consider analogous
problems, represent problems coherently, justify conclusions, apply the mathematics
to practical situations, use technology mindfully to work with the mathematics,
explain the mathematics accurately to other students, step back for an overview, or
deviate from a known procedure to nd a shortcut. In short, a lack of understanding
effectively prevents a student from engaging in the mathematical practices.
In this respect, those content standards which set an expectation of understanding
are potential points of intersection between the Standards for Mathematical
Content and the Standards for Mathematical Practice. These points of intersection
are intended to be weighted toward central and generative concepts in the
school mathematics curriculum that most merit the time, resources, innovative
energies, and focus necessary to qualitatively improve the curriculum, instruction,
assessment, professional development, and student achievement in mathematics.
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Mathematics | Kindergarten
In Kindergarten, instructional time should focus on two critical areas: (1)
representing, relating, and operating on whole numbers, initially with
sets of objects; (2) describing shapes and space. More learning time in
Kindergarten should be devoted to number than to other topics.
(1) Students use numbers, including written numerals, to represent
quantities and to solve quantitative problems, such as counting objects in
a set; counting out a given number of objects; comparing sets or numerals;
and modeling simple joining and separating situations with sets of objects,
or eventually with equations such as 5 + 2 = 7 and 7 2 = 5. (Kindergarten
students should see addition and subtraction equations, and student
writing of equations in kindergarten is encouraged, but it is not required.)
Students choose, combine, and apply effective strategies for answering
quantitative questions, including quickly recognizing the cardinalities of
small sets of objects, counting and producing sets of given sizes, counting
the number of objects in combined sets, or counting the number of objects
that remain in a set after some are taken away.
(2) Students describe their physical world using geometric ideas (e.g.,
shape, orientation, spatial relations) and vocabulary. They identify, name,
and describe basic two-dimensional shapes, such as squares, triangles,
circles, rectangles, and hexagons, presented in a variety of ways (e.g., with
different sizes and orientations), as well as three-dimensional shapes such
as cubes, cones, cylinders, and spheres. They use basic shapes and spatial
reasoning to model objects in their environment and to construct more
complex shapes.
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Counting and Cardinality
Know number names and the count sequence.
Count to tell the number of objects.
Compare numbers.
Operations and Algebraic Thinking
Understand addition as putting together and
adding to, and understand subtraction as
taking apart and taking from.
Number and Operations in Base Ten
Work with numbers 1119 to gain foundations
for place value.
Measurement and Data
Describe and compare measurable attributes.
Classify objects and count the number of
objects in categories.
Geometry
Identify and describe shapes.
Analyze, compare, create, and compose
shapes.
Mathematical Practices
1. Make sense of problems and persevere in
solving them.
2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
3. Construct viable arguments and critique
the reasoning of others.
4. Model with mathematics.
5. Use appropriate tools strategically.
6. Attend to precision.
7. Look for and make use of structure.
8. Look for and express regularity in repeated
reasoning.
Grade K Overview
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Counting and Cardinality K.CC
Know number names and the count sequence.
1. Count to 100 by ones and by tens.
2. Count forward beginning from a given number within the known
sequence (instead of having to begin at 1).
3. Write numbers from 0 to 20. Represent a number of objects with a
written numeral 0-20 (with 0 representing a count of no objects).
Count to tell the number of objects.
4. Understand the relationship between numbers and quantities; connect
counting to cardinality.
a. When counting objects, say the number names in the standard
order, pairing each object with one and only one number name
and each number name with one and only one object.
b. Understand that the last number name said tells the number of
objects counted. The number of objects is the same regardless of
their arrangement or the order in which they were counted.
c. Understand that each successive number name refers to a quantity
that is one larger.
5. Count to answer how many? questions about as many as 20 things
arranged in a line, a rectangular array, or a circle, or as many as 10
things in a scattered conguration; given a number from 120, count
out that many objects.
Compare numbers.
6. Identify whether the number of objects in one group is greater than,
less than, or equal to the number of objects in another group, e.g., by
using matching and counting strategies.
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7. Compare two numbers between 1 and 10 presented as written
numerals.
Operations and Algebraic Thinking K.OA
Understand addition as putting together and adding to, and under-
stand subtraction as taking apart and taking from.
1. Represent addition and subtraction with objects, ngers, mental
images, drawings
2
, sounds (e.g., claps), acting out situations, verbal
explanations, expressions, or equations.
2. Solve addition and subtraction word problems, and add and subtract
within 10, e.g., by using objects or drawings to represent the problem.
3. Decompose numbers less than or equal to 10 into pairs in more
than one way, e.g., by using objects or drawings, and record each
decomposition by a drawing or equation (e.g., 5 = 2 + 3 and 5 = 4 + 1).
4. For any number from 1 to 9, nd the number that makes 10 when
added to the given number, e.g., by using objects or drawings, and
record the answer with a drawing or equation.
5. Fluently add and subtract within 5.
1
Include groups with up to ten objects.
2
Drawings need not show details, but should show the mathematics in the problem.
(This applies wherever drawings are mentioned in the Standards.)
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Number and Operations in Base Ten K.NBT
Work with numbers 1119 to gain foundations for place value.
1. Compose and decompose numbers from 11 to 19 into ten ones and
some further ones, e.g., by using objects or drawings, and record each
composition or decomposition by a drawing or equation (e.g., 18 = 10 +
8); understand that these numbers are composed of ten ones and one,
two, three, four, ve, six, seven, eight, or nine ones.
Measurement and Data K.MD
Describe and compare measurable attributes.
1. Describe measurable attributes of objects, such as length or weight.
Describe several measurable attributes of a single object.
2. Directly compare two objects with a measurable attribute in common,
to see which object has more of/less of the attribute, and describe
the difference. For example, directly compare the heights of two
children and describe one child as taller/shorter.
Classify objects and count the number of objects in each category.
3. Classify objects into given categories; count the numbers of objects in
each category and sort the categories by count.
3
Geometry K.G
Identify and describe shapes (squares, circles, triangles, rectangles,
hexagons, cubes, cones, cylinders, and spheres).
1. Describe objects in the environment using names of shapes, and
describe the relative positions of these objects using terms such as
above, below, beside, in front of, behind, and next to.
2. Correctly name shapes regardless of their orientations or overall size.
3. Identify shapes as two-dimensional (lying in a plane, at) or three-
dimensional (solid).
Analyze, compare, create, and compose shapes.
4. Analyze and compare two- and three-dimensional shapes, in
different sizes and orientations, using informal language to describe
their similarities, differences, parts (e.g., number of sides and
vertices/corners) and other attributes (e.g., having sides of equal
length).
5. Model shapes in the world by building shapes from components (e.g.,
sticks and clay balls) and drawing shapes.
6. Compose simple shapes to form larger shapes. For example, Can you
join these two triangles with full sides touching to make a rectangle?
3
Limit category counts to be less than or equal to 10.
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Mathematics | Grade 1
In Grade 1, instructional time should focus on four critical areas: (1)
developing understanding of addition, subtraction, and strategies for
addition and subtraction within 20; (2) developing understanding of whole
number relationships and place value, including grouping in tens and
ones; (3) developing understanding of linear measurement and measuring
lengths as iterating length units; and (4) reasoning about attributes of, and
composing and decomposing geometric shapes.
(1) Students develop strategies for adding and subtracting whole numbers
based on their prior work with small numbers. They use a variety of models,
including discrete objects and length-based models (e.g., cubes connected
to form lengths), to model add-to, take-from, put-together, take-apart, and
compare situations to develop meaning for the operations of addition and
subtraction, and to develop strategies to solve arithmetic problems with
these operations. Students understand connections between counting
and addition and subtraction (e.g., adding two is the same as counting on
two). They use properties of addition to add whole numbers and to create
and use increasingly sophisticated strategies based on these properties
(e.g., making tens) to solve addition and subtraction problems within
20. By comparing a variety of solution strategies, children build their
understanding of the relationship between addition and subtraction.
(2) Students develop, discuss, and use efcient, accurate, and generalizable
methods to add within 100 and subtract multiples of 10. They compare
whole numbers (at least to 100) to develop understanding of and solve
problems involving their relative sizes. They think of whole numbers
between 10 and 100 in terms of tens and ones (especially recognizing the
numbers 11 to 19 as composed of a ten and some ones). Through activities
that build number sense, they understand the order of the counting
numbers and their relative magnitudes.
(3) Students develop an understanding of the meaning and processes of
measurement, including underlying concepts such as iterating (the mental
activity of building up the length of an object with equal-sized units) and
the transitivity principle for indirect measurement.
1

(4) Students compose and decompose plane or solid gures (e.g., put
two triangles together to make a quadrilateral) and build understanding
of part-whole relationships as well as the properties of the original and
composite shapes. As they combine shapes, they recognize them from
different perspectives and orientations, describe their geometric attributes,
and determine how they are alike and different, to develop the background
for measurement and for initial understandings of properties such as
congruence and symmetry.
1
Students should apply the principle of transitivity of measurement to make indirect
comparisons, but they need not use this technical term.
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Grade 1 Overview
Represent and solve problems involving
addition and subtraction.
Understand and apply properties of operations
and the relationship between addition and
subtraction.
Add and subtract within 20.
Work with addition and subtraction equations.
Extend the counting sequence.
Understand place value.
Use place value understanding and properties
of operations to add and subtract.
Measure lengths indirectly and by iterating
length units.
Tell and write time.
Represent and interpret data.
Geometry
Reason with shapes and their attributes.
solving them.
reasoning.
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Operations and Algebraic Thinking 1.OA
Represent and solve problems involving addition and subtraction.
1. Use addition and subtraction within 20 to solve word problems involving
situations of adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart,
and comparing, with unknowns in all positions, e.g., by using objects,
drawings, and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to
represent the problem.
2
2. Solve word problems that call for addition of three whole numbers
whose sum is less than or equal to 20, e.g., by using objects, drawings,
and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the
problem.
Understand and apply properties of operations and the relationship
3. Apply properties of operations as strategies to add and subtract.
3
Examples:
If 8 + 3 = 11 is known, then 3 + 8 = 11 is also known. (Commutative property of
addition.) To add 2 + 6 + 4, the second two numbers can be added to make
a ten, so 2 + 6 + 4 = 2 + 10 = 12. (Associative property of addition.)
4. Understand subtraction as an unknown-addend problem. For example,
subtract 10 8 by nding the number that makes 10 when added to 8.
5. Relate counting to addition and subtraction (e.g., by counting on 2 to
add 2).
6. Add and subtract within 20, demonstrating uency for addition and
subtraction within 10. Use strategies such as counting on; making ten
(e.g., 8 + 6 = 8 + 2 + 4 = 10 + 4 = 14); decomposing a number leading to
a ten (e.g., 13 4 = 13 3 1 = 10 1 = 9); using the relationship between
addition and subtraction (e.g., knowing that 8 + 4 = 12, one knows 12 8
= 4); and creating equivalent but easier or known sums (e.g., adding 6 +
7 by creating the known equivalent 6 + 6 + 1 = 12 + 1 = 13).
Work with addition and subtraction equations.
7. Understand the meaning of the equal sign, and determine if equations
involving addition and subtraction are true or false. For example, which
of the following equations are true and which are false? 6 = 6, 7 = 81,
5+2 = 2+5, 4+1 = 5+2.
8. Determine the unknown whole number in an addition or subtraction
equation relating three whole numbers. For example, determine the
unknown number that makes the equation true in each of the equations 8 +
? = 11, 5 = 3, 6 + 6 = .
Extend the counting sequence.
1. Count to 120, starting at any number less than 120. In this range, read
and write numerals and represent a number of objects with a written
numeral.
2. Understand that the two digits of a two-digit number represent amounts
of tens and ones. Understand the following as special cases:
a. 10 can be thought of as a bundle of ten ones called a ten.
b. The numbers from 11 to 19 are composed of a ten and one, two,
three, four, ve, six, seven, eight, or nine ones.
c. The numbers 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 refer to one, two,
three, four, ve, six, seven, eight, or nine tens (and 0 ones).
2
See Glossary, Table 1.
3
Students need not use formal terms for these properties.
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3. Compare two two-digit numbers based on meanings of the tens and ones
digits, recording the results of comparisons with the symbols >, =, and <.
Use place value understanding and properties of operations to add
and subtract.
4. Add within 100, including adding a two-digit number and a one-digit
number, and adding a two-digit number and a multiple of 10, using concrete
models or drawings and strategies based on place value, properties of
operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction;
relate the strategy to a written method and explain the reasoning used.
Understand that in adding two-digit numbers, one adds tens and tens, ones
and ones; and sometimes it is necessary to compose a ten.
5. Given a two-digit number, mentally nd 10 more or 10 less than the
number, without having to count; explain the reasoning used.
6. Subtract multiples of 10 in the range 10-90 from multiples of 10 in the
range 10-90 (positive or zero differences), using concrete models or
drawings and strategies based on place value, properties of operations,
and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction; relate the
strategy to a written method and explain the reasoning used.
Measurement and Data 1.MD
Measure lengths indirectly and by iterating length units.
1. Order three objects by length; compare the lengths of two objects
indirectly by using a third object.
2. Express the length of an object as a whole number of length units, by
laying multiple copies of a shorter object (the length unit) end to end;
understand that the length measurement of an object is the number
of same-size length units that span it with no gaps or overlaps. Limit to
contexts where the object being measured is spanned by a whole number of
length units with no gaps or overlaps.
Tell and write time.
3. Tell and write time in hours and half-hours using analog and digital
clocks.
4. Organize, represent, and interpret data with up to three categories; ask
and answer questions about the total number of data points, how many
in each category, and how many more or less are in one category than in
another.
Geometry 1.G
1. Distinguish between dening attributes (e.g., triangles are closed and
three-sided) versus non-dening attributes (e.g., color, orientation,
overall size); build and draw shapes to possess dening attributes.
2. Compose two-dimensional shapes (rectangles, squares, trapezoids,
triangles, half-circles, and quarter-circles) or three-dimensional shapes
(cubes, right rectangular prisms, right circular cones, and right circular
cylinders) to create a composite shape, and compose new shapes from
the composite shape.
4

3. Partition circles and rectangles into two and four equal shares, describe
the shares using the words halves, fourths, and quarters, and use the
phrases half of, fourth of, and quarter of. Describe the whole as two of,
or four of the shares. Understand for these examples that decomposing
into more equal shares creates smaller shares.
4
Students do not need to learn formal names such as right rectangular prism.
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extending understanding of base-ten notation; (2) building uency with
addition and subtraction; (3) using standard units of measure; and (4)
describing and analyzing shapes.
(1) Students extend their understanding of the base-ten system. This
includes ideas of counting in ves, tens, and multiples of hundreds, tens,
and ones, as well as number relationships involving these units, including
comparing. Students understand multi-digit numbers (up to 1000) written
in base-ten notation, recognizing that the digits in each place represent
amounts of thousands, hundreds, tens, or ones (e.g., 853 is 8 hundreds + 5
tens + 3 ones).
(2) Students use their understanding of addition to develop uency with
addition and subtraction within 100. They solve problems within 1000
by applying their understanding of models for addition and subtraction,
and they develop, discuss, and use efcient, accurate, and generalizable
methods to compute sums and differences of whole numbers in base-ten
notation, using their understanding of place value and the properties of
operations. They select and accurately apply methods that are appropriate
for the context and the numbers involved to mentally calculate sums and
differences for numbers with only tens or only hundreds.
(3) Students recognize the need for standard units of measure (centimeter
and inch) and they use rulers and other measurement tools with the
understanding that linear measure involves an iteration of units. They
recognize that the smaller the unit, the more iterations they need to cover a
given length.
(4) Students describe and analyze shapes by examining their sides and
angles. Students investigate, describe, and reason about decomposing
and combining shapes to make other shapes. Through building, drawing,
and analyzing two- and three-dimensional shapes, students develop a
foundation for understanding area, volume, congruence, similarity, and
symmetry in later grades.
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Work with equal groups of objects to gain
foundations for multiplication.
Use place value understanding and
properties of operations to add and subtract.
Measure and estimate lengths in standard
units.
Relate addition and subtraction to length.
Work with time and money.
Geometry
solving them.
reasoning.
Grade 2 Overview
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Represent and solve problems involving addition and subtraction.
1. Use addition and subtraction within 100 to solve one- and two-step
word problems involving situations of adding to, taking from, putting
together, taking apart, and comparing, with unknowns in all positions,
e.g., by using drawings and equations with a symbol for the unknown
number to represent the problem.
1
2. Fluently add and subtract within 20 using mental strategies.
2
By end of
Grade 2, know from memory all sums of two one-digit numbers.
Work with equal groups of objects to gain foundations for
multiplication.
3. Determine whether a group of objects (up to 20) has an odd or even
number of members, e.g., by pairing objects or counting them by 2s;
write an equation to express an even number as a sum of two equal
addends.
4. Use addition to nd the total number of objects arranged in
rectangular arrays with up to 5 rows and up to 5 columns; write an
equation to express the total as a sum of equal addends.
1. Understand that the three digits of a three-digit number represent
amounts of hundreds, tens, and ones; e.g., 706 equals 7 hundreds, 0
tens, and 6 ones. Understand the following as special cases:
a. 100 can be thought of as a bundle of ten tens called a
hundred.
b. The numbers 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900 refer to
one, two, three, four, ve, six, seven, eight, or nine hundreds (and 0
tens and 0 ones).
2. Count within 1000; skip-count by 5s, 10s, and 100s.
3. Read and write numbers to 1000 using base-ten numerals, number
names, and expanded form.
4. Compare two three-digit numbers based on meanings of the hundreds,
tens, and ones digits, using >, =, and < symbols to record the results of
comparisons.
Use place value understanding and properties of operations to add
and subtract.
5. Fluently add and subtract within 100 using strategies based on place
value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between
6. Add up to four two-digit numbers using strategies based on place
value and properties of operations.
7. Add and subtract within 1000, using concrete models or drawings
and strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and/or
the relationship between addition and subtraction; relate the strategy
to a written method. Understand that in adding or subtracting three-
digit numbers, one adds or subtracts hundreds and hundreds, tens
and tens, ones and ones; and sometimes it is necessary to compose or
decompose tens or hundreds.
8. Mentally add 10 or 100 to a given number 100900, and mentally
subtract 10 or 100 from a given number 100900.
9. Explain why addition and subtraction strategies work, using place value
and the properties of operations.
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1
2
See standard 1.OA.6 for a list of mental strategies.
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Measure and estimate lengths in standard units.
1. Measure the length of an object by selecting and using appropriate
tools such as rulers, yardsticks, meter sticks, and measuring tapes.
2. Measure the length of an object twice, using length units of
different lengths for the two measurements; describe how the two
measurements relate to the size of the unit chosen.
3. Estimate lengths using units of inches, feet, centimeters, and meters.
4. Measure to determine how much longer one object is than another,
expressing the length difference in terms of a standard length unit.
Relate addition and subtraction to length.
5. Use addition and subtraction within 100 to solve word problems
involving lengths that are given in the same units, e.g., by using
drawings (such as drawings of rulers) and equations with a symbol for
the unknown number to represent the problem.
6. Represent whole numbers as lengths from 0 on a number line diagram
with equally spaced points corresponding to the numbers 0, 1, 2, ..., and
represent whole-number sums and differences within 100 on a number
line diagram.
Work with time and money.
7. Tell and write time from analog and digital clocks to the nearest ve
minutes, using a.m. and p.m.
8. Solve word problems involving dollar bills, quarters, dimes, nickels, and
pennies, using $ and symbols appropriately. Example: If you have 2
dimes and 3 pennies, how many cents do you have?
9. Generate measurement data by measuring lengths of several objects
to the nearest whole unit, or by making repeated measurements of the
same object. Show the measurements by making a line plot, where the
horizontal scale is marked off in whole-number units.
10. Draw a picture graph and a bar graph (with single-unit scale) to
represent a data set with up to four categories. Solve simple put-
together, take-apart, and compare problems
4
using information
presented in a bar graph.
Geometry 2.G
1. Recognize and draw shapes having specied attributes, such as a given
number of angles or a given number of equal faces.
5
Identify triangles,
quadrilaterals, pentagons, hexagons, and cubes.
2. Partition a rectangle into rows and columns of same-size squares and
count to nd the total number of them.
3. Partition circles and rectangles into two, three, or four equal shares,
describe the shares using the words halves, thirds, half of, a third of,
etc., and describe the whole as two halves, three thirds, four fourths.
Recognize that equal shares of identical wholes need not have the
same shape.
4
5
Sizes are compared directly or visually, not compared by measuring.
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developing understanding of multiplication and division and strategies
for multiplication and division within 100; (2) developing understanding
of fractions, especially unit fractions (fractions with numerator 1); (3)
developing understanding of the structure of rectangular arrays and of
area; and (4) describing and analyzing two-dimensional shapes.
(1) Students develop an understanding of the meanings of multiplication
and division of whole numbers through activities and problems involving
equal-sized groups, arrays, and area models; multiplication is nding
an unknown product, and division is nding an unknown factor in these
situations. For equal-sized group situations, division can require nding
the unknown number of groups or the unknown group size. Students use
properties of operations to calculate products of whole numbers, using
increasingly sophisticated strategies based on these properties to solve
multiplication and division problems involving single-digit factors. By
comparing a variety of solution strategies, students learn the relationship
between multiplication and division.
(2) Students develop an understanding of fractions, beginning with
unit fractions. Students view fractions in general as being built out of
unit fractions, and they use fractions along with visual fraction models
to represent parts of a whole. Students understand that the size of a
fractional part is relative to the size of the whole. For example, 1/2 of the
paint in a small bucket could be less paint than 1/3 of the paint in a larger
bucket, but 1/3 of a ribbon is longer than 1/5 of the same ribbon because
when the ribbon is divided into 3 equal parts, the parts are longer than
when the ribbon is divided into 5 equal parts. Students are able to use
fractions to represent numbers equal to, less than, and greater than one.
They solve problems that involve comparing fractions by using visual
fraction models and strategies based on noticing equal numerators or
denominators.
(3) Students recognize area as an attribute of two-dimensional regions.
They measure the area of a shape by nding the total number of same-
size units of area required to cover the shape without gaps or overlaps,
a square with sides of unit length being the standard unit for measuring
area. Students understand that rectangular arrays can be decomposed into
identical rows or into identical columns. By decomposing rectangles into
rectangular arrays of squares, students connect area to multiplication, and
justify using multiplication to determine the area of a rectangle.
(4) Students describe, analyze, and compare properties of two-
dimensional shapes. They compare and classify shapes by their sides and
angles, and connect these with denitions of shapes. Students also relate
their fraction work to geometry by expressing the area of part of a shape
as a unit fraction of the whole.
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multiplication and division.
Understand properties of multiplication and
the relationship between multiplication and
division.
Multiply and divide within 100.
Solve problems involving the four operations,
and identify and explain patterns in arithmetic.
Use place value understanding and properties
of operations to perform multi-digit arithmetic.
Number and OperationsFractions
Develop understanding of fractions as numbers.
Solve problems involving measurement and
estimation of intervals of time, liquid volumes,
and masses of objects.
Geometric measurement: understand concepts
of area and relate area to multiplication and to
addition.
Geometric measurement: recognize perimeter
as an attribute of plane gures and distinguish
between linear and area measures.
Geometry
solving them.
reasoning.
Grade 3 Overview
solving them.
reasoning.
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Represent and solve problems involving multiplication and division.
1. Interpret products of whole numbers, e.g., interpret 5 7 as the total
number of objects in 5 groups of 7 objects each. For example, describe
a context in which a total number of objects can be expressed as 5 7.
2. Interpret whole-number quotients of whole numbers, e.g., interpret
56 8 as the number of objects in each share when 56 objects are
partitioned equally into 8 shares, or as a number of shares when
56 objects are partitioned into equal shares of 8 objects each. For
example, describe a context in which a number of shares or a number of
groups can be expressed as 56 8.
3. Use multiplication and division within 100 to solve word problems in
situations involving equal groups, arrays, and measurement quantities,
e.g., by using drawings and equations with a symbol for the unknown
number to represent the problem.
1
4. Determine the unknown whole number in a multiplication or division
equation relating three whole numbers. For example, determine the
unknown number that makes the equation true in each of the equations 8
? = 48, 5 = 3, 6 6 = ?.
Understand properties of multiplication and the relationship
between multiplication and division.
5. Apply properties of operations as strategies to multiply and
divide.
2
Examples: If 6 4 = 24 is known, then 4 6 = 24 is also known.
(Commutative property of multiplication.) 3 5 2 can be found by 3
5 = 15, then 15 2 = 30, or by 5 2 = 10, then 3 10 = 30. (Associative
property of multiplication.) Knowing that 8 5 = 40 and 8 2 = 16, one
can nd 8 7 as 8 (5 + 2) = (8 5) + (8 2) = 40 + 16 = 56. (Distributive
property.)
6. Understand division as an unknown-factor problem. For example, nd
32 8 by nding the number that makes 32 when multiplied by 8.
Multiply and divide within 100.
7. Fluently multiply and divide within 100, using strategies such as the
relationship between multiplication and division (e.g., knowing that 8
5 = 40, one knows 40 5 = 8) or properties of operations. By the end
of Grade 3, know from memory all products of two one-digit numbers.
Solve problems involving the four operations, and identify and
explain patterns in arithmetic.
8. Solve two-step word problems using the four operations. Represent
these problems using equations with a letter standing for the
unknown quantity. Assess the reasonableness of answers using mental
computation and estimation strategies including rounding.
3

9. Identify arithmetic patterns (including patterns in the addition table or
multiplication table), and explain them using properties of operations.
For example, observe that 4 times a number is always even, and explain
why 4 times a number can be decomposed into two equal addends.
1
2
Students need not use formal terms for these properties.
3
This standard is limited to problems posed with whole numbers and having whole-
number answers; students should know how to perform operations in the conven-
tional order when there are no parentheses to specify a particular order (Order of
Operations).
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4
1. Use place value understanding to round whole numbers to the nearest
10 or 100.
2. Fluently add and subtract within 1000 using strategies and algorithms
based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship
3. Multiply one-digit whole numbers by multiples of 10 in the range
1090 (e.g., 9 80, 5 60) using strategies based on place value and
properties of operations.
5
3.NF
Develop understanding of fractions as numbers.
1. Understand a fraction 1/b as the quantity formed by 1 part when a
whole is partitioned into b equal parts; understand a fraction a/b as
the quantity formed by a parts of size 1/b.
2. Understand a fraction as a number on the number line; represent
fractions on a number line diagram.
a. Represent a fraction 1/b on a number line diagram by dening the
interval from 0 to 1 as the whole and partitioning it into b equal
parts. Recognize that each part has size 1/b and that the endpoint
of the part based at 0 locates the number 1/b on the number line.
b. Represent a fraction a/b on a number line diagram by marking of
a lengths 1/b from 0. Recognize that the resulting interval has size
a/b and that its endpoint locates the number a/b on the number
line.
3. Explain equivalence of fractions in special cases, and compare
fractions by reasoning about their size.
a. Understand two fractions as equivalent (equal) if they are the
same size, or the same point on a number line.
b. Recognize and generate simple equivalent fractions, e.g., 1/2 =
2/4, 4/6 = 2/3. Explain why the fractions are equivalent, e.g., by
using a visual fraction model.
c. Express whole numbers as fractions, and recognize fractions that
are equivalent to whole numbers. Examples: Express 3 in the form
3 = 3/1; recognize that 6/1 = 6; locate 4/4 and 1 at the same point
of a number line diagram.
d. Compare two fractions with the same numerator or the same
denominator by reasoning about their size. Recognize that
comparisons are valid only when the two fractions refer to the
same whole. Record the results of comparisons with the symbols
>, =, or <, and justify the conclusions, e.g., by using a visual
fraction model.
Solve problems involving measurement and estimation of intervals
of time, liquid volumes, and masses of objects.
1. Tell and write time to the nearest minute and measure time intervals
in minutes. Solve word problems involving addition and subtraction
of time intervals in minutes, e.g., by representing the problem on a
number line diagram.
4
A range of algorithms may be used.
5
Grade 3 expectations in this domain are limited to fractions with denominators 2, 3,
4, 6, and 8.
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2. Measure and estimate liquid volumes and masses of objects using
standard units of grams (g), kilograms (kg), and liters (l).
6
Add,
subtract, multiply, or divide to solve one-step word problems involving
masses or volumes that are given in the same units, e.g., by using
drawings (such as a beaker with a measurement scale) to represent
the problem.
7
3. Draw a scaled picture graph and a scaled bar graph to represent a
data set with several categories. Solve one- and two-step how many
more and how many less problems using information presented in
scaled bar graphs. For example, draw a bar graph in which each square in
the bar graph might represent 5 pets.
4. Generate measurement data by measuring lengths using rulers marked
with halves and fourths of an inch. Show the data by making a line
plot, where the horizontal scale is marked off in appropriate units
whole numbers, halves, or quarters.
Geometric measurement: understand concepts of area and relate
area to multiplication and to addition.
5. Recognize area as an attribute of plane gures and understand
concepts of area measurement.
a. A square with side length 1 unit, called a unit square, is said to
have one square unit of area, and can be used to measure area.
b. A plane gure which can be covered without gaps or overlaps by
n unit squares is said to have an area of n square units.
6. Measure areas by counting unit squares (square cm, square m, square
in, square ft, and improvised units).
7. Relate area to the operations of multiplication and addition.
a. Find the area of a rectangle with whole-number side lengths by
tiling it, and show that the area is the same as would be found by
multiplying the side lengths.
b. Multiply side lengths to nd areas of rectangles with whole-
number side lengths in the context of solving real world and
mathematical problems, and represent whole-number products as
rectangular areas in mathematical reasoning.
c. Use tiling to show in a concrete case that the area of a rectangle
with whole-number side lengths a and b + c is the sum of
a b and a c. Use area models to represent the distributive
property in mathematical reasoning.
d. Recognize area as additive. Find areas of rectilinear gures by
decomposing them into non-overlapping rectangles and adding
the areas of the non-overlapping parts, applying this technique to
solve real world problems.
Geometric measurement: recognize perimeter as an attribute of
plane gures and distinguish between linear and area measures.
8. Solve real world and mathematical problems involving perimeters
of polygons, including nding the perimeter given the side lengths,
nding an unknown side length, and exhibiting rectangles with the
same perimeter and different areas or with the same area and different
perimeters.
6
Excludes compound units such as cm
3
and nding the geometric volume of a
container.
7
Excludes multiplicative comparison problems (problems involving notions of
times as much; see Glossary, Table 2).
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Geometry 3.G
1. Understand that shapes in different categories (e.g., rhombuses,
rectangles, and others) may share attributes (e.g., having four sides),
and that the shared attributes can dene a larger category (e.g.,
quadrilaterals). Recognize rhombuses, rectangles, and squares as
examples of quadrilaterals, and draw examples of quadrilaterals that
do not belong to any of these subcategories.
2. Partition shapes into parts with equal areas. Express the area of each
part as a unit fraction of the whole. For example, partition a shape into 4
parts with equal area, and describe the area of each part as 1/4 of the area
of the shape.
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In Grade 4, instructional time should focus on three critical areas: (1)
developing understanding and uency with multi-digit multiplication,
and developing understanding of dividing to nd quotients involving
multi-digit dividends; (2) developing an understanding of fraction
equivalence, addition and subtraction of fractions with like denominators,
and multiplication of fractions by whole numbers; (3) understanding
that geometric gures can be analyzed and classied based on their
properties, such as having parallel sides, perpendicular sides, particular
angle measures, and symmetry.
(1) Students generalize their understanding of place value to 1,000,000,
understanding the relative sizes of numbers in each place. They apply their
understanding of models for multiplication (equal-sized groups, arrays,
area models), place value, and properties of operations, in particular the
distributive property, as they develop, discuss, and use efcient, accurate,
and generalizable methods to compute products of multi-digit whole
numbers. Depending on the numbers and the context, they select and
accurately apply appropriate methods to estimate or mentally calculate
products. They develop uency with efcient procedures for multiplying
whole numbers; understand and explain why the procedures work based on
place value and properties of operations; and use them to solve problems.
Students apply their understanding of models for division, place value,
properties of operations, and the relationship of division to multiplication
as they develop, discuss, and use efcient, accurate, and generalizable
procedures to nd quotients involving multi-digit dividends. They select
and accurately apply appropriate methods to estimate and mentally
calculate quotients, and interpret remainders based upon the context.
(2) Students develop understanding of fraction equivalence and
operations with fractions. They recognize that two different fractions can
be equal (e.g., 15/9 = 5/3), and they develop methods for generating and
recognizing equivalent fractions. Students extend previous understandings
about how fractions are built from unit fractions, composing fractions
from unit fractions, decomposing fractions into unit fractions, and using
the meaning of fractions and the meaning of multiplication to multiply a
fraction by a whole number.
(3) Students describe, analyze, compare, and classify two-dimensional
shapes. Through building, drawing, and analyzing two-dimensional shapes,
students deepen their understanding of properties of two-dimensional
objects and the use of them to solve problems involving symmetry.
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Grade 4 Overview
Use the four operations with whole numbers to
solve problems.
Gain familiarity with factors and multiples.
Generate and analyze patterns.
Generalize place value understanding for multi-
digit whole numbers.
Use place value understanding and properties of
operations to perform multi-digit arithmetic.
Extend understanding of fraction equivalence
and ordering.
Build fractions from unit fractions by applying
and extending previous understandings of
operations on whole numbers.
Understand decimal notation for fractions, and
compare decimal fractions.
Solve problems involving measurement and
conversion of measurements from a larger unit to
a smaller unit.
Geometric measurement: understand concepts of
angle and measure angles.
Geometry
Draw and identify lines and angles, and classify
shapes by properties of their lines and angles.
solving them.
reasoning.
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Use the four operations with whole numbers to solve problems.
1. Interpret a multiplication equation as a comparison, e.g., interpret 35
= 5 7 as a statement that 35 is 5 times as many as 7 and 7 times as
many as 5. Represent verbal statements of multiplicative comparisons
as multiplication equations.
2. Multiply or divide to solve word problems involving multiplicative
comparison, e.g., by using drawings and equations with a symbol
for the unknown number to represent the problem, distinguishing
multiplicative comparison from additive comparison.
1
3. Solve multistep word problems posed with whole numbers and having
whole-number answers using the four operations, including problems
in which remainders must be interpreted. Represent these problems
using equations with a letter standing for the unknown quantity.
Assess the reasonableness of answers using mental computation and
estimation strategies including rounding.
Gain familiarity with factors and multiples.
4. Find all factor pairs for a whole number in the range 1100. Recognize
that a whole number is a multiple of each of its factors. Determine
whether a given whole number in the range 1100 is a multiple of a
given one-digit number. Determine whether a given whole number in
the range 1100 is prime or composite.
Generate and analyze patterns.
5. Generate a number or shape pattern that follows a given rule. Identify
apparent features of the pattern that were not explicit in the rule itself.
For example, given the rule Add 3 and the starting number 1, generate
terms in the resulting sequence and observe that the terms appear to
alternate between odd and even numbers. Explain informally why the
numbers will continue to alternate in this way.
2
4.NBT
Generalize place value understanding for multi-digit whole numbers.
1. Recognize that in a multi-digit whole number, a digit in one place
represents ten times what it represents in the place to its right. For
example, recognize that 700 70 = 10 by applying concepts of place value
and division.
2. Read and write multi-digit whole numbers using base-ten numerals,
number names, and expanded form. Compare two multi-digit numbers
based on meanings of the digits in each place, using >, =, and <
symbols to record the results of comparisons.
3. Use place value understanding to round multi-digit whole numbers to
any place.
4. Fluently add and subtract multi-digit whole numbers using the
standard algorithm.
5. Multiply a whole number of up to four digits by a one-digit whole
number, and multiply two two-digit numbers, using strategies based
on place value and the properties of operations. Illustrate and explain
the calculation by using equations, rectangular arrays, and/or area
models.
1
2
Grade 4 expectations in this domain are limited to whole numbers less than or
equal to 1,000,000.
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6. Find whole-number quotients and remainders with up to four-digit
dividends and one-digit divisors, using strategies based on place
value, the properties of operations, and/or the relationship between
multiplication and division. Illustrate and explain the calculation by
using equations, rectangular arrays, and/or area models.
3
4.NF
Extend understanding of fraction equivalence and ordering.
1. Explain why a fraction a/b is equivalent to a fraction (n a)/(n b)
by using visual fraction models, with attention to how the number and
size of the parts differ even though the two fractions themselves are
the same size. Use this principle to recognize and generate equivalent
fractions.
2. Compare two fractions with different numerators and different
denominators, e.g., by creating common denominators or numerators,
or by comparing to a benchmark fraction such as 1/2. Recognize that
comparisons are valid only when the two fractions refer to the same
whole. Record the results of comparisons with symbols >, =, or <, and
justify the conclusions, e.g., by using a visual fraction model.
Build fractions from unit fractions by applying and extending
previous understandings of operations on whole numbers.
3. Understand a fraction a/b with a > 1 as a sum of fractions 1/b.
a. Understand addition and subtraction of fractions as joining and
separating parts referring to the same whole.
b. Decompose a fraction into a sum of fractions with the
same denominator in more than one way, recording each
decomposition by an equation. Justify decompositions, e.g., by
using a visual fraction model. Examples: 3/8=1/8+1/8+1/8 ;
3/8=1/8+2/8 ; 2 1/8=1 + 1+1/8=8/8+8/8 +1/8.
c. Add and subtract mixed numbers with like denominators, e.g., by
replacing each mixed number with an equivalent fraction, and/or
by using properties of operations and the relationship between
d. Solve word problems involving addition and subtraction
of fractions referring to the same whole and having like
denominators, e.g., by using visual fraction models and equations
to represent the problem.
4. Apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication to
multiply a fraction by a whole number.
a. Understand a fraction a/b as a multiple of 1/b. For example, use
a visual fraction model to represent 5/4 as the product 5(1/4),
recording the conclusion by the equation 5/4 = 5(1/4).
b. Understand a multiple of a/b as a multiple of 1/b, and use this
understanding to multiply a fraction by a whole number. For
example, use a visual fraction model to express 3(2/5) as 6(1/5),
recognizing this product as 6/5. (In general, n(a/b)=(na)/b.)
c. Solve word problems involving multiplication of a fraction by a
whole number, e.g., by using visual fraction models and equations
to represent the problem. For example, if each person at a party will
eat 3/8 of a pound of roast beef, and there will be 5 people at the
party, how many pounds of roast beef will be needed? Between what
two whole numbers does your answer lie?
3
Grade 4 expectations in this domain are limited to fractions with denominators 2,
3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 100.
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Understand decimal notation for fractions, and compare decimal
fractions.
5. Express a fraction with denominator 10 as an equivalent fraction with
denominator 100, and use this technique to add two fractions with
respective denominators 10 and 100.
4
For example, express 3/10 as
30/100, and add 3/10+4/100 = 34/100.
6. Use decimal notation for fractions with denominators 10 or 100. For
example, rewrite 0.62 as 62/100; describe a length as 0.62 meters; locate
0.62 on a number line diagram.
7. Compare two decimals to hundredths by reasoning about their size.
Recognize that comparisons are valid only when the two decimals
refer to the same whole. Record the results of comparisons with the
symbols >, =, or <, and justify the conclusions, e.g., by using a visual
model.
Solve problems involving measurement and conversion of
measurements from a larger unit to a smaller unit.
1. Know relative sizes of measurement units within one system of units
including km, m, cm; kg, g; lb, oz.; l, ml; hr, min, sec. Within a single
system of measurement, express measurements in a larger unit in
terms of a smaller unit. Record measurement equivalents in a two-
column table. For example, know that 1 ft is 12 times as long as 1 in.
Express the length of a 4 ft snake as 48 in. Generate a conversion table for
feet and inches listing the number pairs (1, 12), (2, 24), (3, 36), ...
2. Use the four operations to solve word problems involving distances,
intervals of time, liquid volumes, masses of objects, and money,
including problems involving simple fractions or decimals, and
problems that require expressing measurements given in a larger unit
in terms of a smaller unit. Represent measurement quantities using
diagrams such as number line diagrams that feature a measurement
scale.
3. Apply the area and perimeter formulas for rectangles in real world and
mathematical problems. For example, nd the width of a rectangular
room given the area of the ooring and the length, by viewing the area
formula as a multiplication equation with an unknown factor.
4. Make a line plot to display a data set of measurements in fractions of
a unit (1/2, 1/4, 1/8). Solve problems involving addition and subtraction
of fractions by using information presented in line plots. For example,
from a line plot nd and interpret the diference in length between the
longest and shortest specimens in an insect collection.
Geometric measurement: understand concepts of angle and measure
angles.
5. Recognize angles as geometric shapes that are formed wherever two
rays share a common endpoint, and understand concepts of angle
measurement:
a. An angle is measured with reference to a circle with its center at
the common endpoint of the rays, by considering the fraction of
the circular arc between the points where the two rays intersect
the circle. An angle that turns through 1/360 of a circle is called a
one-degree angle, and can be used to measure angles.
b. An angle that turns through n one-degree angles is said to have
an angle measure of n degrees.
4
Students who can generate equivalent fractions can develop strategies for adding
fractions with unlike denominators in general. But addition and subtraction with un-
like denominators in general is not a requirement at this grade.
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6. Measure angles in whole-number degrees using a protractor. Sketch
angles of specied measure.
7. Recognize angle measure as additive. When an angle is decomposed
into non-overlapping parts, the angle measure of the whole is the sum
of the angle measures of the parts. Solve addition and subtraction
problems to nd unknown angles on a diagram in real world and
mathematical problems, e.g., by using an equation with a symbol for
the unknown angle measure.
Geometry 4.G
Draw and identify lines and angles, and classify shapes by properties
of their lines and angles.
1. Draw points, lines, line segments, rays, angles (right, acute, obtuse),
and perpendicular and parallel lines. Identify these in two-dimensional
gures.
2. Classify two-dimensional gures based on the presence or absence of
parallel or perpendicular lines, or the presence or absence of angles of
a specied size. Recognize right triangles as a category, and identify
right triangles.
3. Recognize a line of symmetry for a two-dimensional gure as a line
across the gure such that the gure can be folded along the line
into matching parts. Identify line-symmetric gures and draw lines of
symmetry.
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In Grade 5, instructional time should focus on three critical areas: (1)
developing uency with addition and subtraction of fractions, and
developing understanding of the multiplication of fractions and of division
of fractions in limited cases (unit fractions divided by whole numbers and
whole numbers divided by unit fractions); (2) extending division to 2-digit
divisors, integrating decimal fractions into the place value system and
developing understanding of operations with decimals to hundredths, and
developing uency with whole number and decimal operations; and (3)
developing understanding of volume.
(1) Students apply their understanding of fractions and fraction models to
represent the addition and subtraction of fractions with unlike denominators
as equivalent calculations with like denominators. They develop uency
in calculating sums and differences of fractions, and make reasonable
estimates of them. Students also use the meaning of fractions, of
multiplication and division, and the relationship between multiplication and
division to understand and explain why the procedures for multiplying and
dividing fractions make sense. (Note: this is limited to the case of dividing
unit fractions by whole numbers and whole numbers by unit fractions.)
(2) Students develop understanding of why division procedures work
based on the meaning of base-ten numerals and properties of operations.
They nalize uency with multi-digit addition, subtraction, multiplication,
and division. They apply their understandings of models for decimals,
decimal notation, and properties of operations to add and subtract
decimals to hundredths. They develop uency in these computations, and
make reasonable estimates of their results. Students use the relationship
between decimals and fractions, as well as the relationship between
nite decimals and whole numbers (i.e., a nite decimal multiplied by an
appropriate power of 10 is a whole number), to understand and explain
why the procedures for multiplying and dividing nite decimals make
sense. They compute products and quotients of decimals to hundredths
efciently and accurately.
(3) Students recognize volume as an attribute of three-dimensional
space. They understand that volume can be measured by nding the total
number of same-size units of volume required to ll the space without
gaps or overlaps. They understand that a 1-unit by 1-unit by 1-unit cube
is the standard unit for measuring volume. They select appropriate units,
strategies, and tools for solving problems that involve estimating and
measuring volume. They decompose three-dimensional shapes and nd
volumes of right rectangular prisms by viewing them as decomposed into
layers of arrays of cubes. They measure necessary attributes of shapes in
order to determine volumes to solve real world and mathematical problems.
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Write and interpret numerical expressions.
Analyze patterns and relationships.
Understand the place value system.
Perform operations with multi-digit whole
numbers and with decimals to hundredths.
Use equivalent fractions as a strategy to add
and subtract fractions.
Apply and extend previous understandings
of multiplication and division to multiply and
divide fractions.
Convert like measurement units within a given
measurement system.
Geometric measurement: understand concepts
of volume and relate volume to multiplication
and to addition.
Geometry
Graph points on the coordinate plane to solve
real-world and mathematical problems.
Classify two-dimensional gures into categories
based on their properties.
solving them.
reasoning.
Grade 5 Overview
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Write and interpret numerical expressions.
1. Use parentheses, brackets, or braces in numerical expressions, and
evaluate expressions with these symbols.
2. Write simple expressions that record calculations with numbers, and
interpret numerical expressions without evaluating them. For example,
express the calculation add 8 and 7, then multiply by 2 as 2(8+7).
Recognize that 3(18932+921) is three times as large as 18932+921,
without having to calculate the indicated sum or product.
Analyze patterns and relationships.
3. Generate two numerical patterns using two given rules. Identify
apparent relationships between corresponding terms. Form ordered
pairs consisting of corresponding terms from the two patterns, and
graph the ordered pairs on a coordinate plane. For example, given the
rule Add 3 and the starting number 0, and given the rule Add 6 and the
starting number 0, generate terms in the resulting sequences, and observe
that the terms in one sequence are twice the corresponding terms in the
other sequence. Explain informally why this is so.
Understand the place value system.
1. Recognize that in a multi-digit number, a digit in one place represents
10 times as much as it represents in the place to its right and 1/10 of
what it represents in the place to its left.
2. Explain patterns in the number of zeros of the product when
multiplying a number by powers of 10, and explain patterns in the
placement of the decimal point when a decimal is multiplied or
divided by a power of 10. Use whole-number exponents to denote
powers of 10.
3. Read, write, and compare decimals to thousandths.
a. Read and write decimals to thousandths using base-ten numerals,
number names, and expanded form, e.g., 347.392 = 3 100 + 4
10 + 7 1 + 3 (1/10) + 9 (1/100) + 2 (1/1000).
b. Compare two decimals to thousandths based on meanings of the
digits in each place, using >, =, and < symbols to record the results
of comparisons.
4. Use place value understanding to round decimals to any place.
Perform operations with multi-digit whole numbers and with
decimals to hundredths.
5. Fluently multiply multi-digit whole numbers using the standard
algorithm.
6. Find whole-number quotients of whole numbers with up to four-digit
dividends and two-digit divisors, using strategies based on place
value, the properties of operations, and/or the relationship between
multiplication and division. Illustrate and explain the calculation by
using equations, rectangular arrays, and/or area models.
7. Add, subtract, multiply, and divide decimals to hundredths, using
concrete models or drawings and strategies based on place value,
properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and
subtraction; relate the strategy to a written method and explain the
reasoning used.
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Number and OperationsFractions 5.NF
Use equivalent fractions as a strategy to add and subtract fractions.
1. Add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators (including mixed
numbers) by replacing given fractions with equivalent fractions in
such a way as to produce an equivalent sum or difference of fractions
with like denominators. For example, 2/3 + 5/4 = 8/12 + 15/12 = 23/12. (In
general, a/b + c/d = (ad + bc)/bd.)
2. Solve word problems involving addition and subtraction of fractions
referring to the same whole, including cases of unlike denominators,
e.g., by using visual fraction models or equations to represent the
problem. Use benchmark fractions and number sense of fractions
to estimate mentally and assess the reasonableness of answers. For
example, recognize an incorrect result 2/5 + 1/2 = 3/7, by observing that
3/7 < 1/2.
Apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication and
division to multiply and divide fractions.
3. Interpret a fraction as division of the numerator by the denominator
(a/b = a b). Solve word problems involving division of whole
numbers leading to answers in the form of fractions or mixed numbers,
e.g., by using visual fraction models or equations to represent the
problem. For example, interpret 3/4 as the result of dividing 3 by 4, noting
that 3/4 multiplied by 4 equals 3, and that when 3 wholes are shared
equally among 4 people each person has a share of size 3/4. If 9 people
want to share a 50-pound sack of rice equally by weight, how many
pounds of rice should each person get? Between what two whole numbers
does your answer lie?
4. Apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication to
multiply a fraction or whole number by a fraction.
a. Interpret the product (a/b) q as a parts of a partition of q
into b equal parts; equivalently, as the result of a sequence of
operations a q b. For example, use a visual fraction model to
show (2/3)4=8/3, and create a story context for this equation. Do
the same with (2/3) (4/5) = 8/15. (In general, (a/b) (c/d) = ac/bd.)
b. Find the area of a rectangle with fractional side lengths by tiling it
with unit squares of the appropriate unit fraction side lengths, and
show that the area is the same as would be found by multiplying
the side lengths. Multiply fractional side lengths to nd areas of
rectangles, and represent fraction products as rectangular areas.
5. Interpret multiplication as scaling (resizing), by:
a. Comparing the size of a product to the size of one factor on
the basis of the size of the other factor, without performing the
indicated multiplication.
b. Explaining why multiplying a given number by a fraction greater
than 1 results in a product greater than the given number
(recognizing multiplication by whole numbers greater than 1 as
a familiar case); explaining why multiplying a given number by
a fraction less than 1 results in a product smaller than the given
number; and relating the principle of fraction equivalence a/b =
(na)/(nb) to the effect of multiplying a/b by 1.
6. Solve real world problems involving multiplication of fractions and
mixed numbers, e.g., by using visual fraction models or equations to
represent the problem.
7. Apply and extend previous understandings of division to divide unit
fractions by whole numbers and whole numbers by unit fractions.
1
a. Interpret division of a unit fraction by a non-zero whole number,
1
Students able to multiply fractions in general can develop strategies to divide frac-
tions in general, by reasoning about the relationship between multiplication and
division. But division of a fraction by a fraction is not a requirement at this grade.
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and compute such quotients. For example, create a story context
for (1/3) 4, and use a visual fraction model to show the quotient.
Use the relationship between multiplication and division to explain
that (1/3) 4 = 1/12 because (1/12) 4 = 1/3.
b. Interpret division of a whole number by a unit fraction, and
compute such quotients. For example, create a story context for
4(1/5), and use a visual fraction model to show the quotient. Use
the relationship between multiplication and division to explain that
4(1/5) = 20 because 20 (1/5) = 4.
c. Solve real world problems involving division of unit fractions by
non-zero whole numbers and division of whole numbers by unit
fractions, e.g., by using visual fraction models and equations to
represent the problem. For example, how much chocolate will each
person get if 3 people share 1/2 lb of chocolate equally? How many
1/3-cup servings are in 2 cups of raisins?
Convert like measurement units within a given measurement system.
1. Convert among different-sized standard measurement units within a
given measurement system (e.g., convert 5 cm to 0.05 m), and use
these conversions in solving multi-step, real world problems.
2. Make a line plot to display a data set of measurements in fractions of
a unit (1/2, 1/4, 1/8). Use operations on fractions for this grade to solve
problems involving information presented in line plots. For example,
given diferent measurements of liquid in identical beakers, nd the
amount of liquid each beaker would contain if the total amount in all the
beakers were redistributed equally.
Geometric measurement: understand concepts of volume and relate
volume to multiplication and to addition.
3. Recognize volume as an attribute of solid gures and understand
concepts of volume measurement.
a. A cube with side length 1 unit, called a unit cube, is said to have
one cubic unit of volume, and can be used to measure volume.
b. A solid gure which can be packed without gaps or overlaps
using n unit cubes is said to have a volume of n cubic units.
4. Measure volumes by counting unit cubes, using cubic cm, cubic in,
cubic ft, and improvised units.
5. Relate volume to the operations of multiplication and addition and
solve real world and mathematical problems involving volume.
a. Find the volume of a right rectangular prism with whole-number
side lengths by packing it with unit cubes, and show that the
volume is the same as would be found by multiplying the edge
lengths, equivalently by multiplying the height by the area of the
base. Represent threefold whole-number products as volumes,
e.g., to represent the associative property of multiplication.
b. Apply the formulas V = l w h and V = b h for rectangular
prisms to nd volumes of right rectangular prisms with whole-
number edge lengths in the context of solving real world and
c. Recognize volume as additive. Find volumes of solid gures
composed of two non-overlapping right rectangular prisms by
adding the volumes of the non-overlapping parts, applying this
technique to solve real world problems.
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Geometry 5.G
Graph points on the coordinate plane to solve real-world and
1. Use a pair of perpendicular number lines, called axes, to dene a
coordinate system, with the intersection of the lines (the origin)
arranged to coincide with the 0 on each line and a given point in
the plane located by using an ordered pair of numbers, called its
coordinates. Understand that the rst number indicates how far to
travel from the origin in the direction of one axis, and the second
number indicates how far to travel in the direction of the second
axis, with the convention that the names of the two axes and the
coordinates correspond (e.g., x-axis and x-coordinate, y-axis and
y-coordinate).
2. Represent real world and mathematical problems by graphing points
in the rst quadrant of the coordinate plane, and interpret coordinate
values of points in the context of the situation.
Classify two-dimensional gures into categories based on their
properties.
3. Understand that attributes belonging to a category of two-
dimensional gures also belong to all subcategories of that category.
For example, all rectangles have four right angles and squares are
rectangles, so all squares have four right angles.
4. Classify two-dimensional gures in a hierarchy based on properties.
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connecting ratio and rate to whole number multiplication and division
and using concepts of ratio and rate to solve problems; (2) completing
understanding of division of fractions and extending the notion of number
to the system of rational numbers, which includes negative numbers;
(3) writing, interpreting, and using expressions and equations; and (4)
developing understanding of statistical thinking.
(1) Students use reasoning about multiplication and division to solve
ratio and rate problems about quantities. By viewing equivalent ratios
and rates as deriving from, and extending, pairs of rows (or columns) in
the multiplication table, and by analyzing simple drawings that indicate
the relative size of quantities, students connect their understanding of
multiplication and division with ratios and rates. Thus students expand the
scope of problems for which they can use multiplication and division to
solve problems, and they connect ratios and fractions. Students solve a
wide variety of problems involving ratios and rates.
(2) Students use the meaning of fractions, the meanings of multiplication
and division, and the relationship between multiplication and division to
understand and explain why the procedures for dividing fractions make
sense. Students use these operations to solve problems. Students extend
their previous understandings of number and the ordering of numbers
to the full system of rational numbers, which includes negative rational
numbers, and in particular negative integers. They reason about the order
and absolute value of rational numbers and about the location of points in
all four quadrants of the coordinate plane.
(3) Students understand the use of variables in mathematical expressions.
They write expressions and equations that correspond to given situations,
evaluate expressions, and use expressions and formulas to solve problems.
Students understand that expressions in different forms can be equivalent,
and they use the properties of operations to rewrite expressions in
equivalent forms. Students know that the solutions of an equation are the
values of the variables that make the equation true. Students use properties
of operations and the idea of maintaining the equality of both sides of
an equation to solve simple one-step equations. Students construct and
analyze tables, such as tables of quantities that are in equivalent ratios,
and they use equations (such as 3x = y) to describe relationships between
quantities.
(4) Building on and reinforcing their understanding of number, students
begin to develop their ability to think statistically. Students recognize that a
data distribution may not have a denite center and that different ways to
measure center yield different values. The median measures center in the
sense that it is roughly the middle value. The mean measures center in the
sense that it is the value that each data point would take on if the total of
the data values were redistributed equally, and also in the sense that it is a
balance point. Students recognize that a measure of variability (interquartile
range or mean absolute deviation) can also be useful for summarizing
data because two very different sets of data can have the same mean and
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median yet be distinguished by their variability. Students learn to describe
and summarize numerical data sets, identifying clusters, peaks, gaps, and
symmetry, considering the context in which the data were collected.
Students in Grade 6 also build on their work with area in elementary
school by reasoning about relationships among shapes to determine area,
surface area, and volume. They nd areas of right triangles, other triangles,
and special quadrilaterals by decomposing these shapes, rearranging
or removing pieces, and relating the shapes to rectangles. Using these
methods, students discuss, develop, and justify formulas for areas of
triangles and parallelograms. Students nd areas of polygons and surface
areas of prisms and pyramids by decomposing them into pieces whose
area they can determine. They reason about right rectangular prisms
with fractional side lengths to extend formulas for the volume of a right
rectangular prism to fractional side lengths. They prepare for work on
scale drawings and constructions in Grade 7 by drawing polygons in the
coordinate plane.
KEY HSD 000356
Ratios and Proportional Relationships
Understand ratio concepts and use ratio
reasoning to solve problems.
The Number System
Apply and extend previous understandings of
multiplication and division to divide fractions
by fractions.
Compute uently with multi-digit numbers and
nd common factors and multiples.
numbers to the system of rational numbers.
Expressions and Equations
arithmetic to algebraic expressions.
Reason about and solve one-variable equations
and inequalities.
Represent and analyze quantitative
relationships between dependent and
independent variables.
Geometry
Solve real-world and mathematical problems
involving area, surface area, and volume.
Statistics and Probability
Develop understanding of statistical variability.
Summarize and describe distributions.
solving them.
reasoning.
Grade 6 Overview
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Ratios and Proportional Relationships 6.RP
Understand ratio concepts and use ratio reasoning to solve
problems.
1. Understand the concept of a ratio and use ratio language to describe
a ratio relationship between two quantities. For example, The ratio
of wings to beaks in the bird house at the zoo was 2:1, because for
every 2 wings there was 1 beak. For every vote candidate A received,
candidate C received nearly three votes.
2. Understand the concept of a unit rate a/b associated with a ratio a:b
with b 0, and use rate language in the context of a ratio relationship.
For example, This recipe has a ratio of 3 cups of our to 4 cups of sugar,
so there is 3/4 cup of our for each cup of sugar. We paid $75 for 15
hamburgers, which is a rate of $5 per hamburger.
1
3. Use ratio and rate reasoning to solve real-world and mathematical
problems, e.g., by reasoning about tables of equivalent ratios, tape
diagrams, double number line diagrams, or equations.
a. Make tables of equivalent ratios relating quantities with whole-
number measurements, nd missing values in the tables, and plot
the pairs of values on the coordinate plane. Use tables to compare
ratios.
b. Solve unit rate problems including those involving unit pricing and
constant speed. For example, if it took 7 hours to mow 4 lawns, then
at that rate, how many lawns could be mowed in 35 hours? At what
rate were lawns being mowed?
c. Find a percent of a quantity as a rate per 100 (e.g., 30% of a
quantity means 30/100 times the quantity); solve problems
involving nding the whole, given a part and the percent.
d. Use ratio reasoning to convert measurement units; manipulate
and transform units appropriately when multiplying or dividing
quantities.
The Number System 6.NS
Apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication and
division to divide fractions by fractions.
1. Interpret and compute quotients of fractions, and solve word
problems involving division of fractions by fractions, e.g., by using
visual fraction models and equations to represent the problem. For
example, create a story context for (2/3) (3/4) and use a visual fraction
model to show the quotient; use the relationship between multiplication
and division to explain that (2/3) (3/4) = 8/9 because 3/4 of 8/9 is 2/3.
(In general, (a/b) (c/d) = ad/bc.) How much chocolate will each person
get if 3 people share 1/2 lb of chocolate equally? How many 3/4-cup
servings are in 2/3 of a cup of yogurt? How wide is a rectangular strip of
land with length 3/4 mi and area 1/2 square mi?
Compute uently with multi-digit numbers and nd common factors
and multiples.
2. Fluently divide multi-digit numbers using the standard algorithm.
3. Fluently add, subtract, multiply, and divide multi-digit decimals using
the standard algorithm for each operation.
4. Find the greatest common factor of two whole numbers less than or
equal to 100 and the least common multiple of two whole numbers
less than or equal to 12. Use the distributive property to express a
sum of two whole numbers 1100 with a common factor as a multiple
of a sum of two whole numbers with no common factor. For example,
express 36 + 8 as 4(9+2).
1
Expectations for unit rates in this grade are limited to non-complex fractions.
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Apply and extend previous understandings of numbers to the system
of rational numbers.
5. Understand that positive and negative numbers are used together
to describe quantities having opposite directions or values (e.g.,
temperature above/below zero, elevation above/below sea level,
credits/debits, positive/negative electric charge); use positive and
negative numbers to represent quantities in real-world contexts,
explaining the meaning of 0 in each situation.
6. Understand a rational number as a point on the number line. Extend
number line diagrams and coordinate axes familiar from previous
grades to represent points on the line and in the plane with negative
number coordinates.
a. Recognize opposite signs of numbers as indicating locations
on opposite sides of 0 on the number line; recognize that the
opposite of the opposite of a number is the number itself, e.g.,
(3) = 3, and that 0 is its own opposite.
b. Understand signs of numbers in ordered pairs as indicating
locations in quadrants of the coordinate plane; recognize that
when two ordered pairs differ only by signs, the locations of the
points are related by reections across one or both axes.
c. Find and position integers and other rational numbers on a
horizontal or vertical number line diagram; nd and position pairs
of integers and other rational numbers on a coordinate plane.
7. Understand ordering and absolute value of rational numbers.
a. Interpret statements of inequality as statements about the relative
position of two numbers on a number line diagram. For example,
interpret 3 > 7 as a statement that 3 is located to the right of 7 on
a number line oriented from left to right.
b. Write, interpret, and explain statements of order for rational
numbers in real-world contexts. For example, write 3
o
C>7
o
C to
express the fact that 3
o
C is warmer than 7
o
C.
c. Understand the absolute value of a rational number as its distance
from 0 on the number line; interpret absolute value as magnitude
for a positive or negative quantity in a real-world situation. For
example, for an account balance of 30 dollars, write |30| = 30 to
describe the size of the debt in dollars.
d. Distinguish comparisons of absolute value from statements about
order. For example, recognize that an account balance less than 30
dollars represents a debt greater than 30 dollars.
8. Solve real-world and mathematical problems by graphing points in all
four quadrants of the coordinate plane. Include use of coordinates and
absolute value to nd distances between points with the same rst
coordinate or the same second coordinate.
Expressions and Equations 6.EE
Apply and extend previous understandings of arithmetic to algebraic
expressions.
1. Write and evaluate numerical expressions involving whole-number
exponents.
2. Write, read, and evaluate expressions in which letters stand for
numbers.
a. Write expressions that record operations with numbers and with
letters standing for numbers. For example, express the calculation
Subtract y from 5 as 5 y.
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b. Identify parts of an expression using mathematical terms (sum,
term, product, factor, quotient, coefcient); view one or more
parts of an expression as a single entity. For example, describe the
expression 2(8+7) as a product of two factors; view (8+7) as both
a single entity and a sum of two terms.
c. Evaluate expressions at specic values of their variables. Include
expressions that arise from formulas used in real-world problems.
Perform arithmetic operations, including those involving whole-
number exponents, in the conventional order when there are no
parentheses to specify a particular order (Order of Operations).
For example, use the formulas V=s
3
and A=6 s
2
to nd the volume
and surface area of a cube with sides of length s=1/2.
3. Apply the properties of operations to generate equivalent expressions.
For example, apply the distributive property to the expression 3 (2 + x) to
produce the equivalent expression 6 + 3x; apply the distributive property
to the expression 24x + 18y to produce the equivalent expression
6 (4x + 3y); apply properties of operations to y + y + y to produce the
equivalent expression 3y.
4. Identify when two expressions are equivalent (i.e., when the two
expressions name the same number regardless of which value is
substituted into them). For example, the expressions y + y + y and 3y
are equivalent because they name the same number regardless of which
number y stands for.
Reason about and solve one-variable equations and inequalities.
5. Understand solving an equation or inequality as a process of
answering a question: which values from a specied set, if any, make
the equation or inequality true? Use substitution to determine whether
a given number in a specied set makes an equation or inequality true.
6. Use variables to represent numbers and write expressions when
solving a real-world or mathematical problem; understand that a
variable can represent an unknown number, or, depending on the
purpose at hand, any number in a specied set.
7. Solve real-world and mathematical problems by writing and solving
equations of the form x + p = q and px = q for cases in which p, q and
x are all nonnegative rational numbers.
8. Write an inequality of the form x > c or x < c to represent a constraint
or condition in a real-world or mathematical problem. Recognize that
inequalities of the form x > c or x < c have innitely many solutions;
represent solutions of such inequalities on number line diagrams.
Represent and analyze quantitative relationships between
dependent and independent variables.
9. Use variables to represent two quantities in a real-world problem that
change in relationship to one another; write an equation to express
one quantity, thought of as the dependent variable, in terms of the
other quantity, thought of as the independent variable. Analyze the
relationship between the dependent and independent variables using
graphs and tables, and relate these to the equation. For example, in a
problem involving motion at constant speed, list and graph ordered pairs
of distances and times, and write the equation d = 65t to represent the
relationship between distance and time.
Geometry 6.G
Solve real-world and mathematical problems involving area, surface
area, and volume.
1. Find the area of right triangles, other triangles, special quadrilaterals,
and polygons by composing into rectangles or decomposing into
triangles and other shapes; apply these techniques in the context of
solving real-world and mathematical problems.
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2. Find the volume of a right rectangular prism with fractional edge
lengths by packing it with unit cubes of the appropriate unit fraction
edge lengths, and show that the volume is the same as would be
found by multiplying the edge lengths of the prism. Apply the
formulas V = l w h and V = b h to nd volumes of right rectangular
prisms with fractional edge lengths in the context of solving real-world
and mathematical problems.
3. Draw polygons in the coordinate plane given coordinates for the
vertices; use coordinates to nd the length of a side joining points with
the same rst coordinate or the same second coordinate. Apply these
techniques in the context of solving real-world and mathematical
problems.
4. Represent three-dimensional gures using nets made up of rectangles
and triangles, and use the nets to nd the surface area of these
gures. Apply these techniques in the context of solving real-world
Statistics and Probability 6.SP
Develop understanding of statistical variability.
1. Recognize a statistical question as one that anticipates variability in
the data related to the question and accounts for it in the answers. For
example, How old am I? is not a statistical question, but How old are the
students in my school? is a statistical question because one anticipates
variability in students ages.
2. Understand that a set of data collected to answer a statistical question
has a distribution which can be described by its center, spread, and
overall shape.
3. Recognize that a measure of center for a numerical data set
summarizes all of its values with a single number, while a measure of
variation describes how its values vary with a single number.
Summarize and describe distributions.
4. Display numerical data in plots on a number line, including dot plots,
histograms, and box plots.
5. Summarize numerical data sets in relation to their context, such as by:
a. Reporting the number of observations.
b. Describing the nature of the attribute under investigation,
including how it was measured and its units of measurement.
c. Giving quantitative measures of center (median and/or mean) and
variability (interquartile range and/or mean absolute deviation), as
well as describing any overall pattern and any striking deviations
from the overall pattern with reference to the context in which the
data were gathered.
d. Relating the choice of measures of center and variability to the
shape of the data distribution and the context in which the data
were gathered.
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developing understanding of and applying proportional relationships;
(2) developing understanding of operations with rational numbers and
working with expressions and linear equations; (3) solving problems
involving scale drawings and informal geometric constructions, and
working with two- and three-dimensional shapes to solve problems
involving area, surface area, and volume; and (4) drawing inferences about
populations based on samples.
(1) Students extend their understanding of ratios and develop
understanding of proportionality to solve single- and multi-step problems.
Students use their understanding of ratios and proportionality to solve
a wide variety of percent problems, including those involving discounts,
interest, taxes, tips, and percent increase or decrease. Students solve
problems about scale drawings by relating corresponding lengths between
the objects or by using the fact that relationships of lengths within an
object are preserved in similar objects. Students graph proportional
relationships and understand the unit rate informally as a measure of the
steepness of the related line, called the slope. They distinguish proportional
relationships from other relationships.
(2) Students develop a unied understanding of number, recognizing
fractions, decimals (that have a nite or a repeating decimal
representation), and percents as different representations of rational
numbers. Students extend addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division
to all rational numbers, maintaining the properties of operations and the
relationships between addition and subtraction, and multiplication and
division. By applying these properties, and by viewing negative numbers
in terms of everyday contexts (e.g., amounts owed or temperatures below
zero), students explain and interpret the rules for adding, subtracting,
multiplying, and dividing with negative numbers. They use the arithmetic
of rational numbers as they formulate expressions and equations in one
variable and use these equations to solve problems.
(3) Students continue their work with area from Grade 6, solving problems
involving the area and circumference of a circle and surface area of three-
dimensional objects. In preparation for work on congruence and similarity
in Grade 8 they reason about relationships among two-dimensional gures
using scale drawings and informal geometric constructions, and they gain
familiarity with the relationships between angles formed by intersecting
lines. Students work with three-dimensional gures, relating them to two-
dimensional gures by examining cross-sections. They solve real-world
and mathematical problems involving area, surface area, and volume of
two- and three-dimensional objects composed of triangles, quadrilaterals,
polygons, cubes and right prisms.
(4) Students build on their previous work with single data distributions to
compare two data distributions and address questions about differences
between populations. They begin informal work with random sampling
to generate data sets and learn about the importance of representative
samples for drawing inferences.
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Analyze proportional relationships and use
them to solve real-world and mathematical
problems.
The Number System
Apply and extend previous understandings
of operations with fractions to add, subtract,
multiply, and divide rational numbers.
Use properties of operations to generate
equivalent expressions.
Solve real-life and mathematical problems
using numerical and algebraic expressions and
equations.
Geometry
Draw, construct and describe geometrical
gures and describe the relationships between
them.
Solve real-life and mathematical problems
involving angle measure, area, surface area,
and volume.
Use random sampling to draw inferences about
a population.
Draw informal comparative inferences about
two populations.
Investigate chance processes and develop, use,
and evaluate probability models.
solving them.
reasoning.
Grade 7 Overview
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Ratios and Proportional Relationships 7.RP
Analyze proportional relationships and use them to solve real-world
1. Compute unit rates associated with ratios of fractions, including ratios
of lengths, areas and other quantities measured in like or different
units. For example, if a person walks 1/2 mile in each 1/4 hour, compute
the unit rate as the complex fraction
1/2
/1/4 miles per hour, equivalently 2
miles per hour.
2. Recognize and represent proportional relationships between
quantities.
a. Decide whether two quantities are in a proportional relationship,
e.g., by testing for equivalent ratios in a table or graphing on a
coordinate plane and observing whether the graph is a straight
line through the origin.
b. Identify the constant of proportionality (unit rate) in tables,
graphs, equations, diagrams, and verbal descriptions of
proportional relationships.
c. Represent proportional relationships by equations. For example, if
total cost t is proportional to the number n of items purchased at
a constant price p, the relationship between the total cost and the
number of items can be expressed as t = pn.
d. Explain what a point (x, y) on the graph of a proportional
relationship means in terms of the situation, with special attention
to the points (0, 0) and (1, r) where r is the unit rate.
3. Use proportional relationships to solve multistep ratio and percent
problems. Examples: simple interest, tax, markups and markdowns,
gratuities and commissions, fees, percent increase and decrease, percent
error.
Apply and extend previous understandings of operations with
fractions to add, subtract, multiply, and divide rational numbers.
1. Apply and extend previous understandings of addition and subtraction
to add and subtract rational numbers; represent addition and
subtraction on a horizontal or vertical number line diagram.
a. Describe situations in which opposite quantities combine to
make 0. For example, a hydrogen atom has 0 charge because its two
constituents are oppositely charged.
b. Understand p + q as the number located a distance |q| from p,
in the positive or negative direction depending on whether q is
positive or negative. Show that a number and its opposite have
a sum of 0 (are additive inverses). Interpret sums of rational
numbers by describing real-world contexts.
c. Understand subtraction of rational numbers as adding the
additive inverse, p q = p + (q). Show that the distance between
two rational numbers on the number line is the absolute value of
their difference, and apply this principle in real-world contexts.
d. Apply properties of operations as strategies to add and subtract
rational numbers.
2. Apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication and
division and of fractions to multiply and divide rational numbers.
a. Understand that multiplication is extended from fractions to
rational numbers by requiring that operations continue to
satisfy the properties of operations, particularly the distributive
property, leading to products such as (1)(1) = 1 and the rules
for multiplying signed numbers. Interpret products of rational
numbers by describing real-world contexts.
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b. Understand that integers can be divided, provided that the divisor
is not zero, and every quotient of integers (with non-zero divisor)
is a rational number. If p and q are integers, then (p/q) = (p)/q =
p/(q). Interpret quotients of rational numbers by describing real-
world contexts.
c. Apply properties of operations as strategies to multiply and
divide rational numbers.
d. Convert a rational number to a decimal using long division; know
that the decimal form of a rational number terminates in 0s or
eventually repeats.
3. Solve real-world and mathematical problems involving the four
operations with rational numbers.
1
Use properties of operations to generate equivalent expressions.
1. Apply properties of operations as strategies to add, subtract, factor,
and expand linear expressions with rational coefcients.
2. Understand that rewriting an expression in different forms in a
problem context can shed light on the problem and how the quantities
in it are related. For example, a + 0.05a = 1.05a means that increase by
5% is the same as multiply by 1.05.
Solve real-life and mathematical problems using numerical and
algebraic expressions and equations.
3. Solve multi-step real-life and mathematical problems posed with
positive and negative rational numbers in any form (whole numbers,
fractions, and decimals), using tools strategically. Apply properties of
operations to calculate with numbers in any form; convert between
forms as appropriate; and assess the reasonableness of answers using
mental computation and estimation strategies. For example: If a woman
making $25 an hour gets a 10% raise, she will make an additional 1/10 of
her salary an hour, or $2.50, for a new salary of $27.50. If you want to place
a towel bar 9 3/4 inches long in the center of a door that is 27 1/2 inches
wide, you will need to place the bar about 9 inches from each edge; this
estimate can be used as a check on the exact computation.
4. Use variables to represent quantities in a real-world or mathematical
problem, and construct simple equations and inequalities to solve
problems by reasoning about the quantities.
a. Solve word problems leading to equations of the form px + q = r
and p(x + q) = r, where p, q, and r are specic rational numbers.
Solve equations of these forms uently. Compare an algebraic
solution to an arithmetic solution, identifying the sequence of the
operations used in each approach. For example, the perimeter of a
rectangle is 54 cm. Its length is 6 cm. What is its width?
b. Solve word problems leading to inequalities of the form px + q > r
or px + q < r, where p, q, and r are specic rational numbers. Graph
the solution set of the inequality and interpret it in the context of
the problem. For example: As a salesperson, you are paid $50 per
week plus $3 per sale. This week you want your pay to be at least
$100. Write an inequality for the number of sales you need to make,
and describe the solutions.
Geometry 7.G
Draw, construct, and describe geometrical gures and describe the
relationships between them.
1. Solve problems involving scale drawings of geometric gures,
including computing actual lengths and areas from a scale drawing
and reproducing a scale drawing at a different scale.
1
Computations with rational numbers extend the rules for manipulating fractions to
complex fractions.
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2. Draw (freehand, with ruler and protractor, and with technology)
geometric shapes with given conditions. Focus on constructing
triangles from three measures of angles or sides, noticing when the
conditions determine a unique triangle, more than one triangle, or no
triangle.
3. Describe the two-dimensional gures that result from slicing three-
dimensional gures, as in plane sections of right rectangular prisms
and right rectangular pyramids.
Solve real-life and mathematical problems involving angle measure,
area, surface area, and volume.
4. Know the formulas for the area and circumference of a circle and use
them to solve problems; give an informal derivation of the relationship
between the circumference and area of a circle.
5. Use facts about supplementary, complementary, vertical, and adjacent
angles in a multi-step problem to write and solve simple equations for
an unknown angle in a gure.
6. Solve real-world and mathematical problems involving area, volume
and surface area of two- and three-dimensional objects composed of
triangles, quadrilaterals, polygons, cubes, and right prisms.
Use random sampling to draw inferences about a population.
1. Understand that statistics can be used to gain information about a
population by examining a sample of the population; generalizations
about a population from a sample are valid only if the sample is
representative of that population. Understand that random sampling
tends to produce representative samples and support valid inferences.
2. Use data from a random sample to draw inferences about a population
with an unknown characteristic of interest. Generate multiple samples
(or simulated samples) of the same size to gauge the variation in
estimates or predictions. For example, estimate the mean word length in
a book by randomly sampling words from the book; predict the winner of
a school election based on randomly sampled survey data. Gauge how far
of the estimate or prediction might be.
Draw informal comparative inferences about two populations.
3. Informally assess the degree of visual overlap of two numerical
data distributions with similar variabilities, measuring the difference
between the centers by expressing it as a multiple of a measure of
variability. For example, the mean height of players on the basketball
team is 10 cm greater than the mean height of players on the soccer team,
about twice the variability (mean absolute deviation) on either team; on
a dot plot, the separation between the two distributions of heights is
noticeable.
4. Use measures of center and measures of variability for numerical data
from random samples to draw informal comparative inferences about
two populations. For example, decide whether the words in a chapter
of a seventh-grade science book are generally longer than the words in a
chapter of a fourth-grade science book.
Investigate chance processes and develop, use, and evaluate
probability models.
5. Understand that the probability of a chance event is a number
between 0 and 1 that expresses the likelihood of the event occurring.
Larger numbers indicate greater likelihood. A probability near 0
indicates an unlikely event, a probability around 1/2 indicates an event
that is neither unlikely nor likely, and a probability near 1 indicates a
likely event.
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6. Approximate the probability of a chance event by collecting data on
the chance process that produces it and observing its long-run relative
frequency, and predict the approximate relative frequency given the
probability. For example, when rolling a number cube 600 times, predict
that a 3 or 6 would be rolled roughly 200 times, but probably not exactly
200 times.
7. Develop a probability model and use it to nd probabilities of events.
Compare probabilities from a model to observed frequencies; if the
agreement is not good, explain possible sources of the discrepancy.
a. Develop a uniform probability model by assigning equal
probability to all outcomes, and use the model to determine
probabilities of events. For example, if a student is selected at
random from a class, nd the probability that Jane will be selected
and the probability that a girl will be selected.
b. Develop a probability model (which may not be uniform) by
observing frequencies in data generated from a chance process.
For example, nd the approximate probability that a spinning penny
will land heads up or that a tossed paper cup will land open-end
down. Do the outcomes for the spinning penny appear to be equally
likely based on the observed frequencies?
8. Find probabilities of compound events using organized lists, tables,
tree diagrams, and simulation.
a. Understand that, just as with simple events, the probability of a
compound event is the fraction of outcomes in the sample space
for which the compound event occurs.
b. Represent sample spaces for compound events using methods
such as organized lists, tables and tree diagrams. For an event
described in everyday language (e.g., rolling double sixes),
identify the outcomes in the sample space which compose the
event.
c. Design and use a simulation to generate frequencies for
compound events. For example, use random digits as a simulation
tool to approximate the answer to the question: If 40% of donors
have type A blood, what is the probability that it will take at least 4
donors to nd one with type A blood?
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In Grade 8, instructional time should focus on three critical areas: (1) formulating
and reasoning about expressions and equations, including modeling an association
in bivariate data with a linear equation, and solving linear equations and systems
of linear equations; (2) grasping the concept of a function and using functions
to describe quantitative relationships; (3) analyzing two- and three-dimensional
space and gures using distance, angle, similarity, and congruence, and
understanding and applying the Pythagorean Theorem.
(1) Students use linear equations and systems of linear equations to represent,
analyze, and solve a variety of problems. Students recognize equations for
proportions (y/x = m or y = mx) as special linear equations (y = mx + b),
understanding that the constant of proportionality (m) is the slope, and the graphs
are lines through the origin. They understand that the slope (m) of a line is a
constant rate of change, so that if the input or x-coordinate changes by an amount
A, the output or y-coordinate changes by the amount mA. Students also use a linear
equation to describe the association between two quantities in bivariate data (such
as arm span vs. height for students in a classroom). At this grade, tting the model,
and assessing its t to the data are done informally. Interpreting the model in the
context of the data requires students to express a relationship between the two
quantities in question and to interpret components of the relationship (such as slope
and y-intercept) in terms of the situation.
Students strategically choose and efciently implement procedures to solve linear
equations in one variable, understanding that when they use the properties of
equality and the concept of logical equivalence, they maintain the solutions of the
original equation. Students solve systems of two linear equations in two variables
and relate the systems to pairs of lines in the plane; these intersect, are parallel, or
are the same line. Students use linear equations, systems of linear equations, linear
functions, and their understanding of slope of a line to analyze situations and solve
problems.
(2) Students grasp the concept of a function as a rule that assigns to each input
exactly one output. They understand that functions describe situations where one
quantity determines another. They can translate among representations and partial
representations of functions (noting that tabular and graphical representations
may be partial representations), and they describe how aspects of the function are
reected in the different representations.
(3) Students use ideas about distance and angles, how they behave under
translations, rotations, reections, and dilations, and ideas about congruence and
similarity to describe and analyze two-dimensional gures and to solve problems.
Students show that the sum of the angles in a triangle is the angle formed by a
straight line, and that various congurations of lines give rise to similar triangles
because of the angles created when a transversal cuts parallel lines. Students
understand the statement of the Pythagorean Theorem and its converse, and can
explain why the Pythagorean Theorem holds, for example, by decomposing a
square in two different ways. They apply the Pythagorean Theorem to nd distances
between points on the coordinate plane, to nd lengths, and to analyze polygons.
Students complete their work on volume by solving problems involving cones,
cylinders, and spheres.
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The Number System
Know that there are numbers that are not
rational, and approximate them by rational
numbers.
Work with radicals and integer exponents.
Understand the connections between
proportional relationships, lines, and linear
equations.
Analyze and solve linear equations and pairs of
simultaneous linear equations.
Functions
Dene, evaluate, and compare functions.
Use functions to model relationships between
quantities.
Geometry
Understand congruence and similarity using
physical models, transparencies, or geometry
software.
Understand and apply the Pythagorean
Theorem.
Solve real-world and mathematical problems
involving volume of cylinders, cones and
spheres.
Investigate patterns of association in bivariate
data.
solving them.
reasoning.
Grade 8 Overview
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Know that there are numbers that are not rational, and approximate
them by rational numbers.
1. Know that numbers that are not rational are called irrational.
Understand informally that every number has a decimal expansion; for
rational numbers show that the decimal expansion repeats eventually,
and convert a decimal expansion which repeats eventually into a
rational number.
2. Use rational approximations of irrational numbers to compare the size
of irrational numbers, locate them approximately on a number line
diagram, and estimate the value of expressions (e.g.,
2
). For example,
by truncating the decimal expansion of 2, show that 2 is between 1 and
2, then between 1.4 and 1.5, and explain how to continue on to get better
approximations.
Work with radicals and integer exponents.
1. Know and apply the properties of integer exponents to generate
equivalent numerical expressions. For example, 3
2
3
5
= 3
3
= 1/3
3
= 1/27.
2. Use square root and cube root symbols to represent solutions to
equations of the form x
2
= p and x
3
= p, where p is a positive rational
number. Evaluate square roots of small perfect squares and cube roots
of small perfect cubes. Know that 2 is irrational.
3. Use numbers expressed in the form of a single digit times an integer
power of 10 to estimate very large or very small quantities, and to
express how many times as much one is than the other. For example,
estimate the population of the United States as 310
8
and the population
of the world as 710
9
, and determine that the world population is more
than 20 times larger.
4. Perform operations with numbers expressed in scientic notation,
including problems where both decimal and scientic notation are
used. Use scientic notation and choose units of appropriate size
for measurements of very large or very small quantities (e.g., use
millimeters per year for seaoor spreading). Interpret scientic
notation that has been generated by technology.
Understand the connections between proportional relationships,
lines, and linear equations.
5. Graph proportional relationships, interpreting the unit rate as the
slope of the graph. Compare two different proportional relationships
represented in different ways. For example, compare a distance-time
graph to a distance-time equation to determine which of two moving
objects has greater speed.
6. Use similar triangles to explain why the slope m is the same between
any two distinct points on a non-vertical line in the coordinate plane;
derive the equation y = mx for a line through the origin and the
equation y = mx + b for a line intercepting the vertical axis at b.
Analyze and solve linear equations and pairs of simultaneous linear
equations.
7. Solve linear equations in one variable.
a. Give examples of linear equations in one variable with one
solution, innitely many solutions, or no solutions. Show which
of these possibilities is the case by successively transforming the
given equation into simpler forms, until an equivalent equation of
the form x = a, a = a, or a = b results (where a and b are different
numbers).
b. Solve linear equations with rational number coefcients, including
equations whose solutions require expanding expressions using
the distributive property and collecting like terms.
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8. Analyze and solve pairs of simultaneous linear equations.
a. Understand that solutions to a system of two linear equations
in two variables correspond to points of intersection of their
graphs, because points of intersection satisfy both equations
simultaneously.
b. Solve systems of two linear equations in two variables
algebraically, and estimate solutions by graphing the equations.
Solve simple cases by inspection. For example, 3x + 2y = 5 and 3x +
2y = 6 have no solution because 3x + 2y cannot simultaneously be 5
and 6.
c. Solve real-world and mathematical problems leading to two linear
equations in two variables. For example, given coordinates for two
pairs of points, determine whether the line through the rst pair of
points intersects the line through the second pair.
Functions 8.F
Dene, evaluate, and compare functions.
1. Understand that a function is a rule that assigns to each input exactly
one output. The graph of a function is the set of ordered pairs
consisting of an input and the corresponding output.
1
2. Compare properties of two functions each represented in a different
way (algebraically, graphically, numerically in tables, or by verbal
descriptions). For example, given a linear function represented by a table
of values and a linear function represented by an algebraic expression,
determine which function has the greater rate of change.
3. Interpret the equation y = mx + b as dening a linear function, whose
graph is a straight line; give examples of functions that are not linear.
For example, the function A = s
2
giving the area of a square as a function
of its side length is not linear because its graph contains the points (1,1),
(2,4) and (3,9), which are not on a straight line.
Use functions to model relationships between quantities.
4. Construct a function to model a linear relationship between two
quantities. Determine the rate of change and initial value of the
function from a description of a relationship or from two (x, y) values,
including reading these from a table or from a graph. Interpret the rate
of change and initial value of a linear function in terms of the situation
it models, and in terms of its graph or a table of values.
5. Describe qualitatively the functional relationship between two
quantities by analyzing a graph (e.g., where the function is increasing
or decreasing, linear or nonlinear). Sketch a graph that exhibits the
qualitative features of a function that has been described verbally.
Geometry 8.G
Understand congruence and similarity using physical models, trans-
parencies, or geometry software.
1. Verify experimentally the properties of rotations, reections, and
translations:
a. Lines are taken to lines, and line segments to line segments of the
same length.
b. Angles are taken to angles of the same measure.
c. Parallel lines are taken to parallel lines.
2. Understand that a two-dimensional gure is congruent to another if
the second can be obtained from the rst by a sequence of rotations,
reections, and translations; given two congruent gures, describe a
sequence that exhibits the congruence between them.
1
Function notation is not required in Grade 8.
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3. Describe the effect of dilations, translations, rotations, and reections
on two-dimensional gures using coordinates.
4. Understand that a two-dimensional gure is similar to another if the
second can be obtained from the rst by a sequence of rotations,
reections, translations, and dilations; given two similar two-
dimensional gures, describe a sequence that exhibits the similarity
between them.
5. Use informal arguments to establish facts about the angle sum and
exterior angle of triangles, about the angles created when parallel lines
are cut by a transversal, and the angle-angle criterion for similarity of
triangles. For example, arrange three copies of the same triangle so that
the sum of the three angles appears to form a line, and give an argument
in terms of transversals why this is so.
Understand and apply the Pythagorean Theorem.
6. Explain a proof of the Pythagorean Theorem and its converse.
7. Apply the Pythagorean Theorem to determine unknown side lengths
in right triangles in real-world and mathematical problems in two and
three dimensions.
8. Apply the Pythagorean Theorem to nd the distance between two
points in a coordinate system.
Solve real-world and mathematical problems involving volume of
cylinders, cones, and spheres.
9. Know the formulas for the volumes of cones, cylinders, and spheres
and use them to solve real-world and mathematical problems.
Investigate patterns of association in bivariate data.
1. Construct and interpret scatter plots for bivariate measurement
data to investigate patterns of association between two quantities.
Describe patterns such as clustering, outliers, positive or negative
association, linear association, and nonlinear association.
2. Know that straight lines are widely used to model relationships
between two quantitative variables. For scatter plots that suggest a
linear association, informally t a straight line, and informally assess
the model t by judging the closeness of the data points to the line.
3. Use the equation of a linear model to solve problems in the context
of bivariate measurement data, interpreting the slope and intercept.
For example, in a linear model for a biology experiment, interpret a slope
of 1.5 cm/hr as meaning that an additional hour of sunlight each day is
associated with an additional 1.5 cm in mature plant height.
4. Understand that patterns of association can also be seen in bivariate
categorical data by displaying frequencies and relative frequencies in
a two-way table. Construct and interpret a two-way table summarizing
data on two categorical variables collected from the same subjects.
Use relative frequencies calculated for rows or columns to describe
possible association between the two variables. For example, collect
data from students in your class on whether or not they have a curfew on
school nights and whether or not they have assigned chores at home. Is
there evidence that those who have a curfew also tend to have chores?
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Mathematics Standards for High School
The high school standards specify the mathematics that all students should
study in order to be college and career ready. Additional mathematics that
students should learn in order to take advanced courses such as calculus,
advanced statistics, or discrete mathematics is indicated by (+), as in this
example:
(+) Represent complex numbers on the complex plane in rectangular
and polar form (including real and imaginary numbers).
All standards without a (+) symbol should be in the common mathematics
curriculum for all college and career ready students. Standards with a (+)
symbol may also appear in courses intended for all students.
The high school standards are listed in conceptual categories:
Number and Quantity
Algebra
Functions
Modeling
Geometry
Conceptual categories portray a coherent view of high school
mathematics; a students work with functions, for example, crosses a
number of traditional course boundaries, potentially up through and
including calculus.
Modeling is best interpreted not as a collection of isolated topics but in
relation to other standards. Making mathematical models is a Standard for
Mathematical Practice, and specic modeling standards appear throughout
the high school standards indicated by a star symbol (
). The star symbol

sometimes appears on the heading for a group of standards; in that case, it
should be understood to apply to all standards in that group.
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Mathematics | High SchoolNumber and
Quantity
Numbers and Number Systems. During the years from kindergarten to eighth
grade, students must repeatedly extend their conception of number. At rst,
number means counting number: 1, 2, 3... Soon after that, 0 is used to represent
none and the whole numbers are formed by the counting numbers together
with zero. The next extension is fractions. At rst, fractions are barely numbers
and tied strongly to pictorial representations. Yet by the time students understand
division of fractions, they have a strong concept of fractions as numbers and have
connected them, via their decimal representations, with the base-ten system used
to represent the whole numbers. During middle school, fractions are augmented by
negative fractions to form the rational numbers. In Grade 8, students extend this
system once more, augmenting the rational numbers with the irrational numbers
to form the real numbers. In high school, students will be exposed to yet another
extension of number, when the real numbers are augmented by the imaginary
numbers to form the complex numbers.
With each extension of number, the meanings of addition, subtraction,
multiplication, and division are extended. In each new number systemintegers,
rational numbers, real numbers, and complex numbersthe four operations stay
the same in two important ways: They have the commutative, associative, and
distributive properties and their new meanings are consistent with their previous
meanings.
Extending the properties of whole-number exponents leads to new and productive
notation. For example, properties of whole-number exponents suggest that (5
1/3
)
3

should be 5
(1/3)3
= 5
1
= 5 and that 5
1/3
should be the cube root of 5.
Calculators, spreadsheets, and computer algebra systems can provide ways for
students to become better acquainted with these new number systems and their
notation. They can be used to generate data for numerical experiments, to help
understand the workings of matrix, vector, and complex number algebra, and to
experiment with non-integer exponents.
Quantities. In real world problems, the answers are usually not numbers but
quantities: numbers with units, which involves measurement. In their work in
measurement up through Grade 8, students primarily measure commonly used
attributes such as length, area, and volume. In high school, students encounter a
wider variety of units in modeling, e.g., acceleration, currency conversions, derived
quantities such as person-hours and heating degree days, social science rates such
as per-capita income, and rates in everyday life such as points scored per game or
batting averages. They also encounter novel situations in which they themselves
must conceive the attributes of interest. For example, to nd a good measure of
overall highway safety, they might propose measures such as fatalities per year,
fatalities per year per driver, or fatalities per vehicle-mile traveled. Such a conceptual
process is sometimes called quantication. Quantication is important for science,
as when surface area suddenly stands out as an important variable in evaporation.
Quantication is also important for companies, which must conceptualize relevant
attributes and create or choose suitable measures for them.
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The Real Number System
Extend the properties of exponents to rational
exponents
Use properties of rational and irrational
numbers.
Quantities
Reason quantitatively and use units to solve
problems
The Complex Number System
Perform arithmetic operations with complex
numbers
Represent complex numbers and their
operations on the complex plane
Use complex numbers in polynomial identities
and equations
Vector and Matrix Quantities
Represent and model with vector quantities.
Perform operations on vectors.
Perform operations on matrices and use
matrices in applications.
solving them.
reasoning.
Number and Quantity Overview
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The Real Number System N-RN
Extend the properties of exponents to rational exponents.
1. Explain how the denition of the meaning of rational exponents
follows from extending the properties of integer exponents to
those values, allowing for a notation for radicals in terms of rational
exponents. For example, we dene 5
1/3
to be the cube root of 5
because we want (5
1/3
)
3
= 5
(1/3)3
to hold, so (5
1/3
)
3
must equal 5.
2. Rewrite expressions involving radicals and rational exponents using
the properties of exponents.
Use properties of rational and irrational numbers.
3. Explain why the sum or product of two rational numbers is rational;
that the sum of a rational number and an irrational number is irrational;
and that the product of a nonzero rational number and an irrational
number is irrational.
Quantities
N-Q
Reason quantitatively and use units to solve problems.
1. Use units as a way to understand problems and to guide the solution
of multi-step problems; choose and interpret units consistently in
formulas; choose and interpret the scale and the origin in graphs and
data displays.
2. Dene appropriate quantities for the purpose of descriptive modeling.
3. Choose a level of accuracy appropriate to limitations on measurement
when reporting quantities.
The Complex Number System N-CN
Perform arithmetic operations with complex numbers.
1. Know there is a complex number i such that i
2
= 1, and every complex
number has the form a + bi with a and b real.
2. Use the relation i
2
= 1 and the commutative, associative, and
distributive properties to add, subtract, and multiply complex
numbers.
3. (+) Find the conjugate of a complex number; use conjugates to nd
moduli and quotients of complex numbers.
Represent complex numbers and their operations on the complex
plane.
4. (+) Represent complex numbers on the complex plane in rectangular
and polar form (including real and imaginary numbers), and explain
why the rectangular and polar forms of a given complex number
represent the same number.
5. (+) Represent addition, subtraction, multiplication, and conjugation of
complex numbers geometrically on the complex plane; use properties
of this representation for computation. For example, (1 + 3 i)
3
= 8
because (1 + 3 i) has modulus 2 and argument 120.
6. (+) Calculate the distance between numbers in the complex plane as
the modulus of the difference, and the midpoint of a segment as the
average of the numbers at its endpoints.
Use complex numbers in polynomial identities and equations.
7. Solve quadratic equations with real coefcients that have complex
solutions.
8. (+) Extend polynomial identities to the complex numbers. For example,
rewrite x
2
+ 4 as (x + 2i)(x 2i).
9. (+) Know the Fundamental Theorem of Algebra; show that it is true for
quadratic polynomials.
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Vector and Matrix Quantities N-VM
Represent and model with vector quantities.
1. (+) Recognize vector quantities as having both magnitude and
direction. Represent vector quantities by directed line segments, and
use appropriate symbols for vectors and their magnitudes (e.g., v, |v|,
||v||, v).
2. (+) Find the components of a vector by subtracting the coordinates of
an initial point from the coordinates of a terminal point.
3. (+) Solve problems involving velocity and other quantities that can be
represented by vectors.
Perform operations on vectors.
4. (+) Add and subtract vectors.
a. Add vectors end-to-end, component-wise, and by the
parallelogram rule. Understand that the magnitude of a sum of
two vectors is typically not the sum of the magnitudes.
b. Given two vectors in magnitude and direction form, determine the
magnitude and direction of their sum.
c. Understand vector subtraction v w as v + (w), where w is the
additive inverse of w, with the same magnitude as w and pointing
in the opposite direction. Represent vector subtraction graphically
by connecting the tips in the appropriate order, and perform
vector subtraction component-wise.
5. (+) Multiply a vector by a scalar.
a. Represent scalar multiplication graphically by scaling vectors and
possibly reversing their direction; perform scalar multiplication
component-wise, e.g., as c(v
x
, v
y
) = (cv
x
, cv
y
).
b. Compute the magnitude of a scalar multiple cv using ||cv|| = |c|v.
Compute the direction of cv knowing that when |c|v 0, the
direction of cv is either along v (for c > 0) or against v (for c < 0).
Perform operations on matrices and use matrices in applications.
6. (+) Use matrices to represent and manipulate data, e.g., to represent
payoffs or incidence relationships in a network.
7. (+) Multiply matrices by scalars to produce new matrices, e.g., as when
all of the payoffs in a game are doubled.
8. (+) Add, subtract, and multiply matrices of appropriate dimensions.
9. (+) Understand that, unlike multiplication of numbers, matrix
multiplication for square matrices is not a commutative operation, but
still satises the associative and distributive properties.
10. (+) Understand that the zero and identity matrices play a role in matrix
addition and multiplication similar to the role of 0 and 1 in the real
numbers. The determinant of a square matrix is nonzero if and only if
the matrix has a multiplicative inverse.
11. (+) Multiply a vector (regarded as a matrix with one column) by a
matrix of suitable dimensions to produce another vector. Work with
matrices as transformations of vectors.
12. (+) Work with 2 2 matrices as transformations of the plane, and
interpret the absolute value of the determinant in terms of area.
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Mathematics | High SchoolAlgebra
Expressions. An expression is a record of a computation with numbers, symbols
that represent numbers, arithmetic operations, exponentiation, and, at more
advanced levels, the operation of evaluating a function. Conventions about the
use of parentheses and the order of operations assure that each expression is
unambiguous. Creating an expression that describes a computation involving a
general quantity requires the ability to express the computation in general terms,
abstracting from specic instances.
Reading an expression with comprehension involves analysis of its underlying
structure. This may suggest a different but equivalent way of writing the expression
that exhibits some different aspect of its meaning. For example, p + 0.05p can be
interpreted as the addition of a 5% tax to a price p. Rewriting p + 0.05p as 1.05p
shows that adding a tax is the same as multiplying the price by a constant factor.
Algebraic manipulations are governed by the properties of operations and
exponents, and the conventions of algebraic notation. At times, an expression is the
result of applying operations to simpler expressions. For example, p + 0.05p is the
sum of the simpler expressions p and 0.05p. Viewing an expression as the result of
operation on simpler expressions can sometimes clarify its underlying structure.
A spreadsheet or a computer algebra system (CAS) can be used to experiment
with algebraic expressions, perform complicated algebraic manipulations, and
understand how algebraic manipulations behave.
Equations and inequalities. An equation is a statement of equality between two
expressions, often viewed as a question asking for which values of the variables the
expressions on either side are in fact equal. These values are the solutions to the
equation. An identity, in contrast, is true for all values of the variables; identities are
often developed by rewriting an expression in an equivalent form.
The solutions of an equation in one variable form a set of numbers; the solutions of
an equation in two variables form a set of ordered pairs of numbers, which can be
plotted in the coordinate plane. Two or more equations and/or inequalities form a
system. A solution for such a system must satisfy every equation and inequality in
the system.
An equation can often be solved by successively deducing from it one or more
simpler equations. For example, one can add the same constant to both sides
without changing the solutions, but squaring both sides might lead to extraneous
solutions. Strategic competence in solving includes looking ahead for productive
manipulations and anticipating the nature and number of solutions.
Some equations have no solutions in a given number system, but have a solution
in a larger system. For example, the solution of x + 1 = 0 is an integer, not a whole
number; the solution of 2x + 1 = 0 is a rational number, not an integer; the solutions
of x
2
2 = 0 are real numbers, not rational numbers; and the solutions of x
2
+ 2 = 0
are complex numbers, not real numbers.
The same solution techniques used to solve equations can be used to rearrange
formulas. For example, the formula for the area of a trapezoid, A = ((b
1
+b
2
)/2)h, can
be solved for h using the same deductive process.
Inequalities can be solved by reasoning about the properties of inequality. Many,
but not all, of the properties of equality continue to hold for inequalities and can be
useful in solving them.
Connections to Functions and Modeling. Expressions can dene functions,
and equivalent expressions dene the same function. Asking when two functions
have the same value for the same input leads to an equation; graphing the two
functions allows for nding approximate solutions of the equation. Converting a
verbal description to an equation, inequality, or system of these is an essential skill
in modeling.
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Seeing Structure in Expressions
Interpret the structure of expressions
Write expressions in equivalent forms to solve
problems
Arithmetic with Polynomials and Rational
Expressions
Perform arithmetic operations on polynomials
Understand the relationship between zeros and
factors of polynomials
Use polynomial identities to solve problems
Rewrite rational expressions
Creating Equations
Create equations that describe numbers or
relationships
Reasoning with Equations and Inequalities
Understand solving equations as a process of
reasoning and explain the reasoning
Solve equations and inequalities in one variable
Solve systems of equations
Represent and solve equations and inequalities
graphically
solving them.
reasoning.
Algebra Overview
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Seeing Structure in Expressions A-SSE
Interpret the structure of expressions
1. Interpret expressions that represent a quantity in terms of its context.
a. Interpret parts of an expression, such as terms, factors, and

coefcients.
b. Interpret complicated expressions by viewing one or more of their
parts as a single entity. For example, interpret P(1+r)
n
as the product
of P and a factor not depending on P.
2. Use the structure of an expression to identify ways to rewrite it. For
example, see x
4
y
4
as (x
2
)
2
(y
2
)
2
, thus recognizing it as a diference of
squares that can be factored as (x
2
y
2
)(x
2
+ y
2
).
Write expressions in equivalent forms to solve problems
3. Choose and produce an equivalent form of an expression to reveal and
explain properties of the quantity represented by the expression.
a. Factor a quadratic expression to reveal the zeros of the function it

denes.
b. Complete the square in a quadratic expression to reveal the
maximum or minimum value of the function it denes.
c. Use the properties of exponents to transform expressions for
exponential functions. For example the expression 1.15
t
can be
rewritten as (1.15
1/12
)
12t
1.012
12t
to reveal the approximate equivalent
monthly interest rate if the annual rate is 15%.
4. Derive the formula for the sum of a nite geometric series (when the
common ratio is not 1), and use the formula to solve problems. For
example, calculate mortgage payments.
Arithmetic with Polynomials and Rational Expressions A-APR

Perform arithmetic operations on polynomials
1. Understand that polynomials form a system analogous to the integers,
namely, they are closed under the operations of addition, subtraction,
and multiplication; add, subtract, and multiply polynomials.
Understand the relationship between zeros and factors of
polynomials
2. Know and apply the Remainder Theorem: For a polynomial p(x) and a
number a, the remainder on division by x a is p(a), so p(a) = 0 if and
only if (x a) is a factor of p(x).
3. Identify zeros of polynomials when suitable factorizations are
available, and use the zeros to construct a rough graph of the function
dened by the polynomial.
Use polynomial identities to solve problems
4. Prove polynomial identities and use them to describe numerical
relationships. For example, the polynomial identity (x
2
+ y
2
)
2
= (x
2
y
2
)
2
+
(2xy)
2
can be used to generate Pythagorean triples.
5. (+) Know and apply the Binomial Theorem for the expansion of (x
+ y)
n
in powers of x and y for a positive integer n, where x and y are
any numbers, with coefcients determined for example by Pascals
Triangle.
1
1
The Binomial Theorem can be proved by mathematical induction or by a com-
binatorial argument.
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Rewrite rational expressions
6. Rewrite simple rational expressions in different forms; write a(x)/b(x)
in the form q(x) + r(x)/b(x), where a(x), b(x), q(x), and r(x) are
polynomials with the degree of r(x) less than the degree of b(x), using
inspection, long division, or, for the more complicated examples, a
computer algebra system.
7. (+) Understand that rational expressions form a system analogous
to the rational numbers, closed under addition, subtraction,
multiplication, and division by a nonzero rational expression; add,
subtract, multiply, and divide rational expressions.
Creating Equations
A-CED
Create equations that describe numbers or relationships
1. Create equations and inequalities in one variable and use them to
solve problems. Include equations arising from linear and quadratic
functions, and simple rational and exponential functions.
2. Create equations in two or more variables to represent relationships
between quantities; graph equations on coordinate axes with labels
and scales.
3. Represent constraints by equations or inequalities, and by systems of
equations and/or inequalities, and interpret solutions as viable or non-
viable options in a modeling context. For example, represent inequalities
describing nutritional and cost constraints on combinations of diferent
foods.
4. Rearrange formulas to highlight a quantity of interest, using the same
reasoning as in solving equations. For example, rearrange Ohms law V =
IR to highlight resistance R.
Reasoning with Equations and Inequalities A-REI
Understand solving equations as a process of reasoning and explain
the reasoning
1. Explain each step in solving a simple equation as following from the
equality of numbers asserted at the previous step, starting from the
assumption that the original equation has a solution. Construct a
viable argument to justify a solution method.
2. Solve simple rational and radical equations in one variable, and give
examples showing how extraneous solutions may arise.
Solve equations and inequalities in one variable
3. Solve linear equations and inequalities in one variable, including
equations with coefcients represented by letters.
4. Solve quadratic equations in one variable.
a. Use the method of completing the square to transform any
quadratic equation in x into an equation of the form (x p)
2
= q
that has the same solutions. Derive the quadratic formula from
this form.
b. Solve quadratic equations by inspection (e.g., for x
2
= 49), taking
square roots, completing the square, the quadratic formula and
factoring, as appropriate to the initial form of the equation.
Recognize when the quadratic formula gives complex solutions
and write them as a bi for real numbers a and b.
Solve systems of equations
5. Prove that, given a system of two equations in two variables, replacing
one equation by the sum of that equation and a multiple of the other
produces a system with the same solutions.
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6. Solve systems of linear equations exactly and approximately (e.g., with
graphs), focusing on pairs of linear equations in two variables.
7. Solve a simple system consisting of a linear equation and a quadratic
equation in two variables algebraically and graphically. For example,
nd the points of intersection between the line y = 3x and the circle x
2
+
y
2
= 3.
8. (+) Represent a system of linear equations as a single matrix equation
in a vector variable.
9. (+) Find the inverse of a matrix if it exists and use it to solve systems
of linear equations (using technology for matrices of dimension 3 3
or greater).
Represent and solve equations and inequalities graphically
10. Understand that the graph of an equation in two variables is the set of
all its solutions plotted in the coordinate plane, often forming a curve
(which could be a line).
11. Explain why the x-coordinates of the points where the graphs of
the equations y = f(x) and y = g(x) intersect are the solutions of the
equation f(x) = g(x); nd the solutions approximately, e.g., using
technology to graph the functions, make tables of values, or nd
successive approximations. Include cases where f(x) and/or g(x)
are linear, polynomial, rational, absolute value, exponential, and
logarithmic functions.
12. Graph the solutions to a linear inequality in two variables as a half-

plane (excluding the boundary in the case of a strict inequality), and
graph the solution set to a system of linear inequalities in two variables
as the intersection of the corresponding half-planes.
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Mathematics | High SchoolFunctions
Functions describe situations where one quantity determines another. For example,
the return on $10,000 invested at an annualized percentage rate of 4.25% is a
function of the length of time the money is invested. Because we continually make
theories about dependencies between quantities in nature and society, functions
are important tools in the construction of mathematical models.
In school mathematics, functions usually have numerical inputs and outputs and are
often dened by an algebraic expression. For example, the time in hours it takes for
a car to drive 100 miles is a function of the cars speed in miles per hour, v; the rule
T(v) = 100/v expresses this relationship algebraically and denes a function whose
name is T.
The set of inputs to a function is called its domain. We often infer the domain to be
all inputs for which the expression dening a function has a value, or for which the
function makes sense in a given context.
A function can be described in various ways, such as by a graph (e.g., the trace of
a seismograph); by a verbal rule, as in, Ill give you a state, you give me the capital
city; by an algebraic expression like f(x) = a + bx; or by a recursive rule. The graph
of a function is often a useful way of visualizing the relationship of the function
models, and manipulating a mathematical expression for a function can throw light
on the functions properties.
Functions presented as expressions can model many important phenomena. Two
important families of functions characterized by laws of growth are linear functions,
which grow at a constant rate, and exponential functions, which grow at a constant
percent rate. Linear functions with a constant term of zero describe proportional
relationships.
A graphing utility or a computer algebra system can be used to experiment with
properties of these functions and their graphs and to build computational models
of functions, including recursively dened functions.
Connections to Expressions, Equations, Modeling, and Coordinates.
Determining an output value for a particular input involves evaluating an expression;
nding inputs that yield a given output involves solving an equation. Questions
about when two functions have the same value for the same input lead to
equations, whose solutions can be visualized from the intersection of their graphs.
Because functions describe relationships between quantities, they are frequently
used in modeling. Sometimes functions are dened by a recursive process, which
can be displayed effectively using a spreadsheet or other technology.
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Interpreting Functions
Understand the concept of a function and use
function notation
Interpret functions that arise in applications in
terms of the context
Analyze functions using diferent
representations
Building Functions
Build a function that models a relationship
between two quantities
Build new functions from existing functions
Linear, Quadratic, and Exponential Models
Construct and compare linear, quadratic, and
exponential models and solve problems
Interpret expressions for functions in terms of
the situation they model
Trigonometric Functions
Extend the domain of trigonometric functions
using the unit circle
Model periodic phenomena with trigonometric
functions
Prove and apply trigonometric identities
solving them.
reasoning.
Functions Overview
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Interpreting Functions F-IF
Understand the concept of a function and use function notation
1. Understand that a function from one set (called the domain) to
another set (called the range) assigns to each element of the domain
exactly one element of the range. If f is a function and x is an element
of its domain, then f(x) denotes the output of f corresponding to the
input x. The graph of f is the graph of the equation y = f(x).
2. Use function notation, evaluate functions for inputs in their domains,
and interpret statements that use function notation in terms of a
context.
3. Recognize that sequences are functions, sometimes dened
recursively, whose domain is a subset of the integers. For example, the
Fibonacci sequence is dened recursively by f(0) = f(1) = 1, f(n+1) = f(n) +
f(n-1) for n 1.
Interpret functions that arise in applications in terms of the context
4. For a function that models a relationship between two quantities,
interpret key features of graphs and tables in terms of the quantities,
and sketch graphs showing key features given a verbal description
of the relationship. Key features include: intercepts; intervals where the
function is increasing, decreasing, positive, or negative; relative maximums
and minimums; symmetries; end behavior; and periodicity.

5. Relate the domain of a function to its graph and, where applicable, to
the quantitative relationship it describes. For example, if the function
h(n) gives the number of person-hours it takes to assemble n engines in a
factory, then the positive integers would be an appropriate domain for the
function.
6. Calculate and interpret the average rate of change of a function

(presented symbolically or as a table) over a specied interval.
Estimate the rate of change from a graph.
Analyze functions using different representations

7. Graph functions expressed symbolically and show key features of
the graph, by hand in simple cases and using technology for more
complicated cases.
a. Graph linear and quadratic functions and show intercepts,

maxima, and minima.
b. Graph square root, cube root, and piecewise-dened functions,
including step functions and absolute value functions.
c. Graph polynomial functions, identifying zeros when suitable
factorizations are available, and showing end behavior.
d. (+) Graph rational functions, identifying zeros and asymptotes
when suitable factorizations are available, and showing end
behavior.
e. Graph exponential and logarithmic functions, showing intercepts
and end behavior, and trigonometric functions, showing period,
midline, and amplitude.
8. Write a function dened by an expression in different but equivalent
forms to reveal and explain different properties of the function.
a. Use the process of factoring and completing the square in a
quadratic function to show zeros, extreme values, and symmetry
of the graph, and interpret these in terms of a context.
b. Use the properties of exponents to interpret expressions for
exponential functions. For example, identify percent rate of change
in functions such as y = (1.02)
t
, y = (0.97)
t
, y = (1.01)
12t
, y = (1.2)
t/10
, and
classify them as representing exponential growth or decay.
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9. Compare properties of two functions each represented in a different
way (algebraically, graphically, numerically in tables, or by verbal
descriptions). For example, given a graph of one quadratic function and
an algebraic expression for another, say which has the larger maximum.
Building Functions F-BF
Build a function that models a relationship between two quantities
1. Write a function that describes a relationship between two quantities.

a. Determine an explicit expression, a recursive process, or steps for
calculation from a context.
b. Combine standard function types using arithmetic operations. For
example, build a function that models the temperature of a cooling
body by adding a constant function to a decaying exponential, and
relate these functions to the model.
c. (+) Compose functions. For example, if T(y) is the temperature in
the atmosphere as a function of height, and h(t) is the height of a
weather balloon as a function of time, then T(h(t)) is the temperature
at the location of the weather balloon as a function of time.
2. Write arithmetic and geometric sequences both recursively and
with an explicit formula, use them to model situations, and translate
between the two forms.
Build new functions from existing functions

3. Identify the effect on the graph of replacing f(x) by f(x) + k, k f(x),
f(kx), and f(x + k) for specic values of k (both positive and negative);
nd the value of k given the graphs. Experiment with cases and
illustrate an explanation of the effects on the graph using technology.
Include recognizing even and odd functions from their graphs and
algebraic expressions for them.
4. Find inverse functions.
a. Solve an equation of the form f(x) = c for a simple function f
that has an inverse and write an expression for the inverse. For
example, f(x) =2 x
3
or f(x) = (x+1)/(x1) for x 1.
b. (+) Verify by composition that one function is the inverse of
another.
c. (+) Read values of an inverse function from a graph or a table,
given that the function has an inverse.
d. (+) Produce an invertible function from a non-invertible function
by restricting the domain.
5. (+) Understand the inverse relationship between exponents and
logarithms and use this relationship to solve problems involving
logarithms and exponents.
Linear, Quadratic, and Exponential Models
F-LE
Construct and compare linear, quadratic, and exponential models
and solve problems
1. Distinguish between situations that can be modeled with linear
functions and with exponential functions.
a. Prove that linear functions grow by equal differences over equal
intervals, and that exponential functions grow by equal factors
over equal intervals.
b. Recognize situations in which one quantity changes at a constant
rate per unit interval relative to another.
c. Recognize situations in which a quantity grows or decays by a
constant percent rate per unit interval relative to another.
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2. Construct linear and exponential functions, including arithmetic and
geometric sequences, given a graph, a description of a relationship, or
two input-output pairs (include reading these from a table).
3. Observe using graphs and tables that a quantity increasing
exponentially eventually exceeds a quantity increasing linearly,
quadratically, or (more generally) as a polynomial function.
4. For exponential models, express as a logarithm the solution to
ab
ct
= d where a, c, and d are numbers and the base b is 2, 10, or e;
evaluate the logarithm using technology.
Interpret expressions for functions in terms of the situation they
model
5. Interpret the parameters in a linear or exponential function in terms of
a context.
Trigonometric Functions F-TF
Extend the domain of trigonometric functions using the unit circle
1. Understand radian measure of an angle as the length of the arc on the
unit circle subtended by the angle.
2. Explain how the unit circle in the coordinate plane enables the
extension of trigonometric functions to all real numbers, interpreted as
radian measures of angles traversed counterclockwise around the unit
circle.
3. (+) Use special triangles to determine geometrically the values of sine,
cosine, tangent for /3, /4 and /6, and use the unit circle to express
the values of sine, cosine, and tangent for x, +x, and 2x in terms
of their values for x, where x is any real number.
4. (+) Use the unit circle to explain symmetry (odd and even) and
periodicity of trigonometric functions.
Model periodic phenomena with trigonometric functions
5. Choose trigonometric functions to model periodic phenomena with
specied amplitude, frequency, and midline.
6. (+) Understand that restricting a trigonometric function to a domain

on which it is always increasing or always decreasing allows its inverse
to be constructed.
7. (+) Use inverse functions to solve trigonometric equations that arise
in modeling contexts; evaluate the solutions using technology, and
interpret them in terms of the context.
Prove and apply trigonometric identities

8. Prove the Pythagorean identity sin
2
() + cos
2
() = 1 and use it to nd
sin(), cos(), or tan() given sin(), cos(), or tan() and the quadrant
of the angle.
9. (+) Prove the addition and subtraction formulas for sine, cosine, and
tangent and use them to solve problems.
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Mathematics | High SchoolModeling
Modeling links classroom mathematics and statistics to everyday life, work, and
decision-making. Modeling is the process of choosing and using appropriate
mathematics and statistics to analyze empirical situations, to understand them
better, and to improve decisions. Quantities and their relationships in physical,
economic, public policy, social, and everyday situations can be modeled using
mathematical and statistical methods. When making mathematical models,
technology is valuable for varying assumptions, exploring consequences, and
comparing predictions with data.
A model can be very simple, such as writing total cost as a product of unit price
and number bought, or using a geometric shape to describe a physical object like
a coin. Even such simple models involve making choices. It is up to us whether
to model a coin as a three-dimensional cylinder, or whether a two-dimensional
disk works well enough for our purposes. Other situationsmodeling a delivery
route, a production schedule, or a comparison of loan amortizationsneed more
elaborate models that use other tools from the mathematical sciences. Real-world
situations are not organized and labeled for analysis; formulating tractable models,
representing such models, and analyzing them is appropriately a creative process.
Like every such process, this depends on acquired expertise as well as creativity.
Some examples of such situations might include:
Estimating how much water and food is needed for emergency
relief in a devastated city of 3 million people, and how it might be
distributed.
Planning a table tennis tournament for 7 players at a club with 4
tables, where each player plays against each other player.
Designing the layout of the stalls in a school fair so as to raise as
much money as possible.
Analyzing stopping distance for a car.
Modeling savings account balance, bacterial colony growth, or
investment growth.
Engaging in critical path analysis, e.g., applied to turnaround of an
aircraft at an airport.
Analyzing risk in situations such as extreme sports, pandemics,
and terrorism.
Relating population statistics to individual predictions.
In situations like these, the models devised depend on a number of factors: How
precise an answer do we want or need? What aspects of the situation do we most
need to understand, control, or optimize? What resources of time and tools do we
have? The range of models that we can create and analyze is also constrained by
the limitations of our mathematical, statistical, and technical skills, and our ability
to recognize signicant variables and relationships among them. Diagrams of
various kinds, spreadsheets and other technology, and algebra are powerful tools
for understanding and solving problems drawn from different types of real-world
situations.
One of the insights provided by mathematical modeling is that essentially the same
mathematical or statistical structure can sometimes model seemingly different
situations. Models can also shed light on
the mathematical structures themselves,
for example, as when a model of bacterial
growth makes more vivid the explosive
growth of the exponential function.
The basic modeling cycle is summarized in the diagram. It
involves (1) identifying variables in the situation and selecting
those that represent essential features, (2) formulating
a model by creating and selecting geometric, graphical,
tabular, algebraic, or statistical representations that describe
relationships between the variables, (3) analyzing and performing operations
on these relationships to draw conclusions, (4) interpreting the results of the
mathematics in terms of the original situation, (5) validating the conclusions by
comparing them with the situation, and then either improving the model or, if it
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is acceptable, (6) reporting on the conclusions and the reasoning behind them.
Choices, assumptions, and approximations are present throughout this cycle.
In descriptive modeling, a model simply describes the phenomena or summarizes
them in a compact form. Graphs of observations are a familiar descriptive model
for example, graphs of global temperature and atmospheric CO
2
over time.
Analytic modeling seeks to explain data on the basis of deeper theoretical ideas,
albeit with parameters that are empirically based; for example, exponential growth
of bacterial colonies (until cut-off mechanisms such as pollution or starvation
intervene) follows from a constant reproduction rate. Functions are an important
tool for analyzing such problems.
Graphing utilities, spreadsheets, computer algebra systems, and dynamic geometry
software are powerful tools that can be used to model purely mathematical
phenomena (e.g., the behavior of polynomials) as well as physical phenomena.
Modeling Standards Modeling is best interpreted not as a collection of isolated
topics but rather in relation to other standards. Making mathematical models is
a Standard for Mathematical Practice, and specic modeling standards appear
throughout the high school standards indicated by a star symbol (
).
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Mathematics | High SchoolGeometry
An understanding of the attributes and relationships of geometric objects can be
applied in diverse contextsinterpreting a schematic drawing, estimating the amount
of wood needed to frame a sloping roof, rendering computer graphics, or designing a
sewing pattern for the most efcient use of material.
Although there are many types of geometry, school mathematics is devoted primarily
to plane Euclidean geometry, studied both synthetically (without coordinates) and
analytically (with coordinates). Euclidean geometry is characterized most importantly
by the Parallel Postulate, that through a point not on a given line there is exactly one
parallel line. (Spherical geometry, in contrast, has no parallel lines.)
During high school, students begin to formalize their geometry experiences from
elementary and middle school, using more precise denitions and developing careful
proofs. Later in college some students develop Euclidean and other geometries carefully
from a small set of axioms.
The concepts of congruence, similarity, and symmetry can be understood from
the perspective of geometric transformation. Fundamental are the rigid motions:
translations, rotations, reections, and combinations of these, all of which are here
assumed to preserve distance and angles (and therefore shapes generally). Reections
and rotations each explain a particular type of symmetry, and the symmetries of an
object offer insight into its attributesas when the reective symmetry of an isosceles
triangle assures that its base angles are congruent.
In the approach taken here, two geometric gures are dened to be congruent if there
is a sequence of rigid motions that carries one onto the other. This is the principle
of superposition. For triangles, congruence means the equality of all corresponding
pairs of sides and all corresponding pairs of angles. During the middle grades, through
experiences drawing triangles from given conditions, students notice ways to specify
enough measures in a triangle to ensure that all triangles drawn with those measures are
congruent. Once these triangle congruence criteria (ASA, SAS, and SSS) are established
using rigid motions, they can be used to prove theorems about triangles, quadrilaterals,
and other geometric gures.
Similarity transformations (rigid motions followed by dilations) dene similarity
in the same way that rigid motions dene congruence, thereby formalizing the
similarity ideas of "same shape" and "scale factor" developed in the middle grades.
These transformations lead to the criterion for triangle similarity that two pairs of
corresponding angles are congruent.
The denitions of sine, cosine, and tangent for acute angles are founded on right
triangles and similarity, and, with the Pythagorean Theorem, are fundamental in many
real-world and theoretical situations. The Pythagorean Theorem is generalized to non-
right triangles by the Law of Cosines. Together, the Laws of Sines and Cosines embody
the triangle congruence criteria for the cases where three pieces of information sufce
to completely solve a triangle. Furthermore, these laws yield two possible solutions in
the ambiguous case, illustrating that Side-Side-Angle is not a congruence criterion.
Analytic geometry connects algebra and geometry, resulting in powerful methods
of analysis and problem solving. Just as the number line associates numbers with
locations in one dimension, a pair of perpendicular axes associates pairs of numbers
with locations in two dimensions. This correspondence between numerical coordinates
and geometric points allows methods from algebra to be applied to geometry and vice
versa. The solution set of an equation becomes a geometric curve, making visualization
a tool for doing and understanding algebra. Geometric shapes can be described by
equations, making algebraic manipulation into a tool for geometric understanding,
modeling, and proof. Geometric transformations of the graphs of equations correspond
to algebraic changes in their equations.
Dynamic geometry environments provide students with experimental and modeling
tools that allow them to investigate geometric phenomena in much the same way as
computer algebra systems allow them to experiment with algebraic phenomena.
Connections to Equations. The correspondence between numerical coordinates
and geometric points allows methods from algebra to be applied to geometry and vice
versa. The solution set of an equation becomes a geometric curve, making visualization
a tool for doing and understanding algebra. Geometric shapes can be described by
equations, making algebraic manipulation into a tool for geometric understanding,
modeling, and proof.
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Congruence
Experiment with transformations in the plane
Understand congruence in terms of rigid
motions
Prove geometric theorems
Make geometric constructions
Similarity, Right Triangles, and Trigonometry
Understand similarity in terms of similarity
transformations
Prove theorems involving similarity
Dene trigonometric ratios and solve problems
involving right triangles
Apply trigonometry to general triangles
Circles
Understand and apply theorems about circles
Find arc lengths and areas of sectors of circles
Expressing Geometric Properties with Equations
Translate between the geometric description
and the equation for a conic section
Use coordinates to prove simple geometric
theorems algebraically
Geometric Measurement and Dimension
Explain volume formulas and use them to solve
problems
Visualize relationships between two-
dimensional and three-dimensional objects
Modeling with Geometry
Apply geometric concepts in modeling
situations
solving them.
reasoning.
Geometry Overview
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Congruence G-CO
Experiment with transformations in the plane
1. Know precise denitions of angle, circle, perpendicular line, parallel
line, and line segment, based on the undened notions of point, line,
distance along a line, and distance around a circular arc.
2. Represent transformations in the plane using, e.g., transparencies
and geometry software; describe transformations as functions that
take points in the plane as inputs and give other points as outputs.
Compare transformations that preserve distance and angle to those
that do not (e.g., translation versus horizontal stretch).
3. Given a rectangle, parallelogram, trapezoid, or regular polygon,
describe the rotations and reections that carry it onto itself.
4. Develop denitions of rotations, reections, and translations in terms
of angles, circles, perpendicular lines, parallel lines, and line segments.
5. Given a geometric gure and a rotation, reection, or translation,
draw the transformed gure using, e.g., graph paper, tracing paper, or
geometry software. Specify a sequence of transformations that will
carry a given gure onto another.
Understand congruence in terms of rigid motions
6. Use geometric descriptions of rigid motions to transform gures and
to predict the effect of a given rigid motion on a given gure; given
two gures, use the denition of congruence in terms of rigid motions
to decide if they are congruent.
7. Use the denition of congruence in terms of rigid motions to show
that two triangles are congruent if and only if corresponding pairs of
sides and corresponding pairs of angles are congruent.
8. Explain how the criteria for triangle congruence (ASA, SAS, and SSS)
follow from the denition of congruence in terms of rigid motions.
Prove geometric theorems
9. Prove theorems about lines and angles. Theorems include: vertical
angles are congruent; when a transversal crosses parallel lines, alternate
interior angles are congruent and corresponding angles are congruent;
points on a perpendicular bisector of a line segment are exactly those
equidistant from the segments endpoints.
10. Prove theorems about triangles. Theorems include: measures of interior
angles of a triangle sum to 180; base angles of isosceles triangles are
congruent; the segment joining midpoints of two sides of a triangle is
parallel to the third side and half the length; the medians of a triangle
meet at a point.
11. Prove theorems about parallelograms. Theorems include: opposite
sides are congruent, opposite angles are congruent, the diagonals
of a parallelogram bisect each other, and conversely, rectangles are
parallelograms with congruent diagonals.
Make geometric constructions
12. Make formal geometric constructions with a variety of tools and
methods (compass and straightedge, string, reective devices,
paper folding, dynamic geometric software, etc.). Copying a segment;
copying an angle; bisecting a segment; bisecting an angle; constructing
perpendicular lines, including the perpendicular bisector of a line segment;
and constructing a line parallel to a given line through a point not on the
line.
13. Construct an equilateral triangle, a square, and a regular hexagon
inscribed in a circle.
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Similarity, Right Triangles, and Trigonometry G-SRT
Understand similarity in terms of similarity transformations
1. Verify experimentally the properties of dilations given by a center and
a scale factor:
a. A dilation takes a line not passing through the center of the
dilation to a parallel line, and leaves a line passing through the
center unchanged.
b. The dilation of a line segment is longer or shorter in the ratio
given by the scale factor.
2. Given two gures, use the denition of similarity in terms of similarity
transformations to decide if they are similar; explain using similarity
transformations the meaning of similarity for triangles as the equality
of all corresponding pairs of angles and the proportionality of all
corresponding pairs of sides.
3. Use the properties of similarity transformations to establish the AA
criterion for two triangles to be similar.
Prove theorems involving similarity
4. Prove theorems about triangles. Theorems include: a line parallel to one
side of a triangle divides the other two proportionally, and conversely; the
Pythagorean Theorem proved using triangle similarity.
5. Use congruence and similarity criteria for triangles to solve problems
and to prove relationships in geometric gures.
Dene trigonometric ratios and solve problems involving right
triangles
6. Understand that by similarity, side ratios in right triangles are
properties of the angles in the triangle, leading to denitions of
trigonometric ratios for acute angles.
7. Explain and use the relationship between the sine and cosine of
complementary angles.
8. Use trigonometric ratios and the Pythagorean Theorem to solve right
triangles in applied problems.
Apply trigonometry to general triangles

9. (+) Derive the formula A = 1/2 ab sin(C) for the area of a triangle by
drawing an auxiliary line from a vertex perpendicular to the opposite
side.
10. (+) Prove the Laws of Sines and Cosines and use them to solve
problems.
11. (+) Understand and apply the Law of Sines and the Law of Cosines
to nd unknown measurements in right and non-right triangles (e.g.,
surveying problems, resultant forces).
Circles G-C
Understand and apply theorems about circles
1. Prove that all circles are similar.
2. Identify and describe relationships among inscribed angles, radii,
and chords. Include the relationship between central, inscribed, and
circumscribed angles; inscribed angles on a diameter are right angles;
the radius of a circle is perpendicular to the tangent where the radius
intersects the circle.
3. Construct the inscribed and circumscribed circles of a triangle, and
prove properties of angles for a quadrilateral inscribed in a circle.
4. (+) Construct a tangent line from a point outside a given circle to the
circle.
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Find arc lengths and areas of sectors of circles
5. Derive using similarity the fact that the length of the arc intercepted
by an angle is proportional to the radius, and dene the radian
measure of the angle as the constant of proportionality; derive the
formula for the area of a sector.
Expressing Geometric Properties with Equations G-GPE
Translate between the geometric description and the equation for a
conic section
1. Derive the equation of a circle of given center and radius using the
Pythagorean Theorem; complete the square to nd the center and
radius of a circle given by an equation.
2. Derive the equation of a parabola given a focus and directrix.
3. (+) Derive the equations of ellipses and hyperbolas given the foci,
using the fact that the sum or difference of distances from the foci is
constant.
Use coordinates to prove simple geometric theorems algebraically
4. Use coordinates to prove simple geometric theorems algebraically. For
example, prove or disprove that a gure dened by four given points in the
coordinate plane is a rectangle; prove or disprove that the point (1, 3) lies
on the circle centered at the origin and containing the point (0, 2).
5. Prove the slope criteria for parallel and perpendicular lines and use
them to solve geometric problems (e.g., nd the equation of a line
parallel or perpendicular to a given line that passes through a given
point).
6. Find the point on a directed line segment between two given points
that partitions the segment in a given ratio.
7. Use coordinates to compute perimeters of polygons and areas of
triangles and rectangles, e.g., using the distance formula.
Geometric Measurement and Dimension G-GMD

Explain volume formulas and use them to solve problems
1. Give an informal argument for the formulas for the circumference of
a circle, area of a circle, volume of a cylinder, pyramid, and cone. Use
dissection arguments, Cavalieris principle, and informal limit arguments.
2. (+) Give an informal argument using Cavalieris principle for the
formulas for the volume of a sphere and other solid gures.
3. Use volume formulas for cylinders, pyramids, cones, and spheres to
solve problems.
Visualize relationships between two-dimensional and three-

dimensional objects
4. Identify the shapes of two-dimensional cross-sections of three-
dimensional objects, and identify three-dimensional objects generated
by rotations of two-dimensional objects.
Modeling with Geometry G-MG
Apply geometric concepts in modeling situations
1. Use geometric shapes, their measures, and their properties to describe
objects (e.g., modeling a tree trunk or a human torso as a cylinder).
2. Apply concepts of density based on area and volume in modeling

situations (e.g., persons per square mile, BTUs per cubic foot).
3. Apply geometric methods to solve design problems (e.g., designing

an object or structure to satisfy physical constraints or minimize cost;
working with typographic grid systems based on ratios).
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Mathematics | High SchoolStatistics
and Probability
Decisions or predictions are often based on datanumbers in context. These

decisions or predictions would be easy if the data always sent a clear message, but
the message is often obscured by variability. Statistics provides tools for describing
variability in data and for making informed decisions that take it into account.
Data are gathered, displayed, summarized, examined, and interpreted to discover
patterns and deviations from patterns. Quantitative data can be described in terms
of key characteristics: measures of shape, center, and spread. The shape of a data
distribution might be described as symmetric, skewed, at, or bell shaped, and it
might be summarized by a statistic measuring center (such as mean or median)
and a statistic measuring spread (such as standard deviation or interquartile range).
Different distributions can be compared numerically using these statistics or
compared visually using plots. Knowledge of center and spread are not enough to
describe a distribution. Which statistics to compare, which plots to use, and what
the results of a comparison might mean, depend on the question to be investigated
and the real-life actions to be taken.
Randomization has two important uses in drawing statistical conclusions. First,
collecting data from a random sample of a population makes it possible to draw
valid conclusions about the whole population, taking variability into account.
Second, randomly assigning individuals to different treatments allows a fair
comparison of the effectiveness of those treatments. A statistically signicant
outcome is one that is unlikely to be due to chance alone, and this can be evaluated
only under the condition of randomness. The conditions under which data are
collected are important in drawing conclusions from the data; in critically reviewing
uses of statistics in public media and other reports, it is important to consider the
study design, how the data were gathered, and the analyses employed as well as
the data summaries and the conclusions drawn.
Random processes can be described mathematically by using a probability model:
a list or description of the possible outcomes (the sample space), each of which is
assigned a probability. In situations such as ipping a coin, rolling a number cube,
or drawing a card, it might be reasonable to assume various outcomes are equally
likely. In a probability model, sample points represent outcomes and combine to
make up events; probabilities of events can be computed by applying the Addition
and Multiplication Rules. Interpreting these probabilities relies on an understanding
of independence and conditional probability, which can be approached through the
analysis of two-way tables.
Technology plays an important role in statistics and probability by making it
possible to generate plots, regression functions, and correlation coefcients, and to
simulate many possible outcomes in a short amount of time.
Connections to Functions and Modeling. Functions may be used to describe
data; if the data suggest a linear relationship, the relationship can be modeled
with a regression line, and its strength and direction can be expressed through a
correlation coefcient.
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Interpreting Categorical and Quantitative Data
Summarize, represent, and interpret data on a
single count or measurement variable
Summarize, represent, and interpret data on
two categorical and quantitative variables
Interpret linear models
Making Inferences and Justifying Conclusions
Understand and evaluate random processes
underlying statistical experiments
Make inferences and justify conclusions from
sample surveys, experiments and observational
studies
Conditional Probability and the Rules of Prob-
ability
Understand independence and conditional
probability and use them to interpret data
Use the rules of probability to compute
probabilities of compound events in a uniform
probability model
Using Probability to Make Decisions
Calculate expected values and use them to
solve problems
Use probability to evaluate outcomes of
decisions
solving them.
reasoning.
Statistics and Probability Overview
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Interpreting Categorical and Quantitative Data S-ID
Summarize, represent, and interpret data on a single count or
measurement variable
1. Represent data with plots on the real number line (dot plots,
histograms, and box plots).
2. Use statistics appropriate to the shape of the data distribution to
compare center (median, mean) and spread (interquartile range,
standard deviation) of two or more different data sets.
3. Interpret differences in shape, center, and spread in the context of
the data sets, accounting for possible effects of extreme data points
(outliers).
4. Use the mean and standard deviation of a data set to t it to a normal
distribution and to estimate population percentages. Recognize that
there are data sets for which such a procedure is not appropriate.
Use calculators, spreadsheets, and tables to estimate areas under the
normal curve.
Summarize, represent, and interpret data on two categorical and
quantitative variables
5. Summarize categorical data for two categories in two-way frequency
tables. Interpret relative frequencies in the context of the data
(including joint, marginal, and conditional relative frequencies).
Recognize possible associations and trends in the data.
6. Represent data on two quantitative variables on a scatter plot, and
describe how the variables are related.
a. Fit a function to the data; use functions tted to data to solve
problems in the context of the data. Use given functions or choose
a function suggested by the context. Emphasize linear, quadratic, and
exponential models.
b. Informally assess the t of a function by plotting and analyzing
residuals.
c. Fit a linear function for a scatter plot that suggests a linear
association.
Interpret linear models
7. Interpret the slope (rate of change) and the intercept (constant term)
of a linear model in the context of the data.
8. Compute (using technology) and interpret the correlation coefcient
of a linear t.
9. Distinguish between correlation and causation.
Making Inferences and Justifying Conclusions S-IC
Understand and evaluate random processes underlying statistical
experiments
1. Understand statistics as a process for making inferences about
population parameters based on a random sample from that
population.
2. Decide if a specied model is consistent with results from a given
data-generating process, e.g., using simulation. For example, a model
says a spinning coin falls heads up with probability 0.5. Would a result of 5
tails in a row cause you to question the model?
Make inferences and justify conclusions from sample surveys,
experiments, and observational studies
3. Recognize the purposes of and differences among sample surveys,
experiments, and observational studies; explain how randomization
relates to each.
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4. Use data from a sample survey to estimate a population mean or
proportion; develop a margin of error through the use of simulation
models for random sampling.
5. Use data from a randomized experiment to compare two treatments;
use simulations to decide if differences between parameters are
signicant.
6. Evaluate reports based on data.
Conditional Probability and the Rules of Probability S-CP
Understand independence and conditional probability and use them
to interpret data
1. Describe events as subsets of a sample space (the set of outcomes)
using characteristics (or categories) of the outcomes, or as unions,
intersections, or complements of other events (or, and, not).
2. Understand that two events A and B are independent if the probability
of A and B occurring together is the product of their probabilities, and
use this characterization to determine if they are independent.
3. Understand the conditional probability of A given B as P(A and
B)/P(B), and interpret independence of A and B as saying that the
conditional probability of A given B is the same as the probability
of A, and the conditional probability of B given A is the same as the
probability of B.
4. Construct and interpret two-way frequency tables of data when two
categories are associated with each object being classied. Use the
two-way table as a sample space to decide if events are independent
and to approximate conditional probabilities. For example, collect
data from a random sample of students in your school on their favorite
subject among math, science, and English. Estimate the probability that a
randomly selected student from your school will favor science given that
the student is in tenth grade. Do the same for other subjects and compare
the results.
5. Recognize and explain the concepts of conditional probability and
independence in everyday language and everyday situations. For
example, compare the chance of having lung cancer if you are a smoker
with the chance of being a smoker if you have lung cancer.
Use the rules of probability to compute probabilities of compound
events in a uniform probability model
6. Find the conditional probability of A given B as the fraction of Bs
outcomes that also belong to A, and interpret the answer in terms of
the model.
7. Apply the Addition Rule, P(A or B) = P(A) + P(B) P(A and B), and
interpret the answer in terms of the model.
8. (+) Apply the general Multiplication Rule in a uniform probability
model, P(A and B) = P(A)P(B|A) = P(B)P(A|B), and interpret the answer
in terms of the model.
9. (+) Use permutations and combinations to compute probabilities of
compound events and solve problems.
Using Probability to Make Decisions S-MD
Calculate expected values and use them to solve problems
1. (+) Dene a random variable for a quantity of interest by assigning
a numerical value to each event in a sample space; graph the
corresponding probability distribution using the same graphical
displays as for data distributions.
2. (+) Calculate the expected value of a random variable; interpret it as
the mean of the probability distribution.
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3. (+) Develop a probability distribution for a random variable dened
for a sample space in which theoretical probabilities can be calculated;
nd the expected value. For example, nd the theoretical probability
distribution for the number of correct answers obtained by guessing on
all ve questions of a multiple-choice test where each question has four
choices, and nd the expected grade under various grading schemes.
4. (+) Develop a probability distribution for a random variable dened
for a sample space in which probabilities are assigned empirically; nd
the expected value. For example, nd a current data distribution on the
number of TV sets per household in the United States, and calculate the
expected number of sets per household. How many TV sets would you
expect to nd in 100 randomly selected households?
Use probability to evaluate outcomes of decisions
5. (+) Weigh the possible outcomes of a decision by assigning
probabilities to payoff values and nding expected values.
a. Find the expected payoff for a game of chance. For example, nd
the expected winnings from a state lottery ticket or a game at a fast-
food restaurant.
b. Evaluate and compare strategies on the basis of expected values.
For example, compare a high-deductible versus a low-deductible
automobile insurance policy using various, but reasonable, chances of
having a minor or a major accident.
6. (+) Use probabilities to make fair decisions (e.g., drawing by lots, using
a random number generator).
7. (+) Analyze decisions and strategies using probability concepts (e.g.,
product testing, medical testing, pulling a hockey goalie at the end of
a game).
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Note on courses and transitions
The high school portion of the Standards for Mathematical Content species the
mathematics all students should study for college and career readiness. These
standards do not mandate the sequence of high school courses. However, the
organization of high school courses is a critical component to implementation
of the standards. To that end, sample high school pathways for mathematics in
both a traditional course sequence (Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II) as well
as an integrated course sequence (Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2, Mathematics 3)
will be made available shortly after the release of the nal Common Core State
Standards. It is expected that additional model pathways based on these standards
will become available as well.
The standards themselves do not dictate curriculum, pedagogy, or delivery of
content. In particular, states may handle the transition to high school in different
ways. For example, many students in the U.S. today take Algebra I in the 8th
grade, and in some states this is a requirement. The K-7 standards contain the
prerequisites to prepare students for Algebra I by 8th grade, and the standards are
designed to permit states to continue existing policies concerning Algebra I in 8th
grade.
A second major transition is the transition from high school to post-secondary
education for college and careers. The evidence concerning college and career
readiness shows clearly that the knowledge, skills, and practices important for
readiness include a great deal of mathematics prior to the boundary dened by
(+) symbols in these standards. Indeed, some of the highest priority content for
college and career readiness comes from Grades 6-8. This body of material includes
powerfully useful prociencies such as applying ratio reasoning in real-world and
mathematical problems, computing uently with positive and negative fractions
and decimals, and solving real-world and mathematical problems involving
angle measure, area, surface area, and volume. Because important standards for
college and career readiness are distributed across grades and courses, systems
for evaluating college and career readiness should reach as far back in the
standards as Grades 6-8. It is important to note as well that cut scores or other
information generated by assessment systems for college and career readiness
should be developed in collaboration with representatives from higher education
and workforce development programs, and should be validated by subsequent
performance of students in college and the workforce.
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Addition and subtraction within 5, 10, 20, 100, or 1000. Addition or subtraction
of two whole numbers with whole number answers, and with sum or minuend
in the range 0-5, 0-10, 0-20, or 0-100, respectively. Example: 8 + 2 = 10 is an
addition within 10, 14 5 = 9 is a subtraction within 20, and 55 18 = 37 is a
subtraction within 100.
Additive inverses. Two numbers whose sum is 0 are additive inverses of one
another. Example:
3
/4 and
3
/4 are additive inverses of one another because
3
/4 + (
3
/4) = (
3
/4) +
3
/4 = 0.
Associative property of addition. See Table 3 in this Glossary.
Associative property of multiplication. See Table 3 in this Glossary.
Bivariate data. Pairs of linked numerical observations. Example: a list of heights
and weights for each player on a football team.
Box plot. A method of visually displaying a distribution of data values by using
the median, quartiles, and extremes of the data set. A box shows the middle
50% of the data.
1
Commutative property. See Table 3 in this Glossary.
Complex fraction. A fraction
A
/B where A and/or B are fractions (B nonzero).
Computation algorithm. A set of predened steps applicable to a class of
problems that gives the correct result in every case when the steps are carried
out correctly. See also: computation strategy.
Computation strategy. Purposeful manipulations that may be chosen for
specic problems, may not have a xed order, and may be aimed at converting
one problem into another. See also: computation algorithm.
Congruent. Two plane or solid gures are congruent if one can be obtained from
the other by rigid motion (a sequence of rotations, reections, and translations).
Counting on. A strategy for nding the number of objects in a group without
having to count every member of the group. For example, if a stack of books
is known to have 8 books and 3 more books are added to the top, it is not
necessary to count the stack all over again. One can nd the total by counting
onpointing to the top book and saying eight, following this with nine, ten,
eleven. There are eleven books now.
Dot plot. See: line plot.
Dilation. A transformation that moves each point along the ray through the
point emanating from a xed center, and multiplies distances from the center by
a common scale factor.
Expanded form. A multi-digit number is expressed in expanded form when it is
written as a sum of single-digit multiples of powers of ten. For example, 643 =
600 + 40 + 3.
Expected value. For a random variable, the weighted average of its possible
values, with weights given by their respective probabilities.
First quartile. For a data set with median M, the rst quartile is the median of
the data values less than M. Example: For the data set {1, 3, 6, 7, 10, 12, 14, 15, 22,
120}, the rst quartile is 6.
2
See also: median, third quartile, interquartile range.
Fraction. A number expressible in the form
a
/b where a is a whole number and
b is a positive whole number. (The word fraction in these standards always refers
to a non-negative number.) See also: rational number.
Identity property of 0. See Table 3 in this Glossary.
Independently combined probability models. Two probability models are
said to be combined independently if the probability of each ordered pair in
the combined model equals the product of the original probabilities of the two
individual outcomes in the ordered pair.
1
Adapted from Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, http://dpi.wi.gov/
standards/mathglos.html, accessed March 2, 2010.
2
Many different methods for computing quartiles are in use. The method dened
here is sometimes called the Moore and McCabe method. See Langford, E.,
Quartiles in Elementary Statistics, Journal of Statistics Education Volume 14,
Number 3 (2006).
Glossary
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Integer. A number expressible in the form a or a for some whole number a.
Interquartile Range. A measure of variation in a set of numerical data, the
interquartile range is the distance between the rst and third quartiles of
the data set. Example: For the data set {1, 3, 6, 7, 10, 12, 14, 15, 22, 120}, the
interquartile range is 15 6 = 9. See also: rst quartile, third quartile.
Line plot. A method of visually displaying a distribution of data values where
each data value is shown as a dot or mark above a number line. Also known as a
dot plot.
3

Mean. A measure of center in a set of numerical data, computed by adding the
values in a list and then dividing by the number of values in the list.
4
Example:
For the data set {1, 3, 6, 7, 10, 12, 14, 15, 22, 120}, the mean is 21.
Mean absolute deviation. A measure of variation in a set of numerical data,
computed by adding the distances between each data value and the mean, then
dividing by the number of data values. Example: For the data set {2, 3, 6, 7, 10,
12, 14, 15, 22, 120}, the mean absolute deviation is 20.
Median. A measure of center in a set of numerical data. The median of a list of
values is the value appearing at the center of a sorted version of the listor the
mean of the two central values, if the list contains an even number of values.
Example: For the data set {2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 12, 14, 15, 22, 90}, the median is 11.
Midline. In the graph of a trigonometric function, the horizontal line halfway
between its maximum and minimum values.
Multiplication and division within 100. Multiplication or division of two whole
numbers with whole number answers, and with product or dividend in the range
0-100. Example: 72 8 = 9.
Multiplicative inverses. Two numbers whose product is 1 are multiplicative
inverses of one another. Example: 3/4 and 4/3 are multiplicative inverses of one
another because 3/4 4/3 = 4/3 3/4 = 1.
Number line diagram. A diagram of the number line used to represent numbers
and support reasoning about them. In a number line diagram for measurement
quantities, the interval from 0 to 1 on the diagram represents the unit of measure
for the quantity.
Percent rate of change. A rate of change expressed as a percent. Example: if a
population grows from 50 to 55 in a year, it grows by 5/50 = 10% per year.
Probability distribution. The set of possible values of a random variable with a
probability assigned to each.
Properties of operations. See Table 3 in this Glossary.
Properties of equality. See Table 4 in this Glossary.
Properties of inequality. See Table 5 in this Glossary.
Properties of operations. See Table 3 in this Glossary.
Probability. A number between 0 and 1 used to quantify likelihood for processes
that have uncertain outcomes (such as tossing a coin, selecting a person at
random from a group of people, tossing a ball at a target, or testing for a
medical condition).
Probability model. A probability model is used to assign probabilities to
outcomes of a chance process by examining the nature of the process. The set
of all outcomes is called the sample space, and their probabilities sum to 1. See
also: uniform probability model.
Random variable. An assignment of a numerical value to each outcome in a
sample space.
Rational expression. A quotient of two polynomials with a non-zero
denominator.
Rational number. A number expressible in the form
a
/
b
or
a
/
b
for some
fraction
a
/b. The rational numbers include the integers.
Rectilinear gure. A polygon all angles of which are right angles.
Rigid motion. A transformation of points in space consisting of a sequence of
3
Adapted from Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, op. cit.
4
To be more precise, this denes the arithmetic mean.
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one or more translations, reections, and/or rotations. Rigid motions are here
assumed to preserve distances and angle measures.
Repeating decimal. The decimal form of a rational number. See also: terminating
decimal.
Sample space. In a probability model for a random process, a list of the
individual outcomes that are to be considered.
Scatter plot. A graph in the coordinate plane representing a set of bivariate
data. For example, the heights and weights of a group of people could be
displayed on a scatter plot.
5
Similarity transformation. A rigid motion followed by a dilation.
Tape diagram. A drawing that looks like a segment of tape, used to illustrate
number relationships. Also known as a strip diagram, bar model, fraction strip, or
length model.
Terminating decimal. A decimal is called terminating if its repeating digit is 0.
Third quartile. For a data set with median M, the third quartile is the median of
the data values greater than M. Example: For the data set {2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 12, 14,
15, 22, 120}, the third quartile is 15. See also: median, rst quartile, interquartile
range.
Transitivity principle for indirect measurement. If the length of object A is
greater than the length of object B, and the length of object B is greater than
the length of object C, then the length of object A is greater than the length of
object C. This principle applies to measurement of other quantities as well.
Uniform probability model. A probability model which assigns equal
probability to all outcomes. See also: probability model.
Vector. A quantity with magnitude and direction in the plane or in space,
dened by an ordered pair or triple of real numbers.
Visual fraction model. A tape diagram, number line diagram, or area model.
Whole numbers. The numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, .
5
Adapted from Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, op. cit.
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TABLE 1. Common addition and subtraction situations.
6
Result Unknown Change Unknown Start Unknown
Add to
Two bunnies sat on the grass.
Three more bunnies hopped
there. How many bunnies are
on the grass now?
2 + 3 = ?
Two bunnies were sitting
on the grass. Some more
bunnies hopped there. Then
there were ve bunnies. How
many bunnies hopped over
to the rst two?
2 + ? = 5
Some bunnies were sitting
on the grass. Three more
bunnies hopped there. Then
there were ve bunnies. How
many bunnies were on the
grass before?
? + 3 = 5
Take from
Five apples were on the
table. I ate two apples. How
many apples are on the table
now?
5 2 = ?
Five apples were on the
table. I ate some apples.
Then there were three
apples. How many apples did
I eat?
5 ? = 3
Some apples were on the
table. I ate two apples. Then
there were three apples. How
many apples were on the
table before?
? 2 = 3
Total Unknown Addend Unknown Both Addends Unknown
1
Put Together/
Take Apart
2
Three red apples and two
green apples are on the
table. How many apples are
on the table?
3 + 2 = ?
Five apples are on the table.
Three are red and the rest
are green. How many apples
are green?
3 + ? = 5, 5 3 = ?
Grandma has ve owers.
How many can she put in her
red vase and how many in
her blue vase?
5 = 0 + 5, 5 = 5 + 0
5 = 1 + 4, 5 = 4 + 1
5 = 2 + 3, 5 = 3 + 2
Diference Unknown Bigger Unknown Smaller Unknown
Compare
3
(How many more? version):
Lucy has two apples. Julie
has ve apples. How many
more apples does Julie have
than Lucy?
(How many fewer? version):
Lucy has two apples. Julie
has ve apples. How many
fewer apples does Lucy have
than Julie?
2 + ? = 5, 5 2 = ?
(Version with more):
Julie has three more apples
than Lucy. Lucy has two
apples. How many apples
does Julie have?
(Version with fewer):
Lucy has 3 fewer apples than
Julie. Lucy has two apples.
How many apples does Julie
have?
2 + 3 = ?, 3 + 2 = ?
(Version with more):
Julie has three more apples
than Lucy. Julie has ve
apples. How many apples
does Lucy have?
(Version with fewer):
Lucy has 3 fewer apples than
Julie. Julie has ve apples.
How many apples does Lucy
have?
5 3 = ?, ? + 3 = 5
6
Adapted from Box 2-4 of Mathematics Learning in Early Childhood, National Research Council (2009, pp. 32, 33).
1
These take apart situations can be used to show all the decompositions of a given number. The associated equations, which
have the total on the left of the equal sign, help children understand that the = sign does not always mean makes or results in
but always does mean is the same number as.
2
Either addend can be unknown, so there are three variations of these problem situations. Both Addends Unknown is a pro-
ductive extension of this basic situation, especially for small numbers less than or equal to 10.
3
For the Bigger Unknown or Smaller Unknown situations, one version directs the correct operation (the version using more
for the bigger unknown and using less for the smaller unknown). The other versions are more difcult.
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TABLE 2. Common multiplication and division situations.
7
Unknown Product
Group Size Unknown
(How many in each group?
Division)
Number of Groups Unknown
(How many groups? Division)
3 6 = ? 3 ? = 18, and 18 3 = ? ? 6 = 18, and 18 6 = ?
Equal
Groups
There are 3 bags with 6 plums
in each bag. How many plums
are there in all?
Measurement example. You
need 3 lengths of string, each
6 inches long. How much string
will you need altogether?
If 18 plums are shared equally
into 3 bags, then how many
plums will be in each bag?
have 18 inches of string, which
you will cut into 3 equal pieces.
How long will each piece of
string be?
If 18 plums are to be packed 6
to a bag, then how many bags
are needed?
have 18 inches of string, which
you will cut into pieces that are
6 inches long. How many pieces
of string will you have?
Arrays,
4

Area
5
There are 3 rows of apples
with 6 apples in each row. How
many apples are there?
Area example. What is the area
of a 3 cm by 6 cm rectangle?
If 18 apples are arranged into 3
equal rows, how many apples
will be in each row?
Area example. A rectangle has
area 18 square centimeters. If
one side is 3 cm long, how long
is a side next to it?
If 18 apples are arranged into
equal rows of 6 apples, how
many rows will there be?
Area example. A rectangle has
area 18 square centimeters. If
one side is 6 cm long, how long
is a side next to it?
Compare
A blue hat costs $6. A red hat
costs 3 times as much as the
blue hat. How much does the
red hat cost?
Measurement example. A
rubber band is 6 cm long. How
long will the rubber band be
when it is stretched to be 3
times as long?
A red hat costs $18 and that is
3 times as much as a blue hat
costs. How much does a blue
hat cost?
rubber band is stretched to be
18 cm long and that is 3 times
as long as it was at rst. How
long was the rubber band at
rst?
A red hat costs $18 and a blue
hat costs $6. How many times
as much does the red hat cost
as the blue hat?
rubber band was 6 cm long at
rst. Now it is stretched to be
18 cm long. How many times as
long is the rubber band now as
it was at rst?
General a b = ? a ? = p, and p a = ? ? b = p, and p b = ?
7
The rst examples in each cell are examples of discrete things. These are easier for students and should be given
before the measurement examples.
4
The language in the array examples shows the easiest form of array problems. A harder form is to use the terms rows and
columns: The apples in the grocery window are in 3 rows and 6 columns. How many apples are in there? Both forms are
valuable.
5
Area involves arrays of squares that have been pushed together so that there are no gaps or overlaps, so array problems
include these especially important measurement situations.
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TABLE 3. The properties of operations. Here a, b and c stand for arbitrary numbers in a given number system. The
properties of operations apply to the rational number system, the real number system, and the complex number
system.
Associative property of addition
Commutative property of addition
Additive identity property of 0
Existence of additive inverses
Associative property of multiplication
Commutative property of multiplication
Multiplicative identity property of 1
Existence of multiplicative inverses
Distributive property of multiplication over addition
(a + b) + c = a + (b + c)
a + b = b + a
a + 0 = 0 + a = a
For every a there exists a so that a + (a) = (a) + a = 0.
(a b) c = a (b c)
a b = b a
a 1 = 1 a = a
For every a 0 there exists
1
/a so that a
1
/a =
1
/a a = 1.
a (b + c) = a b + a c
TABLE 4. The properties of equality. Here a, b and c stand for arbitrary numbers in the rational, real, or complex number
systems.
Reexive property of equality
Symmetric property of equality
Transitive property of equality
Addition property of equality
Subtraction property of equality
Multiplication property of equality
Division property of equality
Substitution property of equality
a = a
If a = b, then b = a.
If a = b and b = c, then a = c.
If a = b, then a + c = b + c.
If a = b, then a c = b c.
If a = b, then a c = b c.
If a = b and c 0, then a c = b c.
If a = b, then b may be substituted for a
in any expression containing a.
TABLE 5. The properties of inequality. Here a, b and c stand for arbitrary numbers in the rational or real number
systems.
Exactly one of the following is true: a < b, a = b, a > b.
If a > b and b > c then a > c.
If a > b, then b < a.
If a > b, then a < b.
If a > b, then a c > b c.
If a > b and c > 0, then a c > b c.
If a > b and c < 0, then a c < b c.
If a > b and c > 0, then a c > b c.
If a > b and c < 0, then a c < b c.
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Existing state standards documents.
Research summaries and briefs provided
to the Working Group by researchers.
National Assessment Governing Board,
Mathematics Framework for the 2009
National Assessment of Educational
Progress. U.S. Department of
Education, 2008.
NAEP Validity Studies Panel, Validity
Study of the NAEP Mathematics
Assessment: Grades 4 and 8. Daro et
al., 2007.
Mathematics documents from: Alberta,
Canada; Belgium; China; Chinese Taipei;
Denmark; England; Finland; Hong
Kong; India; Ireland; Japan; Korea; New
Zealand; Singapore; Victoria (British
Columbia).
Adding it Up: Helping Children Learn
Mathematics. National Research
Council, Mathematics Learning Study
Committee, 2001.
Benchmarking for Success: Ensuring
U.S. Students Receive a World-
Class Education. National Governors
Association, Council of Chief State
School Ofcers, and Achieve, Inc.,
2008.
Crossroads in Mathematics (1995) and
Beyond Crossroads (2006).
American Mathematical Association of
Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC).
Curriculum Focal Points for
Prekindergarten through Grade 8
Mathematics: A Quest for Coherence.
National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics, 2006.
Focus in High School Mathematics:
Reasoning and Sense Making. National
Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
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KEY HSD 000409
Many schools have limited resources and
we want to make sure they dont waste their
resources on initiatives that dont work
The SIOP
Model works.
Shawn Cockrum, Director
Missouri Migrant Education and
English Learning (MELL) Program
The SIOP
Model continues to work in

Brockton High School, Bayless Junior High, and
Lawrence Public Schools.
See their results and learn how SIOP

professional development can help your school
or district close the EL achievement gap.
Details inside
PRSRT STD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
PEARSON
EDUCATION
FPO
1900 East Lake Avenue
Glenview, IL 60025
www.PearsonPD.com/SIOP
Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol
KEY HSD 000410
Need a proven solution for EL achievement?
The SIOP
Model:
Is scientifcally validated for English learners
Increases teaching efectiveness
Works in content-area classrooms
Qualifes for multiple funding sources
See how the SIOP
Model works in districts like yours.

Details inside
KEY HSD 000411
2
The SIOP
Model professional development helps educators work efectively with ELs and all students!
Learn why the SIOP
Model works.
Developed by Dr. Jana Echevarra, Dr. MaryEllen Vogt, and Dr. Deborah Short, SIOP
is the only scientifcally validated

model of sheltered instruction and a proven framework for teaching both academic content and language skills
in ways that are more efective for English learners.
The SIOP
Model Authors
Since 1995, educators have turned to the SIOP
authors for a validated model of sheltered instruction.

Dr. Jana Echevarra Dr. MaryEllen Vogt Dr. Deborah Short
KEY HSD 000412
Lets discuss what a SIOP
implementation plan might look like for your school or district.

www.PearsonPD.com/SIOP | 1.877.637.1604 | info@PearsonPD.com
3
People often say, Well, the SIOP
is just good teaching, so I can

use it for all of my students. And that is true. We have many
schools that use the SIOP
Model for all students. But there are

features that are absolutely critical for English learners. Its the only
empirically validated model of instruction for English learners.
Dr. Jana Echevarra, co-author
The SIOP
Model
KEY HSD 000413
4
SIOP
Works as a Professional Development Model

for Teachers of All StudentsEspecially ELs
The SIOP
Model consists of eight components and 30 features that help teachers systematically, consistently, and concurrently
teach grade-level academic content and academic language to ELs.
The eight components of the SIOP
Model:
1. Lesson Preparation
4. Strategies
5. Interaction
6. Practice and Application
7. Lesson Delivery
8. Review and Assessment
As a framework for organizing instruction, the SIOP
Model includes many features that are characteristic of high-quality

instruction for all students, such as cooperative learning, reading comprehension strategy instruction, and diferentiated instruction.
Moreover, SIOP
adds key features that support the academic success of English learners, such as the inclusion of language
objectives in content lesson planning, development of background knowledge, and emphasis on academic literacy practice.
KEY HSD 000414

5
How do I know
SIOP
will work
in my district?
Pearsons certifed SIOP
trainers partner with

hundreds of school districts like yours to help
educators learn the SIOP
Model, implement it
in their classrooms, build capacity throughout
the district, and improve academic results for
English learners.
Plus, the original authors of the model
are continually enhancing itvalidating its
use across grade levels, content areas and
geographic locations.
The SIOP
Model stands up to scientifc

validation and the rigor of real-life classrooms.
KEY HSD 000415
6
SIOP
Works for English Learners and Struggling Students

RESULTS SNAPSHOT: Brockton High School
Between 2003 and 2009, Brockton High School increased the percentage of English learners (ELs) passing the Massachusetts
Comprehensive Assessment System by 255% for language arts and 158% for mathematics.
Because of this success, The Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy profled the bilingual program at Brockton High
School as the most efective EL program among urban high schools in the state of Massachusetts.
Brockton High School leaders cite the adoption and training of all teachers in the SIOP
Model as one of the key factors in its success.

Why does SIOP
work for Brockton? It gives ALL

of our teachers, our ESL teachers and our general
education teachers, a structured and reliable format
that can be implemented in their classrooms, and
it increases the achievement of all of our students,
particularly our ELs.
Sue Szachowicz, Principal
Brockton High School
80
60
40
20
0
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Percentage of Brockton HS EL Students Passing
Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System
ELA a 255% increase MATH a 158% increase
KEY HSD 000416

7
SIOP
Works for Teaching Efectiveness

RESULTS SNAPSHOT: Bayless Junior High
Per capita, Bayless School District is Missouris most culturally diverse district. From 2006 to 2008, Bayless Junior High increased
the percentage of Limited English Profciency (LEP) students passing the Missouri Assessment Program from 2.3% to 43.3% in
communication arts and from 25% to 39.4% in mathematics.
Bayless Junior High administrators credit SIOP
Model professional development with helping teachers prepare, review, and

assess efective content area lesson plans.
It wasnt until our teachers became responsible for
writing language objectives and seeing how to get
our students to read, write, speak, learn and truly
understand the content that we really started
making progress.
Ronald Tucker, Chief Academic Ofcer
Bayless School District
Percentage of Bayless Junior High LEP Students
Passing the Missouri Assessment Program
2006 2007 2008
Communication Arts 2.3% 10.3% 43.3%
Mathematics 25.0% 33.3% 39.4%
KEY HSD 000417
8
SIOP
Works in Content Area Classrooms

RESULTS SNAPSHOT: Lawrence Public Schools
In Lawrence Public Schools, more than 80% of students speak a language other than English at home. From 2006 to 2010,
Lawrence increased the percentage of students scoring profcient on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System for
mathematics from 13% to 31%.
Lawrence administrators implemented the SIOP
Model in 2006 to help improve student performance in content area

classrooms because of SIOP
s focus on building academic language in addition to developing English profciency.

SIOP
has a great balance in that it provides

specifc language goals and content goals for
students in the same lesson. So, teachers are able
to help students get content a lot quicker.
Former Superintendent
Lawrence Public Schools
100
80
60
40
20
0
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
13%
20%
25% 24%
31%
43%
52%
56%
58%
66%
5-Year Analysis of Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment
System Mathematics Passing and Profciency Rates
PASSING PROFICIENT
KEY HSD 000418

9
SIOP
Works with Multiple Funding Sources

We know youre under pressure to use funds wisely and show results with English learners.
Our proven SIOP
implementation paths include everything your school or district needs to get from launch to long-term success.
Popular SIOP
Model funding sources include:

Title I, Part A
Title I School Improvement Grants
Title I, Part C Migrant Education
Title II, Part A Teacher Quality
Title III
Race to the Top
State and local funds
IDEA, Part B
(ask us how SIOP
works with an RtI initiative)

KEY HSD 000419
10
SIOP
Professional Development
Available in Multiple Formats
School and District Implementations Our certifed SIOP
consultants will help you design and implement a SIOP

professional development plan to build sustainable capacity and close the EL achievement gap.
Our proven implementation paths include everything your district needs to implement the SIOP
Model and get results in

alignment with your districts objectives and resources.
THE STARTER KIT:
SIOP
Training for Teachers

Educators gain an in-depth understanding of the components of the SIOP
Model and strategies to implement it in their

schools and classrooms.
SIOP
Training for Administrators

School and district administrators learn about the SIOP
Model, consider the roles that coaches and administrators can play in
supporting teachers using the SIOP
Model, and understand how it can improve instruction for all students.
SIOP
Lesson Coaching and Modeling

A job-embedded, collaborative approach to professional development and dialogue about efective lessons.
SIOP
Component Enrichment
Helps educators deepen their understanding of the features of each component of the SIOP
Model.
For more information on SIOP
professional development, to view a full listing of our services, or to learn more, visit
www.PearsonPD.com/SIOP.
KEY HSD 000420

11
The SIOP
Institutes Designed by the original SIOP
Model authors, SIOP
institutes provide professional development at a

regional location, featuring face-to-face instruction by certifed experts and authors.
SIOP
Training for Teachers Virtual Institute A cost-efective and schedule-friendly way to learn the SIOP
Model through
self-paced assignments and live, expert-led online sessions.
The SIOP
Series Must-have resources to support the implementation or expansion of your SIOP
initiative.
KEY HSD 000421
November 2011 www.cal.org/create
The SIOP Model: A Professional Development
Framework for a Comprehensive School-Wide
Intervention
Jana Echevarra, California State University, Long Beach
Deborah J. Short, Center for Applied Linguistics
Center for Research on the
Educational Achievement and Teaching
of English Language Learners
Educators are concerned about the academic attainment
of English language learners in U.S. schools as their
numbers continue to grow and their performance lags
behind English-speaking peers. For teachers of English
language learners, it can be challenging to teach rigor-
ous, standards-based content to these students at the
same time they are developing English language prof-
ciency. In search of approaches to improve teaching and
learning in middle schools, CREATE researchers tested
several research interventions in science, social stud-
ies, and language arts classrooms with English language
learners from the 2005-2006 school year to 2008-2009.
In 2009, they decided to apply their combined research
fndings to the development of a school-wide inter-
vention and test this more comprehensive approach
in Grade 7 classrooms. In this brief, we explain how
a common professional development framework, the
SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol)
Model, was used to unite the separate research studies
to create the school-wide, comprehensive intervention
in an effort to support English language learners across
the core content areas.
The SIOP Model
The SIOP Model, an approach for integrating language
development with content teaching, provides teach-
ers with guidance for planning and delivering effective
lessons. It was developed through a federally funded
research project. Subsequently, it has been validated as
a model of instruction that improves the achievement
of students whose teachers use the model (Echevarra,
Richards-Tutor, Chinn, & Ratleff, 2011; Echevarra,
Short, & Powers, 2006; Short, Fidelman, & Louguit, in
press). It has been tested in multiple content areas and
across all grade levels.
The SIOP Model is made up of eight components,
each of which is supported by empirical studies, and the
model itself has a growing research base (Short, Eche-
varra, & Richards-Tutor, 2011). The SIOP Models 8
components and 30 features provide the framework for
planning integrated language and content lessons, and
the model can be used as a valid observation instrument
as well (Echevarra, Vogt, & Short, 2008, 2010; Guarino
et al., 2001). The eight components are
1. Lesson Preparation
4. Strategies
5. Interaction
6. Practice & Application
7. Lesson Delivery
8. Review & Assessment
To illustrate, the features of the Building Background
component are shown in Figure 1. When the SIOP
protocol is used as an observation tool, each feature of
the SIOP Model has a range of possible scores to indi-
cate the level of implementation in a lesson. A score of
4 indicates best practice.
CREATEs Content Area Studies
Some background on each intervention developed and
tested in CREATEs early years is useful for understand-
ing the process by which the school-wide intervention
was generated. (See Additional Resources From Create
KEY HSD 000422
2
for more information on these studies, which involved
science, social studies, and English language arts class-
rooms.)
The SIOP Model Science Study
The SIOP Model was the focus of one CREATE science
study. As part of this study, researchers and teacher
consultants developed units comprised of SIOP lessons
designed to make the science topics comprehensible to
English language learners through various instructional
techniques and also to develop their academic science
language and literacy skills. Each of the SIOP lesson plans
included the following elements: associated state science
standard, lesson topic, content and language objectives,
motivation/background building, presentation of new
information and key vocabulary, practice and application
activities, review, and informal assessment. Researchers
also developed science language assessments for each
unit.
One goal of this study was to determine whether
giving teachers these science units, in conjunction
with SIOP professional development (workshops and
coaching), could jump start their implementation of
the model and help them reach higher levels of fdel-
ity. The second goal of the study was to have a positive
impact on the performance of all students in the classes,
such as English language learners, former English learn-
ers, and native English speakers. To test these goals in
2006-2007, middle schools were assigned to treatment
(fve schools) or control (three schools) conditions, and
Grade 7 was selected for study. The treatment teachers
received professional development on the SIOP Model
over the course of one semester, and they taught four
SIOP science units: Cell Structure and Function, Photo-
synthesis and Respiration, Cell Division, and Genetics.
Coaches observed instruction and gave teachers feedback
several times each month. Control teachers taught these
same four units using the same textbook but with their
own lesson plans and teaching methods. They received
no coaching. Both sets of teachers were observed and
their lessons were rated using the SIOP protocol. Results
showed that students in the treatment classes outper-
formed control students (Echevarra, Richards-Tutor,
Canges, & Francis, in press) and the higher the level of
SIOP implementation, the better the students performed
on assessments (Echevarra et al., 2011).
Quality English and Science Teaching (QuEST)
Another early CREATE intervention also focused on
science. It too was designed to develop the science knowl-
edge and academic language of English language learn-
ers and their English-profcient classmates. Researchers
and teacher consultants developed 10 to 12 weeks of
lessons and instructional materials based on the district
curricular units and learning objectives. The approach
followed the Five-E model (Bybee et al., 2006) with
learning activities designed to engage, explore, explain,
extend, and evaluate. The curriculum also called for
Building Background
4 3 2 1 0 NA
7. Concepts explicitly linked
to students background
experiences
Concepts loosely linked to students
background experiences
Concepts not explicitly linked to
students background experiences
Comments:
4 3 2 1 0
8. Links explicitly made
between past learning and new
concepts
Few links made between past
learning and new concepts
No links made between past
learning and new concepts
Comments:
4 3 2 1 0
9. Key vocabulary emphasized
(e.g., introduced, written,
repeated, and highlighted for
students to see)
Key vocabulary introduced, but not
emphasized
Key vocabulary not introduced or
emphasized
Comments:
Figure 1. SIOP Building Background component and features.
KEY HSD 000423
3
direct instruction of general academic and discipline-
specifc vocabulary using interactive vocabulary cards,
activities, and glossaries. Teachers were shown how
to scaffold learning by using visuals and illustrations,
graphic organizers, models of experiments, multimedia
resources, and other techniques to ensure comprehen-
sion. Teachers were also shown how to engage students
in rich, text-based discussions.
The intervention was implemented in 10 sixth-grade
science classrooms in fve middle schools. QuEST teach-
ers were randomly assigned to teach two science classes
using the districts standard science curriculum and two
science classes using the QuEST materials and strategies.
Results showed that the QuEST lessons and materials
improved students knowledge of science concepts and
vocabulary (August, Branum-Martin, Cardenas-Hagan,
& Francis, 2009).
Adaptations of Peer-Assisted Learning for
English Language Learners in Social Studies
Designed to improve students understanding of social
studies content and expository text, this intervention
provided all students with opportunities to learn and use
the vocabulary, concepts, big ideas, and issues associated
with Grade 7 social studies units. Lessons were orga-
nized around instructional routines that included the
following: presentation of content and language objec-
tives, brief overview of a big idea, explicit vocabu-
lary instruction, use of a 2- to 4-minute video clip and
purposeful discussion to build conceptual knowledge,
assigned reading followed by students generating and
answering questions, and a wrap-up writing activity or
graphic organizer to review and assess learning. Much
of the vocabulary and reading comprehension work was
carried out by structured paired groupings of students.
To design the pairings, teachers ranked the English
language learners and native English speakers separately
by reading and language levels and then paired the high-
est ranked English language learner with the highest
ranked native English speaker, the next highest English
language learner with the next highest native speaker,
and so forth.
Four teachers in two schools participated in the study
as treatment or control classrooms. The treatment teach-
ers implemented the lessons for about 12 weeks and the
control teachers covered the same curriculum topics,
using their typical instruction. The fndings showed that
this intervention facilitated learning of academic vocab-
ulary and content information found in expository text
for all students (Vaughn et al., 2009).
Adapting Texts to English Language Learners
Needs
Another of the CREATE projects modifed an interdis-
ciplinary, middle school academic vocabulary program
known as Word Generation (see http:// wordgeneration
.org/proven.html for more on this study) to focus on
English language learners (Snow, 2010). Word Genera-
tion uses engaging paragraphs on contemporary issues
to present crucial, all-purpose academic words and
provides activities to help students learn them. Students
were introduced to fve general academic words each
week in the context of researcher-developed introduc-
tory texts. Each of these texts introduced a dilemma
and provided information from which one could argue
the pros and cons of the issue. Students took positions
about the issue presented in the reading and argued their
own positions, necessarily using the academic words in
the process. They wrote a taking a stand paragraph
each week using arguments developed over the course
of the weeks readings and discussions. For CREATE,
the reading and discussion activities were supplemented
with word study activities designed specifcally for
English language learners, focusing on morphological
analysis, cognate use, and etymology.
All of the teachers and students in fve treatment
schools carried out the intervention. Pre- and post-
testing on knowledge of the vocabulary words and on
essay-writing ability was carried out in the treatment
schools and in matched comparison schools. Findings
showed that the intervention, with its focus on cross-
curricular vocabulary, promoted academic language
development, and treatment students performed better
on the assessments than did those in the control schools.
These fndings replicate earlier reported positive effects
of the program for language minority students (Snow,
Lawrence, & White, 2009).
Designing a School-Wide Intervention
As fndings from the individual studies emerged, the
CREATE researchers considered ways to design an
intervention that could be implemented school-wide.
They decided that the SIOP Model would be the unify-
ing professional development framework because of
its applicability across content areas and its established
research base. Multiple studies have called attention to
the need for sustained, job-embedded, and research-
based professional development if comprehensive
school reform is to become a reality (Darling-Hammond
& Richardson, 2009; Wei, Darling-Hammond, Andree,
Richardson, & Orphanos, 2009). By improving teach-
KEY HSD 000424
4
ing, CREATE researchers believed they could improve
student performance. This could be done, in part, by
teaching teachers to use effective strategies and tech-
niques. Therefore, the promising practices developed
and tested in the individual CREATE studies would
be infused in the subject area interventions and in the
SIOP professional development as appropriate.
The CREATE researchers also decided to bring
mathematics into the mix to ensure a full complement
of core content areas: science, social studies, language
arts, and math. However, the math teachers would not
use a curriculum intervention; rather, their only inter-
vention would be the SIOP professional development.
This distinction adds a new dimension to the research
analyses (curriculum vs. no curriculum) that will be
conducted in the next year.
In order to create the school-wide intervention, the
CREATE team decided on the successful elements
from each of the previous individual interventions
that were implemented in CREATEs earlier years and
incorporated them into each subject area of the school-
wide intervention. First, as in the SIOP Model Science
and the QuEST studies, the intervention lessons would
include content and language objectives, and teachers
would teach both general academic and content-specifc
vocabulary words. Second, based on the implementa-
tion of the study examining peer-assisted learning in
social studies, features such as use of short video clips
to build background and structured pair work would be
incorporated in the lessons to suit the learning goals.
Third, as in the Word Generation study, the subject area
interventions would add more writing activities. Finally,
as in all the CREATE studies, an emphasis was placed
on enhanced oral interaction.
To facilitate these modifcations, the SIOP Model
lesson template would be used as a structure for lesson
planning, with appropriate adjustments for the content
areas. The curricula would be written for 10 to 12 weeks
of instruction. In most cases, teachers would introduce
new material on 4 days of each week and use the 5th
day for reteaching and extension. The modifed Word
Generation lessons would be used for 20 minutes in the
language arts classes; the other subject lessons would
complete the period of instruction. Math treatment
teachers would not receive curriculum units, but would
receive support from instructional coaches for lesson
planning and delivery.
The SIOP professional development would demon-
strate techniques from the individual subject interven-
tions and show their applications to other content areas.
The professional development sessions would be coor-
dinated so that teachers received training in the SIOP
Model and had one quarter to begin implementation
with coaching before they would receive training by
subject area on their specifc curriculum intervention.
Implementing the School-Wide
Intervention
Ten middle schools participated in the school-wide
intervention during the 2009-2010 school year and were
randomly assigned to treatment or control conditions.
Teachers in Grade 7 were selected as the research partic-
ipants. Prior to the beginning of the 2009-2010 school
year, math, social studies, science, and English language
arts teachers in the treatment condition participated in
a 3-day workshop in the SIOP Model so that they had
an understanding of the instructional needs of English
language learners as well as the overarching framework
for the study.
Support for implementing the SIOP Model and
curricular interventions was provided by instruc-
tional support specialists (ISS) who were highly quali-
fed coaches. The ISS team, led by researchers at the
University of Texas, Austin, participated in the profes-
sional development sessions to become more familiar
with each of the interventions and deepen the team
members knowledge of the SIOP Model. The ISS team
then worked directly with the teachers, regularly observ-
ing instruction in their classrooms and providing feed-
back. In some cases, particularly with the math teachers,
they also helped with lesson planning.
The control teachers in each study delivered regular
instruction without curriculum units or SIOP training.
Their instruction was observed for research purposes
but they did not receive feedback. In the 2010-2011
school year, teachers in three of the control schools
became treatment teachers and received the professional
development and curriculum interventions as well. A
new treatment school joined the study that year, too.
Data were collected in the treatment and control
sites during the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 school years.
Teacher implementation levels were measured with
the SIOP protocol and other tools to determine their
fdelity to the interventions. Student performance was
measured with standardized tests and curriculum-based
assessments. At present, analyses are being conducted
to determine whether this school-wide intervention
improved outcomes for English language learners in
content knowledge and academic English.
KEY HSD 000425
5
Conclusion
The intention of the CREATE program of research is
to improve the school performance of English language
learners. By integrating efforts to support English
language learning into content area lessons across the
curriculum, the whole-school intervention described
here presents a coherent approach to teaching and
learning. No teacher is off the hook when it comes to
engaging English language learners instructionally; simi-
larly, no student can hide from learning activities that are
interactive in nature. Data analyses will reveal how well
the CREATE effort has met its goal.
References
August, D., Branum-Martin, L., Cardenas-Hagan, E.,
& Francis, D. (2009). The impact of an instructional
intervention on the science and language learning
of middle grade English language learners. Journal of
Research on Educational Effectiveness, 2(4), 345376.
Bybee, R. W., Taylor, J. A., Gardner, A., Van Scotter, P.,
Powell, J. C., Westbrook, A., & Landes, N. (2006).
The BSCS 5E instructional model: Origins and effectiveness.
Colorado Springs, CO: BSCS.
Darling-Hammond, L., & Richardson, N. (2009). Teach-
ers learning: What matters? Educational Leadership,
66(5), 4653.
Echevarra, J., Richards-Tutor, C., Canges, R., & Fran-
cis, D. (in press). Using the SIOP Model to promote
the acquisition of language and science concepts with
English learners. Bilingual Research Journal.
Echevarra, J., Richards-Tutor, C., Chinn, V., & Ratleff,
P. (2011). Did they get it? The role of fdelity in teach-
ing English learners. Journal of Adolescent and Adult
Literacy, 54(6), 425434.
Echevarra, J., Short, D., & Powers, K. (2006). School
reform and standards-based education: An instruc-
tional model for English language learners. Journal of
Educational Research, 99(4), 195210.
Echevarra, J., Vogt, M. E., & Short, D. (2008). Making
content comprehensible for English learners: The SIOP

Model (3rd ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Echevarra, J., Vogt, M. E., & Short, D. (2010). Making
content comprehensible for secondary English learners: The
SIOP
Model. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Guarino, A. J., Echevarra, J., Short, D., Schick, J. E.,
Forbes, S., & Rueda, R. (2001). The Sheltered Instruc-
tion Observation Protocol. Journal of Research in Educa-
tion, 11(1), 138140.
Short, D., Echevarra, J., & Richards-Tutor, C. (2011).
Research on academic literacy development in
sheltered instruction classrooms. Language Teaching
Research, 15(3), 363380.
Short, D., Fidelman, C., & Louguit, M. (in press). Devel-
oping academic language in English language learners
through sheltered instruction. TESOL Quarterly.
Snow, C. E. (2010). Academic language and the challenge
of reading for learning. Science, 328(5977), 450452.
Snow, C., Lawrence, J., & White, C. (2009). Generat-
ing knowledge of academic language among urban
middle school students. Journal of Research on Educa-
tional Effectiveness, 2(4), 325344.
Vaughn, S., Martinez, L., Linan-Thompson, S., Reute-
buch, C., Carlson, C., & Francis, D. (2009). Enhanc-
ing social studies vocabulary and comprehension for
seventh-grade English language learners: Findings
from two experimental studies. Journal of Research on
Educational Effectiveness, 2(4), 297324.
Wei, R. C., Darling-Hammond, L., Andree, A., Richard-
son, N., & Orphanos, S. (2009). Professional learning in
the learning profession: A status report on teacher development
in the United States and abroad. Dallas, TX: National
Staff Development Council.
KEY HSD 000426
The Center for Research on the Educational Achievement and Teaching of English Language Learners (CREATE) conducts a program of research designed to address
specifc challenges in the education of English language learners in Grades 4-8. CREATE is a partnership of researchers from six institutions:
This brief was produced by CREATE with funding from the U.S. Department of Education (ED), Institute of Education Sciences, under Contract No. ED-R305A05056. The opinions
expressed in this report do not necessarily refect the positions or policies of ED. This document is in the public domain and may be reproduced without permission.
Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics, University of Houston
California State University, Long Beach
Center for Applied Linguistics
Harvard University
University of California-Berkeley
Vaughn Gross Center, University of Texas at Austin
CREATE, the Center for Research on the Educational Achievement and Teaching of English
Language Learners, is conducting a program of research designed to address the critical chal-
lenge of improving educational outcomes for English language learners in the middle grades by
Enhancing the empirical research base for readers in Grades 48
Using both narrative and expository text to develop and test effective interventions that
promote content knowledge and language and literacy development
Investigating the features of instruction and text modifcations that facilitate learning for
English learners (e.g., traditional instruction vs. ESL-enhanced instruction, teacher-guided
instruction vs. group work, traditional text vs. modifed text)
Designing, testing, and delivering professional development that ensures that teachers
implement effective classroom practices to help English learners achieve high standards
For more information, visit the CREATE website
www.cal.org/create
Additional Resources From CREATE
Effective Social Studies Instruction to Promote the Knowledge Acquisition and
Vocabulary Learning of English Language Learners in the Middle Grades
By Colleen Klein Reutebuch (December 2010)
Improving Reading Across Subject Areas With Word Generation
By Joshua F. Lawrence, Claire White, and Catherine E. Snow (September 2011)
Improving Science and Vocabulary Learning of English Language Learners
By Diane August, Lauren Artzi, and Julie Mazrum (August 2010)
Using the SIOP Model to Improve Middle School Science Instruction
By Jennifer Himmel, Deborah Short, Catherine Richards, and Jana Echevarra (May 2009)
KEY HSD 000427
Framework for English
Language Prociency
Development Standards
corresponding to the Common
Core State Standards
and the Next Generation
Science Standards
Developed by the Council of Chief State School Officers and the English Language Proficiency
Development Framework Committee in collaboration with the Council of Great City Schools, the
Understanding Language Initiative at Stanford University, and World-Class Instructional Design
and Assessment, with funding support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York
KEY HSD 000428
Please reference as:
Council of Chief State School Ofcers. (2012). Framework for English Language Prociency Development
Standards corresponding to the Common Core State Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards.
Washington, DC: CCSSO.
Copyright 2012 by the Council of Chief State School Ofcers. All rights reserved.
KEY HSD 000429
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Development Process
The Council of Chief State School Ofcers (CCSSO) asked Susan Pimentel, a lead writer of the
Common Core State Standards in English language arts/literacy, to coordinate the writing of
an English Language Prociency Development (ELPD) Framework, hereafter referred to as the
Framework, to guide the creation of English Language Prociency (ELP) standards.
*
Assisting her
in that work is a writing team consisting of Mariana Castro of the Wisconsin Center for Education
Research at UW-Madison; H. Gary Cook of the Wisconsin Center for Education Research at UW-
Madison; Amanda Kibler of the University of Virginia; Okhee Lee of New York University; David Pook,
an educational consultant; Lydia Stack, former president of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other
Languages, Inc. (TESOL); Guadalupe Valds of Stanford University; and Ada Walqui of WestEd.
Throughout the drafting process, a Rapid Response Expert Feedback Group (RREFG) was also
engaged to provide advice and counsel to the Framework team. Members of the RREFG include
Elvira Armas of Loyola Marymount University; Rosa Aronson of TESOL; Alison Bailey of UCLA;
Tim Boals of World-Class Instruction Design and Assessment (WIDA); Phil Daro, a lead CCSS
mathematics writer; Richard Duran of UC Santa Barbara; Kenji Hakuta of Stanford University;
Magaly Lavadenz of Loyola Marymount University; Judit Moschkovich of UC Santa Cruz; Gisela
OBrien of the Los Angeles Unied School District; and Gabriela Uro of the Council of Great City
Schools. Additionally, feedback was solicited from district leaders from the Council of Great City
Schools and from CCSSOs English Language Learner State Collaborative on Assessment and
Student Standards (ELL SCASS) during their June 2012 meeting.
*
The term English Language Prociency Development was chosen to connote the fact that language development is
ongoing and although multiple pathways are possible, the end goal is English language prociency to ensure full participation
of ELLs in school contexts, hence an ELPD Framework. For the sake of familiarity and convenience, state standards are referred
to as state ELP standards.
KEY HSD 000430
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Executive Summary
Many states have begun the process of developing or adapting English Language Prociency
(ELP) standards to align with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and the forthcoming Next
Generation Science Standards (NGSS). This need stems not only from a desire to ensure that all
students receive the rigorous and systematic education they need to graduate from high school as
college and career ready, but also because states must have ELP standards aligned to college and
career readiness standards as a requirement to receive an Elementary and Secondary Education Act
(ESEA) waiver. The Council of Chief State School Ofcers (CCSSO) has coordinated the development of
a framework to assist states with this work. The goal of the English Language Prociency Development
(ELPD) Framework, hereafter referred to as the Framework, is to provide guidance to states on how to
use the expectations of the CCSS and NGSS as tools for the creation and evaluation of ELP standards.
The CCSS as well as the NGSS spell out the sophisticated language competencies that students will
need to perform across their respective academic subject areas. These include close reading and
constructing effective arguments to support their conclusions, identifying a speakers key points and
elaborating on these ideas in group settings, and tasks such as constructing and testing models and
predictions as well as strategically choosing and efciently implementing procedures to solve problems.
But they also implicitly demand students acquire ever-increasing command of language in order to
acquire and perform the knowledge and skills articulated in the standards.
English language learners (ELLs) thus face a double challenge: they must simultaneously learn how
to acquire enough of a second language to participate in an academic setting while gaining an
understanding of the knowledge and skills in multiple disciplines through that second language. As
a result, state ELP standards corresponding to the CCSS and NGSS must be examined closely to
determine what supports need to be put in place to provide ELLs with the help they need to access
grade-level content while building their language prociency. To that end, the Framework outlines
the underlying English language practices found in the CCSS and the NGSS, communicates to ELL
stakeholders the language that all ELLs must acquire in order to successfully engage the CCSS and
NGSS, and species a procedure by which to evaluate the degree of alignment present between the
Framework and ELP standards under consideration or adopted by states.
KEY HSD 000431
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Table of Contents for the
English Language Prociency Development Framework
Section 1: Introduction to the Framework ____________________________________________________ 1
Section 1.1: Background ______________________________________________________________ 1
Section 1.2: Purposes and Vision of the Framework ______________________________________ 1
Section 1.3: What is Not Covered by the Framework_____________________________________ 3
Section 1.4: Implications of the Framework _____________________________________________ 3
Section 1.5: Contents of the Framework ________________________________________________ 4
Section 2: The Framework ___________________________________________________________________ 5
Section 2.1: Foundations ______________________________________________________________ 5
Section 2.2: Progression ______________________________________________________________ 6
Section 2.3: Standards Match _________________________________________________________ 6
Tables for English Language Arts _________________________________________________ 11
Tables for Mathematics __________________________________________________________ 20
Tables for Science _______________________________________________________________ 26
Section 2.4: Classroom Match ________________________________________________________ 31
Table for English Language Arts __________________________________________________ 32
Table for Mathematics ___________________________________________________________ 33
Table for Science ________________________________________________________________ 35
Section 3: Alignment Protocol ______________________________________________________________36
Section 3.1: Foundations _____________________________________________________________ 37
Section 3.2: Progression _____________________________________________________________ 38
Section 3.3: Standards Match ________________________________________________________ 39
Section 3.4: Classroom Match ________________________________________________________ 40
Section 4: Sample Models of Selective ELP Standards Aligned to the Framework ______________42
Section 4.1: Introduction to the Models _______________________________________________ 42
Section 4.2: Understanding Language Task Force Model ________________________________ 43
Section 4.3: Formative Language Assessment Records (FLARE) Model ___________________ 72
Section 5: Conclusion ______________________________________________________________________89
Section 6: Glossary ________________________________________________________________________90
Section 7: Supplementary Materials _________________________________________________________92
Section 7.1: The Distinction between Alignment and Correspondence ____________________ 92
Section 7.2: Premises Guiding the Development of the Framework _______________________ 92
Section 7.3: Implications for Assessments _____________________________________________ 95
Section 7.4: References for Framework ________________________________________________ 96
KEY HSD 000432
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KEY HSD 000433
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Section 1: Introduction to the Framework
Section 1.1: Background
The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) have been adopted by 46 states and the District of Columbia
as the benchmark for determining college and career readiness in English language arts/literacy and
mathematics. Work is also underway on the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), which will serve
a similar role for establishing college and career readiness in science. These rigorous standards articulate
high expectations for students in these content areas, ranging from close reading and constructing
effective arguments to support their conclusions, to identifying a speakers key points and elaborating
on these ideas in group settings, to constructing and testing hypotheses and strategically choosing and
implementing procedures to solve problems. But given the sophisticated use of language required by
the standards, these changes also entail a reconceptualization of the way English language learners (ELLs)
apprentice into these demanding disciplinary practices
1
by simultaneously acquiring and developing
language as well as acquiring disciplinary knowledge and skills. The English Language Prociency
Development (ELPD) Framework, hereafter referred to as the Framework, envisions these not as
separate and distinct activities, but as mutually enriching processes.
Many states are on the cusp or have begun the process of developing or adapting their English
Language Prociency/English Language Development standards (referred to hereafter as ELP
standards), and yet recognize the need to ensure
their ELP standards will enable ELLs to meet the
more rigorous academic content expectations
now manifested in the CCSS and NGSS.
2
As the
CCSS states, all students must have the
opportunity to learn and meet the same high standards if they are to access the knowledge and skills
necessary in their post-high school lives.
3
At this critical moment, calls for guidance abound. To
support this process, the Council of Chief State School Ofcers (CCSSO) has coordinated the
development of the Framework.
Section 1.2: Purposes and Vision of the Framework
The purpose of the Framework is to communicate
to ELL stakeholders in statesfrom chief state
school ofcers and district chief academic
ofcers to state/district ELL and content area
specialists to curriculum developers and teacher
1
Disciplinary practices or performances: The activities in which students and teachers engage to construct knowledge,
concepts, and skills in particular subject areas (e.g., science). In the NGSS and CCSS for mathematics, these are known as
practices. ELA does not dene these explicitly, so a set of ELA performances has been developed for this project to align
with the notion of practices. These are also known as content area practices or performances.
2
Indeed, the last reauthorization of Elementary and Secondary Education Act (NCLB) placed explicit requirements upon
states to develop such standards.
3
From CCSS for English Language Arts (ELA), retrieved July 3, 2012, from http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards/
english-language-arts-standards/introduction/key-design-considerations/.
There is a glossary of terms in Section 6, and
words you will see in bold font are defined in the
glossary. Additionally, at first mention, glossary
terms will be defined in a footnote.
The purpose of the Framework is to communicate
to ELL stakeholders in states the language
practices that all ELLs must acquire in order to
successfully master the CCSS and NGSS and for
second language acquisition more generally.
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leadersthe language practices
4
that all ELLs must acquire in order to successfully master the CCSS
and NGSS and for second language acquisition more generally. The Framework offers a descriptively
rich structure for unpacking the language demands
5
of the CCSS and NGSS. It also provides a protocol
for determining the degree of alignment present between the Framework (which outlines the language
demands of the CCSS and NGSS) and current ELP standards or those under development. The goal is
to ensure that states utilize well-crafted ELP standards so that the developing language needs of ELLs
are met and all ELLs receive the rigorous and systematic education they need to graduate from high
school as college and career ready.
The theory of action embedded in the Framework does not view the ELP standards as a bridge to rst
cross before acquiring the CCSS and NGSS, but as partner standards articulating practices, knowledge,
and skills students need to have access to the
CCSS and NGSS. The vision that informs the
Framework conceptualizes the acquisition of state
ELP standards as intertwined with learning the
CCSS and NGSS.
The Framework recognizes that marrying the
expectations of the CCSS and NGSS to the aims behind learning a second language will require the next
generation of ELP standards to go beyond articulating standard expectations of acquiring and using
vocabulary and grammatical structures correctly to achieve native-like uency. Indeed, as the CCSS notes,
the development of native like prociency in English takes many years and will not
be achieved by all ELLs especially if they start schooling in the US in the later grades.
Teachers should recognize that it is possible to achieve the standards for reading and
literature, writing & research, language development and speaking & listening without
manifesting native-like control of conventions and vocabulary.
6

The Framework therefore offers useful guidance in how to craft the next generation of ELP standards
corresponding to the CCSS and NGSS such that they articulate both disciplinary practices and
embedded language practices.
Lastly, as noted in the CCSS, ELLs bring with them many resources that can enhance their education
and serve as resources for their learning. Many ELLs have rst language and literacy knowledge and
skills that can enhance their acquisition of language and literacy in English. Additionally, they bring
diverse sets of knowledge related to academic topics addressed in the standards and cultural practices
and perspectives that can enrich their learning. The Framework recognizes that in order for students to
successfully negotiate the complex demands of the CCSS and NGSS, state ELP standards should build
on this valuable reservoir of knowledge.
4
Language practices or performances: A combination of communicative acts (e.g., saying, writing, doing, and being) used
in the transmission of ideas, concepts, and information in a socially mediated context.
5
Language demands: The types of language embedded in and therefore necessary to engage in disciplinary practices or
performances.
6
From Application of Common Core State Standards for English Language Learners, retrieved June 27, 2012, from http://
www.corestandards.org/assets/application-for-english-learners.pdf.
The vision that informs the Framework
conceptualizes the acquisition of state ELP
standards as intertwined with learning the CCSS
and NGSS. Learn more about the premises of the
framework in Section 7.2.
KEY HSD 000435
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Section 1.3: What is Not Covered by the Framework
While offering states helpful guidance in the development of ELP standards, the Framework is limited
in its scope and aims. Grasping what it does not attempt to do is as important as understanding what it
does accomplish. The most important limitations are as follows:
1. The Framework does not offer a specic set of ELP standards. Instead, in Section 2 of the Framework
the language practices embedded within the CCSS and NGSS for English language arts, mathematics,
and science are communicated. By showing how to unpack those expectations, the Framework
illustrates the language expectations found
in any discipline. The Framework then offers
an alignment process through which states
can develop and/or evaluate the degree to
which the ELP standards they are
developing or considering for adoption
reect the language practices embedded in the CCSS and NGSS. In other words the Framework does
not offer ELP standards directly, but offers a process by which to evaluate state ELP standards for their
delity to the language demands of the standards. The sample models of ELP standards provided in
Section 4 are intended to clarify how the Framework could be used, but are not examples of fully
developed sets of ELP standards themselves.
2. While the Framework is intended to offer guidance in outlining curricula, it does not spell out
everything that ELLs should be taught. For example, the ELP standards that states or state consortia
produce using the Framework are intended to articulate the fundamental language practices that
ELLs must learn as they acquire the specic content areas covered by the CCSS and NGSS. But
ELLs must also learn the language practices that will enable them to access and express essential
discipline-specic content in other subject areas not covered by the CCSS and NGSS, like social
studies, geography, art, or music. Though states can use the outline of the Framework as an
example of how to identify and articulate the language practices rooted in other disciplines, the
Framework only details the language demands stemming from those disciplines covered by the
CCSS and NGSSEnglish Language Arts and Literacy, mathematics, and science.
3. The Framework is not an attempt to outline how schools should approach teaching ELLs (e.g.,
sheltered instruction or dual language instruction). This is an important and critical element of any
fully eshed out vision of ELL education and ELL curricula, but the Framework only addresses the
critical links between the CCSS and the NGSS and state ELP standards.
Section 1.4: Implications of the Framework
While the Framework does not address specic issues related to pedagogy, it should be noted that
creating state ELP standards using the Framework will have signicant implications for current instructional
arrangements (particularly in middle and high school). At present, second language development is often
seen as the primary responsibility of the ESL teacher, while content development (particularly in grades
6-12) as that of the subject area teacher. Given the diverse range of program design and explicitness in
The Framework does not offer ELP standards
directly, but offers a process by which to
evaluate state ELP standards for their fidelity
to the language demands of the standards.
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the CCSS and NGSS regarding how language must be used to enact disciplinary knowledge and skills,
such a division of labor is no longer viable. Both content teachers and ESL teachers must be engaged in
the process, particularly since the Framework envisions ELP standards as acquired in concert with the
CCSS and NGSS. On the one hand, content area teachers must recognize and target the key language
and literacy practices inherent in their disciplines such as explaining and arguing with evidence to
enhance the engagement of ELLs with rich content. On the other hand, to help their students to grow,
ESL teachers must cultivate a deeper knowledge of the discipline-specic language
7
and literacy
practices that ELLs need in order to perform the activities germane to those disciplines.
Effectively educating ELL students requires ELP
standards that aid teachers in instructionally
diagnosing each student, adjusting instruction
accordingly, and closely monitoring student
progress.
8
ELLs are a heterogeneous group with
differences in ethnic background, rst language,
socioeconomic status, quality of prior schooling,
and levels of English language prociency
9
. State
ELP standards should therefore respect and build
on the language and culture of ELLs by leveraging the primary language linguistic and cultural resources
they bring to the classroom. For example, state ELP standards should explicitly consider how the transfer
of literacy skills from students rst language (L1) to the second language (L2) could best proceed by
understanding how the discourse practices
10
of the primary language could be utilized to facilitate learning.
Section 1.5: Contents of the Framework
The specication of the language demands for the disciplines associated with ELA, mathematics,
and science can be found in Section 2 of this document. In broad strokes, the Framework outlines
expectations regarding four key areas that all state ELP standards must address to correspond to the
language demands of the CCSS and NGSS:
Section 2.1: Foundations: the Framework explains why state ELP standards should
transparently articulate the theoretical foundations (i.e., a theory of action that reects best
practices for language development) upon which they are based.
Section 2.2: Progression: the Framework explains how the ELP standards should offer a
sequence of language development that is grounded in the theoretical foundations for the
standards, responsive to the various backgrounds of students, and attuned to varying language
growth trajectories of different ELLs.
7
Discipline-specic language: The language used, orally or in writing, to communicate ideas, concepts, and information or
to engage in activities in particular subject areas (e.g., science).
8
Nor should students remain unaware of the challenges they face: ELP standards should invite students to gain awareness of and
use strategies that help them engage in grade-level content knowledge as well as reect on and monitor their own performance.
9
Language prociency: A socially constructed notion of the ability or capacity of individuals to use language for specic purposes
10
Discourse practices: or Language practices or performances: A combination of communicative acts (e.g., saying, writing,
doing, and being) used in the transmission of ideas, concepts, and information in a socially mediated context.
ELLs are a heterogeneous group with
differences in ethnic background, first language,
socioeconomic status, quality of prior schooling,
and levels of English language proficiency. State
ELP standards should therefore respect and
build on the language and culture of ELLs by
leveraging the primary language linguistic and
cultural resources they bring to the classroom.
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Section 2.3: Standards Match: the Framework unpacks the relationship between the
language expectations and underlying language practices embedded within the CCSS and
NGSS and the developing language needs ELLs should acquire in order to learn this content.
Section 2.4: Classroom Match: the Framework describes the importance of explaining how
the ELP standards should be used to inform and guide language use in the classroom.
The Framework then proposes an alignment procedure in Section 3 aligned to the four key areas
above so states can understand how their current or proposed ELPD standards reect the key areas
and expectations of the Framework (which in turn would make the standards correspond to the CCSS
and NGSS).
Robust sample models of ELP standards created using the Framework are presented in Section 4. The
Framework is rounded out by the conclusion in Section 5, the glossary in Section 6, and supplementary
materials in Section 7 including an explanation of what it means for ELP standards to correspond versus
align to the CCSS and NGSS, a series of foundational premises that guided the overall development of the
Framework, implications for assessments, and references used during the development of the Framework.
Section 2: The Framework
Section 2.1: Foundations
The Framework acknowledges that there are many different theories of second language development
or acquisition that could serve as anchors for ELP standards. It does not take a stance on arguing for
one theory over another (other than to suggest that ELP standards are acquired simultaneously with the
content of the CCSS and NGSS). However, the Framework asserts that all state ELP standards ought to
be rmly grounded in a validated research based theory that reects best practices regarding child and
adolescent second language acquisition, and the
alignment process proposed below begins by
addressing the theoretical foundations of the
state ELP standards.
The theory used in the development of the state
ELP standards should offer a clear and coherent
conceptualization of language as well as the
second language acquisition process, and address how differences in age, grade, and educational
background are accounted for. In particular, the theory should offer guidance for state ELP developers
with respect to the various aspects of language that support the variety of language practices and
discourse elements
11
present in schooling. It should clearly guide the development of the sequence of
language development found within the state ELP standards.
11
Discourse elements: The language features involved in communication. These include word level features (e.g. words and
phrases), sentence level features (e.g., language forms and conventions) and supra-sentence level features (e.g., organization, text
types, and genre) and are guided by the demands of the context (e.g., audience, registers, task or situation, roles, and identities).
The goal of the ELPD Framework is to
provide states with a tool by which they can
determine how well their ELP standards
capture the insights and key shifts found in
the CCSS and NCSS.
KEY HSD 000438
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Section 2.2: Progression
The Framework acknowledges that there are many different ways in which the standards could be
organized, and does not take a stance on arguing for one design over another other than to endorse
the theory of action discussed above. The Framework does require that state ELP standards reect a
principled organizational strategy rooted in theoretical foundation(s) that reects the variety of ways in
which different ELLs progress diversely in their language development, including methodologies for
scaling and developing descriptions of language prociency which have been cited and researched.
Justication should also be provided for the number of levels adopted and evidence provided to
support how these levels represent distinctions that can reasonably be measured and are based on
actual student performance. If levels are being tentatively established as part of an ongoing validation
process, methods for rening categories and descriptors should also be specied.
Specically, the Framework supports the development of state ELP standards that are responsive to
students linguistic, academic, and developmental levels. Prociency levels should be organized to
reect not only intuitive insights but also be
rooted in research based qualitative and
quantitative methods. They should include both
productive and receptive language tasks and
make evident how stated prociencies are
related to disciplinary practices described in the
Framework. The Framework maintains that state
ELP standards should also be organized in
meaningful ways to help teachers create
summative and formative assessments that help identify and position ELLs according to their varying
levels of English language prociency; additionally, the standards should help teachers scaffold
instruction to support students as they engage in sophisticated and cognitively demanding
disciplinary practices and develop their conceptual, academic, and linguistic skills at all levels of
prociency. While they should support the academic rigor demanded by the CCSS and the NGSS and
articulate clear and explicit criteria for measuring varying levels of English language prociency, state
ELP standards should accommodate the uneven growth and development ELLs undergo and not
expect native-like performance. Lastly, the Framework envisions state ELP standards that stipulate the
importance of strategically withdrawing scaffolds and supports as students develop independence
and language prociency.
12
Section 2.3: Standards Match
The development of state ELP standards must
be undertaken with a deep knowledge of the
relationships between the CCSS and NGSS and
the language practices needed to engage with
12
The models of ELP Standards based on this Framework provided in Section 4 offer a useful example of how ELP standards
can address the diversity of prociency levels in the ELL population.
The Framework supports the development
of state ELP standards that are responsive
to students linguistic, academic, and
developmental levels. Proficiency levels should
be organized to reflect not only intuitive
insights but also be rooted in research based
qualitative and quantitative methods.
The development of state ELP standards
must be undertaken with a deep knowledge
of the relationships between the CCSS and
NGSS and the language practices needed to
engage with content.
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content. When looking at the language demands outlined in the ELA standards,
13
several important
considerations emerge. The rst is the priority the standards place on the complexity of the language
(and ideas) found in the texts students read, as well as the skill with which they read these demanding
texts. For each grade level, Reading Standard 10 denes the expectations students must meet for
where they are on the staircase of text complexity that ultimately reaches the summit of college and
career readiness. The standard requires students to grasp ever-increasing layers of language complexity
as they proceed through the grades, and in doing so grasp the content knowledge contained in
what they are reading. Simultaneously, the other reading standards call upon students to become
increasingly adept at performing a range of difcult language practices whose degree of sophistication
intensies over time, from critically weighing and employing a growing range of evidence drawn from
texts to becoming more attuned to discerning nuance, logic, ambiguity, and even inconsistency in an
authors reasoning.
The ELA standards make equally challenging demands on students with regard to the language
practices they must master with respect to writing. Students must emerge with the ability to fashion
narratives as well as write arguments and
explanations about what they have read with their
audience and purpose in mind. They must not
only logically sequence what they write but also
consider what evidence and ideas best t the
particular task at hand. Writing Standard 9
explicitly reects the deep connection found
between what students read and what they write, calling upon students to master writing about what
they have read using evidence from literary and informational texts. The link is reinforced by the way the
ELA standards stress that students must practice a range of language practices associated with
research, which also is a critical source of content knowledge for students.
The ELA standards also draw attention to critical language practices associated with speaking and
listening as well as conventions. Students must learn important aspects of successful teamwork:
listening to one another critically but respectfully while expressing ones own ideas with increasing
specicity and precision. They must use their oral and aural skills to integrate and evaluate what they
see and hear, adapting what they say dependent upon tone, context, and audience. Additionally, the
ELA standards identify essential language practices with respect to using English structures (grammar,
syntax, mechanical conventions, as well as word meanings) to communicate. Running as a continuous
thread through all the ELA standards is the overarching consideration that students will grow in their
ability to utilize these language practices to craft prose and make strategic decisions with regard to the
language they employ in varying contexts.
As with ELA, the mathematical practices have implications for language development. To make sense
of a mathematics problem often includes making sense of the language in which the problem is posed.
13
While the CCSS for mathematics and the NGSS explicitly state key practices and core ideas for their respective discipline,
the CCSS for ELA does not explicitly identify key practices and core ideas; hence the corresponding features in the ELA charts
were identied through a close analysis of the priorities contained within the standards themselves.
Students must learn important aspects
of successful teamwork: listening to one
another critically but respectfully while
expressing ones own ideas with increasing
specificity and precision.
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Symbolic, graphic, tabular, and diagrammatic mathematical representations are typically embedded
in ordinary language. Mathematical problems posed using only ordinary language are a special
genre of text that has conventions and structures needing to be learned. The language used to pose
mathematical problems evolves with grade level and across mathematics content.
The combination of mathematical practices and grade level content standards raises expectations for
students comprehension and production when explaining abstract concepts and relationships, which
often include a blend of visual models, text, and
talk. In mathematics, explanations demand
explicitness with respect to what is being referred
to as well as clarity regarding references that
correspond across multiple representations. The
same quantity is often referred to by a phrase in
the posed problem and symbolically in
expressions read and produced by students (e.g.,
a row in a table and a dimension in a graph). Comprehending these corresponding references is central
to comprehending mathematics.
The mathematical practices call for students to produce viable arguments and critique the arguments of
others. Arguments in mathematics are expressed in language that embeds mathematical expressions,
diagrams, and terms in phrases, sentences, or
paragraphs. These unique features of
mathematical argument are not a natural
extension of ordinary language, but a discourse
unique to mathematics. Arguments are chains of
reasoning represented in sequences of sentences
logically related to each other. Unlike arguments in other elds, argument in mathematics does not rely
upon empirical evidence, but upon proofs, precise denitions, properties, and prior results.
14

As students progress through the grades, their production and comprehension of mathematical
arguments evolves from informal and concrete toward more formal and abstract. In early grades
students employ imprecise expressions which
with practice over time become more precise and
viable arguments in later grades. Indeed, the use
of imprecise language is part of the process in
learning how to make more precise arguments in
mathematics. Ultimately, conversation about
arguments helps students transform assumptions
into explicit and precise claims.
Finally, closely examining the practices called out
by the NGSS reveals deep ramications for language development. Engaging in science and engineering
14
Examples play an important role: they are useful for explaining or illustrating a point, but are not evidence.
The combination of mathematical practices
and grade level content standards raises
expectations for students comprehension and
production when explaining abstract concepts
and relationships, which often include a blend
of visual models, text, and talk.
Unlike arguments in other fields, argument
in mathematics does not rely upon
empirical evidence, but upon proofs, precise
definitions, properties, and prior results.
14
Closely examining the practices called out
by the NGSS reveals deep ramifications for
language development. Engaging in science
and engineering practices involves both
scientific sense-making and language use.
These practices intertwine with one another
when making meaning of experiences from a
scientific point of view.
KEY HSD 000441
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practices involves both scientic sense-making and language use. These practices intertwine with one
another when making meaning of experiences from a scientic point of view, which is a key endeavor in
students transitioning from their nave conceptions of the world to more scientically-based perspectives.
Performing these science and engineering practices is also language-intensive in that they both demand
and afford rich student discourse.
Students must read, write, view, and visually represent as they develop their models and explanations.
They speak and listen as they present their ideas or engage in reasoned argumentation with others to
rene their ideas and reach shared conclusions. As students analyze examples of arguments, they learn
the characteristics of a strong scientic justication of a claim and they learn to identify weak support.
As they argue with others to arrive at a shared best explanation or model, they are motivated to
clarify both their language and their thinking by the atmosphere of shared interest and goals.
The language used within the science classroom, and of science textbooks as well, differs greatly
from the everyday discourse of students, but it is also distinct from the professional discourse and
writing of scientists (though it mirrors those conventions as the students advance across the grades).
As science classrooms incorporate the language of science, they will become richer language learning
environments for students engaged in scientic pursuits.
The Framework does not describe key practices, analytic tasks or productive and receptive language
functions in other content areas such as history, the arts, and technical subjects. However, it should be
understood that such practices, analytical tasks
15
, and language functions should be part of states ELP
standards in some fashion, and the tables below model how states can examine those disciplines for
their language demands. Providing any detailed information about those practices, tasks, and functions,
however, is beyond the scope of the Framework because those are state specic, and the Framework is
focused solely on the disciplines covered by the CCSS and NGSS.
Standards Match Tables
In the tables that appear below, the Framework offers useful conceptualizations of the language
practices embedded within the CCSS and NGSS for English language arts, mathematics, and science
that span linguistic, discourse, interpersonal,
sociocultural, strategic, and pragmatic
competencies. In each subject area, the rst of
these tables note the key practices in each
subject area as described by the respective
standards (as well as identifying the disciplinary
core ideas that these practices are meant to
support).
16
The second table unpacks how ELLs
engage in the key practices by performing certain
analytical tasks to make sense of and construct
15
Analytical tasks: Subcomponents of disciplinary practices that outline the intellectual activities in which students engage
16
It should be noted that these practices are not listed hierarchically.
Key point for teachers of English Language
Arts, Mathematics, and Science
In the tables that appear below, the
Framework offers useful conceptualizations
of the language practices embedded within
the CCSS and NGSS for English language arts,
mathematics, and science that span linguistic,
discourse, interpersonal, sociocultural,
strategic, and pragmatic competencies.
KEY HSD 000442
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knowledge through engaging in both receptive (listening/reading) language and productive (speaking/
writing) language functions.
17
It should be noted that the analytical tasks as well as the receptive and
productive language functions included in Table 2 are selective rather than exhaustive and deliberately
appear separately to highlight the complexity of the language in disciplinary classrooms. However,
these tasks and language functions are intrinsically interrelated and should be integrated during
instruction and assessment. Additionally, state ELP standards should emphasize that ELLs are
positioned along a continuum with regard to their ability to express in English the performance of these
analytical tasks and language functions. In other words, while the tables identify specic analytical tasks
and language functions, students will differ in their ability to meet them (in English) because of the
unique characteristics and understandings each student brings to the classroom.
The Framework envisions state ELP standards addressing the various aspects of the tables described
above and delineated below such that a teacher can use them to help students acquire the language
functions needed to demonstrate mastery of grade-level content. The standards should facilitate the
development of discipline-specic language practices at both the textual and discourse level to help
students integrate their language development with the conceptual understanding they are acquiring
within English language arts, mathematics, and science. By explicitly calling attention to these practices,
state ELP standards cultivate higher order thinking skills in ELLs and target their ability to comprehend
and communicate about complex text.
To learn to perform analytical tasks and language functions over time, ELLs need teacher support and
access to a rich everyday language environment grounded in learning activities that reect the
practices listed below (recognizing that ELLs will vary in the degree to which they can independently
demonstrate the stated practices). At the same
time, ELLs bring linguistic and cultural
repertoires as well as other assets to learning a
second language. Access cannot be achieved
without considering both the needs and
strengths ELLs bring to the classroom. Nor can
these tasks and functions be reduced to
laundry lists to be taught and learned in isolation; rather, they must be taken up in combination
with one another as students engage in demanding levels of learning. In short, Tables 1 and 2 can be
used to facilitate correspondence of ELP standards with the key practices of the subject areas in
which they are embedded.
17
In other words, analytical tasks outline the intellectual activities in which students engage, whereas the language functions
are what the students do with language to accomplish the content tasks. The analytical tasks in ELA are divided in Table 2 into
those rst introduced (and carried onward) at the elementary level and those rst introduced (and carried onward, along with
the former) at the secondary level, in keeping with their phased introduction in the CCSS itself.
ELLs bring linguistic and cultural repertoires
as well as other assets to learning a second
language. Access cannot be achieved without
considering both the needs and strengths
ELLs bring to the classroom.
KEY HSD 000443
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Tables
18
for English Language Arts
Key point for teachers of English Language Arts:
practices embedded within the CCSS and NGSS for English language arts that span linguistic, discourse,
interpersonal, sociocultural, strategic, and pragmatic competencies.
Table 1: Key Practices and Disciplinary Core Ideas of the ELA CCSS
This table summarizes key practices in the CCSS for ELA.
Key CCSS ELA Practices
19
Disciplinary Core Ideas from the CCSS
1. Support analyses of a range of grade
level complex texts with evidence
2. Produce clear and coherent
writing in which the development,
organization, and style are appropriate
to task, purpose, and audience
3. Construct valid arguments
from evidence and critique
the reasoning of others
4. Build and present knowledge through
research by integrating, comparing,
and synthesizing ideas from texts
5. Build upon the ideas of others
and articulate their own when
working collaboratively
6. Use English structures to communicate
context specic messages
Reading
Read complex literature closely and
support analyses with evidence
Read complex informational texts closely
and support analyses with evidence
Use context to determine the meaning of words and phrases
Engage in the comparison and synthesis of ideas within and/or
across texts
Writing
Write analytically (e.g., write to inform/explain and
to make an argument) in response to sources
Write narratives to develop craft of writing
Develop and strengthen writing through revision and editing
Gather, synthesize, and report on research
Write routinely over various timeframes
Speaking and Listening
Participate in purposeful collaborative conversations
with partners as well as in small and large groups
Comprehend information presented orally or visually
Share information in a variety of formats (including
those that employ the use of technology)
Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks
Language
Use the English language to achieve rhetorical and aesthetic
effects and recognize and use language strategically
Determine word meanings and word nuances
18
The underlying structure of these tables is based upon the work Lee, Quinn, and Valds (under review), adapted from
Valds, Walqui, & Kibler (n.d.).
19
While the CCSS for mathematics and the NGSS explicitly state key practices and core ideas for their respective discipline,
the corresponding features in the ELA charts were identied through a close analysis of the priorities contained within the
standards themselves (because the CCSS for ELA does not explicitly identify key practices and core ideas).
KEY HSD 000444
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Table 2: Key CCSS Practice of ELA with Embedded Analytical Tasks and Receptive and Productive
Language Functions
20
This table denes in detail these practices by outlining the language functions that ELLs need to
engage with English language arts content.
English Language Arts Sense-Making and Language Use
21
Key CCSS ELA Practice 1: Support analyses of a range of grade level complex texts with evidence
Analytical
Tasks
22
Tasks that are primarily introduced at the elementary level
Analyze on-level complex texts (e.g., stories, dramas, poetry, literary non-
ction, digital/visual/multimedia, and historical, scientic, and technical texts)
from diverse cultures and time periods with uency and understanding
Render an understanding of what has been read through assembling details and ideas
Identify ideas and key elements of a text like theme, central idea, or main points
Use evidence to make inferences beyond what is explicitly stated
Extract evidence from a variety of text structures
Analyze how ideas or events develop or interact over the course of the text
Build both vocabulary and content knowledge through comprehension of texts
Compare themes and topics across multiple texts

Tasks that are primarily introduced at the secondary level (in addition to elementary)
Assess how point of view or purpose shapes content and style of text
Analyze how specic word choices shape meaning or tone
Analyze how ideas or events are transformed from one text to another
Approach text(s) using multiple approaches to glean a well-rounded view of the text
Receptive
Language
Functions
Receptive Language Functions that are primarily introduced at the elementary level
Comprehend text being read aloud or silently
Comprehend talk about the meaning of a text being read aloud or silently
Comprehend oral and written classroom discourse about investigating text for
details as well as assembling those details both orally and in writing
___________________
20
The terms receptive and productive are in keeping with terminology used by the American Council of Foreign
Language Teaching. In other parts of the Framework, productive is referred to as expressive.
21
Note that analytical tasks and receptive and productive language functions in ELA are divided in Table 2 into those rst
introduced (and carried onward) at the elementary level and those rst introduced (and carried onward, along with the former)
at the secondary level, in keeping with their phased introduction in the CCSS at different grade levels. Such divisions do not
suggest that all students will t such an age-grade prole. Newcomer ELL students, for example, may arrive at any grade level
and may have varied experiences with the subject matter, their home language(s), and English. Mathematics and Science tasks
are not divided by grade level, with the understanding that the practices and disciplinary core ideas associated with them apply
throughout the grades, but students sophistication of knowledge, understanding, and reasoning will develop throughout the
school years, as they do in ELA as well, once tasks are introduced.
22
Analytical tasks are subcomponents of disciplinary practices that outline the intellectual activities in which students engage;
the language functions are what the students do with language to accomplish the analytical tasks.
KEY HSD 000445
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Productive
Language
Functions
Productive Language Functions that are primarily introduced at the elementary level
Communicate orally and in writing ideas, concepts, and information related to the reading
of complex literacy and informational texts and evidence-supported analysis, including
Identifying evidence within a text
Explaining the meaning of particular details
Explaining the meaning of the text as a whole
Creating written and oral analyses of on-level text
Providing explanations about how the most important points and details
presented in two texts on the same topic compare to one another
Presenting and explaining evidence to others
Answering questions by providing details from textual analysis
Asking questions to resolve confusions or further probing ones comprehension of the text
Responding to questions or requests for clarication

Productive Language Functions that are primarily introduced at the secondary school level
Explaining how parts of text relate to one another
Probing the views of others regarding the close reading of texts
Systematically organizing and synthesizing textual evidence both orally and in writing
Describing discernible points of comparison (e.g., point of view or focus, style, amount and
quality of evidence, differences in emphasis, and signicant omissions and/or inclusions of ideas)
Key CCSS ELA Practice 2: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development,
organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience
Analytical
Tasks
Develop a topic or describe real or imagined experience(s) or event(s) through
use of facts, denitions, concrete details, quotations, clear event sequences,
and/or other information and examples as relevant to the genre(s)
Group and sequence related information and events
Create writing that is appropriate to the task, purpose, and audience

Link ideas or sequences of events to create cohesion and clarify
the relationships among ideas and concepts
Use precise language with purpose, including well-chosen words and phrases, and sensory details
Receptive
Language
Functions
Receptive Language Functions that are primarily introduced at the elementary school level
Comprehend oral and written classroom discourse about the content and craft
of expository writing, narration, and other forms of creative writing
Comprehend oral and written classroom discourse about critiquing the writing of others
Comprehend model texts in multiple genres
KEY HSD 000446
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Productive
Language
Functions
Productive Language Functions that are primarily introduced at the elementary school level
Communicate orally and in writing ideas, concepts, and information
related to producing clear and coherent writing, including
Introducing a topic clearly
Creating an organization that logically categorizes or sequences ideas
Developing a topic with ideas and reasons that are supported by facts and/or details
Developing narratives with details, description, and other features of the specic narrative genre
Crafting narratives to convey a sense of place or the personality of characters
Developing and strengthening writing through revising and editing as needed

related to producing clear and coherent writing, including
Establishing a point of view to engage and orient the reader, when appropriate
Including sufcient details, facts, reasons, etc., to develop a topic or narrative
Linking ideas to create adequate cohesion
Strategically using language, vocabulary, and style appropriate to the purpose and audience
Revising and editing own and others writing to clarify the message
Key CCSS ELA Practice 3: Construct valid arguments from
evidence and critique the reasoning of others
Analytical
Tasks
Delineate specic claims made by the author
Distinguish between a claim and supporting evidence or explanation
Distinguish claims that are supported by evidence from claims that are not
Make plausible arguments (offer opinions) taking into account
context from which evidence was taken

Establish clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims,
reasoning, and evidence in ones own writing
Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources
Comprehend and use stated assumptions, denitions, and
previously established results to support claims
Justify conclusions, communicate them to others, and respond to counterclaims
Analyze arguments by breaking them into claims and corresponding evidence
Assess the reasoning of an argument and identify errors in logic or reasoning
Recognize when the evidence introduced is relevant and sufcient to
support the claims or it is irrelevant or contradicts the claim
Receptive
Language
Functions
Receptive Language Functions that are primarily introduced at the secondary school level
Comprehend the logic and meaning of arguments being made (orally or
in writing) as well as the evidence produced in support of them
Comprehend oral and written classroom discourse about argumentation
Comprehend oral and written classroom discourse about the critiques of the arguments of others
KEY HSD 000447
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Productive
Language
Functions
Communicate orally and in writing ideas, concepts, and information related
to constructing arguments and critiquing reasoning, including:
Providing explanation of an argument through the logical presentation of its steps
Providing explanations about whether the evidence is relevant and sufcient to
support the claims or whether it is insufcient, irrelevant, or contradicts the claim
Making arguments that anticipate the audiences knowledge level and concerns
Justifying conclusions with logical reasoning and relevant
evidence and responding to counterclaims
Presenting key evidence using accurate, credible sources
Using and explaining own and others counterclaims
Responding to questions by countering or amplifying prior
explanation or by accepting as needing further thought
Questioning, critiquing, or supporting explanations or arguments offered by others
Key CCSS ELA Practice 4: Build and present knowledge through research
by integrating, comparing, and synthesizing ideas from texts
Analytical
Tasks
Gather evidence from a wide range of sources
Synthesize multiple sources on a subject
Use technology in the creation and production of research

Narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate
Verify the accuracy of sources
Rely on sources that have been vetted for accuracy and credibility
Analyze and compare evidence, selecting the strongest to answer the research question
Assemble evidence into logical sequences to support claims or argument
Interpret evidence to provide deeper insight into research question
Generate additional research questions to further inquiry
Receptive
Language
Functions
Comprehend texts used as sources for research
Comprehend written research products produced by peers
Comprehend oral and written discourse about the research process
Comprehend oral and written discourse about research conducted by others

Receptive Language Functions that are primarily introduced at
the secondary school level (in addition to elementary)
Comprehend oral and written classroom discourse about the task
of integrating, comparing, and synthesizing ideas
Comprehend oral and written classroom discourse about critiques
of ones research as well as the research of others
KEY HSD 000448
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Productive
Language
Functions
Productive Language Functions that are primarily introduced at the elementary level
related to building and presenting knowledge, including
Demonstrating a coherent understanding of a topic or issue by
integrating information presented in different texts or formats
Producing and interpreting evidence in logical sequences to support claims or thesis
Describing results of research

Productive Language Functions that are primarily introduced at
related to building and presenting knowledge, including
Presenting a synthesis of ideas in two or more texts to show a
coherent understanding on similar topics or events
Explaining implications of research
Explaining own research process
Asking questions and hypothesizing about others research
Key CCSS ELA Practice 5: Build upon the ideas of others and
articulate their own clearly when working collaboratively
Analytical
Tasks
Work productively in pairs, small groups, and whole class settings
Contribute effectively in group settings to the overall project or understanding sought
Explore the task and purpose and adjust goals accordingly
Analyze the main ideas and other key details of a speaker
Break down the speakers message conceptually into component parts
Use evidence to make inferences beyond what is explicitly stated
Render an understanding of what has been said through assembling details and ideas
Identify confusions on the part of the listener as well as on the part of the speaker
Employ the use of technology to present or amplify communications
through use of digital and multimedia texts

Identify the contributions of others and leverage them for
greater insight into the problem or issue
Synthesize comments, arguments, claims, and evidence
Determine what additional information or research is required
to deepen the investigation or complete the task
Identify the disciplinary expectations and take them into account when planning communications
KEY HSD 000449
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Receptive
Language
Functions
Read and comprehend background material under study
Comprehend peers requests for assistance, invitations to
contribute, and feedback on contributions
Comprehend comments, arguments, claims, and evidence presented by others
Comprehend classroom talk about the meaning of collaboration
with partners, small groups, and whole class
Comprehend classroom talk about listening attentively, constructive criticism, and teamwork
Comprehend a speakers key points, argument, and evidence
Comprehend task and purpose at hand, as presented orally or in writing
Monitor own comprehension and analyze sources of confusion
Infer implicit meanings based on background knowledge, evidence
in presentation, and verbal and non-verbal cues
Identify specic pieces of information within stretches of connected discourse in a text

Comprehend oral and written classroom discourse about
purpose of a speaker as well as discussions about the presentation
meaning of organizing ones ideas in a coherent and logical fashion
appealing to ones audience, addressing the task or purpose, and the disciplinary context
Productive
Language
Functions
Communicate orally and in writing ideas, concepts, and
information related to collaboration, including
Referring to evidence from texts or research on the topic to stimulate an exchange of ideas
Asking questions of peers and responding to peer requests, invitations, feedback, and questions
Explaining the meaning of a speakers key ideas and particular details
Asking questions, suggesting, clarifying, verifying, or challenging ideas and conclusions
Sharing evidence and explanations with others
Identifying structures and activities that help or hinder collaboration

Communicate orally and in writing ideas, concepts, and
information related to collaboration, including
Asking and responding to questions about own and others
participation and contribution to the group
Asking questions about the logical structure of the claims and ndings of peers or others
Describing, defending, or challenging a speakers point of view
Explaining a line of argument through reliance on organized
notes taken from oral and multimodal presentations
Describing and justifying claims according to discipline-appropriate organizational structure
Amplifying or revising ones explanation in response to oral
or written feedback from peers or teachers
KEY HSD 000450
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Key CCSS ELA Practice 6: Use English structures to communicate context specic messages
Analytical
Tasks
Move toward recognizing meaning and purpose of developmentally-appropriate
structural forms in English as a vehicle for communicating meaning
Differentiate between contexts that call for discipline-specic registers of English
(e.g., presenting ideas) and situations where informal or colloquial discourse/
registers is appropriate (e.g., small group, home, and playground discussions)
Compare and contrast varieties of English (e.g., regional and social dialects) used in
stories, dramas, poems, or other texts, or in their own and others writing and speaking
Demonstrate understanding of gurative language, word
relationships, and nuances in word meaning
Recognize vocabulary that has been learned in new contexts
Infer meaning of crucial academic and discipline-specic vocabulary from context

Problem-solve to realize effective communications using accepted
grammatical forms in English that are developmentally-appropriate
Recognize and observe differences between the conventions of home, playground,
classroom, and discipline-specic registers of English in written and spoken form
Identify and move toward using strategies to improve
expression in discipline-appropriate registers
Receptive
Language
Functions
Comprehend oral and written language in multiple registers and varieties of English
Comprehend written and spoken discussions about English linguistic
structures ( e.g., vocabulary choices, word formation, phrase and clause
structure, and parallelism) as a vehicle for communicating meaning
Engage in the study of vocabulary (denotations and connotations, general
and technical words, means of expanding vocabulary range)
Comprehend oral and written classroom discourse about
vocabulary and the means by which to acquire it
Comprehend oral and written classroom discourse about general
academic as well as domain specic
23
words

Comprehend oral and written language that uses different school-based and discipline-specic
registers of English in order to identify key features of registers and difference among them
___________________
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Domain-specic: or Discipline-specic language: The language used, orally or in writing, to communicate ideas, concepts,
and information or to engage in activities in particular subject areas (e.g., science).
KEY HSD 000451
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Productive
Language
Functions
Communicate orally and in writing ideas, concepts, and information related to
communicating and comprehending through English linguistic structures, including
Asking questions about various linguistic elements used by others
Using accepted grammatical forms that are developmentally appropriate
Using words and phrases appropriate to varied classroom-based and
discipline-specic registers of English that have been acquired through
conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts
Strategically employing styles and registers of English for specic purposes
Describing the multiple meanings of words in context
Asking questions about the word usage of others
Employing vocabulary with appropriate denotative, connotative, and
gurative meanings in written and oral presentations

Communicate orally and in writing ideas, concepts, and information related to
communicating and comprehending through English linguistic structure, including
Using accepted grammatical forms that are developmentally-appropriate
Adapting speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of multiple
school-based and discipline-specic registers in English when indicated or appropriate
Describing how a linguistic structure (e.g., an appositive) is used for particular rhetorical effect
Describing how certain word choice impacts meaning
Sharing thoughts and ideas about a wide range of word-related resources
KEY HSD 000452
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Tables for Mathematics
Key point for teachers of Mathematics:
practices embedded within the CCSS and NGSS for mathematics that span linguistic, discourse,
interpersonal, sociocultural, strategic, and pragmatic competencies.
Table 3: Key Practices and Disciplinary Core Ideas (Domains) of the Mathematics CCSS
This table summarizes key standards for mathematical practice.
Standards for Mathematical Practices
24
Disciplinary Core Ideas (Domains)
1. Make sense of problems and
persevere in solving them
2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively
3. Construct viable arguments and
critique the reasoning of others
4. Model with mathematics
5. Use appropriate tools strategically
6. Attend to precision
7. Look for and make use of structure
8. Look for and express regularity in
repeated reasoning
K-5
Counting and Cardinality (K only)
Numbers and Operations in Base Ten
Numbers and Operations - Fractions (3-5 only)
Geometry

6-8
Number System
Functions (8 only)
Geometry

9-12
Number and Quantity
Algebra
Functions
Modeling
Geometry
___________________
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The term Standards here refers to processes and principles behind the mathematical practices and not exclusively to the
complete set of expectations students should know and be able to do in mathematics.
KEY HSD 000453
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Table 4: Key CCSS for Mathematical Practice
25
with Embedded Analytical Tasks and Receptive and
Productive Language Functions
engage with mathematics content.
Mathematics Sense-Making and Language Use
Key CCSS for Mathematical Practice 1: Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them
Analytical
Tasks
Explain to self a problems meaning, look for entry points to solution, and plan solution pathway
Analyze givens, constraints, relationships, and goals
Make conjectures about form and meaning of solution
Consider analogous problems
Monitor effectiveness of current selected solution strategy and
decide when to pursue a different solution strategy
Check answers using different methods
Understand others approaches to solving complex problems
and identify correspondences between them
Create coherent representation of problems, considering units
Monitor use of resources such as time and effectiveness of current selected solution strategy
Monitor and evaluate reasonableness of intermediate and nal results
Receptive
Language
Functions
Comprehend the meaning of a problem as presented in multiple
representations, such as spoken language, written texts, diagrams, drawings,
tables, graphs, and mathematical expressions or equations
Comprehend others talk about math problems, solutions, approaches, and reasoning
Coordinate texts and multiple representations
Productive
Language
Functions
Communicate (orally, in writing, and through other representations) about concepts,
procedures, strategies, claims, arguments, and other information related to problem solving:
Create, label, describe, and use in presenting solutions to a math
problem multiple written representations of a problem
26

Explain in words orally or in writing relationships between quantities
and multiple representations of problem solutions
Present information, description of solutions, explanations, and arguments to others
Respond to questions or critiques from others
Ask questions about others solutions, strategies, and procedures for solving problems
___________________
25
These practices are intended to apply systematically across grade level content in mathematics; they are not free-oating,
but well-grounded in the content standards. Neither are the practices static across grades but instead should be tailored to the
content of the grade and to grade-level appropriate student thinking.
26
Multiple representations include written text, diagrams, drawings, symbols, mathematical expressions or equations, tables,
graphs, mathematical models, and/or pictures of math manipulatives or other objects.
KEY HSD 000454
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Key CCSS for Mathematical Practice 2: Reason abstractly and quantitatively
Analytical
Tasks
Know when it is best to abstract a given problem situation, represent it symbolically,
and manipulate symbols without necessarily attending to referents (decontextualize)
Know when it is best to pause as needed during symbol manipulation
to use the meaning of the symbols involved (contextualize)
Monitor and decide when to contextualize and decontextualize
Attend to meaning of quantities in the problem situation
Do and undo computations; abstract from computation
Receptive
Language
Functions
Comprehend the meaning of a problem situation and its relevant
quantities as presented through multiple representations
Comprehend others talk about the relevant and irrelevant quantities in the problem situation
Coordinate written texts and multiple representations
Productive
Language
Functions
Communicate (orally, in writing, and through other representations) about concepts, procedures,
strategies, claims, arguments, and other information related to abstract and quantitative reasoning:
Explain reasoning as it relates to problem situation, especially the
quantities in the problem that are mathematically relevant
Create, label, describe, and defend coherent representations of the problem situation at hand
Ask questions to contextualize the problem situation or the quantities in the problem
Key CCSS for Mathematical Practice 3: Construct viable
arguments and critique the reasoning of others
Analytical
Tasks
Understand and use stated assumptions, denitions, and previously established results
Make conjectures and build logical progression of statements to explore truth of conjectures
Justify conclusions, communicate them to others, and respond to counterarguments
Analyze situations by breaking them into cases
Recognize and use counterexamples
Make plausible arguments taking into account context from which data arose
Compare effectiveness of two plausible arguments
Identify correct vs. awed logic/reasoning
Monitor ones own and others reasoning
Receptive
Language
Functions
Comprehend oral and written concepts, procedures, or strategies
used in arguments and reasoning, including
Questions and critiques using words or other representations
Explanations offered using words or other representations by others (peers or teachers)
Explanations offered by written texts using words or other representations
KEY HSD 000455
23
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Productive
Language
Functions
Communicate using words (orally and in writing) about concepts, procedures, strategies, claims,
arguments, and other information related to constructing arguments and critique reasoning:
Provide written or verbal explanation of an argument using words through logical progression
of statements, and also using multiple non-verbal representations, concrete referents (such
as objects), or more formal means (i.e., mathematical symbols and mathematical proofs)
Justify conclusions and respond to counterarguments
Respond to questions by amplifying explanation
Respond to critiques by countering with further explanation
or by accepting as needing further thought
Critique or support explanations or designs offered by others
Key CCSS for Mathematical Practice 4: Model with mathematics
Analytical
Tasks
Apply math to everyday situations (e.g., outside of school and on the job)
Pose a problem for a situation that can be solved with the
available data and by using mathematical models
Make assumptions and approximations to temporarily simplify a complicated problem situation
Identify and map relationships among important quantities; decide which quantities are relevant
Analyze relationships among quantities mathematically to draw conclusions
Interpret results in context of the situation
Monitor ones own and others reasoning in support of a model
Reect on reasonableness of results and improve model as needed
Use technology to visualize results, explore consequences, and compare predictions with data
Receptive
Language
Functions
Comprehend others oral or written descriptions, defenses, and discussions of their models
Comprehend the meaning of models presented in multiple representations
Productive
Language
Functions
Communicate (orally and in writing) about concepts, procedures, strategies,
claims, arguments, and other information related to mathematical models:
Label (or create and label) diagrams of a model
Describe and defend a model using words and other representations
Ask questions and hypothesize about whether or how others models work
Key CCSS for Mathematical Practice 5: Use appropriate tools
27
strategically
Analytical
Tasks
Make sound decisions about helpfulness of different tools for problem solving
Use estimation and other strategies to detect possible errors in computation
Use technology to explore and deepen conceptual understanding, visualize
results, explore consequences, and compare predictions with data
Identify and use relevant mathematical resources such as digital content on websites
___________________
27
Tools include algorithms (e.g., the instructed procedure for double digit multiplication), strategies (e.g., estimation),
technology (e.g., calculators and websites), and visual media (e.g., dynamic models and simulations).
KEY HSD 000456
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Receptive
Language
Functions
Comprehend others oral and written language that describes
purposes and functions of tools and other resources
Comprehend the purposes and functions of tools and other resources
as presented in texts, diagrams, and visual media
Productive
Language
Functions
Communicate (orally and in writing) about concepts, procedures, strategies,
claims, arguments, and other information related to strategic use of tools:
Ask questions regarding purpose and functions of tools and others use of them
Explain own use of tools and outcomes of tool use
Key CCSS for Mathematical Practice 6: Attend to precision
Analytical
Tasks
When appropriate, communicate precisely with others about mathematical reasoning and
objects (e.g., use clear denitions of terms, state meaning of symbols used, specify units of
measure, label visual representations, and make claims that apply to a precise set of situations)
Rene communication about mathematical reasoning and objects so that it
increasingly becomes more mathematically precise (e.g., uses clearer denitions of
terms, explicitly states the meaning of symbols used, species units of measure)
Calculate, compute, and use arithmetic procedures appropriately, accurately, and efciently
Express numerical answers with degrees of precision appropriate for the problem situation
Monitor ones own and others use of precision
Decide when precision is more necessary (e.g., during a presentation) and when it
is not a high priority (e.g., during exploration and exploratory talk in groups)
Decide the level of precision necessary (e.g., one can make a precise claim that only applies
to a dened set of instances even when using colloquial or imprecise individual words).
Receptive
Language
Functions
Comprehend others spoken language regarding denitions, meaning of symbols,
arithmetic procedures, strategies, solutions, claims, evidence, etc.
Comprehend the meaning and features of precision of denitions, symbols
meanings, units of measure, and visual representations as presented in
multiple representations (e.g., texts, diagrams, and visual media)
Productive
Language
Functions
Communicate with precision (orally, in writing, and through other
representations) about claims and arguments related to precision:
Dene key terms and concepts
Explain meaning of symbols
Specify units of measure
Label (or create and label) visual representations
Ask questions to clarify meaning of others statements or representations
Make specic claims and evaluate constraints
Key CCSS for Mathematical Practice 7: Look for and make use of structure
Analytical
Tasks
Look closely to discern pattern or structure (e.g., look for patterns in quantities,
relationships among quantities, arithmetic procedures, data in tables, and graphs)
Shift perspective on a problem situation or a mathematical
representation (e.g., equation, table, or graph) if necessary
See complicated mathematical representations, such as algebraic expressions,
equations, or lines, as a process, single objects, or as composed of several objects
Flexibly use different perspectives of mathematical representations
Monitor and decide which perspective is most useful for the problem situation at hand
KEY HSD 000457
25
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Receptive
Language
Functions
Comprehend the meaning of patterns or structures found in a situation, problem, or
mathematical expression as presented in spoken language, texts, and diagrams
Comprehend others talk about patterns and structures
Productive
Language
Functions
Communicate (orally, in writing, and through other representations) about concepts,
procedures, strategies, claims, arguments, and other information related to structure:
Create and label representations of patterns or structures
Describe patterns or structures
Ask questions about others use of patterns or structures
Key CCSS for Mathematical Practice 8: Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning
Analytical
Tasks
Notice if calculations are repeated (i.e., reect on arithmetic procedures)
Look both for general methods or solution strategies (generalize) and for shortcuts
Monitor reasoning process while attending to detail
Monitor and evaluate reasonableness of intermediate and nal results
Search for regularity or trends in multiple representations (e.g., look for
regularity in relationships among quantities, data in tables, and graphs)
Graph data and search for regularity or trends
Abstract from computation, build rules to represent functions
Receptive
Language
Functions
Comprehend others oral and written language and other representations regarding regularity
(e.g., repetition of calculations, methods used, or evaluation of intermediate and nal results)
Comprehend descriptions, discussions, and arguments about regularity (i.e.,
repeated patterns, discussions of methods or solution strategies, or evaluations
of intermediate results as presented in multiple representations)
Productive
Language
Functions
Communicate (orally, in writing, and through other representations) about concepts, procedures,
strategies, claims, arguments, and other information related to regularity in repeated reasoning:
Ask questions about others use of repetition, methods or solution
strategies, and evaluation of intermediate and nal results
Explain patterns, discuss methods or solution strategies, and evaluations of results
KEY HSD 000458
26
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Tables for Science
Key point for teachers of Science:
practices embedded within the CCSS and NGSS for science that span linguistic, discourse, interpersonal,
sociocultural, strategic, and pragmatic competencies.
Table 5: Key Practices, Crosscutting Concepts and Disciplinary Core Ideas of the Science NGSS
28
This table summarizes key science and engineering pactices.
Scientic and Engineering Practices Disciplinary Core Ideas
1. Asking questions (for science) and
dening problems (for engineering)
2. Developing and using models
3 Planning and carrying out investigations
4. Analyzing and interpreting data
5. Using mathematics and
computational thinking
6. Constructing explanations (for science)
and designing solutions (for engineering)
7. Engaging in argument from evidence
8. btaining, evaluating, and
communicating information
Physical Sciences
PS 1: Matter and its interactions
PS 2: Motion and stability: Forces and interactions
PS 3: Energy
PS 4: Waves and their applications in technologies
for information transfer
Life Sciences
LS 1: From molecules to organisms: Structures and processes
LS 2: Ecosystems: Interactions, energy, and dynamics
LS 3: Heredity: Inheritance and variation of traits
LS 4: Biological Evolution: Unity and diversity
Earth and Space Sciences
ESS 1: Earths place in the universe
ESS 2: Earths systems
ESS 3: Earth and human activity
Engineering, Technology, and the Applications of Science
ETS 1: Engineering design
ETS 2: Links among engineering, technology, science, and society
Crosscutting Concepts
1. Patterns, similarity, and diversity
2. Cause and effect: Mechanism
and explanation
3. Scale, proportion, and quantity
4. Systems and system models
5. Energy and matter: Flows,
cycles, and conservation
6. Structure and function
7. Stability and change
___________________
28
The Next Generation Science Standards are currently in draft format, but the basis of those standards is the National
Research Council Framework, which enumerates these practices. A free copy of the NRC framework is available through
www.nextgenscience.org.
KEY HSD 000459
27
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Table 6: Key NGSS Science and Engineering Practices with Embedded Analytical Tasks and
Receptive and Productive Language Functions
engage with science and engineering content.
Scientic Sense-Making and Language Use
Key NGSS Practice 1a: Ask questions (science)
Analytical
Tasks
Frame questions conceptually to
Achieve improved understanding of current topic
Elicit clarication of a statement just made by another
Elicit further details of models or explanations of others

Conceptually frame and rene questions that can be investigated
by further observations or measurements
Receptive
Language
Functions
Comprehend and develop own understanding of a topic or
anothers ideas, expressed orally or in writing
Comprehend questions and responses of others
Productive
Language
Functions
Ask questions to
Achieve improved understanding of current topic
Elicit clarication of a statement just made by another or
further details of models or explanations of others
Propose investigations to be carried out through further observations or measurements
Key NGSS Practice 1b: Dene the problem (engineering)
Analytical
Tasks
Analyze the needs and constraints of the situation
Analyze what design criteria are needed
Receptive
Language
Functions
Comprehend oral or written explanations of needs and constraints
Comprehend suggestions of others
Productive
Language
Functions
Communicate (orally and in writing) ideas, concepts, and information
related to formulation and expression of design criteria:
Ask questions to elicit needs and constraints
Specify criteria using words and graphic representations
Describe design criteria and own analytic process orally or in writing
Key NGSS Practice 2: Develop models
Analytical
Tasks
Develop and represent an explicit model of a phenomenon or system
Use a model to support an explanation of a phenomenon or system
Make revisions to a model based on either suggestions of others
or conicts between a model and observation
KEY HSD 000460
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Receptive
Language
Functions
Comprehend others oral and written descriptions, discussions,
and justications of models of phenomena or systems
Interpret the meaning of models presented in texts and diagrams
Productive
Language
Functions
Communicate (orally and in writing) ideas, concepts, and information related
to a phenomenon or system using a model developed for this purpose:
Label diagrams of a model and make lists of parts
Describe a model using oral and/or written language as well as illustrations
Describe how a model relates to a phenomenon or system
Discuss limitations of a model
Ask questions about others models
Key NGSS Practice 3: Plan and carry out investigations
Analytical
Tasks
Rene questions to be investigated
Analyze variables in situation and decide whether and how variables are to be controlled
Analyze resources needed
Plan observations or measurements and how to record them
Predict expected results based on proposed model and explanation
(i.e., based on a hypothesis about the system)
Receptive
Language
Functions
Comprehend descriptions of variables and resources
Comprehend suggestions of others for the plan
Comprehend alternate hypotheses and predictions suggested by others
Read and follow investigation plan
Productive
Language
Functions
Communicate (orally and in writing) ideas, concepts, and information related to investigation tasks:
Explain ideas for the task to others
Respond to others suggestions or questions about the plan
Produce a written plan for an investigation
Make predictions
Describe observations
Describe conditions and record measurements
Key NGSS Practice 4: Analyze and interpret data
Analytical
Tasks
Decide on ways to organize and display data (e.g., graphs, charts, and timelines)
Recognize relationships between variables found in data, and where
possible suggest mathematical expressions of them
Compare results obtained to predictions
Receptive
Language
Functions
Comprehend suggestions of others and discussion of data
Interpret questions from others about the data
Productive
Language
Functions
Communicate (orally and in writing) ideas, concepts, and information related to analysis:
Create and label coherent representation of the data
Describe analysis and interpretations to others (orally or in writing)
Question others about their analysis
KEY HSD 000461
29
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Key NGSS Practice 5: Use mathematics and computational
thinking (linked to grade-level math standards)
Analytical
Tasks
Interpret and produce graphs of data
Relate mathematical symbols to physical quantities
Recognize where units of measure are needed
Recognize and apply mathematical relationships in interpreting phenomena
Recognize and apply algorithms for repeated computation (e.g., in data spreadsheet)
Employ computational tools appropriately
Receptive
Language
Functions
Comprehend mathematical statements and arguments of others
Comprehend proposed algorithms for calculations
Comprehend discussions of use and purpose of computational tools
Productive
Language
Functions
related to mathematical ideas and computational algorithms:
Create and label coherent representation of data
Describe mathematical ideas in words as well as symbols
Describe and explain proposed algorithms for calculations
Key NGSS Practice 6: Construct explanations (science) and design solutions (engineering)
Analytical
Tasks
Develop explanation or design
Analyze the match between explanation or model and a phenomenon or system
Revise explanation or design based on input of others or further observations
Analyze how well a solution meets design criteria
Receptive
Language
Functions
Comprehend questions and critiques
Comprehend explanations offered by others
Comprehend explanations offered by texts
Coordinate texts and representations
Productive
Language
Functions
related to a phenomenon or system (natural or designed):
Provide information needed by listeners or readers
Respond to questions by amplifying explanation
Respond to critiques by countering with further explanation
or by accepting as needing further thought
Critique or support explanations or designs offered by others
Key NGSS Practice 7: Engage in argument from evidence
Analytical
Tasks
Distinguish between a claim and supporting evidence or explanation
Analyze whether evidence supports or contradicts a claim
Analyze how well a model and evidence are aligned
Construct an argument
Receptive
Language
Functions
Comprehend arguments made by others orally
Comprehend arguments made by others in writing
KEY HSD 000462
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Productive
Language
Functions
related to the formation, defense, and critique of arguments:
Structure and order written or verbal arguments for a position
Select and present key evidence to support or refute claims
Question or critique arguments of others
Key NGSS Practice 8: Obtain, evaluate, and communicate scientic information
Analytical
Tasks
Coordinate written, verbal, and diagrammatic inputs
Evaluate quality of an information source
Evaluate agreement/disagreement of multiple sources
Evaluate need for further information
Summarize main points of a text or oral discussion
Receptive
Language
Functions
Read or listen to obtain scientic information from diverse sources including lab
or equipment manuals, oral and written presentations of other students, Internet
materials, textbooks, science-oriented trade books, and science press articles
Listen to and understand questions or ideas of others
Productive
Language
Functions
Communicate (orally and in writing) ideas, concepts, and information related to scientic information:
Present information, explanations, or arguments to others
Formulate clarication questions about scientic information
Provide summaries of information obtained appropriate a specic purpose or audience
Discuss the quality of scientic information obtained from text sources based on investigating
the scientic reputation of the source, and comparing information from multiple sources
KEY HSD 000463
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Section 2.4: Classroom Match
The Framework proposes that the deep knowledge required to understand the language practices
embedded in the CCSS and NGSS extends to the classroom and teachers and students uses of language
there. State ELP standards should reference different types of communicative activities embedded in subject
matter pursuits, such as listening closely, asking
questions, and engaging in sustained dialogue and
arguing claims. In the table that appears below, the
Framework offers a useful conceptualization of the
multiple features of students and teachers
language use in the disciplines while engaged in
the learning of key practices of the CCSS and
NGSS. The table attempts to provide a better understanding of what is currently being referred to as
academic language and academic literacy by describing and illustrating some of the ways that language is
used in diverse classrooms to break down traditional dichotomies between social and academic language.
29

The two major columns of Tables 7-9 suggest unique elements of classroom language for both teachers and
students. To elaborate upon students language use and tasks, columns are subdivided into oral and written
language in the classroom, and further subdivided into receptive and productive elements. The rst major row
in Tables 7-9 highlights multiple aspects of modality
30
in an attempt to move beyond lexical or structural
denitions of language as vocabulary or grammatical correctness. Language used in the classroom involves
interactions between teacher, students, and other
adults in a variety of formats that include
communication between individuals in pairs (one-to-
one) or small groups (one-to-group), by students or
teachers with the entire class (one-to-many), and by
students with various written materials through oral,
written, and multimodal communication. The second
row indicates that embedded within these various
modalities are distinct language-related tasks and
activities that require unique registers of language,
31

including oral and written communication intrinsic to each disciplinary practice. The third row identies some of
the registers relevant to teachers language use and students oral and written language use.
32
Lastly, note that
some areas within the tables (e.g., language tasks) are meant to be representative and not exhaustive.
State ELP standards should reference different
types of communicative activities embedded
in subject matter pursuits, such as listening
closely, asking questions, and engaging in
sustained dialogue and arguing claims.
Language used in the classroom involves
interactions between teacher, students, and
other adults in a variety of formats that
include communication between individuals
in pairs (one-to-one) or small groups (one-
to-group), by students or teachers with the
entire class (one-to-many), and by students
with various written materials through oral,
written, and multimodal communication.
___________________
29
The notion of discipline-specic language in the K-12 classroom applies to both secondary and elementary levels.
Even in the early years of schooling, children are being socialized into forms of language and knowledge particular to various
subject-area disciplines (math, science, English language arts). At the same time, however, it must be noted that these relate to
classroom disciplines, rather than the disciplines themselves. In this sense, K-12 students are learning, for example, language
appropriate for K-12 classroom learners of sciences rather than language appropriate for professional scientists themselves.
30
Modality: Characteristics of the channels through which language is used, as in oral and written language versus
receptive and productive language skills.
31
Elements of register include colloquial and classroom registers, discipline-specic language and terminology, and
disciplinary discourse conventions.
32
It should be noted that these are selected examples only and do not attempt to reect the full range and complexity of
classroom registers.
KEY HSD 000464
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Table 7: Discipline-specic Language in the K-12 ELA Classroom
Features
of
classroom
language
Teachers Receptive
and Productive
language use
and associated
language tasks
Students language use and associated language tasks
Modality
Explanations and
presentations (one-to-
many, many to many)
Oral Receptive and
Productive
Written

Whole-class participation
(one-to-many)
Receptive Productive
Comprehension
of classroom-
based and school-
based formal and
informal written
and multimodal
communication
Interpretation of a
range of literary and
informational texts
Production of
written classroom
and school-
based formal and
informal written
communication:
explanations
arguments
analyses
narratives
other ELA
learner genres
Use increasingly
precise terminology
and ELA disciplinary
conventions in writing
Communication
with small groups
(one-to-group)
Small group participation
(one-to-group)
Communication with
individual students
(one-to-one)
Interaction with individual
peers (one-to-one)
Communication with
parents (one-to-one)
Interaction with adults within
school contexts (one-to-one)
Registers
Colloquial + classroom
registers + discipline-
specic language
and terminology
registers + discipline-specic
language and terminology
ELA written registers + discipline-
specic language and terminology +
disciplinary discourse conventions
Examples
of
Registers
Classroom registers
used by teachers
for several goals
or purposes
Asking guiding
questions
Checking for
understanding
Facilitating
discussions

ELA classroom
discourse registers
used by teachers
for several goals
or purposes
Explaining concepts,
rephrasing, or
amplifying
Constructing
arguments
Classroom registers used
by students for several
goals or purposes
Comprehending
teachers explanations
Asking for clarication
Participating in discussions

Learner appropriate discourse
registers and conventions
used by students for several
goals or purposes
Making inferences about texts
Constructing arguments
and explanations
Listening to and interpreting
contributions of others, and
responding appropriately
Comparing, contrasting,
and synthesizing
information from texts
Classroom, school, and ELA-learner written
texts of multiple types (and expressed
through language in certain registers)
Grade-level texts and textbooks
Teacher handouts/worksheets/syllabi
Labeling of items in drawings,
models, diagrams and other visuals
Internet materials
Writing by other students
School announcements
Formal documents (e.g., grades,
assignments, and assessment results)
KEY HSD 000465
33
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Table 8: Discipline-specic Language in the K-12 Mathematics Classroom
Features
of
classroom
language
Teachers Receptive
and Productive
language use
and associated
language tasks
Modality
Explanations and
many, many-to-many)
Oral Receptive and
Productive
Written
(one-to-many)
Comprehension
of classroom-
based and school-
based formal and
informal written
and multimodal
communication
Production of
classroom-based
and school-
based formal and
informal written
communication,
such as
Explanations of
word problems
Descriptions
of ones own
reasoning,
solutions, or
strategies
Descriptions of
others reasoning,
solutions, or
strategies
Communication
with small groups
(one-to-group)
(one-to-group)
Communication with
individual students
(one-to-one)
peers (one-to-one)
Communication with
Registers
specic language
and terminology
Math-learner written registers + discipline-
specic language and terminology +
disciplinary discourse conventions
KEY HSD 000466
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Examples
of
Registers
Classroom registers
used by teachers
for several goals
or purposes
Giving directions
Guiding processes
Checking for
understanding
Facilitating
discussions
Exploring concepts
Presenting

Math discourse
registers used by
teachers for several
goals or purposes
Describing
models, patterns,
and structures
Explaining
relationships
between quantities
and representations
Explaining reasoning
Constructing
and defending
arguments
goals or purposes
Comprehending
oral directions
Participating in
exploratory talk
Participating in
presentational talk

Learner-appropriate math
discourse registers and
conventions used by students
for several goals or purposes
Describing models,
patterns, and structures
Explaining relationships
between quantities
and representations
Explaining solutions
and strategies
Explaining ones own
or others reasoning
Constructing, defending,
and critiquing arguments,
reasoning, and solutions
Classroom, school, and science-
learner written texts are of multiple
types (and expressed through
language in certain registers)
Grade-level texts and textbooks
Teacher handouts/worksheets
Labeling of items in diagrams
and other visuals
Internet materials
Math press articles
Syllabi
Formal documents (e.g., grades,
assignments, and assessment results)
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Table 9: Discipline-specic Language in the K-12 Science Classroom
Features
of
classroom
language
Teachers Receptive
and Productive
language use
and associated
language tasks
Students language use and tasks
Modality
Explanations and
many, many-to-many)
Oral Receptive and
Productive
(one-to-many)
Written
Comprehension
of classroom-
based and school-
based formal and
informal written
and multimodal
communication
Production of
classroom-based
and school-
based formal and
informal written
and multimodal
communication,
such as:
written reports
science journal
entries
Communication
with small groups
(one-to-group)
(one-to-group)
Communication with
individual students
(one-to-one)
peers (one-to-one)
Communication with
Registers
specic language
and terminology
Science-learner written registers
+ discipline-specic language
and terminology + disciplinary
discourse conventions
Examples
of
Registers
Classroom registers
used by teachers
for several goals
or purposes
Giving directions
Checking for
understanding
Facilitating discussions
Science discourse
registers used by
teachers for several
goals or purposes
Describing models
Constructing and
defending arguments
Providing written or
verbal explanation
of a phenomenon
or system
goals or purposes
Comprehending
oral directions
Learner-appropriate science
classroom discourse
registers and conventions
used by students for several
goals or purposes
Describing models
Constructing arguments
Providing oral explanations
of a phenomenon or system
Classroom, school, and science-
learner written texts are of multiple
types (and expressed through
language in certain registers)
Textbooks
Lab or equipment manuals
Internet materials
Science-oriented trade books
Science press articles
Syllabi
Formal documents (e.g., class assignment,
quarterly grades, and assessment results)
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Section 3: Alignment Protocol
The alignment protocol presented below is offered as a guide to support states in examining
the relationship between their ELPD standards and the Framework (and thereby the CCSS and
NGSS).
33
The particular methodology employed here focuses on the four key areas identified in
the Framework:
Section 3.1: Foundations: the degree to which the ELP standards transparently
articulate the theoretical foundations (e.g. theory of action) upon which they are based
as well as the degree to which the standards are organized according to the foundational
theories employed.
Section 3.2: Progression: the degree to which the sequence or progression of
language development found in the ELP standards is consistent with the theoretical
foundations upon which the standards are based.
Section 3.3: Standards Match: the degree to which the ELP standards reflect the
language expectations and underlying language practices embedded within the CCSS
and NGSS standards found in the ELA, mathematics, and science tables.
Section 3.4: Classroom Match: the degree to which the ELP standards outline how
they will be used to support classroom instruction.
Once the state ELP standards are examined for evidence of each question, each key area can
be rated for its degree of alignment. A key area is aligned when the ELP standards contain
clear, substantial evidence of the key areas descriptors, exemplifying the qualities suggested
by the tables below. ELP standards deemed not to meet all the descriptors across the four key
areas should be revised in light of feedback provided regarding areas of strength and areas in
need of improvement.
The graphic below identifies the major components of this alignment protocol:
___________________
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The alignment protocol uses an evidence-centered design format organized around a series of questions about
the four key areas identified above. The goal of the ELPD Framework is to provide states with a tool by which they can
determine how well their ELP standards capture the insights and key shifts found in the CCSS and NCSS. The relationship
between the ELP standards and the CCSS and NCSS is mediated by the ELPD Framework. By fully aligning to the
Framework, ELP standards will then correspond to the CCSS and NGSS (see Section 7.1 for the distinction between
alignment and correspondence).
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Progression Foundations
Standards
Match
Classroom
Match
Figure 1: Alignment Protocol Components
Section 3.1: Foundations
This section of the alignment process requires the identication and description of the theoretical
foundations behind the ELP standards, recognizing that there may be many theories regarding second
language development or acquisition that serve as anchors for ELP standards. It is expected that
theories are based on evidence found in the literatures on child and adolescent language development
and second language acquisition and that the associated reference materials (i.e., research syntheses,
reviews of the literature, or body of research studies) are found in ELP standards documentation.
Evidence should be offered as to the sequence of language development found within its ELP
standards and how the language developmental sequences or progressions of the ELP standards are
connected to underlying theories.
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Table 10: Foundations Evidence
Element Guidance Regarding Possible Evidence
1.1 What are the theoretical foundations
of the ELP standards?
A. How is language conceptualized?
B. How is the second language acquisition
process conceptualized?
A detailed presentation of conceptualizations
supported by references to the theoretical literature
in appropriate elds is included (e.g., applied
linguistics and second language acquisition).
1.2 Are the theoretical foundations differentiated
by age/grade, educational background? If
so, how? How do theoretical foundations
address socio-cultural background, primary
language, and language prociency level?
A justication of the applicability of the
theoretical foundations to different ages or grade
spans supported by research is outlined (e.g.,
syntheses, reviews of the literature, and body of
research studies that support claims made).
1.3 How have the theoretical foundations
been communicated?
Standards include a section in which
theoretical foundations are presented with
sufcient detail (and appropriate references)
to allow professionals to understand how
they t into existing knowledge about second
language acquisition and development.
1.4 What procedures are in place to validate the
theoretical foundations of the ELP standards?
Procedures are described for validating
standards (e.g., external experts papers or
briefs on the theoretical foundations, and
empirical evidence showing how standards
align to theoretical foundations).
Section 3.2: Progression
Evidence should be offered as to the sequence of language development found within its ELP
standards and how the language developmental sequences or progressions of the ELP standards are
connected to underlying theories. Language
development is seldom linear and sequential, and
individual ELLs seldom have the same
developmental pathway due to differences in
backgrounds and the type, quantity, and quality
of English interactions. Thus the ELP standards
must reect the variations in the progression
different ELLs acquire language, and model how levels of prociency are envisioned within the
standards. Evidence for progression of the standards should also show how the developmental
sequences are distinct and can support assessment.
The ELP standards must reflect the variations
in the progression different ELLs acquire
language, and model how levels of proficiency
are envisioned within the standards.
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Table 11: Progression Evidence
How are the ELP standards organized such that they
2.1 Identify varying levels of students
English language prociency?
Prociency levels are organized to show a combination
of intuitive, qualitative and quantitative methods.
34

They include both productive and receptive language
and make evident how stated prociencies are related
to disciplinary practices described in the Framework.
If levels are being tentatively established as part of
an ongoing validation process, methods for rening
categories and descriptors should be specied.
2.2 Communicate students ability to
manage cognitively demanding tasks
across language prociency levels?
Examples show how students will demonstrate
and express higher order thinking at each
prociency level. A range of higher order thinking
skills is included at each prociency level.
2.3 Support the ELP standards
theoretical foundations?
The progression of the standards is based on theoretical
foundations including methodologies for scaling and
developing descriptions of language prociency,
which have been cited and researched. Expectations
are consistent with stated conceptualizations of
language and second language acquisition.
2.4 Support the development of
assessment and measurement tools?
Justication is provided for the number of levels adopted.
Evidence is provided to support how these levels
represent distinctions that can reasonably be measured
and are based on actual student performance.
Section 3.3: Standards Match
This component requires the identication and description of the overlap between ELP standards and
the key practices found in Tables 1-6 of Section 2.3 of the Framework (note that the unpacking of the
key practices within Tables 2, 4 and 6 is meant to be representative and not exhaustive). Substantial
overlap between the Frameworks tables and state ELP standards is evidence that the standards
provide sufcient support for the language underlying the CCSS and NGSS.
35

___________________
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Adapted from the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CFER) criteria for descriptors of
common reference levels.
35
The last question in this section (Element 3.4) highlights the need to identify how other non-English language arts,
mathematics, or science related content is reected in the ELP standards. The Framework does not describe key practices,
analytic tasks, or productive and receptive language functions in these areas beyond these three; however, it should be
understood that such practices, analytical tasks, and language functions should be part of states ELP standards.
KEY HSD 000472
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Table 12: Standards Match Evidence
3.1 How are the key practices, as identied
in Tables 1-6 of the CCSS and NGSS,
addressed in the ELP standards for
A. English language arts?
B. Mathematics?
C. Science?
The match between the Framework in
English language arts, mathematics,
and science is clearly identied.
3.2 How are analytical tasks, as outlined
in Tables 2, 4, & 6 of the Framework,
B. Mathematics?
C. Science?
The match between the Frameworks
analytical tasks, on one hand, and
ELP standards, on the other hand, is
identied with links clearly identied.
3.3 How are language functions, as outlined
in Tables 2, 4, & 6 of the Framework,
B. Mathematics?
C. Science?
The match between the Frameworks
content practices and productive and
receptive language functions, on one hand,
and ELP standards, on the other hand, is
identied with links clearly identied.
3.4 How are non-CCSS or NGSS standards
addressed in the ELP standards? For example
A. Social studies?
B. Fine arts?
C. Technical education?
D. Physical education?
A description of the language associated
with non-CCSS or NGSS standards is
evidenced in the ELP standards.
Section 3.4: Classroom Match
This component of the alignment process requires the identication and description of the overlap
between ELP standards and the modalities, registers, content practices, and language functions found
in Tables 7-9 of Section 2.4 of the Framework. (Note that some areas within the tables (e.g., language
functions) are meant to be representative and not exhaustive.)
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Table 13: Classroom Match Evidence Table
4.1 How are the modalities of classroom language,
as outlined in Tables 7-9 of the Framework,
B. Mathematics?
C. Science?
The match in modalities between the Framework
in English language arts, mathematics, and
science and ELP standards is clearly identied. ELP
standards links to both teachers and students
language uses and tasks are clearly indicated.
4.2 How are the registers of classroom language,
as outlined in Tables 7-9 of the Framework,
B. Mathematics?
C. Science?
Common and unique registers are specied
precisely in the ELP standards. Links to
standards are clearly indicated.
4.3 To what degree are all elements
within Tables 7-9 of the Framework
covered by the ELP standards?
A description of how well all elements
within the Framework are covered by ELP
standards is spelled out (e.g., the proportion
of modalities, registers, language uses, and
associated language tasks that are covered
in ELP standards by each content area).
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Section 4: Sample Models of Selective ELP Standards Aligned
to the Framework
Section 4.1: Introduction to the Models
The purpose in presenting the following models is neither to present fully formed ELP standards nor
recommend a particular format for those standards to appear within. They are intended merely as
guidance for readers of the Framework to see how it could be fruitfully used in leading the construction
and/or evaluation of state ELP standards. As such, the models are intentionally and explicitly
incomplete, offering instead a snapshot of the Framework in action.
These sample models are intended merely as guidance for readers of the Framework to see how it could
be fruitfully used in leading the construction and/or evaluation of state ELP standards:
The rst model balances the roles of both language functions (what people do using language)
and forms (the language structures used to communicate) with the emphasis being given to
those aspects of language that support the language necessary to meet the CCSS and NGSS.
The second model conceives language prociency expectations as a synthesis between two
language development theories: systemic functional linguistics and processability theory.
The rst model balances the roles of both language functions (what people do using language) and
forms (the language structures used to communicate) with the emphasis being given to those aspects
of language that support the language necessary to meet the CCSS and NGSS. They illustrate how one
might integrate legal requirements for the measurement of listening, speaking, reading, and writing
with progressions drawn from discursive activities within the standards. Finally, they suggest what
instruction might do to enable students to meet such standards without focusing exclusively or primarily
on aspects of grammatical competence (i.e., phonology, morphology, syntax, and lexis).
The second model conceives language prociency expectations as a synthesis between two language
development theories: systemic functional linguistics and processability theory. This model focuses
specically on the language of mathematics in middle school. Additionally, it provides a more detailed
set of productive and receptive language functions and offers a crosswalk between these detailed
functions and the Frameworks productive and receptive functions in mathematics.
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Section 4.2: Understanding Language Task Force Model
MEETING THE LANGUAGE DEMANDS OF
COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS:
SAMPLE ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY DESCRIPTORS
Understanding Language Task Force
Valds, G., Walqui, A., Kibler, A., and Alvarez. L.
PART 1: INTRODUCTION
The Understanding Language Initiative
The Understanding Language Initiative led by Kenji Hakuta and Maria Santos has as its purpose
bringing attention to English language learners and to the second language acquisition process
in the context of the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and the Next Generation Science
Standards (NGSS). As pointed out on the website announcing the launch of the online community and
providing information about their work (http://ell.stanford.edu/policy-news/understanding-language-
initiative-launch), the long-term goal of the initiative is to help educators understand the new standards
and recognize the ways in which participation in rich standards-based instruction can support the
acquisition of language in English language learners.
As a rst step in its work, the initiative commissioned a set of papers (now available on the above
website) that focused on the language and literacy issues found in the standards and identied both
challenges and opportunities for English language learners. In addressing these challenges, three
principal shifts in perspective were identied in the commissioned papers:
1. Language acquisition, rather than an individual cognitive process, is a social process through
which language is acquired in social contexts.
2.. The acquisition process, rather than involving primarily the sequenced building of forms and
structures and vocabulary aimed at accuracy, uency and complexity, is a non-linear and complex
developmental process aimed at comprehension and communication.
3.. Participation in activity simultaneously develops conceptual understanding and language use.
English Language Prociency Descriptors Supporting the Common Core State Standards
Key Principles
The model descriptors presented here have as their purpose illustrating a different approach to the
organization of second language acquisition progressions than is currently in use in many assessor-
KEY HSD 000476
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oriented ELD scales and descriptors in the United States. The approach illustrated here draws most
directly from the Common European Framework for Languages (CEFR) which includes user-oriented
and constructor-oriented prociency scales focusing on what the learner can do rather than how well
the learner performs. CEFR has been used widely in the EU as a basis for recognition of language
qualications, curriculum development, and assessment.
36
These model descriptors were created by a special task force drawn from the Understanding Language
Initiative Steering Committee in order to inform the development of English Language Prociency (ELP)
standards in ways that are consistent with the following premises:
A. They correspond in a meaningful way to the CCSS, with meaningful being dened in an
explicit way that can support systemic attention to ELLs (i.e., supports standards, assessments,
materials, teacher preparation, leadership capacity, etc.).
B. They are supported by research and best practice in second language acquisition with respect
to: aspects of language that are supportive of the variety of language functions present
in schooling, and developmental progressions of language development that account for
differences in the varied social and linguistic settings in which ELLs learn.
C. They balance the roles of both language functions (what people do using language) and forms
(the language structures used to communicate), with the emphasis being given to those aspects
of language that support the language necessary to meet the content standards.
D. They illustrate how one might integrate legal requirements for the measurement of listening,
speaking, reading, and writing with progressions drawn from discursive activities within
the standards.
E. They suggest what instruction might do to get students to meet such standards without
focusing exclusively or primarily on aspects of grammatical competence (i.e., phonology,
morphology, syntax, and lexis).
Organization of the Standards
Because these descriptors are illustrative only, they focus on only two key language practices: (1)
construct explanations and (2) argue from evidence, practices that are found in the CCSS in the areas
of mathematics (Standards for Mathematical Practice 1, 3) and English language arts (Writing Standards
1, 2) as well as the Next Generation Science Standards (Scientic and Engineering Practices 6, 7). A full
set of descriptors would require thorough analysis of and descriptor development for all key language
practices found in the standards.
We present a listing of progressions (supported by instructional examples and student performance
descriptions). We rst include an at-a-glance look at the way that these progressions are organized
for students at grades K-3 and 9-12. We then provide more detailed descriptors as well as examples
___________________
36
Information about the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages is available at http://www.coe.int/t/
dg4/linguistic/cadre_en.asp.
KEY HSD 000477
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of instruction and student sample student performance for K-3 and 9-12. A full set of descriptors
would require articulation of progressions for all grades, regardless of how grades are clustered
into various bands.
Descriptors are divided into three levels, which have two important characteristics. First, they
are individual-developmental rather than class-based-instructional levels, meaning that levels are
designed to document individual student progress and should not be interpreted as describing the
content of leveled courses for ELLs. Second, the levels outlined here describe students rst three
stages of development while participating in CCSS/NGSS instruction; the decision was madefor
purposes of this exemplarto focus on early stages only, and multiple additional levels could be
articulated. Because this model is suggestive rather than comprehensive, levels would need to be
developed and rened further before such a model could be implemented.
Finally, it is important to note the descriptors are based upon expectations that
Students will complete language practices outlined in the descriptors with developing
English, which does not impede their ability to engage in the practices successfully;
Students will encounter texts that are not only written, but also visual and/or multimodal; and
Texts are age-appropriate for students, regardless of their English prociency level.
How to Read this Document
This document has the following sections, which can be read in any order:
Part 1: Introduction this section provides a rationale for the descriptors and an overview
of their key principles and organization.
Part 2: Descriptors of ELP Standards this section presents descriptors for grade bands
K-3 and 9-12, rst in brief form and then in extended form with instructional examples.
Part 3: Alignment this section explains how the descriptors align to the Framework
using the Alignment Protocol provided in the Framework document.
KEY HSD 000478
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PART 2: DESCRIPTORS OF ELP STANDARDS
Sample Brief English Language Prociency Descriptors Supporting the Common Core State Standards
This section presents descriptors for grade bands K-3 and 9-12, rst in brief form
and then in extended form with instructional examples.
Brief Descriptors K-3
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Selected Language Practices Identied in the CCSS
Construct Explanations
(ELA, Math, Science)
Argue from Evidence
L
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1
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Receptive
Can begin to guess intelligently at topic.
Continues to listen past frustration
to make sense of incoming speech.
Can comprehend that speakers
disagree by relying on his/her
experience in L1 interaction.
Productive
Can respond to choice questions in
which an explanation is presented.
Can begin to express agreement
or disagreement with gestures,
basic utterances, memorized
chunks, L1, and intonation.
W
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Receptive
Can guess intelligently at the topic
of written explanations when these
are accompanied by illustrations.
No examples of this practice
at this age-band.
Productive
Can reproduce drawings or diagrams
of known items or ideas used in class
that explain how something works.
No examples of this practice
at this age-band.
L
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2
O
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Receptive
Can comprehend most teacher
explanations if supported by gestures,
illustrations, and other scaffolds.
Can comprehend main points of others
arguments if provided with background
information and other scaffolds.
Productive
Can draw from and build upon others
explanations using gestures, pictures,
and memorized language chunks.
Can ask questions for clarication
about others arguments. Can
draw from and build upon
segments of others arguments.
W
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Receptive
Can comprehend written explanations
when he/she has knowledge about
the topic and can draw from images.
Can identify argument and
evidence given in a text if provided
with support and examples.
Productive
Can draw from and build upon basic
illustrated written explanations
if provided with examples.
Can draw from and build upon written
arguments and statements presenting
evidence if provided with examples.
L
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Receptive
Can comprehend almost all key
points of teacher explanations
that are not supported by
gestures or other scaffolds.
Can comprehend almost all points
of disagreement in a discussion.
Can distinguish arguments not
supported by evidence.
Productive
Can draw from and build upon
explanations produced by other
students, using appropriate
disciplinary terminology.
Can draw from and build upon others
arguments and statements that provide
evidence using gestures, pictures,
memorized language chunks and
other communicative strategies.
W
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Receptive
Can comprehend written explanations
of topics covered in class. Will rely
to some degree on illustrations
and other graphic materials.
Can comprehend arguments and
identify evidence in age-appropriate
written texts on topics covered in
class. Will rely to some degree on
illustrations and other graphic materials.
Productive
Can produce written explanations of
processes with the support of examples,
can begin to rely less on illustrations.
Can write out the arguments and
supporting evidence he/she can
produce orally. Can continue to draw
from and build upon examples.
KEY HSD 000479
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Sample Brief English Language Prociency Descriptors Supporting the Common Core State Standards
Brief Descriptors 9-12
(Extended 9-12 descriptors begin on page 55.)
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Selected Language Practices Identied in the CCSS
Construct explanations
Argue from Evidence
L
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1
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Receptive
Can begin to guess intelligently at a
speakers explanation of ideas, actions,
or processes if the topic is known
and students have been previously
alerted to the function of discourse
markers in explanation. Can explicitly
understand the relation in English
between reasons and consequences.
Can begin to guess intelligently
at a speakers main argument.
Can draw on resources, including
the L1, to understand the
main point of arguments.
Productive
Following an example of a
relevant explanation, student
can describe reasons in different
but known situations.
Can begin to express agreement
or disagreement with gestures,
basic utterances, memorized
chunks, L1, and intonation.
Can make statements to ll
interactional turns regarding
own or others argument.
W
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Receptive
Can identify, follow, and partially
comprehend explanatory statements
in a text if made aware of the
structure of these texts and the
markers that characterize explanations
(such as causal connectors).
Can identify statements or segments
of a text that provide arguments.
Productive
Given a clear example, students can use
causes and reasons to explain in writing
why something is the case or happened.
Can describe an argument
by drawing and labeling.
L
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Can understand a speakers explanation
of ideas, actions, or processes in topics
that are known without prior examples.
Can understand most main
arguments presented by teacher
if supported by gestures,
illustrations, and other scaffolds.
Productive
Can construct and articulate reasons
and consequences related to
situations that they know about.
Can use examples, gestures, pictures,
memorized language chunks, and basic
language structures (I think xxx) as well
as some L1 to make an argument related
to subject matter, including claims
and reasons/supporting evidence.
W
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Receptive
Can understand simple written
explanations related to known topics.
Are able to relate their understanding
to others in their L1.
Can comprehend written arguments
he/she reads when he/she has relevant
background knowledge and can
draw from accompanying images to
support comprehension. May miss
details related to reasons/evidence.
Productive
Can plan and express in writing,
with the help of relevant examples,
explanatory texts about known
topics, using appropriate
connecting words and phrases.
Guided by a model text, can write
a basic argument with claims
and reasoning/evidence, using
developing English structures.
KEY HSD 000480
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Can understand a speakers
explanation of ideas, actions, or
processes in topics that are novel
if the explanation is scaffolded.
Can understand teacher and
some peer arguments about
subject matter if supported by
gestures, illustrations, background
knowledge, and other scaffolds.
Productive
Can plan, construct, and articulate
reasons and consequences related
to novel situations with appropriate
interactional scaffolding
37

from peers or teacher.
Can make argument on known
topic including claims, reasons/
evidence, and counterclaims and
using developing English structures.
W
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Receptive
Can understand written explanations
about unknown topics with
appropriate scaffolding. Can
relate their understanding to
others mostly in English.
Can comprehend written arguments,
claims reasons/evidence, and
counterclaims he/she reads when he/
she has relevant background knowledge
and can draw from accompanying
images to support comprehension.
Productive
Can plan and produce explanatory
texts on unknown topics provided
with appropriate scaffolding from the
teacher or peers, mostly in English.
Using a model text can create an
original argument about a related
topic including claims, reasons/
evidence, and counterclaims and
using developing English.
___________________
37
Scaffolding: Pedagogically, a scaffold is the support offered students so that they can successfully engage in activity beyond
their current ability to perform independently. Specic scaffolds temporarily support the development of understandings, as
well as disciplinary (and language) practices. Once development takes place, scaffolds are removed and new ones are erected to
support new needed developmental work. There are two aspects of pedagogical scaffolding: structure and process.
KEY HSD 000481
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Sample Extended Functional Descriptors
Construct Explanations: K-3
L
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Construct Explanations (ELA, Mathematics, Science)
L
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1
O
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Receptive
Can begin to guess intelligently at topic of teacher explanations if
provided guided listening instruction in monitoring and improving
his/her comprehension. Will rely greatly on gestures, illustrations,
advanced organizers, and/or background knowledge.
Can respond to instructional questions and activities about
explanations in ways that signal emerging comprehension.
Can activate comprehension strategies on which s/he has
been instructed to continue to listen and observe.
Productive
Can begin to draw from and build upon others statements that
explain their observations. (Kittens are like big cats.)
Can request information or clarication using memorized chunks or expressions.
Can use gestures, pictures, and memorized language chunks, as
well as some L1, to communicate his/her original meanings.
W
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Receptive
Can identify topic of texts that explain known concepts (parts of the body,
plants and animals grow and change), such as texts jointly constructed
by the class and/or read repeatedly by the teacher and others.
Productive
Can explain how something works by drawing and
labeling similar drawings used in class.
May attempt to write what he/she can say if provided
examples of written explanations.
L
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2
O
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Receptive
Can comprehend most teacher explanations if supported by gestures, illustrations,
connections to background knowledge, and other scaffolds. May miss some details.
Can strategically ignore what s/he does not understand and focus on
what s/he does understand. Will manifest growth in ability to anticipate
developments, revise misunderstandings, and ll in gaps. Will increase
in ability to continue listening when confused or frustrated.
Productive
Can make statements that explain his/her observations and communicate original
meaning by imitating the language of others and by using other communicative
strategies (e.g., gestures, pictures, memorized language chunks, and basic language
structures (This is xxx), as well as some L1. (The animal mastica the food with the
teeth). Main ideas can be understood by teacher or peers in the childs classroom.
Can request information or clarication drawing from language used by others.
W
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Receptive
Can use features common to explanatory texts (headings,
images) to make predictions about content.
Can comprehend written explanations he/she reads when he/she has
relevant background knowledge and can draw from accompanying
images to support comprehension. May miss some details.
Can ask clarication questions that demonstrate comprehension
of some aspects of the written explanation.
Productive
Can produce an illustrated explanation if provided with an example. Will write
what he/she can say but will also draw from and build upon other language
contained in the example. Will label elements of the explanation of the
observed phenomenon accurately if such terminology has been taught.
KEY HSD 000482
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L
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3
O
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a
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Receptive
Can comprehend almost all key points of an un-supported teacher
explanation. Still prots enormously from explanations supported by gestures,
illustrations, connections to background knowledge, and other scaffolds.
Can manifest comprehension by posing questions using various
communicative strategies, including memorized utterances,
gestures, facial expressions and intonation.
Productive
Can use information obtained from observations to construct an explanation.
Will draw from and build upon others language and use memorized
utterances and a combination of other communicative strategies.
Explanation can be understood by teachers and peers familiar with the
students classroom context and/or the focus of students observations.
Can use disciplinary terminology taught in class in his/
her explanation (liquid, solid, gas).
W
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t
e
n
Receptive
Can use features common to explanatory texts (headings, bolding,
captions, images) to focus on main ideas and key details.
Can identify the relationship between explanation and information about
phenomena. Can draw from accompanying images to support comprehension.
Can elicit clarication or further explanation about aspects of
text he/she does not understand or is interested in. Questions
demonstrate comprehension of aspects of explanation.
Can make relevant connections between multiple related explanations.
Productive
Using a sample text, can create an original explanation about a
similar set of observations drawing on what s/he can say as well
as from other written materials and the speech of others.
KEY HSD 000483
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Instructional scenario and examples of student participation and competencies: Level 1
The teacher has been guiding students in listening and observing carefully. As part of a unit on plants
and animals, she draws the life cycle of a pumpkin as she explains and labels the different stages. When
asked what the teacher is explaining, a student can show his understanding by
Responding in L1 how a pumpkin grows
Creating his or her own drawing of a pumpkins life cycle and labeling it appropriately
(e.g., seed, ower, pumpkin)
Responding to questions about what he has heard (e.g., What does the seed need
to grow? Water)
He uses his drawing of the pumpkins life cycle to explain the process himself, while pointing to each
stage: This seed. This plant. This ower. Little, this is pumpkin little. Big. And seed.
The class jointly constructs a written text explaining the life cycle of a pumpkin. Each child then receives
a copy of the text to read and illustrate.
Finally, each student draws the life cycle of another plant or animal the class has studied and uses
resources in the classroom to label different stages. Using the class jointly constructed book as a
mentor text, the student creates a book describing the life cycle of his chosen plant:
This is the seed. And the plant is grow. And the ower. And the tomato. And the seed.
KEY HSD 000484
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Table 3: Discipline-specic Language in K-3 Instructional Scenario: Level 1 (Construct Explanations)
Features of
classroom
language
Teachers language
use and associated
language tasks
Modality
Oral Written
Receptive Productive Receptive Productive Receptive Productive
Explanations and
many, many to many)
Teacher guides the
class through a video
presentation of the life
cycle of the pumpkin.
Teacher draws and
explains the life cycle
of the pumpkin on the
white board and labels
parts of the process.
(one-to-many)
Students ask questions about
pumpkins, their color, their
size, and where they grow.
Students discuss what they
know about plants and how they
grow and what they would like
to know, using a KWL chart.
Students respond to teachers
questions on details of
what she explained.
After video and teacher
presentation, the class returns
to their KWL chart and discusses
which questions they can
now answer. They also review
the information they listed as
known, to conrm its accuracy.
Comprehension
of classroom-
based and
school-based
formal and
informal written
and multimodal
communication:
Each child
uses the text
constructed
by the class
and reads and
illustrates it.
Each child
selects a book
on the life cycle
of another plant
or animal to look
through, examine
the illustrations,
and read.
Production of
written classroom
and school-
based formal and
informal written
communication:
The class jointly
constructs a
written text
explaining the
life cycle of a
pumpkin.
Each student
draws the life
cycle of another
plant or animal
the class has
studied and uses
resources in the
classroom to
label different
stages.
Using the
class jointly
constructed
book as a mentor
text, the student
creates a book
describing the
life cycle of his
chosen plant.
Communication
with small groups
(one-to-group)
Teacher breaks students
into groups to draw life
cycles of the pumpkin
and gives instructions.
(one-to-group)
Student draws life cycle of
pumpkin and explains the
process to peers in his group.
Communication with
individual students
(one-to-one)
Teacher claries life
cycle process for
student, repeats, uses
gestures, draws and
patiently scaffolds
students attempt
to ask questions.
peers (one-to-one)
Student asks a peer for
assistance in drawing the
life cycle of another plant
or animal and labeling
parts of the process.
Communication with
KEY HSD 000485
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Argue from Evidence: K-3
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Argue from Evidence (ELA, Math, Science)

L
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1
O
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Receptive
Can understand that a speaker disagrees by relying
on his/her experience in L1 interaction.
Productive
Can express agreement or disagreement with gesture, basic
utterances, memorized chunks, L1, and intonation.
W
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Receptive
No examples of this practice at this age band.
Productive
No examples of this practice at this age band.
L
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2
O
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a
l
Receptive
Can comprehend main points of others arguments if supported
by gestures, illustrations, connections to background knowledge,
and other scaffolds. May miss some details.
Can strategically ignore what s/he does not understand and focus on
what s/he does understand. Will manifest growth in ability to anticipate
arguments and evidence, revise misunderstandings, and ll in gaps. Will
increase in ability to continue listening when confused or frustrated.
Can answer questions about evidence included in others arguments and
engage in follow-up activities in ways that communicate basic understanding.
Productive
Can ask questions about others arguments.
Can draw from and build upon segments of others arguments and also use
gestures, pictures, and memorized language utterances to communicate meaning.
W
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Receptive
Can identify arguments and evidence given in a text
if provided with support and examples.
Can sort statements into for and against positions.
Can ask clarication questions or respond to text in ways that
demonstrate some comprehension of the written argument.
Productive
Can produce a written argument and provide supporting evidence by
closely imitating a sample text. Will draw on segments of others speech
in the classroom as well as on memorized chunks and expressions.
L
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3
O
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Receptive
Understands almost all points of disagreement in a discussion. Still prots
enormously from explanations supported by gestures, illustrations,
connections to background knowledge, and other scaffolds.
Elicits clarication or comments on discussion. Questions or
responses provide evidence of comprehension of discussion.
Productive
Can draw from and build upon others arguments and statements that
provide evidence and also gestures, pictures, memorized language chunks
and other communicative strategies to communicate meaning.
Can present arguments and evidence that can be understood
by teachers and peers familiar with the students classroom
context and or the focus of students area of focus.
W
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Receptive
Can comprehend arguments and identify evidence in age-
appropriate written texts on topics covered in class.
Can comprehend and relate written arguments to one another, with
support of background knowledge or accompanying illustrations.
Can elicit clarication or respond to text in ways that indicate comprehension.
Productive
Can write the arguments s/he can produce orally and provide
supporting evidence using illustrations, drawings, and other devices
that communicate meaning. Will draw substantially from written
examples provided as well as from language of teacher and peers.
KEY HSD 000486
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As part of a unit on geometry, the class is using guess the shape riddles to learn about the
attributes of different shapes. The teacher presents a riddle to the class. This shape has four corners.
It also has four equal sides and four right angles. The class looks at different shapes, and students
present arguments about the shape they think it is.
A student can follow the discussion, as her peers debate whether it is a square or a parallelogram.
She asks, Is this a parallelogram? (pointing to a shape in the room), to elicit clarication. She
listens to her peers presenting their opinions and giving evidence and then gives her own opinion
with evidence: Its a square. Right angle is like this (making a right angle with her ngers). The
parallelogram sides is different.
The teacher presents contradictory written arguments about another guess the shape riddle. The
student is able to note the difference between the two arguments, choose the one he/she agrees
with, and state a reason why in English.
Using the mentor texts above, she writes an argument about a different riddle, providing evidence for
her argument: I think the riddle is about a triangle. A triangle has 3 sides and 3 angles. Together two
triangles = square. You can do a square with 2 rectangles, but rectangle have 4 sides. She draws a
picture to illustrate how two triangles can be combined into a square.
KEY HSD 000487
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SAMPLE EXTENDED FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTORS
Construct Explanations: 9-12
L
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M
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Construct Explanations (ELA, Math, Science)
L
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1
O
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a
l
Receptive
Can discuss the purpose of explanatory texts in English if provided
with assistanceincluding the use of his/her L1. Can discuss in her/
his L1 the purpose of these texts, their typical organization, and
can recognize linguistic markers of the genre in English.
Can explicitly understand the relation in English between reasons and
consequences, which has been presented with the assistance of the L1.
Can begin to guess intelligently at a speakers explanation of
ideas, actions or processes, if the topic is known.
Can locate markers that help construct explanations in oral
English if helped by careful teacher scaffolding.
Can be encouraged to deal with ambiguity and to persevere
in their efforts to understand oral explanations.
Can begin to identify the purpose of oral explanatory texts.
Can practice inquiring about the purpose of oral explanatory texts.
Productive
Can describe sequences of reasons and consequences in different but known
situations if they are provided with a model of a relevant explanation. Can
request information or clarication using memorized chunks or expressions.
Can use examples, gestures, pictures, and memorized language
chunks, as well as some L1, to construct oral explanations.
W
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Receptive
Can identify, follow, and partially comprehend explanatory statements
in a text if made aware of the structure of these texts and the markers
that characterize explanations in writing (such as causal connectors).
Productive
Given a clear example, can use causes and reasons to explain
in writing why something known is the case.
Can work collaboratively (ideally in language alike groups so
they can help each other in their L1) following instructions to
create written explanations about known topics.
KEY HSD 000488
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O
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Receptive
Can understand the key reasons that motivate known and some
unknown actions after practicing listening to model explanations.
Can understand a speakers explanation of ideas, actions, or
processes in topics that are known without prior modeling.
Provided scaffolding, such as a couple of focus questions, student can outline or ll
in a graphic organizer delineating reasons and consequences in specic oral texts.
Can tolerate more easily what he/she does not understand
in a text, focusing on what is understood.
Can be a willing guesser of oral explanatory texts, anticipating
developments, revising misunderstandings, and lling in gaps.
Can answer questions about reasons expressed in a text.
Can be an increasingly accurate guesser when listening to
explanatory texts and can demonstrate listening stamina.
Productive
Can construct and articulate reasons and consequences related
to situations known if provided the right scaffolds, for example if
provided with formulaic expressions to begin his/her report.
Can understand main ideas but these ideas are expressed with limitations.
Can express her/his progress in being able to construct explanatory texts.
W
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Receptive
Can understand simple written explanations related to known topics.
Can relate understanding to others in their L1 and their emerging English.
Productive
Can plan and express in writing, with the help of relevant examples, explanatory
texts about known topics using appropriate connecting words or phrases.
Can discuss her/his awareness of developing skill in constructing explanatory
texts in emerging English. Can demonstrate increasing internalization
of criteria for what counts as a successful explanatory text.
Can handle inability to write explanatory texts in English easily and
can persevere with a rst draft and subsequent revisions.
L
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3
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Receptive
Can understand a speakers explanation of ideas, actions or
processes in topics that are novel if the explanation is well supported
by using diagrams, graphic organizers, elaborations, etc.
Can engage in intensive listening of a recorded explanatory text with the help of
teacher who prompts the listening with questions and elaborations that focus on
understanding the explanations presented and how they are constructed in English.
Can engage in global listening of recorded explanatory texts with the
assistance of the teacher. After listening to the text twice without interruption,
student can outline the reasons given for why something is the case.
Productive
Can plan, construct, and articulate explanations related to novel situations
with appropriate interactional scaffolding (questions, diagrams, pointing
to markers of explanations in English) from peers or teachers.
W
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Receptive
Can understand written explanations about novel
topics with appropriate scaffolding.
Can ll out graphic organizers that outline explanations for a variety of phenomena.
Can relate understanding of explanations to others mostly in English.
Productive
Can plan and produce explanatory texts on new topics provided with
appropriate scaffolding from the teacher or peers, mostly in English.
Can persevere in trying to arrive at a successful text
that explains a situation adequately.
KEY HSD 000489
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After reading Frosts The Road not Taken, students are asked to construct a collaborative poster. Each
table is assigned a different stanza from the poem and the teacher sets the requirements for the task.
The poster must communicate the main ideas in the stanza by using a relevant quote, an original
statement that the students need to construct jointly, a symbol, and a picture. In the following transcript
the students have misunderstood the requirements and decide that their original phrase must rhyme.
S1: I know. The quote can be, I need to look more than a road?
S2: Its supposed to be like a decisionWe should write a little bit like a hard word, you know?...How
about this, And then looked down far as I couldHow about this, how about, I looked far for the
right decision? No, it has to rhyme!
S2: How about this, Im Robert Frost, Ive got to decide, which path to take, right or wrong. No, right
or wrong ruined it. (begins writing in a notebook) Im Robert Frost, I have to choose, but its
difcult for me, Robert Frost, to nd the truth.
S3: I dont know, write it, write it. Write all of it, then we can x it.
S2: Im Robert Frost, I have a path to choose. Its hard for me,
S3: Robert Frost,
S2: to nd the truth. Its like a rap.
S3 Let me see (reading from the notebook), Im Robert Frost, I have a path to choose,
S2: its hard for me to nd the truth. Like, truth and Frost kind of go together
S3: Im Robert Frost, I have a path to choose,
S2: Oh, oh! to choose the good or to choose the wrong.
S3: Uh, to choose the right or to choose the wrong.
S2: Yeah, yeah, to choose the right or to choose the wrong.
S3: But he doesnt know which one is wrong
S2: Okay, Im Robert Frost, I have a path to choose, (writing the new ending) its up to me to nd the truth.
S3: Better. I think this one makes more sense and it explains more.
S2: Yeah, but he still needs to choose, to choose the right or to choose the wrong.
S3: Wait.
S2: No, no, now it doesnt make sense, to choose the right or to choose the wrong.
S3: It doesnt make sense because he doesnt know which one is right, which one is wrong. Thats the
point of asking himself which way to go.
S2: How about, I gotta choose now, or I might be
S3: The other one is better.
S2: Okay, how about this, I might choose one, but I might be wrong.
KEY HSD 000490
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S3: Yeah. Write it, and write it fast. I might choose one, but I might be wrong.
S2: (writing) Keep repeating it.
S3: I might choose right, but I might be wrong.
S2: Im Robert Frost, I have a path to choose. I might choose the right, but I might be (puzzled)
S3: wrong.
S2: Okay, Im Robert Frost, I have a path to choose. I might choose the right, but I might be?
S3: (pointing to notebook) This is good until this part. We have to think up of the ending.
S2: I might choose the right, but I might be Only wrong goes there.
S3: Wheres the dictionary? (S2 leaves group)
The boys have nished their illustration and become interested in the problem completing the original quote.
S4: Rhyme something with right instead of wrong.
S3: Yes, I know.
S1: And it gotta rhyme. (S2 returns with the teacher)
S3: We think that after the right part, its right, but we dont know.
S2: (reading) Im Robert Frost, I have a path to choose. I might choose the right,
T: but it might be wrong.
S3: But it doesnt rhyme.
T: You want it to rhyme?
S2: Yeah.
T: I might choose the right, the path thats right? Uhm, why dont you use homophones? Whats a
homophone for right?
S2: (writing in the air) Write.
T: So what did he do in his life?
S2: I might choose the right, but I might be
S1: I might choose the right road so I can write.
T: (the teacher leaves)
S3: I might choose the right that might help me write.
KEY HSD 000491
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Table 3: Discipline-specic Language in 9-12 Instructional Scenario: Level 3 (Argue from Evidence)
Features of
classroom
language
Teachers language
use and associated
language tasks
Modality
Oral Written
Receptive Productive Receptive Productive Receptive Productive
Explanations and
many, many to many)
Teacher guides the class
through simultaneous group
collaborative readings
(reading is shared in four
voices, signaled in the
poem by diverse fonts)
of The Road Not Taken.
Teacher invites each group
to create a collaborative
poster about an assigned
stanza. To capture the
essence of the stanza each
poster should include a
quote, an original phrase
(created by the group), a
picture, and a symbol.
(one-to-many)
Students ask questions
about the poem.
Students respond to teachers
questions on details of
what she explained.
Comprehension
of classroom-
based and
school-based
formal and
informal written
and multimodal
communication:
Students read
the poem.
Students read
collaborative
posters
constructed by
their group and
other groups
about their
assigned stanza.
Production
of written
classroom and
school-based
formal and
informal written
communication:
Groups jointly
construct a
written text
explaining the
main ideas of a
stanza from the
poem using a
relevant quote
and original
statement,
along with a
symbol and
picture.
Communication with small
groups (one-to-group)
Teacher responds to group
queries about poster and
poem by asking questions
and making suggestions.
(one-to-group)
Students negotiate with
group members possible
quotes, original statements,
symbols, and pictures for
the collaborative poster,
suggesting own and
responding to peers ideas
about their assigned stanza.
Communication with
individual students
(one-to-one)
Teacher responds to
individual concerns about
poster and poem by
posing those questions
back to the group.
peers (one-to-one)
Students ask peers for
assistance in writing down text
suggested by their peers.
Communication with
KEY HSD 000492
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Argue from Evidence: 9-12
L
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Argue from Evidence (ELA, Math, Science)
L
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1
O
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Receptive
Can begin to guess intelligently at the main argument provided by
teacher if given guided listening instruction in monitoring and improving
comprehension and with the support of gestures, illustrations, advanced
organizers, and background knowledge including the L1.
Can draw on resources to respond to comprehension check questions or activities.
Productive
Can make statements to ll interactional turns in which an argument is
expected by using basic structures, single words, gestures, and L1.
Can request information or clarication using memorized chunks or expressions.
Can use models, gestures, pictures, and memorized language chunks,
as well as some L1, to explain own or others argument.
W
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n
Receptive
With support and text at reading level, can identify statements
or segments of the text that make an argument.
Can read and comprehend texts that explain known concepts, such
as texts jointly constructed by the class and/or read repeatedly.
Can display information obtained from texts writing in his/
her L1 if receiving instruction in this language.
Productive
Can explain an argument by drawing and labeling.
Can follow a simple example to write an argument, using developing
English structures. With support, can copy and then produce original
simple statements using developing English structures and L1.
L
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2
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Receptive
Can understand most main arguments presented by teacher if
supported by gestures, illustrations, and other scaffolds.
Can differentiate between some claims and reasons/supporting
evidence, but may miss details related to the latter.
Can respond appropriately to comprehension check questions or activities to
communicate basic understanding of claims and evidence supporting an argument.
Productive
Can use models, gestures, pictures, memorized language chunks, and basic
language structures (I think xxx) as well as some L1 to make an argument
related to subject matter, including claims and reasons/supporting evidence.
W
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n
Receptive
Can comprehend written arguments he/she reads when he/she has relevant
background knowledge and can draw from accompanying images to
support comprehension. May miss details related to reasons/evidence.
Can ask clarication questions that demonstrate comprehension
of some aspects of the written argument.
Productive
Guided by an example, can write a basic argument with claims and
reasoning/evidence, using developing English structures.
Can write argumentative texts what student can produce orally.
Can create graphic representations to record comprehension
of written arguments and their component parts.
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Receptive
Can understand teacher and some peer arguments about subject matter if
supported by gestures, illustrations, background knowledge, and other supports.
Can differentiate between most claims, reasons/supporting evidence,
and counterclaims, but may not comprehend all of them.
Can elicit clarication or further evidence/reasoning by posing questions with
developing English structures. Questions provide evidence of some comprehension.
Productive
Can express arguments on themes known (through experience and
texts) including claims, reasons/evidence, and counterclaims and
using developing English structures. Argument can be understood
by an interlocutor familiar with the students classroom context.
Can incorporate or approximate discipline-specic language that has been
modeled in instruction (for example, typical transitions in argumentation)
Can use formulaic and repetitive phrases to connect sections of text and conclude it.
Can include evidence drawn from written and oral
sources appropriate to prociency level.
Can ask questions about arguments offered by others.
W
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e
n
Receptive
Can comprehend written arguments, claims reasons/evidence, and
counterclaims he/she reads when he/she has relevant background knowledge
and can draw from accompanying images to support comprehension.
Can elicit clarication or further explanation about aspects of
text he/she does not understand or is interested in. Questions
demonstrate comprehension of aspects of argumentation.
Can make relevant connections between multiple related arguments.
Productive
Using a model text, can create an original argument about a related topic
including claims, reasons/evidence, and counterclaims and using developing
English. Given appropriate opportunities for modeling, discussion,
interaction with peer and teacher, and analysis of sample texts:
Can include some discipline-specic language or approximations
of that language which has been modeled.
Can draw from background experiences, personal opinions, and some
resources at reading level to describe evidence in support of a claim.
Can respond to counterclaims.
Can use formulaic and repetitive phrases to connect
sections of the text and draw it to a conclusion.
Can anticipate audiences knowledge and concerns to a limited
degree, depending on background knowledge.
Can use evidence drawn from written and oral
sources appropriate to prociency level.
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A class of high school students reads a short story (appropriate to level 2 prociency) about
the effects of industrialization on a rural family. After several pre-reading activities to establish
sufcient background knowledge, students begin to read and discuss the book using paired reading
techniques and teacher-led discussion on key concepts, characters, and plot complications in the
story. They also use a journal to keep track of their initial reactions to the story and the questions they
have as they read it.
After reading, students read and analyze several models of argumentative paragraphs about
industrializations benets and drawbacks, including models that show claims, reasons/evidence, and
counterclaims. After creating a paragraph as a whole class and brainstorming topics about which they
could write, students explain their ideas aloud to a partner (in English or a shared home language), who
gives them feedback on their argument.
Students at this level can produce writing such as the following, drawing from and building upon
models and peer suggestions: First The local economy became worse. The factory pay more money to
the people but the store rise their prices. Making people to stop working in their elds. Although they
may say that is not their foulth but if their factory will not be in the land. The owner of the store could
keep their low prices.
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PART 3: ALIGNMENT
Element
Possible
Evidence
Evidence
1.1 What are the
theoretical
foundations of the
ELPD standards?
A. How is language
conceptualized?
B. How is the
second
language
acquisition
process
conceptualized?
A detailed
presentation of
conceptualizations
supported by
references to
the theoretical
literature in
appropriate elds
(e.g., applied
linguistics and
second language
acquisition)
The theoretical models informing the Sample English
Language Proficiency Descriptors include the models of
communicative competence developed by Canale & Swain
(1980 and 1981); Canale (1983a and 1983b); Bachman (1990);
Bachman & Palmer (1996); and Celce-Murcia et al. (1995).
From the perspective of these models (differing in some
details), communicative competence includes: discourse
(textual), sociocultural (sociolinguistic), pragmatic, strategic,
and linguistic competencies. Drawing to different degrees
from work on language functions (Halliday, 1973), speech
act theory (Austin, 1962), and interactional competence
(Kramsch, 1986), these models take the position that
linguistic knowledge is only one small part of communicative
competence and that meaning is created by individuals in
interaction (Heritage, 2004; Hymes, 1964 and 1972; Sacks
et al., 1974; Schegloff, 2007; Schlegloff et al., 1977).
Within the field of second language acquisition (SLA), the
perspective underlying the Descriptors draws from social (as
opposed to cognitive) explanations of learning referred in
the literature as alternative approaches to L2 acquisition
(Atkinson, 2011). Second language acquisition is conceptualized
as a process in which (1) acquisition and use are inseparable
(Bloome & Clark, 2006; Firth & Wagner, 2007) and (2) interaction
is fundamental (Hall, 1993; Kramsch, 1986; Young, 2000 and
2003). Language acquisition is considered to take place in a
social context and ideally to involve legitimate participation in
a community of practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991) and to proceed
through intent community participation rather than through
assembly-line learning (Paradise & Rogoff, 2009; Rogoff
et al, 2003). Finally, grammar is viewed as a by-product of
communication and as a dynamic set of patterns that emerges
from use over time (Larsen-Freeman, 2010 and 2011).
It is important to emphasize that SLA, from the perspective of
both the cognitivist and socio-interactional perspectives, has
had very little to say about a process of L2 acquisition as it
takes place through and over time. Reviewing the longitudinal
SLA research literature and concluding that discussions about
longitudinal research are rare, Ortega and Iberri-Shea (2005)
advocate for the diversity and accumulation of recent and
future longitudinal research that they hope will help chart
the development of advanced L2 capacities and help us
understand the appropriate timing, duration, and content of
optimal educational practices for L2 learning across educational
settings and multilingual contexts (p. 43). To date, a second
language index of development such as that called for by
Larsen-Freeman (1978) has not been created which will allow
us to give a number value to different points along a second
language developmental continuumas learners proceed
towards full acquisition of a target language (p. 440).
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1.2 Are the theoretical
foundations
differentiated
by age/grade
background? If
so, how? How
do theoretical
foundations
address
socio-cultural
background,
primary language,
and language
prociency level?
A justication of
the applicability
of the theoretical
foundations to
different ages
or grade spans
supported by
research (e.g.,
syntheses, reviews
of the literature,
and body of
research studies
that support
claims made).
The participation metaphor that is common to alternative
approaches to SLA draws from the work of Lave & Wenger, 1991
as well as from socialization theory (Schieffelin & Ochs, 1986;
Duff, 2010; Duff & Talmy, 2011) and sociocultural theory (Lantolf
& Thorne, 2006). Interaction, apprenticeship and use are seen as
applicable to different ages and grade spans. Supporting work
for these approaches at various age levels includes research on
young children (Wong Fillmore, 1976) and secondary-school
students (Talmy, 2008 and 2009; Swain et al., 2002; Swain &
Lapkin, 1998), making evident the importance of access and
interaction to the acquisition process for all age levels.
Recent work on language and literacy development over the years
of schooling (Christie, 2012) from a systemic functional linguistics
perspective proposes four overlapping phases which account for
a gradual shift from the immediate and the commonsense to the
more distant and un-commonsense in the discourse of schooling.
1.3 How have the
theoretical
foundations been
communicated?
Standards include
a section in
which theoretical
foundations are
presented with
sufcient detail
(and appropriate
references) to
allow professionals
to understand
how they t
into existing
knowledge about
second language
acquisition and
development.
If these descriptors are developed further, the brief
summary included in this document will be expanded
into a full scholarly paper with full references that
situates the theoretical foundations within the fields of
second language acquisition and applied linguistics.
1.4 What procedures
are in place to
validate the
theoretical
foundations of the
ELP standards?
Procedures
are described
for validating
standards, e.g.,
external experts
papers or briefs
on the theoretical
foundations,
empirical
evidence showing
how standards
align to theoretical
foundations.
If these descriptors are developed further, external experts who
carry out research on language as a social practice (e.g., Dwight
Atkinson, Leo van Lier, Clare Kramsch, Diane Larsen-Freeman,
Beverly Derewianka, Mary Schleppegrell, Pauline Gibbons,
Jenny Hammond) will be consulted in examining both the initial
intuitive hypotheses about the development of selected practices
as well as the steps to be taken in conducting qualitative (and
in time quantitative) research on developmental trajectories.
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Element Possible Evidence Evidence
How are the ELP standards organized such that they
2.1 Identify varying
levels of students
English language
prociency?
Prociency levels are
organized to show
functional, and/or
grammatical prociency
using a combination of
intuitive, qualitative
and quantitative
methods.
38
They include
both productive and
receptive language
and make evident how
stated prociencies are
related to disciplinary
practices described
in the Framework.
If levels are being
tentatively established
as part of an ongoing
validation process,
methods for rening
categories and
descriptors should
be specied.
Prociency levels are organized to show functional
prociency using intuitive methods that will later be
validated using both qualitative and quantitative
methodologies accepted in the development of
stages and descriptors (Council of Europe, 2001).
As pointed out in 1.1, existing views about the
order and sequence in which learners acquire a
second language are based on scales developed for
assessment purpose that reect language curricula
rather than empirical studies of language acquisition
over time. These descriptors, although they may
appear unrealistic to some practitioners, are equally as
hypothetical as those that are more familiar to them.
We propose to engage in a validation process that was
advocated by Larsen-Freeman & Long (1991) and Bachman
(1998) and described by Clahsen (1985) that can address
both language development and variation. This is important,
because according to Bachman (1998), accuracy will vary
as a function of both the regular developmental sequence
and individual variations across that sequence (p. 190).
2.2 Communicate
students ability to
manage cognitively
demanding tasks
across language
prociency levels?
Examples show
how students will
demonstrate and
express higher order
thinking at each
prociency level. A range
of higher order thinking
skills are modeled for (at)
each prociency level.
Prociency descriptors are developed using higher order
thinking skills (argue from evidence, construct explanations)
embedded in the CCSS. It is not considered that thinking
skills are related to language prociency, although analytical
competencies are certainly related to age. Thus, practices
considered at the rst level of English language prociency
engage students in critical thinking and meta-processes.
2.3 Support the
ELP Standards
theoretical
foundations?
The organization of the
standards is based on
theoretical foundations
including methodologies
for scaling and
developing descriptions
of language prociency,
which have been
cited and researched.
Expectations are
consistent with stated
conceptualizations of
language and second
language acquisition.
Organization is based on experienced language teachers
hypotheses about language development and supported by
theoretical foundations about language use and acquisition.
Scaling is tentative at this point, but is consistent with the
work currently conducted in Australia (Derewianka, 2011;
Christie, 2012). If developed further, it will be subjected
to accepted methodologies for scaling such descriptors.
___________________
38
Adapted from CEFR- Criteria for descriptors of common reference levels.
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2.4 Support the
development of
assessment and
measurement tools?
Justication should be
provided for the number
of levels adopted.
Evidence should be
provided that these
levels represent
distinctions that can
reasonably be measured
and are based on actual
student performance.
It is expected that when developed further, the number
of levels (currently 3) may be expanded in order to make
better distinctions in the range of performances seen
at each level. Evidence from research carried out in
developing these descriptors further will be provided.
3.1 How are the key
practices, as
identied in Tables
1-6 of the CCSS and
NGSS, addressed in
the ELP standards for
A. English
language arts?
B. Mathematics?
C. Science?
The match between
the Framework in
English language
arts, mathematics,
and science is
clearly identied.
Standards are framed around the disciplinary practices and
performances outlined in Table 1 for ELA, mathematics,
and science, which are themselves embedded within
Disciplinary Core Ideas (ELA, mathematics, and
science) and Cross-Cutting Concepts (science only)
presented in Table 1, such as the practices argue
from evidence and construct an explanation.
3.2 How are analytical
tasks, as outlined in
Tables 2, 4, and 6
of the Framework,
addressed in the
ELP standards for
A. English
language arts?
B. Mathematics?
C. Science?
The match between the
Frameworks analytical
tasks, on one hand,
and ELP standards,
on the other hand, is
identied with links
clearly identied.
This approach does not separate out the content
elds. Rather, in keeping with Table 2, it focuses on
analytical tasks embedded within the content practices
argue from evidence and construct an explanation
(CCSS for Mathematical Practice 1 and 3; CCSS English
Language Arts Writing Standards 1 and 2; NGSS
Scientic and Engineering Practices 6 and 7) that are
common across classroom subject matter areas.
3.3 How are language
functions, as outlined
in Tables 2, 4, and 6
of the Framework,
addressed in the
ELP standards for
A. English
language arts?
B. Mathematics?
C. Science?
The match between the
Frameworks content
practices and productive
and receptive language
functions, on one hand,
and ELP standards,
on the other hand, is
identied with links
clearly identied.
This approach does not separate out the content
elds. Rather, in keeping with Table 2, it focuses on
productive and receptive cross-discipline-specic
language functions that are common across classroom
language and subject matter areas when engaging
in analytical tasks related to practices such as argue
from evidence and construct an explanation.
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Table 4: Classroom Match Evidence
4.1 How are the
modalities of
classroom language,
as outlined in Tables
7-9 of the Framework,
addressed in the
ELP standards for
A. English
language arts?
B. Mathematics?
C. Science?
The match in modalities
between the Framework
in English language
arts, mathematics,
and science and ELP
standards is clearly
identied. ELP standards
link to both teachers
and students language
uses and task are
clearly indicated.
Oral and written language as outlined in CCSS document is
identied and a clear relationship between the disciplinary
practices of each subject matter area (e.g., argue from
evidence and obtain information) and the development
of prociencies required to carry out those practices is
delineated. Consistent with Table 3, the ELP standards
acknowledge receptive and productive activities in both oral
and written forms: see instructional scenarios narrative and
use of Table 3 for conceptualization of the use of modalities
in standards-based instruction and language activity.
4.2 How are the registers
of classroom
language, as outlined
in Tables 7-9 of
the Framework,
addressed in the
ELP standards for
A. English
language arts?
B. Mathematics?
C. Science?
Common and unique
registers are specied
precisely in the ELP
standards. Links
to standards are
clearly indicated.
Classroom language in ELA, mathematics, and science
includes the use of oral and written language to, for
example, explain concepts and construct arguments.
These registers take different forms in each discipline,
and students are required to comprehend and produce
discipline-appropriate explanations and arguments
in oral and written form. In keeping with the registers
outlined in Table 3, the descriptors here included
exemplify students increasing sophistication with these
genres in English over time. They provide examples of
how students can be supported to engage with these
registers as they participate in disciplinary practices and
make links between students development of receptive
and productive competence. They also offer examples
of student performance of classroom language registers
at different prociency levels and grade spans.
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4.3 To what degree are
all elements within
the Framework
covered by the
ELP standards?
A description of how
well all elements within
the ELPD Framework
or covered by ELP
standards (e.g., the
proportion of modalities,
registers, content
practices, and language
functions are covered
in ELP standards by
each content area).
All elements included in the Framework are
covered by the full Descriptors document.
The Descriptors and accompanying
instructional examples are as follows:
1. Support the development of the language
practices needed to engage with the content
found in the CCSS and the NGSS.
2. Facilitate the development of discipline-specic
language competencies
39
to help students integrate
their language development with the conceptual
understanding they are acquiring within different
disciplines and to increase their academic performance.
3. Respect and build on the language and culture of
students by leveraging the linguistic and cultural
resources they bring to the classroom.
4. Include different types of communicative
activities embedded in academic settings
and promote quality interactions.
5. Afford opportunities for students to engage in
meta-linguistic and meta-cognitive processes.
6. Support the academic rigor as demanded
by the CCSS and the NGSS.
Are organized in meaningful ways to help teachers
scaffold (assist) students ability to engage in
sophisticated content knowledge practices as they
develop their conceptual, academic, and linguistic skills.
Are supported by research and best practice in child and
adolescent second language acquisition with respect to
aspects of language that support the variety of language
functions and discourse elements present in schooling.
___________________
39
Language competencies: The ability and capacity to use language to communicate ideas, knowledge and information
orally, in written form, or through semiotic representations.
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Section 4.3: Formative Language Assessment Records (FLARE) Model
MEETING THE LANGUAGE DEMANDS OF
COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS:
SAMPLE ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY DESCRIPTORS
FOR
MATHEMATICS IN GRADES 6-8
H. Gary Cook, Paula White, Mariana Castro, Melissa Patton, and Barbara Bird
PART 1: INTRODUCTION
The Formative Language Assessment Records for ELLs (FLARE) Project
The sample performance descriptors provided here are adapted from the Formative Language
Assessment Records for ELLs (FLARE) Project, a grant funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New
York. The FLARE project seeks to assist teachers in measuring student progress in the development
of essential academic language skills needed for success in middle and high school. The FLARE
project provides an integrated system of language learning progressions, formative assessment tools
and exemplars, professional development materials, and on-line formative assessment tracking and
reporting software.
FLAREs materials were initially based on national college readiness studies prior to the publication of
the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). These materials have since been adapted to support the
CCSS. FLARE is literacy-based and framed by the
four linguistic components (language functions,
vocabulary, grammar, and discourse) in four
subject areas: English language arts,
mathematics, science, and social studies. FLAREs
language learning progressions are designed to
support English learners language learning goals in relation to formative/classroom assessment. Here,
they have been adapted to serve as an example of English language prociency descriptors. Only the
reading and writing mathematics progressions are provided. For more information on these and other
FLARE learning progressions, see www.areassessment.org.
Key ideas
The development of language is a social process; hence, its instruction should not be divorced
from socio-cultural contexts. The isolation and instruction of specic elements of language (e.g.,
vocabulary or grammar, absent of context, purpose, or audience) is neither productive nor endorsed
FLAREs language learning progressions are
designed to support English learners language
learning goals in relation to formative/
classroom assessment
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here. Language development is a non-linear process where learners progressively expand their
comprehension and communication skills in the learned language. Each language development prole
is unique to the individual learner. Therefore, language progressions or sequences are generalizations
of how language is learned. They are provided as guides and should not be interpreted as the way all
students learn the English used in US schools.
The performance descriptors presented here are illustrative in nature and aim to
correspond to the CCSS,
be founded on research in second language development,
balance the roles between language function and form, and
guide instruction by highlighting the interdependence of socio-cultural context, discourse,
and the functional and structural nature of language.
One nal note, the English language performance descriptors provided here address only the
development of mathematics language (specically literacy) in middle school. This is done by design.
These sample descriptors serve as an example and a heuristic of how state ELP standards might be
created and or adapted relative to the ELPD Framework.
Organization of Sample Descriptors
FLAREs English language prociency descriptors are anchored by nine language functions: identify,
describe, sequence, categorize/classify, summarize, compare/contrast, cause/effect, evaluate, and
infer. The table below briey denes these nine functions and provides common grammar features
and examples. Neither the grammar features nor
examples are exhaustive. The examples in the
last column of the table below are at the phrase
and sentence level, which should not imply that
these language functions are meant to be
limited only to phrasal or sentence boundaries.
FLAREs English language proficiency
descriptors are anchored by nine language
functions: identify, describe, sequence,
categorize/classify, summarize, compare/
contrast, cause/effect, evaluate, and infer.
KEY HSD 000506
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Table A: FLAREs Language Functions
Language
Function
Denition Typical Grammar Features Examples
Identify
To identify,
recognize, name,
or select
Simple declarative sentences
Simple Wh-words & sentences
A rectangle is at the bottom
of this worksheet.
The period between 500 and
1400 AD in Europe is often
called the Middle Ages.
Describe
To explain, give
directions, or
present details
Descriptive adjectives
Prepositions
Place the small cup next
to the petri dish.
The sharp green color of the
grass caught her attention.
Categorize /
Classify
To put into
organized groups
or identify
relationship or
membership
Adjectives and complex noun-
phrases (e.g., relative clauses)
Prepositional phrases
Subordinate clauses
Dogs belong to the category
mammal because they
are warm-blooded,
Any angle that measures between
0 and 90 is an acute angle.
Sequence
To order events,
parts, or elements
Adverbs of time and frequency
Verb tenses
First, , second, , third.
Initially, , next,, nally,.
To begin,, following
this,., to end.
Cause / Effect
To connect causes
to effects
Conjunctive adverbs
Adverb clauses
Verb tenses
The ooding was caused
by excessive rain.
Mary studied hard for the test;
consequently, she got an A.
If., then .
Compare /
Contrast
To express
similarities and
differences
Comparatives and superlatives
Conjunctive adverbs
Adverb clauses
This is bigger than.
similar to this is
.;however, .
On the other hand, .
Summarize
To capture main
point, main idea,
or main issue
Adverbs of time and frequency
Adjective and complex
noun phrases
To summarize,
The main point is.
Evaluate
To judge and/
or critique
Subordinate clauses
Conjunctive adverbs
Comparatives and superlatives
I believe this is better, because .
This will take several
weeks; therefore.
Infer
To guess, posit,
or predict
Modal auxiliaries
Adjective and complex
noun phrases
Complex verb phases
While not stated, it is clear that .
From what was said, we
can guess that.
KEY HSD 000507
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Many of the productive and receptive language functions presented in the Framework describe
broader, overarching notions of what EL students do with language compared to FLAREs language
functions. The gure below shows how select FLARE language functions are subsumed under an
overarching productive language function from Key Mathematics Practice #1 from the Framework. The
key productive language function for this mathematics practice is to explain relationships between
quantities and representations. In order to explain this, ELLs might need to engage in language that
describes quantities and relationships, possibly to sequence quantities or representations, etc.
Explain relationships
between quantities
and representations
Describe quantities
& relationships
Sequence quantities
Associate causal
relationships
Compare relationships
Summarize relationships Categorize quantities
Figure 1: Breakdown of Key Mathematics Projective Language Functions and Select FLARE
Language Functions
The sequencing of the language functions, discourse, grammar, and vocabulary elements are based
on theories of language development, specically processability theory (Pienemann, 2008), systemic
functional linguistics (Eggins, 2004) and functional grammar (Halliday and Matthiessen, 2004; Thompson,
2004). The underlying organizational sequence presumes that ELLs at higher prociency levels can
process more sophisticated language than ELLs at lower prociency levels. The descriptor sequences are
operationalized such that lower levels are presumed to be easier for ELLs to process than higher levels.
Table B maps the nine FLARE language functions onto the Frameworks key mathematics productive
and receptive language functions. The aim of this table is to show how the sample grade 6-8
mathematics performance descriptors map onto the Frameworks mathematics.
KEY HSD 000508
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Mapping FLARE Language Functions onto Frameworks Productive and Receptive
Language Functions
Table B: Mapping the Frameworks Productive & Receptive Language Functions to an Expanded
Set of Language Functions
CCSS Key
Mathematics
Practices
Framework Receptive &
Productive Overarching
Language Functions
40
Expanded Set of Language Functions
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Practice 1: Make
sense of problems
and persevere in
solving them
Comprehend the meaning of
problem as presented in spoken
language, texts, and diagrams
x x x x x x
Comprehend others talk about
their problems and approaches
x x x x x x
Coordinate texts and
representations
x x x x
Create and label written
representations of a problem
x x x
Explain (or draw diagrams that
show) relationships between
quantities and representations (such
as objects, drawings, words, math
symbols, graphs, equations, tables)
x x x x x x
Present information and
explanations to others
x x x x x x
Respond to questions or
critiques from others
x x x x x x x
Ask questions about
others approaches
x x x x x x x
___________________
40
Analytical tasks forthcoming in the next draft.
KEY HSD 000509
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CCSS Key
Mathematics
Practices
Language Functions
40
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Practice 2: Reason
abstractly and
quantitatively
Comprehend the meaning
of situation, problem, and
quantities as presented in spoken
x x x x x x
Comprehend others talk about the
situation, problem, and quantities
x x x x x x
Coordinate texts and
representations
x x x x
Explain reasoning as it relates to
situation, problem, and quantities
x x x x x x
Create and label coherent
representation of the
problem at hand
x x x
Ask questions to contextualize the
situation, problem, or quantities
x x x x x x
Practice 3:
Construct viable
arguments and
critique the
reasoning of others
Comprehend questions
and critiques
x x x x x x x
Comprehend explanations offered
by others (peers or teachers)
x x x x x x
Comprehend explanations
offered by texts
x x x x x x
Provide written or verbal
explanation of an argument
through logical progression
of statements, using concrete
referents or more formal means
x x x x x
Justify conclusions and respond
to counterarguments
x x x x x x x
x x x x x x
Respond to questions by
amplifying explanation
x x x x x x
Respond to critiques by
countering with further
explanation or by accepting
as needing further thought
x x x x x x x
Critique or support explanations
or designs offered by others
x x x x x x x
KEY HSD 000510
78
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CCSS Key
Mathematics
Practices
Language Functions
40
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Practice 4: Model
with mathematics
Comprehend others spoken
language that describes, defends,
and discusses their models
x x x x x x x
models presented in texts,
diagrams, and visual media
x x x x x x
Label (or create and label) diagrams
of a model and make lists of parts
x x x
Describe and defend a model
using words and pictures
x x x x x x x
Describe and dene how a model
relates to a phenomenon or system
x x x x x x
Ask questions and hypothesize
about others models
x x x x x x x
Practice 5: Use
appropriate tools
strategically
language that describes
purposes and functions of
tools and other resources
x x x x x x
Comprehend the purposes and
functions of tools and other
resources as presented in texts,
x x x x x x
Ask questions regarding
purpose and functions of tools
and others use of them
x x x x x x
Explain own use of tools and
outcomes of tool use
x x x x x x
KEY HSD 000511
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CCSS Key
Mathematics
Practices
Language Functions
40
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Practice 6:
Attend to precision
language regarding denitions,
meaning of symbols, etc.
x x x x x x
Comprehend the meaning
and features of precision of
denitions, symbols meanings,
units of measure, and visual
representations as presented in
texts, diagrams, and visual media
x x x x x x
Dene key terms and concepts
x
Explain meaning of symbols
x
Specify units of measure
x
Label (or create and label)
visual representations
x
Ask questions to clarify
precision of others statements
or representations
x x x x x x
Make specic claims and
evaluate constraints
x x x x x x x
Practice 7: Look
for and make use
of structure
patterns or structures found in a
situation, problem, or mathematical
expression as presented in spoken
x x x x x x
Comprehend others talk about
patterns and structures
x x x x x x
Create and label representations
of patterns or structures
x x x
Describe patterns or structures
x x x
Ask questions about others
use of patterns or structures
x x x x x x
KEY HSD 000512
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CCSS Key
Mathematics
Practices
Language Functions
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Practice 8: Look
for and express
regularity in
repeated reasoning
language regarding repetition
of calculations, methods
used, and evaluation of
intermediate and nal results
x x x x x x x
Comprehend repeated patterns,
discussions of methods, and
evaluations of intermediate
results as presented in texts,
x x x x x x x
Ask questions about others use of
repetition, methods, and evaluation
of intermediate and nal results
x x x x x x x
Explain patterns, discuss methods
used, and evaluations of results
x x x x x x x
KEY HSD 000513
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PART 2: SAMPLE PERFORMANCE DESCRIPTORS
Five levels are represented in these sample performance descriptors:
Level 1: Pre-basic - unprocessed use of language
Level 2: Formulaic - contextual use of language pieces
Level 3: Unpacking - contextual use of language and beginning productive use
Level 4: Expanding - productive use of language and beginning generative use
Level 5: Fine-tuning - productive and generative use of language
Table C: Grade 6-8 Mathematics READING Language Prociency Descriptors (Levels 1-3)
Level 1 [Pre-basic] Level 2 [Formulaic]
Level 3 [Unpacking]
Language
Function
Identify common
mathematical symbols and
their related words (e.g.,
match equal to =)
Identify common mathematics
gures or shapes (e.g., match
shapes with their names)
Identify information from
simple mathematics texts,
graphs, or gures
Sequence simple directions
from a mathematics
activity or simple text
Sequence values (e.g.,
fractions, percentages,
numbers, and weight)
from smallest to largest
Summarize information
from simple mathematics
texts, graphs, or gures
Summarize the primary
concept or question in
a short mathematics
problem or activity
Categorize/Classify values
(e.g., fractions, decimals,
whole numbers)
Categorize/Classify common
mathematics symbols,
expressions, shapes, of
gures (e.g., categorize
triangles according to type)
Categorize/Classify word
problems according to their
mathematic operations
(e.g., sort addition versus
subtraction word problems)
Identify cause/effect
relationships involving
mathematical function
or variable(s) and a
problems result
Sample
Task
Students read chunks of
text to identify common
mathematical terms and
gures, and organize this
information in a graphic
organizer (e.g., T-Chart).
Students read a simple
story problem and then
use a ow chart to identify
and sequence necessary
mathematical operations.
Students read an exercise
and use a graphic organizer
to sequence mathematical
values from smallest to largest.
They then summarize the
basic rules to sequencing
different values (e.g.,
and whole numbers)
KEY HSD 000514
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Discourse
Level
short math sentences
comprised of simple or
predictable sentences
with supports (e.g.,
connected illustrations)
short, simple math
descriptions in text or word
problems with redundancy
and supports (e.g.,
connected illustrations)
multiple related
simple sentences
short-sized math texts
(e.g., a chapter preview
for a math unit)
multiple related paragraphs
with supports
Sentence
Level
basic verb forms, adverbs of
sequence and adjectives
simple grammatical
constructions (e.g.
commands, WH-
questions, declaratives)
common social - instructional
patterns or forms
simple and expanded
sentences with
emerging complexity
repetitive phrasal and
sentence patterns
variety of sentence lengths of
varying linguistic complexity
compound and some
complex (e.g., noun
phrase, verb phrase, and
prepositional phrase)
grammatical constructions
Word Level
high-frequency math terms general math terms,
including idiomatic
expressions
social / instructional words
across content areas
specic mathematics
terms, including cognates
and expressions
emerging awareness of
collocations, multiple
meaning words and multiple
meanings of content-
specic words, across
related math topics
Grade 6-8 Mathematics READING Language Prociency Descriptors (Levels 4-5)
Level 4 [Expanding] Level 5 [Fine-tuning]
Language
Function
Summarize the primary concepts or parts
in a word problem (e.g., identify the order
of operations in a multi-step problem)
Summarize the main ideas of a story problem
Categorize/Classify different types
of mathematical equations, graphs, or
gures into common groups (e.g., group
equations into linear and non-linear)
Categorize/Classify types of word problems
by context or solution strategy (e.g., distance/
rate/time problems, solving a ratio)
Connect cause/effect relationships
between mathematic functions or
variables and a problems outcome
Describe cause/effect relationships between
mathematic functions or variables and a
problems outcome (e.g., connect this function
to an outcome: If the width of a rectangle
is doubled, how will its area change?)
Evaluate the best method to solve a
mathematical problem or activity
Evaluate methods to solve a
Sample
Task
Infer the outcome of a mathematical problem
or activity with a visual representation
Infer the outcome of a mathematical
operation when the variables are changed
Discourse
Level
chapter-length math units text
with guided support
connected discourse with a
variety of sentences
grade-level math text (e.g., multi-unit length
material) and extended reading passages
rich descriptive discourse with complex
and idiomatic ideas and notions
KEY HSD 000515
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Sentence
Level
variety of sentence structures
with varying complexity
sentence patterns characteristic of
math and math related areas
variety of sentence structures
and levels of complexity
compound, complex grammatical
constructions
broad range of idiomatic and unique sentence
patterns characteristic of content areas
Word Level
specic and math technical content-
related vocabulary (e.g., congruency)
multiple meanings of words or
expressions across content areas
general, specic, technical and abstract
content-related vocabulary, including
content-specic collocations
shades of meaning of words and
Table D: Grade 6-8 Mathematics WRITING Language Prociency Descriptors (Levels 1-3)
Level 1 [Pre-basic] Level 2 [Formulaic]
Level 3 [Unpacking]
Language
Function
Describe common
mathematics-related
terms (e.g., products,
equals, multiply, divide,
add, and subtract)
Describe features of
mathematics expressions,
symbols, graphs, or gures
(e.g., This triangle has
a 45 degree angle)
Sequence values (e.g.,
numbers, and weight) in
order of size or frequency
Describe the cause/
effect relationships
between a mathematic
function or variable(s)
and a problems result
Compare/Contrast
symbols, functions, shapes,
graphs, or gures
Compare/Contrast values
(e.g., fractions, percentages,
numbers, and weight)
Describe common
mathematics-related
terms (e.g., products,
equals, multiply, divide,
add, and subtract)
Describe features of
symbols, graphs, or gures
(e.g., This triangle has
a 45 degree angle)
Sample
Task
Students create a vocabulary
list of terms and gures in
a mathematics textbook
chapter and then describe
each item or label the terms
to associated symbols,
gures, or models.
Students produce several
sentences to identify
and describe a series
of mathematical shapes
using key vocabulary.
Students arrange values in a
compare/contrast organizer.
They then write complex
sentences in which they
compare and contrast the
series of values using key
descriptive vocabulary.
Discourse
Level
math word lists, simple
phrases with supports
short chunks of
simple language
set phrases
short statements and
sentences describing
math ideas with supports
(e.g., a sentence frame)
some organization and
connecting sentences
paragraph-sized
statements in response
to math assignments
simple and expanded
sentences with
emerging complexity
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Sentence
Level
phrase-level grammatical
structures
phrasal patterns associated
with common social -
instructional situations
phrases and short sentences
chunks of language
copied and adapted text
repetitive phrasal and
sentence patterns
repetitive grammatical
structures
sentence patterns across
content areas and social/
instructional situations
Word Level
high-frequency
vocabulary from school
and content areas
everyday social and
instructional words
and phrases
general math terms
social and instructional
words and phrases
used in math classes
specic math terms,
including cognates
and expressions
multiple meanings of
words or expressions used
across content areas
Grade 6-8 Mathematics WRITING Language Prociency Descriptors (Levels 4-5)
Level 4 [Expanding] Level 5 [Fine-tuning]
Language
Function
Summarize the primary concepts or parts
in a word problem (e.g., identify the order
of operations in a multi-step problem)
Summarize the main ideas of a story problem
Categorize/Classify different types
of mathematical equations, graphs, or
gures into common groups (e.g., group
equations into linear and non-linear)
Categorize/Classify types of word problems
by context or solution strategy (e.g., distance/
rate/time problems, solving a ratio)
Connect cause/effect relationships
between mathematic functions or
variables and a problems outcome
Describe cause/effect relationships between
mathematic functions or variables and a
problems outcome (e.g., connect this function
to an outcome: If the width of a rectangle
is doubled, how will its area change?)
Evaluate the best method to solve a
Evaluate methods to solve a
Sample
Task
Infer the outcome of a mathematical problem
or activity with a visual representation
Infer the outcome of a mathematical
operation when the variables are changed
Discourse
Level
multi-paragraph text, sentences of varying
lengths and levels of complexity
organized expression of ideas
with emerging cohesion
grade-level math text materials
multiple complex sentences
in connected discourse
organized, cohesive, and coherent
expression of ideas
variety of sentence lengths with varying
levels of linguistic complexity
Sentence
Level
variety of grammatical structures
sentence patterns characteristic
of particular content areas
variety of grammatical structures
matched to purpose
broad range of idiomatic and
unique sentence patterns
characteristic of content areas
Word Level
specic math vocabulary and some math
related technical terms with limited control
emerging use of collocations
and nuanced language
technical and abstract math language,
including math-specic collocations
and nuanced language
shades of meaning of words and
KEY HSD 000517
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PART 3: ALIGNMENT OF SAMPLE PERFORMANCE DESCRIPTORS
1.1 What are the theoretical
foundations of the
ELPD standards?
A. How is language
conceptualized?
B. How is the second
language acquisition
process conceptualized?
The conceptual model presented here is based upon a Processability
Theory approach to language learning (Pienemann, 2008). According to
processability theory, language learners acquire language based on their
ability to process and use it. The theory seeks to predict language learners
language developmental prole. The performance descriptors shown here
incorporate other language development theoretical perspectives as well.
The model assumes that language and language learning is not exclusively
dened by the domain of grammatical competence (i.e., vocabulary and
grammar), but also incorporates discourse and sociolinguistic competencies
(Bachmann, 1990; Bachmann and Palmer, 1996). The model incorporates
language functions (Halliday, 1973; Halliday and Matthiessen, 2004),
supports a functional linguistic perspective (Eggins, 2004; Harder, 2007;
Schleppegrell, 2004; Thompson, 2004), and includes discourse elements
that outline the context in which interactions take place (Gee, 2004).
1.2 Are the theoretical
foundations differentiated
by age/grade,
educational? If so, how?
How do theoretical
foundations address
socio-cultural background,
primary language, and
language prociency level?
The processability model of language development hinges on
the capacity to process language, which strongly associates with
students cognitive development and age and grade.
Underlying model assumptions is the understanding that second
language learning and development occurs within a social context.
The goal is to develop communicative competence (Canale & Swain,
1980) and facility with language not the appropriation of specic
linguistic forms. While specic language elements are listed in this
model, it should be understood that they act together and should
not be thought of as separate elements acquired in isolation.
1.3 How have the theoretical
foundations been
communicated?
Teachers, schools, and district that have used FLAREs language
learning progressions as expressed in these performance descriptors
have received training on the theory behind their development. Several
public documents have been provided to explain development of
descriptors (see http://www.areassessment.org/resources). Were
these performance descriptors adopted as standards, communication
materials outlining foundations would have to be developed.
1.4 What procedures are
in place to validate the
theoretical foundations
of the ELP standards?
Validation of the descriptors could occur in three stages. The rst stage
would examine how performance descriptors associate with actual classroom
language expectations and requirements. Are ELLs classied at a particular
level exhibiting characteristics of that level? Both qualitative and quantitative
data would be collected to examine this association. The second stage
would examine the assessment created from the performance descriptors.
How well is the assessment aligned to the descriptors? Do student scores
generated from this assessment distribute as expected. Do the underlying
constructs measured by the assessment reect the descriptors? The
nal stage looks at how descriptors are used at the classroom, school,
and district and how well the assessment manifests student growth and
predicts student success. How have the standards inuenced instruction?
Does growth on the assessment exhibit expected characteristics? Does
the assessment predict student success in language acquisition?

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2 How are the ELP standards organized such that they
2.1 Identify varying levels
of students English
language prociency?
The levels of English prociency are framed by processability theory
and systemic functional linguistics (Harder, 2007; Pienemann, 2008;
Schleppegrell, 2004; Thompson, 2004) in that language and/or socio-
cultural interactions requiring a greater degree of processing by ELLs
would be placed at higher prociency levels. The ordering of language
features in the descriptors is provisional and requires further validation.
2.2 Communicate students
ability to manage
cognitively demanding
tasks across language
prociency levels?
The mapping of the nine language functions to the Frameworks highlights
how demanding cognitive tasks could be supported by descriptors.
2.3 Support the ELP standards
theoretical foundations?
See 2.1 above.
2.4 Support the development
of a wide range of
assessment uses?
The language prociency descriptors have associated assessment
frameworks, which were developed with a focus on formative, interim, and
summative assessments. Basic test specication documents have also been
created to support the development of a wide range of assessments.
3.1 How are the key practices
and performances, as
identied in Tables
1-6 of the CCSS and
NGSS, addressed in
the ELP standards for
B. Mathematics?
C. Science?
Table B, above, highlights the relationship between the English
language performance level descriptors (Table C) for middle school
mathematics with the ELPD Frameworks CCSS key practices and
performances in mathematics. English language arts and science key
practices and performances are not provided with this sample.
3.2 How are analytical
tasks, as outlined in
Tables 2, 4, & 6 of the
Framework, addressed
in the ELP standards for
B. Mathematics?
C. Science?
Analytical tasks, as outlined in Tables 2, 4, & 6, associate with the
productive and receptive language functions for each key practice
and performance in mathematics. Accordingly, the information
displayed in Table B provides evidence for this link.
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3.3 How are language
functions, as outlined in
Tables 2, 4, & 6 of the
Framework, addressed
in the ELP standards for
B. Mathematics?
C. Science?
Table B, above, highlights the relationship between the English language
performance level descriptors (Table C) for middle school mathematics with the
ELPD Frameworks CCSS language functions in mathematics. English language
arts and science language functions are not provided with this sample.
3.4 How are non-CCSS
or NGSS standards
addressed in the ELP
standards? For example
A. Social studies
B. Fine arts?
C. Technical education?
The FLARE learning progressions are also provided for social studies.
However, other non-CCSS or NGSS areas have not been developed.
Were these descriptors to be used as standards, they would be
insufcient. The language of other school related areas (e.g., social
instructional language and ne arts) would have to be created.
Table 4: Classroom Match Evidence
4.1 How are the modalities
of classroom language,
as outlined in Tables 7-9
of the ELPD Framework,
addressed in the
ELP standards for
B. Mathematics?
C. Science?
Example not provided in sample model.
4.2 How are the registers of
classroom language, as
outlined in Tables 7-9 of
the ELPD Framework,
addressed in the
ELP standards for
B. Mathematics?
C. Science?
4.3 To what degree are all
elements within Tables 7-9
of the Framework covered
by the ELP standards?
KEY HSD 000520
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Alignment References for the FLARE Model
Bachman, L.F., & Palmer, F.A. (1996). Language testing in practice: Designing and developing useful
language tests. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Canale, M. (1983). From communicative competence to communicative language pedagogy. In J.
Eggins, S. (2004). An Introduction to systemic functional linguistics. Bodmin, Cornwall, UK: MPG Books, Ltd.
Gee, J.P. (2004). Situated Language and Learning: A critique of traditional schooling. NY, NY: Routledge.
Halliday, M.A.K. (1973). Explorations in the functions of language. London: Edward Arnold.
Halliday, M.A.K., and Matthiessen, C.M.I.M. (2004). An Introduction to functional grammar. (3rd ed.).
London, England: Arnold.
Harder, P. (2007). Grammar, ow and procedural knowledge: Structure and function at the interface
between grammar and discourse. In M. Hannay & G.J. Steen (Eds.), Structural-functional studies in
English grammar. Philadelphia, PA: John Benjamins Publishing Co.
Pienemann, M. 2008. A brief introduction to Processability Theory. In Kessler, J., (Ed.), Processability
approaches to second language development and second language learning. Newcastle:
Cambridge Scholars.
Schleppegrell, M.J. (2004). The language of schooling: A functional linguistics perspective. Mahwah, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum.
Thompson, G. (2004). Introduction to functional grammar. (2nd ed.). NY, NY: Oxford University Press.
KEY HSD 000521
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Section 5: Conclusion
The CCSS and the anticipated NGSS set a high linguistic bar for students to cross in their pursuit
of grasping these content areas. The Framework helps educators prepare ELLs for the specic
language demands of these standards and outlines a procedure for creating and/or evaluating state
ELP standards for their delity to these standards. The Framework also encourages states to adopt a
simultaneous theory of action so that ELP and the CCSS and NGSS are mutually reinforcing (rather
than sequential and separate) such that students are learning the language knowledge and skills they
need as they access the CCSS and NGSS. The goal of the Framework is to ensure that states have an
easy-to-use resource to assist them in reviewing and/or developing well-crafted ELP standards such
that the developing language needs of ELLs are met and all ELLs receive the rigorous and systematic
education they need to graduate from high school as college and career ready. To that end, the
Framework outlines expectations that states should align to in the key areas of theoretical foundations,
progression of language development, links to the standards, and classroom language use.
KEY HSD 000522
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Section 6: Glossary
Academic registers: Registers of language typically found in formal academic settings (e.g., primary or
secondary schools). See registers.
Analytical tasks: Subcomponents of disciplinary practices that outline the intellectual activities in which
students engage.
Content area practices or performances: See disciplinary practices or performances.
Discipline-specic language: The language used, orally or in writing, to communicate ideas, concepts,
and information or to engage in activities in particular subject areas (e.g., science).
Disciplinary practices or performances: The activities in which students and teachers engage to
construct knowledge, concepts, and skills in particular subject areas (e.g., science). In the NGSS and
CCSS for mathematics, these are known as practices. ELA does not dene these explicitly, so a set of
ELA performances has been developed for this project to align with the notion of practices. These
are also known as content area practices or performances.
Discourse practices: See language practices.
Discourse elements: The language features involved in communication. These include word level
features (e.g. words and phrases), sentence level features (e.g., language forms and conventions) and
supra-sentence level features (e.g., organization, text types, and genre) and are guided by the demands
of the context (e.g., audience, registers, task or situation, roles, and identities).
Domain-specic: See discipline specic.
Language competencies: The ability and capacity to use language to communicate ideas, knowledge,
and information orally, in written form, or through semiotic representations.
Language demands: The types of language embedded in and therefore necessary to engage in
disciplinary practices or performances.
Language practices or performances: A combination of communicative acts (e.g., saying, writing, doing,
and being) used in the transmission of ideas, concepts, and information in a socially mediated context.
Language prociency: A socially constructed notion of the ability or capacity of individuals to use
language for specic purposes.
KEY HSD 000523
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Meta-linguistic processes: The systematic series of mental actions directed at thinking about the
use of language. Specically, these include: 1) reecting on language and its use, and 2) intentionally
monitoring and planning methods of language comprehension and production (Gombert, 1992, p. 13).
Meta-cognitive processes: The systematic series of mental actions directed at thinking about learning
and the reasoning of information, concepts, and ideas. Specically, these include: 1) individuals
introspective, conscious knowledge of their own cognitive processes; and 2) the ability to intentionally
monitor and plan their own cognitive processes to realize a goal or objective (Gombert, 1992, p. 13).
Modality: Characteristics of the channels through which language is used, as in oral and written
language versus receptive and productive language skills. See Section 2.
Productive language skills: Skills involved in producing language in spoken or written form
(ACTFL, 2012).
Receptive language skills: Skills involved in interpreting and comprehending spoken or written
messages (ACTFL, 2012).
Registers: Distinguishable patterns of communication based upon well-established language
practices, such as the language used in subject-area classrooms. A recognizable kind of language
(p. 155) particular to specic functions and situations: a well-known non-academic example is sports
announcer talk (Ferguson, 1983).
Scaffolding: Pedagogically, a scaffold is the support offered students so that they can successfully
engage in activity beyond their current ability to perform independently. Specic scaffolds temporarily
support the development of understandings, as well as disciplinary (and language) practices. Once
development takes place, scaffolds are removed and new ones are erected to support new needed
developmental work. There are two aspects of pedagogical scaffolding: structure and process.
Semiotic representations: The use of symbols, signs, or pictures to communicate ideas (e.g., numbers,
road signs, and graphical representations).
Socially mediated: Agreements on ways of acting or behaving made by large social groups either
explicitly or implicitly.
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Section 7: Supplementary Materials
Section 7.1: The Distinction between Alignment and Correspondence
The precise nature of the correspondence relationship between state ELP standards and
the CCSS and NGSS merits comment by way of distinguishing between alignment and
correspondence.
A comparison that results in alignment refers to a comparison between equivalent artifacts, be
they standards, curricula, or assessments.
41
A comparison between like artifacts such as
standards and a test designed to measure those standards results in alignment. For example, a
comparison of NAEPs fourth grade mathematics frameworks to the fourth grade CCSS
mathematics standards would result in an alignment. Similarly, the protocol articulated in this
document creates a procedure that can be used to align ELP state standards to the ELPD
Framework, because all four key areas of the
ELPD Framework should be reflected in state
ELP standards.
42
However, a comparison between non-
equivalent artifacts results not in alignment
but rather in correspondence. For example, a comparison of state achievement standards for
students with significant cognitive disabilities to the states content and performance standards
would result in correspondence, because alternate performance standards for students
with significant cognitive disabilities do not encompass the entire range of a states content
expectations. Similarly, the ELPD Framework corresponds to the CCSS and NGSS, because the
focus on language practices does not encompass the whole range of standards found in the
CCSS and NGSS.
Based on the distinction between alignment and correspondence, state ELP standards align to
the ELPD Framework but only correspond to the CCSS and NGSS.
Section 7.2: Premises Guiding the Development of the Framework
The eight premises listed below frame the
principles that guided the creation of the
Framework. They articulate the necessary
elements of any ELP standards that will
correspond to the CCSS and NGSS, while
articulating critical additional criteria essential
for successful ELP standards to incorporate
State ELP standards align to the ELPD
Framework but only correspond to the CCSS
and NGSS.
The premises frame the principles that
guided the creation of the Framework. They
articulate the necessary elements of any
ELP standards that will correspond to the
CCSS and NGSS, while articulating critical
additional criteria essential for successful
ELP standards to incorporate.
___________________
41
For more on this, see Webb, 2002; Cook, 2005; or Bailey, Butler, and Sato (2007).
42
It is expected that states will align their ELP assessments to their ELP standards.
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(e.g., meta-linguistic
43
and meta-cognitive processes
44
). Underlying these expectations is
the fundamental supposition that teachers will use developmentally appropriate pedagogy
in creating content-rich environments in which students acquire language by participating in
meaningful activities.
1. ELP standards support the development of the language practices needed to engage
with the content found in Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and the Next Generation
Science Standards (NGSS).
ELP standards map the language prociency that students will develop to engage
successfully in meaningful subject matter activities at all stages of language acquisition.
ELP standards conceptualize language as involving pragmatic, textual, grammatical, and
sociolinguistic command of language.
45
ELP standards uncover and delineate the language practices embedded within the
CCSS and NGSS including interactional, interpersonal, instructional, and discipline-
specic language uses.
2. ELP standards facilitate the development of discipline-specic language practices to help
students integrate their language development with the conceptual understanding they are
acquiring within different disciplines and to increase their academic performance.
ELP standards specify key discourse practices and elements that students must acquire
and weave into a variety of functions to perform academic work closely tied to the
CCSS and the NGSS.
ELP standards cultivate a deeper knowledge of the discipline-specic language that
ELLs need, and help them grow in using it.
ELP standards explicitly discuss the characteristics of texts and discourse in the discipline.
___________________
43
Meta-linguistic processes: The systematic series of mental actions directed at thinking about the use of language.
Specically, these include: 1) reecting on language and its use, and 2) intentionally monitoring and planning methods of
language comprehension and production (Gombert, 1992, p. 13).
44
Meta-cognitive processes: The systematic series of mental actions directed at thinking about learning and the reasoning
of information, concepts, and ideas. Specically, these include: 1) individuals introspective, conscious knowledge of their
own cognitive processes; and 2) the ability to intentionally monitor and plan their own cognitive processes to realize a goal or
objective (Gombert, 1992, p. 13).
45
Linguistic analysis divides the complexity of language into several dimensions. Pragmatics refers to the analysis of how
structures are used in order to attain communicative goals (e.g., asking someone to perform an action). Textual competence
refers to the (usually) print version of language with its distinct formal conventions. Grammar generally refers to the structural
properties of sounds, words, sentences, and structural coordination across sentences. Sociolinguistics analyzes the ways in
which language varies as a function of the setting (e.g., lab work, pair-share, and choral reading) as well as the social position of
the person, (e.g., teacher v. student).
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3. ELP standards respect and build on the language and culture of students by leveraging
primary language (and other) linguistic and cultural resources they bring to the classroom.
ELP standards explicitly discuss the transfer of literacy skills from the rst language (L1)
to the second language (L2).
ELP standards explicitly discuss linguistic and cultural resources and how they might be
built upon (e.g., discourse practices).
4. ELP standards include different types of communicative activities embedded in disciplinary
contexts and which promote quality interactions.
ELP standards foster sustained dialogue among teachers, students, and peers.
ELP standards promote talk about the subject matter of disciplines and encourage
students to reason, argue, and ask questions.
ELP standards encourage students to produce extended oral and written discourse and
engage with different academic registers.
46
ELP standards support students in listening closely and participating in classroom discussions.
5. ELP standards afford opportunities for students to engage in meta-linguistic and meta-
cognitive processes.
ELP standards invite students to gain awareness of and use strategies that help them engage
in grade-level content knowledge as well as reect on and monitor their own performance.
ELP standards provide students with opportunities to apply and transfer what they
know to other contexts.
6. ELP standards support the academic rigor demanded by the CCSS and the NGSS.
ELP standards create clear and explicit criteria for high expectations and what
constitutes quality performance at varying levels of English language prociency.
ELP standards promote higher order thinking skills, such as the ability to analyze, synthesize,
and generalize, and recognize that they must be taught simultaneously with (instead only
after acquisition of) language skills at all levels of English language prociency.
___________________
46
Academic registers: Registers of language typically found in formal academic settings (e.g., primary or secondary schools).
See registers.
KEY HSD 000527
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ELP standards explicitly cultivate students ability to comprehend and communicate
about complex text in oral, written, visual, and multimodal forms independently and to
support their thinking with evidence.
ELP standards are tied explicitly to the CCSS and NGSS such that a teacher can use
them to help students acquire language practices necessary to demonstrate mastery of
grade-level content.
ELP standards articulate the importance of strategically withdrawing scaffolds and
supports as students develop independence and language prociency.
7. ELP standards are responsive to students linguistic, academic, and developmental levels
and organized in meaningful ways to help teachers scaffold (assist) students ability to
engage in sophisticated disciplinary practices as they develop their conceptual, academic,
and linguistic skills at all stages of second language acquisition.
8. ELP standards are supported by research and best practice in child and adolescent second
language acquisition with respect to aspects of language that support the variety of
language practices and discourse elements present in schooling.
Section 7.3: Implications for Assessment
The Framework (in slightly adapted form) should be used to inform items/test specications for the CCSS.
Item specications guide item writers in the span of possible content, item formats, and item foils
(distractors and answers). Concepts from the Framework, for instance, like the key practices, analytical tasks,
and language functions could be fashioned into
checklists or rubrics that guide the selection of
material for items. The two standards models (and
their progressions) also could be refashioned to
guide writers in determining how complex the
language in test material is for ELLs across the
prociency range. Or even more simply, a rubric that helps writers in assigning linguistic (language) density
to items could be created. If the construct being measured by an item doesnt require complex language,
simpler language should be employed, and item writers would have guides on what that might look like.
As with item developers, materials from the Framework also would be helpful in guiding item and bias
review by committee members to determine the sensitivity of items to ELLs across language prociency
levels. Also, if linguistic density is assigned a priori, Differential Item Functioning (DIF) analysis should be
examined for low level and high level ELLs who participate in eld-testing. DIF is relevant to math and
science in addition to ELA. If the assessed concept doesnt require a heavy language load, high DIF will
suggest that another approach to the language of an item might be in order (e.g., a semiotic approach [see
ONPAR]). Essentially, the item review phase of test development should be informed by the Framework.
The Framework (in slightly adapted
form) should be used to inform items/test
specifications for the CCSS.
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Section 7.4: References for Framework
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages/ACTFL. (2012). ACTFL prociency
guidelines 2012. Alexandria, VA: Author. Retrieved June 26, 2012, from http://
actprociencyguidelines2012.org/.
Bachman, L.F., & Palmer, F.A. (1996). Language testing in practice: Designing and developing useful
language tests. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Bailey, A., Butler, F., & Sato, E. (2007). Standards-to-standards linkage under Title III: Exploring
common language demand in ELD and science standards. Applied Measurement in Education,
20(1), 53-78.
Bloome, D., & Clark, C. (2006). Discourse in use. In J. L. Green, G. Camilli, & P. B. Elmore (Eds.),
Complementary methods for research in education (pp. 227-242). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Canale, M. (1983a). From communicative competence to communicative language pedagogy. In J.
Canale, M. (1983b). On some dimensions of prociency. In J. Oller (Ed.), Issues in language testing
research (pp. 333-342). Rowley: Newbury House.
Canale, M., & Swain, M. (1981). A theoretical framework for communicative competence. In Palmer, A.S.,
Groot, P.G., & Trosper, S.A. (Eds.), The construct validation of tests of communicative competence.
Washington, DC: TESOL.
Celce-Murcia, M., Drnyei, Z., & Thurrell, S. (1995). A pedagogical framework for communicative
competence: A pedagogically motivated model with content specications. Issues in Applied
Linguistics, 6(2), 535.
Cook, V.J. (Ed.). (2002). Portraits of the L2 user. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
Cook, H.G. (2005). Aligning English language prociency tests to English language learning
standards (Report 5). Aligning assessment to guide the learning of all students: Six reports on the
development, renement, and dissemination of the web alignment tool. Washington, DC: The
Council of Chief State School Ofcers.
Cook, H.G. (2007). Some thoughts on English language prociency standards to academic content
standards alignment. Paper presented at the annual Edward F. Reidy, Jr., Interactive Lecture
Series Conference. Retrieved June 26, 2012, from http://www.nciea.org/publications/RILS_3_
GC07.pdf.
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Council of Chief State School Ofcers and National Governors Association Center for Best Practices
(2010). Common Core State Standards. Washington, DC: Council of Chief State School Ofcers and
National Governors Association Center for Best Practices.
Driscoll, M. (1999). Developing algebraic habits of mind: A framework for classroom questions
aimed at understandings thinking. Specically the following sections were used: Doing
and undoing, Building rules to represent functions, and Abstracting from computation.
Retrieved June 26, 2012, from http://courses.edtechleaders.org/documents/Patterns/
DriscollPart1.pdf.
Ferguson, C. (1983). Sports announcer talk: Syntactic aspects of register variation. Language and
Society, 12(2), 153-172.
Firth, A., & Wagner, J. (2007). Second/foreign language learning as a social accomplishment:
Elaborations on a reconceptualized SLA. Modern Language Journal, 91, 800-819.
Hall, J.K. (1993). The role of oral practices in the accomplishment of our everyday lives: The sociocultural
dimension of interaction with implications for the learning of another language. Applied Linguistics,
16, 206-232.
Heritage, J. (2004). Conversational analysis and institutional talk. In K. Fitch & R. Sanders (Eds.),
Handbook of social interactions (pp. 102-137). Mawah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Hymes, D. (1964). Language in culture and society: A reader in linguistics and anthropology. New York:
Harper & Row.
Hymes, D. (1972). On communicative competence. In J.B. Pride & J. Holmes (Eds.), Sociolinguistics:
Selected readings (pp. 269-293). Hardsmonsworth: Penguin.
Gombert, J.E. (1992). Metalinguistic development. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Kane, M.T. (2006). Validation. In R. Brennan (Ed.), Educational measurement (Vol. 4, pp. 17-64).
Westport, CT: American Council on Education and Praeger.
Kramsch, C. (1986). From language prociency to interactional competence. Modern Language Journal,
7(4), 366-372.
Mislevy, R.J. (2005). Principled assessment design for inquiry. Technical Report No. 9: Evidence-
Centered Assessment Design: Layers, Structures, and Terminology. Menlo Park, CA: SRI
International. Retrieved June 26, 2012, from http://padi.sri.com/downloads/TR9_ECD.pdf.
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). Pub. L. 107-110, Jan 8, 2002. Stat.115.1425-2094.
Olsen, L. (2010). Reparable harm: Fullling the unkept promise of educational opportunity for
Californias long term English learners. A Californians Together Research and Policy Publication.
Long Beach, CA: Californians Together.
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Porter, A.C., Smithson, J.L. (2001). Dening, developing and using curriculum indicators. CPRE Research
Report Series RR-048. University of Pennsylvania: Consortium for Policy Research and Education.
Retrieved June 28, 2012, from http://www.cpre.org/sites/default/les/researchreport/788_rr48.pdf.
Sacks, H., Schegloff, E., & Jefferson, G. (1974). A simplest systematics for the organization of turn-taking
for conversation. Language, 50(4), pp. 696-735.
Schegloff, E., Jefferson, G., & Sacks, H. (1977). The preference for self-correction in the organization of
repair in conversation. Language, 53(2), 361-382.
Schegloff, E. (2007). Sequence organization in interaction: A primer on conversation analysis (Vol. 1).
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Swain, M., Brooks, L., & Tocalli-Beller, A. (2002). Peer-peer dialogue as a means of second language
learning. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 22, 171-185.
Swain, M., & Lapkin, S. (1998). Interaction and second language learning: Two adolescent French
immersion students working together. The Modern Language Journal, 82(3), 320-227.
Understanding Language Initiative. (2012). The purpose of English language prociency standards,
assessments, and instruction in an age of new standards: Policy statement from the understanding
language initiative. Stanford, CA: Stanford University.
Webb, N.L. (2002). Alignment study in language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies of state
standards and assessments for four states. Washington, DC: Council of Chief State School Ofcers.
Young, R.F. (2000). Interactional competence: Challenges for validity. Paper presented at the annual
meeting of the American Association for Applied Linguistics and the Language Testing Research
Colloquium, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Young, R.F. (2003). Learning to talk the talk and walk the walk: Interactional competence in academic
spoken English. North Eastern Illinois University Working Papers in Linguistics, 2, 2644.
KEY HSD 000531
One Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20001-1431
voice: 202.336.7000 | fax: 202.408.8072
KEY HSD 000532

K Y
Key Charter School Academic Calendar
2014-2015
July 2014
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
1 2 3 4 Holiday- Offices
Closed
7 8 9 10 11
14 15 16 17 18
21 22 23 24 25
28 29 30 31

August 2014
1
4 5 6 7 8
11 Professional
Development
12 Professional
Development
13 Professional
Development
14 Professional
Development
15 Professional
Development
18 Professional
Development
19 Professional
Development
20 Professional
Development
21 Professional
Development
22 Professional
Development
25 School Begins for
All Students
26 27 28 29

September 2014
1 Labor Day
(Holiday)- Schools
and Offices Closed
2 3 4 5
8 9 10 11 12
15 16 17 18 19
22 23 24 25 Progress Report
Conferences- no
students
26 Professional
Development
29 30

October 2014
1 2 3
6 7 8 9 10
13 Columbus Day
(Holiday)- Schools
and Offices Closed
14 15 16 17
20 21 22 23 24
27 28 29 30 End of 1
st

Marking Period (45
days)
31 Start of 2
nd

Marking Period

KEY HSD 000533

K Y
2014-2015
November 2014
3 4 Evening School
Conferences
5 Evening School
Conferences
6 Evening School
Conferences
7
10 11 Veterans Day
(Holiday)- Schools
and Offices Closed
12 13 14
17 18 19 20 21
24 25 26 27 Thanksgiving
(Holiday)- Schools
and Offices Closed
28 Thanksgiving
(Holiday)- Schools
and Offices Closed

December 2014
1 2 3 4 5
8 Progress Report
Conferences- no
students
9 Professional
Development
10 11 12
15 16 17 18 19
22 23 24 Winter Recess
(Holiday)- Schools
and Offices Closed
25 Winter Recess
(Holiday)- Schools
and Offices Closed
26 Winter Recess
(Holiday)- Schools
and Offices Closed
29 Winter Recess
(Holiday)- Schools
and Offices Closed
30 Winter Recess
(Holiday)- Schools
and Offices Closed
31 Winter Recess
(Holiday)- Schools
and Offices Closed

January 2015
1 Winter Recess
(Holiday)- Schools
and Offices Closed
2 Winter Recess
(Holiday)- Schools
and Offices Closed
5 6 7 8 9
12 13 14 15 16
19 Martin Luther
King Day (Holiday)-
Schools and Offices
Closed
20 21 End of 2
nd
Quarter
(45 days)
22 Beginning of 3
rd

Quarter
23
26 27 Evening School
Conferences
28 Evening School
Conferences
29 Evening School
Conferences
30

KEY HSD 000534

K Y
2014-2015
February 2015
2 3 4 5 6
9 10 11 12 13
16 Presidents Day
(Holiday)- Schools
and Offices Closed
17 18 19 20
23 24 25 26 Progress Report
Conferences- no
students
27 Professional
Development

March 2015
2 3 4 5 6
9 10 11 12 13
16 17 18 19 20
23 24 25 26 27
30 End of 3
rd
Quarter
(45 days)
31 Beginning of 4
th

Quarter

April 2015
1 2 3 Spring Recess-
Schools and Offices
Closed
6 Spring Recess-
Schools and Offices
Closed
7 Evening School
Conferences
8 Evening School
Conferences
9 Evening School
Conferences
10
13 14 15 16 17
20 21 22 23 24
27 28 29 30

May 2015
1
4 Progress Report
Conferences- no
students
5 6 7 8
11 12 13 14 15
18 19 20 21 22
25 Memorial Day
(Holiday)- Schools
and Offices Closed
26 27 28 29

KEY HSD 000535

K Y
2014-2015

June 2015
1 2 3 4 5 Last Day for
Students (45 days)
8 Presentation of
Student Work
9 Presentation of
Student Work
10 Presentation of
Student Work
11 Presentation of
Student Work
12 Presentation of
Student Work
15 16 17 18 19
22 23 24 25 26
29 30

*Evening Conferences 3:00 PM 6:00 PM
** Presentation of Student Work will be scheduled based on parent/guardian availability
KEY HSD 000536
[YEAR]
5Essentials Full
Report
Report for Sample Elementary School
KEY HSD 000537
Table of Contents
The Five Essentials .................................................................................................................................... 1
Effective Leaders........................................................................................................................................ 2
Measures of Effective Leaders .............................................................................................................. 3
Collaborative Teachers............................................................................................................................ 13
Measures of Collaborative Teachers ................................................................................................... 14
Involved Families ..................................................................................................................................... 23
Measures of Involved Families ............................................................................................................ 24
Supportive Environment.......................................................................................................................... 31
Measures of Supportive Environment .................................................................................................. 32
Ambitious Instruction .............................................................................................................................. 43
Measures of Ambitious Instruction....................................................................................................... 44
[YEAR] survey results for Sample Elementary School. Produced by UChicago Impact.
KEY HSD 000538
5Essentials Overview
5Essentials School Effectiveness Demo Site
Sample Elementary School
[YEAR] 5Essentials Performance
Very Strong
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Very Weak
Low Response or N/A
Survey Response Rates
Respondent
Response
Rate
(Demonstration
District)
Students 96.2 (0%)
Teachers 94.0% (0%)
Survey results are available to schools if they have at least 8
valid student or teacher responses and if at least 50% of
their students or teachers responded.
5Essentials Predicts School Improvement
School improvement is challenging work. Without
broad strength across a school, schools often
struggle to improve. The evidence on the five
essentials and their measurement using teacher
and student surveys is comprehensive.
Researchers at the University of Chicago used 20
years to evidence to define five essential
components of organization and climate related to
improving schools. These researchers showed that
schools strong on these Essentials are more likely
to:
improve student learning and attendance year
after year;
graduate students from high school;
improve student ACT scores;
get students into college; and
keep their teachers.
Schools strong on at least 3 out of 5 Essentials are
10 times more likely to improve student learning.
5Essentials at Sample Elementary
Sample Elementary School completed the
5Essentials School Effectiveness Demo Survey in
[YEAR]. The results of these surveys at indicate
that Sample Elementary is moderately
organized for improvement.
Each of the Essentials provides a different lens into
the organizational and learning conditions at
Sample Elementary and provides guidance on how a school can organize its work:
Effective Leaders: Principals and teachers implement a shared vision for success. Neutral
Collaborative Teachers: Teachers collaborate to promote professional growth. Neutral
Involved Families: The entire staff builds strong external relationships. Strong
Supportive Environment: The school is safe, demanding, and supportive. Weak
Ambitious Instruction: Classes are challenging and engaging. Neutral
1
KEY HSD 000539
Effective Leaders
Performance: Neutral
In schools with Effective Leaders, principals and
teachers work together to implement a shared vision.
In such schools, people, programs, and resources are
focused on a vision for sustained improvement.
Leaders:
practice shared leadership,
set high goals for quality instruction,
maintain mutually trusting and respectful
relationships,
support professional advancement for faculty and
staff, and
manage resources for sustained program
improvement (not measured).
Sample Elementary received a score of 51 on
Effective Leaders, representing its aggregate
performance across four key indicators of this
essential:
Principal Instructional Leadership (50 - Neutral)
Program Coherence (70 - Strong)
Teacher Influence (54 - Neutral)
Teacher-Principal Trust (32 - Weak)
Performance on Effective Leaders
Measures for Effective Leaders
Principal Instructional
Leadership
Program Coherence
Teacher Influence
Teacher-Principal Trust
Performance on Effective Leaders Over Time
2
KEY HSD 000540
Measures of Effective Leaders
Principal Instructional Leadership
In schools with strong Principal Instructional Leadership,
the principal is an active and skilled instructional leader
who sets high standards for teaching and student learning.
Based on a comparison to the benchmark, an mScore
of 50 means that Sample Elementary School is neutral
on this measure.
Performance on Principal Instructional
Leadership
Principal Instructional Leadership Over Time
What are these results based on?
This school's performance on this Measure is based on the questions shown below. Relative
performance (very strong, strong, neutral, weak, very weak) is based on how responses in this school
compare to the UChicago Impact benchmark.
Teachers report that the school principal:
3
KEY HSD 000541
Participates in instructional planning with
teams of teachers
Knows whats going on in my classroom
Carefully tracks student academic
progress
Understands how children learn
Presses teachers to implement what they
have learned in professional development
4
KEY HSD 000542
Communicates a clear vision for our
school
Sets high standards for student learning
Makes clear to the staff his or her
expectations for meeting instructional
goals
5
KEY HSD 000543
Program Coherence
Performance: Strong
In schools with strong Program Coherence, school
programs are coordinated and consistent with its goals for
student learning.
of 70 means that Sample Elementary School is strong
on this measure.
Performance on Program Coherence
Program Coherence Over Time
Teachers report that:
Many special programs come and go at
this school.
6
KEY HSD 000544
Once we start a new program, we follow
up to make sure that its working.
Curriculum, instruction, and learning
materials are well coordinated across the
different grade levels at this school.
We have so many different programs in
this school that I cant keep track of them
all.
There is consistency in curriculum,
instruction, and learning materials among
teachers in the same grade level at this
school.
7
KEY HSD 000545
Teacher Influence
In schools with strong Teacher Influence, teachers have
influence in a broad range of decisions regarding school
policies and practices.
of 54 means that Sample Elementary School is neutral
on this measure.
Performance on Teacher Influence
Teacher Influence Over Time
Teachers report having influence on:
Hiring new professional personnel
8
KEY HSD 000546
Planning how discretionary school funds
should be used
Determining books and other instructional
materials used in classrooms
Setting standards for student behavior
Establishing the curriculum and
instructional program
Determining the content of in-service
programs
9
KEY HSD 000547
Teacher-Principal Trust
Performance: Weak
In schools with strong Teacher-Principal Trust, teachers
and principals share a high level of mutual trust and
respect.
of 32 means that Sample Elementary School is weak
on this measure.
Performance on Teacher-Principal Trust
Teacher-Principal Trust Over Time
Its OK in this school to discuss feelings,
worries, and frustrations with the
principal
10
KEY HSD 000548
The principal looks out for the personal
welfare of the faculty members
I trust the principal at his or her word
The principal at this school is an effective
manager who makes the school run
smoothly
The principal places the needs of children
ahead of personal and political interests
The principal has confidence in the
expertise of the teachers
11
KEY HSD 000549
The principal takes a personal interest in
the professional development of teachers
Teachers feel respected by the principal
12
KEY HSD 000550
Collaborative Teachers
In schools with strong Collaborative Teachers, all
teachers collaborate to promote professional growth.
In such schools, teachers are:
active partners in school improvement,
committed to the school, and
focused on professional development.
Collaborative Teachers, representing its aggregate
essential:
Collective Responsibility (70 - Strong)
School Commitment (49 - Neutral)
Quality Professional Development (65 - Strong)
Teacher-Teacher Trust (2 - Very Weak)
Performance on Collaborative Teachers
Measures for Collaborative Teachers
Collective Responsibility
School Commitment
Quality Professional
Development
Teacher-Teacher Trust
Performance on Collaborative Teachers Over Time
13
KEY HSD 000551
Measures of Collaborative Teachers
Collective Responsibility
Performance: Strong
In schools with strong Collective Responsibility, teachers share a
strong sense of responsibility for student development, school
improvement, and professional growth.
Based on a comparison to the benchmark, an mScore of 70
means that Sample Elementary School is strong on this
measure.
Performance on Collective Responsibility
Collective Responsibility Over Time
This school's performance on this Measure is based on the questions shown below. Relative performance
(very strong, strong, neutral, weak, very weak) is based on how responses in this school compare to the
UChicago Impact benchmark.
Teachers report that other teachers in the school:
14
KEY HSD 000552
Feel responsible when students in
this school fail
Feel responsible to help each
other do their best
Help maintain discipline in the
entire school, not just their
classroom
Take responsibility for improving
the school
Feel responsible for helping
students develop self-control
15
KEY HSD 000553
Feel responsible that all students
learn
16
KEY HSD 000554
School Commitment
In schools with strong School Commitment, teachers are deeply
committed to the school.
means that Sample Elementary School is neutral on this
measure.
Performance on School Commitment
School Commitment Over Time
I wouldnt want to work in any other school.
17
KEY HSD 000555
I would recommend this school to parents
seeking a place for their child.
I usually look forward to each working day at
this school.
I feel loyal to this school.
18
KEY HSD 000556
Quality Professional Development
Performance: Strong
In schools with strong Quality Professional Development,
professional development is rigorous and focused on student
learning.
measure.
Performance on Quality Professional
Development
Quality Professional Development Over
Time
Teachers report that professional development this year has:
Included opportunities to work productively
with teachers from other schools
19
KEY HSD 000557
Included enough time to think carefully about,
try, and evaluate new ideas
Been sustained and coherently focused,
rather than short-term and unrelated
Included opportunities to work productively
with colleagues in my school
Been closely connected to my schools
improvement plan
20
KEY HSD 000558
Teacher-Teacher Trust
Performance: Very Weak
In schools with strong Teacher-Teacher Trust, teachers are
supportive and respectful of one another, personally and
professionally.
means that Sample Elementary School is very weak on this
measure.
Performance on Teacher-Teacher Trust
Teacher-Teacher Trust Over Time
Teachers in this school trust each other
21
KEY HSD 000559
It's OK in this school to discuss feelings,
worries, and frustrations with other teachers
Teachers respect other teachers who take the
lead in school improvement efforts
Teachers at this school respect those
colleagues who are experts at their craft
Teachers feel respected by other teachers
22
KEY HSD 000560
Involved Families
Performance: Strong
In schools with Involved Families, the entire staff
builds strong external relationships. Such schools:
see parents as partners in helping students
learn,
value parents' input and participation in
advancing the school's mission, and
support efforts to strengthen its students'
community resources.
Sample Elementarys eScore of 61 represents its
aggregate performance across four key indicators of
Involved Families:
Outreach to Parents (43 - Neutral)
Human & Social Resources in the Community
(55 - Neutral)
Teacher-Parent Trust (83 - Very Strong)
Performance on Involved Families
Measures for Involved Families
Outreach to Parents
Human & Social Resources
in the Community
Teacher-Parent Trust
Performance on Over Time
23
KEY HSD 000561
Measures of Involved Families
Outreach to Parents
In schools with strong Outreach to Parents, the school
creates a welcoming and communicative environment
for all parents.
Based on a comparison to the benchmark, an
mScore of 43 means that Sample Elementary
School is neutral on this measure.
Performance on Outreach to Parents
Outreach to Parents Over Time
24
KEY HSD 000562
Teachers work closely with parents to
meet students' needs.
Parents are invited to visit classrooms to
observe the instructional program.
This school regularly communicates with
parents about how they can help their
children learn.
Teachers work at communicating to
parents about support needed to advance
the school mission.
Teachers encourage feedback from
parents and the community.
25
KEY HSD 000563
The principal pushes teachers to
communicate regularly with parents.
Teachers really try to understand parents'
problems and concerns.
Parents are greeted warmly when they
call or visit the school.
26
KEY HSD 000564
Human & Social Resources in the Community
In schools with strong Human & Social Resources in the
Community, students come from communities where
there are adults they can trust who provide a safe
environment.
Performance on Human & Social Resources in the
Community
Human & Social Resources in the Community Over
Time
Students report that:
People in this neighborhood can be
trusted
27
KEY HSD 000565
The equipment and buildings in the
neighborhood park or playground are well
kept
There are adults in this neighborhood that
children can look up to
Adults in this neighborhood know who
the local children are
During the day, it is safe for children to
play in the local park or playground
28
KEY HSD 000566
Teacher-Parent Trust
Performance: Very Strong
In schools with strong Teacher-Parent Trust, teachers
view parents as partners in improving student learning.
School is very strong on this measure.
Performance on Teacher-Parent Trust
Teacher-Parent Trust Over Time
Parents do their best to help
their children learn
29
KEY HSD 000567
Teachers feel good about
parents' support for their work
Parents support teachers
teaching efforts
Teachers and parents think of
each other as partners in
educating children
Staff at this school work hard
to build trusting relationships
with parents
Teachers feel respected by the
parents of the students
30
KEY HSD 000568
Supportive Environment
Performance: Weak
In schools with a Supportive Environment, the school
is safe, demanding, and supportive. In such schools:
students feel safe in and around the school,
they find teachers trust-worthy and responsive to
their academic needs,
all students value hard work, and
teachers push all students toward high academic
performance.
Sample Elementarys eScore of 39 represents its
aggregate performance across four key indicators of
Supportive Environment:
Safety (49 - Neutral)
Academic Personalism (32 - Weak)
Academic Press (37 - Weak)
Peer Support for Academic Work (47 - Neutral)
Student-Teacher Trust (27 - Weak)
Performance on Supportive Environment
Measures for Supportive Environment
Safety
Academic Personalism
Academic Press
Peer Support for Academic
Work
Student-Teacher Trust
Performance on Over Time
31
KEY HSD 000569
Measures of Supportive Environment
Safety
In schools with strong Safety, students feel safe both
in and around the school building, and while they
travel to and from home.
Performance on Safety
Safety Over Time
performance(very strong, strong, neutral, weak, very weak) is based on how responses in this school
Students report how safe they feel:
32
KEY HSD 000570
Outside around the school
Traveling between home and school
In the hallways and bathrooms of the
school
In their classes
33
KEY HSD 000571
Academic Personalism
Performance: Weak
In schools with strong Academic Personalism,
teachers connect with students in the classroom and
support them in achieving academic goals.
School is weak on this measure.
Performance on Academic Personalism
Academic Personalism Over Time
Students report that their teacher:
Helps me catch up if I am behind
34
KEY HSD 000572
Notices if I have trouble learning
something
Gives me specific suggestions about how
I can improve my work in this class
Is willing to give extra help on schoolwork
if I need it
Explains things in a different way if I don't
understand something in class
35
KEY HSD 000573
Academic Press
Performance: Weak
In schools with strong Academic Press, teachers
expect students to do their best and to meet
academic demands.
Performance on Academic Press
Academic Press Over Time
The teacher asks difficult questions in
class
36
KEY HSD 000574
The teacher asks difficult questions on
tests
This class challenges me
This class really makes me think
I really learn a lot in this class
This class requries me to work hard to do
well
37
KEY HSD 000575
The teacher wants us to become better
thinkers, not just memorize things
The teacher expects me to do my best all
the time
The teacher expects everyone to work
hard
38
KEY HSD 000576
Peer Support for Academic Work
In schools with strong Peer Support for Academic
Work, students demonstrate behaviors that lead to
academic achievement.
Performance on Peer Support for Academic Work
Peer Support for Academic Work Over Time
Students report that their classroom peers:
Think doing homework is
important
39
KEY HSD 000577
Feel it is important to pay
attention in class
Feel it is important to come to
school every day
Try hard to get good grades
40
KEY HSD 000578
Student-Teacher Trust
Performance: Weak
In schools with strong Student-Teacher Trust,
students and teachers share a high level of mutual
trust and respect.
Performance on Student-Teacher Trust
Student-Teacher Trust Over Time
My teachers always keep their promises
41
KEY HSD 000579
I feel safe and comfortable with my
teachers at this school
My teachers will always listen to students'
ideas
When my teachers tell me not to do
something, I know they have a good
reason
My teachers treat me with respect
42
KEY HSD 000580
Ambitious Instruction
In schools with Ambitious Instruction, classes are
challenging and engaging. The instruction is
clear, well-structured, and encourages students
to build and apply knowledge. When combined
with a supportive environment, Ambitious
Instruction has the most direct effect on student
learning. It is:
well-defined with clear expectations for
student success,
interactive and encourages students to build
and apply knowledge,
well-paced (not measured), and
aligned across grades (not measured).
Ambitious Instruction, representing its aggregate
essential:
Quality of Student Discussion (68 - Strong)
Math Instruction (54 - Neutral)
English Instruction (49 - Neutral)
Course Clarity (51 - Neutral)
Performance on Ambitious Instruction
Measures for Ambitious Instruction
Quality of Student Discussion
Math Instruction
English Instruction
Course Clarity
Performance on Ambitious Instruction Over Time
43
KEY HSD 000581
Measures of Ambitious Instruction
Quality of Student Discussion
Performance: Strong
In schools with strong Quality of Student Discussion, students
participate in classroom discussions that build their critical
thinking skills.
measure.
Performance on Quality of Student
Discussion
Quality of Student Discussion Over Time
44
KEY HSD 000582
Students use data and text
references to support their ideas.
Students provide constructive
feedback to their peers/teachers.
Students build on each others
ideas during discussion.
Most students participate in the
discussion at some point.
Students show each other
respect.
45
KEY HSD 000583
Math Instruction
In schools with strong Math Instruction, students interact with
course material and one another to build and apply knowledge in
their math classes.
measure.
Performance on Math Instruction
Math Instruction Over Time
Students report that they do the following in math class:
Write a math problem for other
students to solve
46
KEY HSD 000584
Write a few sentences to explain
how you solved a math problem
Apply math to situations in life
outside of school
Explain how you solved a
problem to the class
Discuss possible solutions to
problems with other students
47
KEY HSD 000585
English Instruction
In schools with strong English Instruction, students interact with
course materials and one another to build and apply critical
reading and writing skills.
measure.
Performance on English Instruction
English Instruction Over Time
Students report doing the following in English class:
Rewrite a paper or essay in
response to comments
48
KEY HSD 000586
Improve a piece of writing as a
class or with partners
Debate the meaning of a reading
Discuss how culture, time, or
place affects an author's writing
Discuss connections between a
reading and real life people or
situations
49
KEY HSD 000587
Course Clarity
In schools with strong Course Clarity, students are provided clear
learning goals and instruction that supports achievement.
measure.
Performance on Course Clarity
Course Clarity Over Time
I learn a lot from feedback on my work
50
KEY HSD 000588
The homework assignments help me to learn
the course material
The work we do in class is good preparation
for the test
I know what my teacher wants me to learn in
this class
It's clear to me what I need to do to get a
good grade
51
KEY HSD 000589
C HA R L OT T E DA NI E L S ON
THE FRAMEWORK FOR TEACHI NG
2013 EDI TI ON
EVALUATION INSTRUMENT
KEY HSD 000590
KEY HSD 000591
C HA R L OT T E DA NI E L S ON
THE FRAMEWORK FOR TEACHI NG
2013 EDI TI ON
EVALUATION INSTRUMENT
KEY HSD 000592
KEY HSD 000593
1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction ...................................................................... 3
Domain 1 ........................................................................... 7
Domain 2 ..........................................................................33
Domain 3 ..........................................................................57
Domain 4 ..........................................................................85
KEY HSD 000594
2
KEY HSD 000595
I NTRODUCTI ON
3
The Framework for Teaching identifies those aspects of a teachers responsibilities that have
been documented through empirical studies and theoretical research as promoting improved
student learning. While the Framework is not the only possible description of practice, these
responsibilities seek to define what teachers should know and be able to do in the exercise of
their profession.
The 1996 Edition
First published by ASCD in 1996, Enhancing Professional Practice: A Framework for Teaching was
an outgrowth of the research compiled by Educational Testing Service (ETS) for the development
of Praxis III: Classroom Performance Assessments, an observation-based evaluation of rst-year
teachers used for the purpose of licensing. The Framework extended this work by examining current
research to capture the skills of teaching required not only by novice teachers but by experienced
practitioners as well.
The Framework quickly found wide acceptance by teachers, administrators, policymakers, and ac-
ademics as a comprehensive description of good teaching, including levels of performanceun-
satisfactory, basic, procient, and distinguishedfor each of its 22 components.
The 2007 Edition
The 2007 edition of the Framework, also published by ASCD as Enhancing Professional Practice: A
Framework for Teaching, incorporated several important enhancements. Most importantly, it re-
ected educational research that had been conducted since 1996; this was fully described in its
Appendix, The Research Foundation. Moreover, the 2007 edition included frameworks for non-
classroom specialist positions, such as school librarians, nurses, and counselors. These individ-
uals, while typically part of the teacher bargaining unit in a school district, have very different
responsibilities from those of classroom teachers. Therefore, they need their own frameworks, tai-
lored to the details of their work. These frameworks were written to reect the recommendations
of their professional organizations, such as the American Association of School Librarians, but
organized according to the same structure as that of the Framework for Teaching: Planning and
Preparation, The Environment, Delivery of Service (the equivalent of Instruction), and Professional
Responsibilities.
The 2007 edition of the Framework for Teaching retained the architecture of the 1996 edition; in both
cases, the complex work of teaching is divided into 4 domains and 22 components. Furthermore,
each component is composed of several smaller elements, which serve to further dene the com-
ponent. A few of the components were renamed:
1c: Selecting Instructional Goals was changed to Setting Instructional Outcomes.
1f: Assessing Student Learning was revised to Designing Student Assessments.
3a: Communicating Clearly and Accurately was revised to Communicating with Students.
3d: Providing Feedback to Students was altered to Using Assessment in Instruction.
4d: Contributing to the School and District was changed to Participating in a
Professional Community.
KEY HSD 000596
4
I NTRODUCTI ON
Most of these revisions were simple clarications to the language. In the case of 4d, for example,
the original name implied to some people that Contributing to the School and District was an ad-
ditional responsibility, not integral to the work of teaching; whereas the new name, Participating
in a Professional Community, suggests that it is an essential professional obligation.
However, the revisions to 1f and 3d were signicant: the 2007 edition clearly assigned the design
of student assessments (1f) to Domain 1: Planning and Preparation, and 3d: Using Assessment in
Instruction to Domain 3: Instruction. These distinctions were not as apparent in the 1996 edition.
The 2011 Edition
In 2009, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation embarked on the large research project, Measures
of Effective Teaching (MET), which entailed the video capture of over 23,000 lessons, analyzed
according to ve observation protocols, with the results of those analyses (together with other
measures) correlated to value-added measures of student learning. The aim of the study was to
determine which aspects of a teachers practice were most highly correlated with high levels of
student progress.
The Framework for Teaching was one of the models selected for this large-scale study, which in-
volved the (online) training and certication of hundreds of observers for the purpose of rating the
quality of teaching in the lessons. In order to fulll this obligation, it became necessary to supply
additional tools to aid in the training of observers, so that they could make accurate and consistent
judgments about teaching practice as demonstrated in the large numbers of videotaped lessons.
The following additional tools included:
Rubric language tighter even than that of the 2007 edition of the Framework for Teaching.
Furthermore, the levels of performance in the 2011 revision are written at the
component, rather than the element, level. While providing less detail, the component-
level rubrics capture all the essential information from those at the element level and
are far easier to use in evaluation than are those at the element level.
Critical attributes for each level of performance for each component. These critical
attributes provide essential guidance for observers in distinguishing between
practice at adjacent levels of performance. They are of enormous value in training
and in the actual work of observation and evaluation.
Possible examples for each level of performance for each component. These examples
serve to illustrate the meanings of the rubric language. However, they should be
regarded for what they are: possible examples. They are not intended to describe all
the possible ways in which a certain level of performance might be demonstrated in
the classroom; those are, of necessity, particular to each grade and subject. The
possible examples simply serve to illustrate what practice might look like in a range
of settings.
These enhancements to the Framework for Teaching, while created in response to the demands
of the MET study, turned out to be valuable additions to the instrument in all its applications.
Practitioners found that the enhancements not only made it easier to determine the level of
KEY HSD 000597
I NTRODUCTI ON
5
performance reected in a classroom for each component of the Framework, but also contributed
to judgments that are more accurate and more worthy of condence. As the stakes in teacher
evaluation become higher, this increased accuracy is absolutely essential.
As with the 2007 edition, there were absolutely no changes to the architecture of the 2011 edition.
Therefore, those educators who invested resources in learning the language of the 2007 edition
simply gained additional tools to help them in the challenging work of applying the Framework to
actual classroom teaching.
The 2013 Edition
The principal reason for releasing the 2013 edition of The Framework for Teaching Evaluation
Instrument was to respond to the instructional implications of the Common Core State Standards
(CCSS). Since the CCSS have been adopted in the vast majority of states, it seemed to make sense
to explore what these would mean in the classroom.
The CCSS, when fully implemented, will have a profound effect on education in America. They envi-
sion, for literacy and mathematics initially, deep engagement by students with important concepts,
skills, and perspectives. They emphasize active, rather than passive, learning by students. In all
areas, they place a premium on deep conceptual understanding, thinking and reasoning, and the
skill of argumentation (students taking a position and supporting it with logic and evidence).
In particular, the CCSS advocate specic recommendations in different curricular areas:
Ih ELA ahd lileracy ih all Ields, a close readihg oI lexl ahd a grealer emphasis oh
nonction works in addition to ction
Ih malhemalics, a Iocus oh lhe prihcipal lopics ih each grade level, wilh growihg
uency and skill in the application of mathematical concepts
To the extent that the CCSS deal with what students should learn in school so they will be prepared
for college and careers, the biggest implications are in the areas of curriculum and assessment.
Educators and policymakers must revise their curricula and their classroom and district assess-
ments, and must locate instructional materials to support the new learning.
But teachers will also have to acquire new instructional skills in order to bring the CCSS to life
for their students. Teaching for deep conceptual understanding, for argumentation, and for logical
reasoning have not, after all, been high priorities in most school districts or preparation programs.
In most classrooms, students dont take an active role in their own learning, nor do they (respect-
fully) challenge the thinking of their classmates. All of this will represent a major departure, and
therefore a major challenge, for many teachers.
But educators who are familiar with the Framework for Teaching will recognize much in the philos-
ophy of the CCSS that is similar to the underlying concepts of the Framework. After all, the center-
piece of the Framework is student engagement, which is dened not as busy or on task, but as
intellectually active. Learning activities for students may be hands-on, but they should always
be minds-on. Furthermore, the hallmark of distinguished-level practice in the Framework is that
KEY HSD 000598
6
I NTRODUCTI ON
teachers have been able to create a community of learners, in which students assume a large part
of the responsibility for the success of a lesson; they make suggestions, initiate improvements,
monitor their own learning against clear standards, and serve as resources to one another.
However, despite a deep shared philosophy of teaching and learning between the CCSS and the
Framework, there are some specic additions that can be made to the rubric language to bring it
into complete alignment; those have been added, particularly in the following domains:
Domaih 1-1c: Sellihg Ihslrucliohal 0ulcomes, 1e: Desighihg Coherehl Ihslruclioh,
and 1f: Designing Student Assessments
Domaih 3-3a: Commuhicalihg wilh Sludehls, 3b: Usihg 0uesliohihg ahd Discussioh
Techniques, 3c: Engaging Students in Learning, and 3d: Using Assessment in Instruction
But because the Framework is a generic instrument, applying to all disciplines, and the CCSS are
discipline specic, many of the enhancements to the Framework are located in the possible ex-
amples, rather than in the rubric language or critical attributes for each level of performance.
Attentive readers who are deeply familiar with the Framework may notice some slight modica-
tions to the language of the rubrics themselves; this has been done, as in previous revisions, in
the interests of clarity. Teaching is highly complex work, and describing it is also challenging;
as we receive feedback on confusing words and phrases, we try to improve the wording to mini-
mize ambiguity. But educators who have become familiar with the 2011 version of the Framework,
who speak that language and may have completed the online training and assessment program
produced by Teachscape, should know that none of the revisions would alter the assessments of
teaching represented in the videotaped lessons.
KEY HSD 000599
P L A NNI NG A ND P R E PA R AT I ON
DOMA I N 1
KEY HSD 000600
8
D0MAI N 1 PLANNI NC AND PREPARATI 0N
KEY HSD 000601
DOMAI N 1
9
1a DEMONSTRATI NG KNOWLEDGE OF CONTENT
AND PEDAGOGY
In order to guide student learning, teachers must have command of the subjects they teach. They
must know which concepts and skills are central to a discipline and which are peripheral; they
must know how the discipline has evolved into the 21st century, incorporating issues such as
global awareness and cultural diversity. Accomplished teachers understand the internal rela-
tionships within the disciplines they teach, knowing which concepts and skills are prerequisite
to the understanding of others. They are also aware of typical student misconceptions in the
discipline and work to dispel them. But knowledge of the content is not sufficient; in advancing
student understanding, teachers must be familiar with the particularly pedagogical approaches
best suited to each discipline.
The elements of component 1a are:
Knowledge of content and the structure of the discipline
Every discipline has a dominant structure, with smaller components or strands, as
well as central concepts and skills.
Knowledge of prerequisite relationships
Some disciplinesfor example, mathematicshave important prerequisites; experienced
teachers know what these are and how to use them in designing lessons and units.
Knowledge of content-related pedagogy
Different disciplines have signature pedagogies that have evolved over time and been
found to be most effective in teaching.
Indicators include:
Lessoh ahd uhil plahs lhal reIecl imporlahl cohcepls ih lhe disciplihe
Lessoh ahd uhil plahs lhal accommodale prerequisile relaliohships amohg cohcepls
and skills
Clear ahd accurale classroom explahaliohs
Accurale ahswers lo sludehls' quesliohs
Feedback lo sludehls lhal Iurlhers learhihg
Ihlerdisciplihary cohhecliohs ih plahs ahd praclice
KEY HSD 000602
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1a DEMONSTRATI NG KNOWLEDGE OF CONTENT AND PEDAGOGY
UNSAT I SFACTORY L Ev EL 1
In planning and practice, the teacher makes content
errors or does not correct errors made by students.
The teacher displays little understanding of prereq-
uisite knowledge important to student learning of the
content. The teacher displays little or no understand-
ing of the range of pedagogical approaches suitable to
student learning of the content.
The leacher makes cohlehl errors.
The leacher does hol cohsider prerequisile
relationships when planning.
The leacher's plahs use ihappropriale slralegies
for the discipline.
7he teocher soys, "7he offciol longuoge of Brozil is
Sponish, just like other South 4mericon countries."
7he teocher soys, "l don't understond why the moth
book has decimals in the same unit as fractions.
7he teocher hos his students copy dictionory
defnitions eoch week to help them leorn to spell
diffcult words.
4nd others.
BASI C L Ev EL 2
The teacher is familiar with the important concepts
in the discipline but displays a lack of awareness
of how these concepts relate to one another. The
teacher indicates some awareness of prerequisite
learning, although such knowledge may be inaccurate
or incomplete. The teachers plans and practice
reect a limited range of pedagogical approaches to
the discipline or to the students.
The leacher's uhderslahdihg oI lhe disciplihe
is rudimentary.
The leacher's khowledge oI prerequisile
relationships is inaccurate or incomplete.
Lessoh ahd uhil plahs use limiled
instructional strategies, and some are not
suitable to the content.
The teacher plans lessons on area and perimeter
independently of one onother, without linking the
concepts together.
7he teocher plons to forge oheod with o lesson on
oddition with regrouping, even though some
students hove not fully grosped ploce volue.
7he teocher olwoys plons the some routine to
study spelling: pretest on Mondoy, copy the words
fve times eoch on 7uesdoy ond Wednesdoy, test
on Fridoy.
4nd others.
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KEY HSD 000603
DOMAI N 1
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PROF I CI ENT L Ev EL 3
The teacher displays solid knowledge of the important
concepts in the discipline and how these relate to one
another. The teacher demonstrates accurate under-
standing of prerequisite relationships among topics.
The teachers plans and practice reect familiarity
with a wide range of effective pedagogical approaches
in the subject.
The leacher cah idehliIy imporlahl cohcepls oI lhe
discipline and their relationships to one another.
The leacher provides clear explahaliohs oI lhe
content.
The leacher ahswers sludehls' quesliohs
accurately and provides feedback that furthers
their learning.
Ihslrucliohal slralegies ih uhil ahd lessoh plahs
are entirely suitable to the content.
7he teocher's plon for oreo ond perimeter invites
students to determine the shope thot will yield the
largest area for a given perimeter.
7he teocher hos reolized her students ore not sure
how to use o composs, ond so she plons to hove
them practice that skill before introducing the
octivity on ongle meosurement.
7he teocher plons to expond o unit on civics by
having students simulate a court trial.
4nd others.
DI ST I NGUI SHED L Ev EL 4
The teacher displays extensive knowledge of the
important concepts in the discipline and how these
relate both to one another and to other disciplines. The
teacher demonstrates understanding of prerequisite
relationships among topics and concepts and under-
stands the link to necessary cognitive structures that
ensure student understanding. The teachers plans
and practice reect familiarity with a wide range of
effective pedagogical approaches in the discipline and
the ability to anticipate student misconceptions.
The leacher ciles ihlra- ahd ihlerdisciplihary
content relationships.
The leacher's plahs demohslrale awarehess oI
possible student misconceptions and how they
can be addressed.
The leacher's plahs reIecl recehl developmehls
in content-related pedagogy.
ln o unit on 19th-century literoture, the teocher
incorporotes informotion obout the history of the
same period.
Before beginning o unit on the solor system, the
teocher surveys the students on their beliefs obout
why it is hotter in the summer thon in the winter.
4nd others.
KEY HSD 000604
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KEY HSD 000605
DOMAI N 1
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1b DEMONSTRATI NG KNOWLEDGE OF STUDENTS
Teachers dont teach content in the abstract; they teach it to students. In order to ensure student
learning, therefore, teachers must know not only their content and its related pedagogy but also
the students to whom they wish to teach that content. In ensuring student learning, teachers must
appreciate what recent research in cognitive psychology has conrmed, namely, that students
learn through active intellectual engagement with content. While there are patterns in cognitive,
social, and emotional developmental stages typical of different age groups, students learn in their
individual ways and may have gaps or misconceptions that the teacher needs to uncover in order
to plan appropriate learning activities. In addition, students have lives beyond schoollives that
include athletic and musical pursuits, activities in their neighborhoods, and family and cultural tra-
ditions. Students whose rst language is not English, as well as students with other special needs,
must be considered when a teacher is planning lessons and identifying resources to ensure that all
students will be able to learn.
The elements of component 1b are:
Knowledge of child and adolescent development
Children learn differently at different stages of their lives.
Knowledge of the learning process
Learning requires active intellectual engagement.
Knowledge of students skills, knowledge, and language prociency
What students are able to learn at any given time is inuenced by their level of knowledge and skill.
Knowledge of students interests and cultural heritage
Childrens backgrounds inuence their learning.
Knowledge of students special needs
Children do not all develop in a typical fashion.
Indicators include:
Formal ahd ihIormal ihIormalioh aboul sludehls galhered by lhe leacher Ior use
in planning instruction
Sludehl ihleresls ahd heeds learhed by lhe leacher Ior use ih plahhihg
Teacher parlicipalioh ih commuhily cullural evehls
Teacher-desighed opporluhilies Ior Iamilies lo share lheir herilages
Dalabase oI sludehls wilh special heeds
KEY HSD 000606
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1b DEMONSTRATI NG KNOWLEDGE OF STUDENTS
The teacher displays minimal understanding of how
students learnand little knowledge of their varied
approaches to learning, knowledge and skills, special
needs, and interests and cultural heritagesand does
not indicate that such knowledge is valuable.
The leacher does hol uhderslahd child
development characteristics and has unrealistic
expectations for students.
The leacher does hol lry lo ascerlaih varied abilily
levels among students in the class.
The leacher is hol aware oI sludehls' ihleresls or
cultural heritages.
The leacher lakes ho respohsibilily lo learh aboul
students medical or learning disabilities.
7he lesson plon includes o teocher presentotion for
on entire 30-minute period to o group of Z-yeor-olds.
7he teocher plons to give her ELL students the some
writing assignment she gives the rest of the class.
7he teocher plons to teoch his closs Christmos
corols, despite the foct thot he hos four religions
represented among his students.
4nd others.
BASI C L Ev EL 2
The teacher displays generally accurate knowledge
of how students learn and of their varied approaches
to learning, knowledge and skills, special needs, and
interests and cultural heritages, yet may apply this
knowledge not to individual students but to the class
as a whole.
The leacher ciles developmehlal lheory bul does
not seek to integrate it into lesson planning.
The leacher is aware oI lhe diIIerehl abilily levels
in the class but tends to teach to the whole
group.
The leacher recoghizes lhal sludehls have
different interests and cultural backgrounds but
rarely draws on their contributions or differentiates
materials to accommodate those differences.
The leacher is aware oI medical issues ahd
learning disabilities with some students but
does not seek to understand the implications of
that knowledge.
7he teocher's lesson plon hos the some
assignment for the entire class in spite of the
foct thot one octivity is beyond the reoch of
some students.
ln the unit on Mexico, the teocher hos not
incorporated perspectives from the three
Mexicon-4mericon children in the closs.
Lesson plons moke only peripherol reference to
students' interests.
7he teocher knows thot some of her students
hove lEPs, but they're so long thot she hosn't
reod them yet.
4nd others.
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KEY HSD 000607
DOMAI N 1
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The teacher understands the active nature of
student learning and attains information about levels
of development for groups of students. The teacher
also purposefully acquires knowledge from several
sources about groups of students varied approaches
interests and cultural heritages.
The leacher khows, Ior groups oI sludehls, lheir
levels of cognitive development.
The leacher is aware oI lhe diIIerehl cullural
groups in the class.
The leacher has a good idea oI lhe rahge oI
interests of students in the class.
The leacher has idehliIed "high," "medium," ahd
low groups of students within the class.
The leacher is well ihIormed aboul sludehls'
cultural heritages and incorporates this knowledge
in lesson planning.
The leacher is aware oI lhe special heeds
represented by students in the class.
7he teocher creotes on ossessment of students'
levels of cognitive development.
7he teocher exomines previous yeors' cumulotive
folders to oscertoin the profciency levels of groups
of students in the class.
7he teocher odministers o student interest survey ot
the beginning of the school yeor.
7he teocher plons octivities using his knowledge of
students' interests.
7he teocher knows thot fve of her students ore in
the Garden Club; she plans to have them discuss
horticulture os port of the next biology lesson.
7he teocher reolizes thot not oll of his students ore
Christion, ond so he plons to reod o onukkoh story
in December.
7he teocher plons to osk her Sponish-speoking
students to discuss their oncestry os port of their
social studies unit on South America.
4nd others.
The teacher understands the active nature of stu-
dent learning and acquires information about levels
of development for individual students. The teacher
also systematically acquires knowledge from several
sources about individual students varied approaches
interests and cultural heritages.
The leacher uses ohgoihg melhods lo assess
students skill levels and designs instruction
accordingly.
The leacher seeks oul ihIormalioh Irom all
students about their cultural heritages.
The leacher maihlaihs a syslem oI updaled
student records and incorporates medical and/or
learning needs into lesson plans.
7he teocher plons his lesson with three different
follow-up octivities, designed to meet the voried
obility levels of his students.
7he teocher plons to provide multiple project
options; eoch student will select the project thot
best meets his or her individual approach to learning.
7he teocher encouroges students to be owore of
their individual reading levels and make
independent reading choices that will be
chollenging but not too diffcult.
7he teocher ottends the locol Mexicon heritoge
doy, meeting severol of his students' extended
fomily members.
7he teocher regulorly creotes odopted ossessment
materials for several students with learning
disabilities.
4nd others.
KEY HSD 000608
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KEY HSD 000609
DOMAI N 1
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1c SETTI NG I NSTRUCTI ONAL OUTCOMES
Teaching is a purposeful activity; even the most imaginative activities are directed toward certain
desired learning. Therefore, establishing instructional outcomes entails identifying exactly what
students will be expected to learn; the outcomes describe not what students will do, but what they
will learn. The instructional outcomes should reect important learning and must lend themselves
to various forms of assessment through which all students will be able to demonstrate their un-
derstanding of the content. Insofar as the outcomes determine the instructional activities, the
resources used, their suitability for diverse learners, and the methods of assessment employed,
they hold a central place in domain 1.
Learning outcomes may be of a number of different types: factual and procedural knowledge, concep-
tual understanding, thinking and reasoning skills, and collaborative and communication strategies.
In addition, some learning outcomes refer to dispositions; its important not only that students learn
to read but also, educators hope, that they will like to read. In addition, experienced teachers are able
to link their learning outcomes with outcomes both within their discipline and in other disciplines.
The elements of component 1c are:
value, sequehce, ahd alighmehl
Outcomes represent signicant learning in the discipline reecting, where appropriate, the
Common Core State Standards.
Clarity
Outcomes must refer to what students will learn, not what they will do, and must permit viable
methods of assessment.
Balance
Outcomes should reect different types of learning, such as knowledge, conceptual
understanding, and thinking skills.
Suitability for diverse students
Outcomes must be appropriate for all students in the class.
Indicators include:
0ulcomes oI a challehgihg coghilive level
Slalemehls oI sludehl learhihg, hol sludehl aclivily
0ulcomes cehlral lo lhe disciplihe ahd relaled lo lhose ih olher disciplihes
0ulcomes permillihg assessmehl oI sludehl allaihmehl
0ulcomes diIIerehlialed Ior sludehls oI varied abilily
KEY HSD 000610
18
1c SET TI NG I NSTRUCTI ONAL OUTCOMES
The outcomes represent low expectations for students
and lack of rigor, and not all of these outcomes reect
important learning in the discipline. They are stated as
student activities, rather than as outcomes for learn-
ing. Outcomes reect only one type of learning and
only one discipline or strand and are suitable for only
some students.
0ulcomes lack rigor.
0ulcomes do hol represehl imporlahl learhihg ih
the discipline.
0ulcomes are hol clear or are slaled as aclivilies.
0ulcomes are hol suilable Ior mahy sludehls ih
the class.
4 leorning outcome for o fourth-grode closs is to
make a poster illustrating a poem.
4ll the outcomes for o ninth-grode history closs ore
based on demonstrating factual knowledge.
7he topic of the sociol studies unit involves the
concept of revolutions, but the teocher expects
his students to remember only the importont dotes
of battles.
0espite the presence of o number of ELL students in
the closs, the outcomes stote thot oll writing must
be grommoticolly correct.
None of the science outcomes deols with the
students' reoding, understonding, or interpretotion
of the text.
4nd others.
BASI C L Ev EL 2
Outcomes represent moderately high expectations
and rigor. Some reect important learning in the dis-
cipline and consist of a combination of outcomes and
activities. Outcomes reect several types of learning,
but the teacher has made no effort at coordination
or integration. Outcomes, based on global assess-
ments of student learning, are suitable for most of the
students in the class.
0ulcomes represehl a mixlure oI low
expectations and rigor.
Some oulcomes reIecl imporlahl learhihg ih lhe
discipline.
0ulcomes are suilable Ior mosl oI lhe class.
0utcomes consist of understonding the
relationship between addition and multiplication
ond memorizing focts.
7he reoding outcomes ore written with the needs
of the "middle" group in mind; however, the
odvonced students ore bored, ond some lower-level
students are struggling.
Most of the English Longuoge 4rts outcomes ore
based on narrative.
4nd others.
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KEY HSD 000611
DOMAI N 1
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Most outcomes represent rigorous and important
learning in the discipline and are clear, are written in
the form of student learning, and suggest viable meth-
ods of assessment. Outcomes reect several different
types of learning and opportunities for coordination,
and they are differentiated, in whatever way is needed,
for different groups of students.
0ulcomes represehl high expeclaliohs ahd rigor.
0ulcomes are relaled lo "big ideas" oI lhe disciplihe.
0ulcomes are wrilleh ih lerms oI whal sludehls
will learn rather than do.
0ulcomes represehl a rahge oI lypes: Iaclual
knowledge, conceptual understanding, reasoning,
social interaction, management, and communication.
0ulcomes, diIIerehlialed where hecessary, are
suitable to groups of students in the class.
0ne of the leorning outcomes is for students
to "oppreciote the oesthetics of 18th-century
English poetry."
7he outcomes for the history unit include some
foctuol informotion, os well os o comporison of the
perspectives of different groups in the run-up to
the Revolutionory Wor.
7he leorning outcomes include students defending
their interpretotion of the story with citotions from
the text.
4nd others.
All outcomes represent high-level learning in the disci-
pline. They are clear, are written in the form of student
learning, and permit viable methods of assessment.
Outcomes reect several different types of learning
and, where appropriate, represent both coordination
and integration. Outcomes are differentiated, in what-
ever way is needed, for individual students.
The leacher's plahs reIerehce curricular
frameworks or blueprints to ensure accurate
sequencing.
The leacher cohhecls oulcomes lo previous ahd
future learning.
0ulcomes are diIIerehlialed lo ehcourage
individual students to take educational risks.
7he teocher encouroges his students to set their
own gools; he provides them o toxonomy of
challenge verbs to help them strive to meet the
teocher's higher expectotions of them.
Students will develop o concept mop thot links
previous leorning gools to those they ore currently
working on.
Some students identify odditionol leorning.
7he teocher reviews the project expectotions ond
modifes some gools to be in line with students'
lEP objectives.
0ne of the outcomes for o sociol studies unit
oddresses students onolyzing the speech of o
politicol condidote for occurocy ond logicol
consistency.
4nd others.
KEY HSD 000612
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KEY HSD 000613
DOMAI N 1
21
1d DEMONSTRATI NG KNOWLEDGE OF RESOURCES
Student learning is enhanced by a teachers skillful use of resources. Some of these are provided
by the school as official materials; others are secured by teachers through their own initiative.
Resources fall into several different categories: those used in the classroom by students, those
available beyond the classroom walls to enhance student learning, resources for teachers to fur-
ther their own professional knowledge and skill, and resources that can provide noninstructional
assistance to students. Teachers recognize the importance of discretion in the selection of re-
sources, selecting those that align directly with the learning outcomes and will be of most use to
the students. Accomplished teachers also ensure that the selection of materials and resources
is appropriately challenging for every student; texts, for example, are available at various reading
levels to make sure all students can gain full access to the content and successfully demonstrate
understanding of the learning outcomes. Furthermore, expert teachers look beyond the school
for resources to bring their subjects to life and to assist students who need help in both their
academic and nonacademic lives.
The elements of component 1d are:
Resources for classroom use
Materials must align with learning outcomes.
Resources to extend content knowledge and pedagogy
Materials that can further teachers professional knowledge must be available.
Resources for students
Materials must be appropriately challenging.
Indicators include:
Malerials provided by lhe dislricl
Malerials provided by proIessiohal orgahizaliohs
A rahge oI lexls
Ihlerhel resources
Commuhily resources
0hgoihg parlicipalioh by lhe leacher ih proIessiohal educalioh courses
or professional groups
Cuesl speakers
KEY HSD 000614
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1d DEMONSTRATI NG KNOWLEDGE OF RESOURCES
The teacher is unaware of resources to assist student
learning beyond materials provided by the school or
district, nor is the teacher aware of resources for ex-
panding ones own professional skill.
The leacher uses ohly dislricl-provided malerials,
even when more variety would assist some students.
The leacher does hol seek oul resources available
to expand her own skill.
Allhough lhe leacher is aware oI some sludehl
needs, he does not inquire about possible resources.
For their unit on Chino, the students fnd oll of their
informotion in the district-supplied textbook.
7he teocher is not sure how to teoch froctions but
doesn't know how he's expected to leorn it by himself.
4 student soys, "lt's too bod we con't go to the
noture center when we're doing our unit on
the environment.
ln the literocy clossroom, the teocher hos provided
only norrotive works.
4nd others.
BASI C L Ev EL 2
The teacher displays some awareness of resources
beyond those provided by the school or district for
classroom use and for extending ones professional
skill but does not seek to expand this knowledge.
The leacher uses malerials ih lhe school
library but does not search beyond the school
for resources.
The leacher parlicipales ih cohlehl-area
workshops offered by the school but does not
pursue other professional development.
The leacher locales malerials ahd resources Ior
students that are available through the school
but does not pursue any other avenues.
For o unit on oceon life, the teocher reolly needs
more books, but the school librory hos only three
for him to borrow. e does not seek out others from
the public librory.
7he teocher knows she should leorn more obout
literocy development, but the school offered only
one professionol development doy lost yeor.
7he teocher thinks his students would beneft from
heoring obout heolth sofety from o professionol; he
contacts the school nurse to visit his classroom.
ln the second-grode moth closs, the teocher
misuses bose 10 blocks in showing students how to
represent numbers.
4nd others.
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KEY HSD 000615
DOMAI N 1
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The teacher displays awareness of resources beyond
those provided by the school or district, including those
on the Internet, for classroom use and for extending
ones professional skill, and seeks out such resources.
Texls are al varied levels.
Texls are supplemehled by guesl speakers ahd
eld experiences.
The leacher Iacililales lhe use oI Ihlerhel resources.
Resources are mullidisciplihary.
The leacher expahds her khowledge lhrough
professional learning groups and organizations.
The leacher pursues opliohs oIIered by uhiversilies.
The leacher provides lisls oI resources oulside lhe
classroom for students to draw on.
7he teocher provides her ffth groders o ronge of
nonfction texts obout the 4mericon Revolution
so thot regordless of their reoding level, oll
students can participate in the discussion of
important concepts.
7he teocher tokes on online course on literoture to
expand her knowledge of great American writers.
7he EL4 lesson includes o wide ronge of norrotive
and informational reading materials.
7he teocher distributes o list of summer reoding
moteriols thot will help prepore his eighth groders'
transition to high school.
4nd others.
The teachers knowledge of resources for classroom
use and for extending ones professional skill is exten-
sive, including those available through the school or
district, in the community, through professional orga-
nizations and universities, and on the Internet.
Texls are malched lo sludehl skill level.
The leacher has ohgoihg relaliohships
with colleges and universities that support
student learning.
The leacher maihlaihs a log oI resources Ior
student reference.
The leacher pursues apprehliceships lo ihcrease
discipline knowledge.
The leacher Iacililales sludehl cohlacl wilh
resources outside the classroom.
7he teocher is not hoppy with the out-of-dote
textbook; his students will critique it and write their
own material for social studies.
7he teocher spends the summer ot 0ow
Chemical learning more about current research so
that she can expand her knowledge base for
teoching chemistry.
7he teocher motches students in her Fomily ond
Consumer Science class with local businesses; the
students spend time shodowing employees to
understand how their classroom skills might be
used on the job.
4nd others.
KEY HSD 000616
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KEY HSD 000617
DOMAI N 1
25
1e DESI GNI NG COHERENT I NSTRUCTI ON
Designing coherent instruction is the heart of planning, reecting the teachers knowledge of con-
tent and of the students in the class, the intended outcomes of instruction, and the available re-
sources. Such planning requires that educators have a clear understanding of the state, district,
and school expectations for student learning and the skill to translate these into a coherent plan.
It also requires that teachers understand the characteristics of the students they teach and the
active nature of student learning. Educators must determine how best to sequence instruction in
a way that will advance student learning through the required content. Furthermore, such plan-
ning requires the thoughtful construction of lessons that contain cognitively engaging learning ac-
tivities, the incorporation of appropriate resources and materials, and the intentional grouping of
students. Procient practice in this component recognizes that a well-designed instruction plan
addresses the learning needs of various groups of students; one size does not t all. At the distin-
guished level, the teacher plans instruction that takes into account the specic learning needs of
each student and solicits ideas from students on how best to structure the learning. This plan is
then implemented in domain 3.
The elements of component 1e are:
Learning activities
Instruction is designed to engage students and advance them through the content.
Instructional materials and resources
Aids to instruction are appropriate to the learning needs of the students.
Instructional groups
Teachers intentionally organize instructional groups to support student learning.
Lesson and unit structure
Teachers produce clear and sequenced lesson and unit structures to advance student learning.
Indicators include:
Lessohs lhal supporl ihslrucliohal oulcomes ahd reIecl imporlahl cohcepls
Ihslrucliohal maps lhal ihdicale relaliohships lo prior learhihg
Aclivilies lhal represehl high-level lhihkihg
0pporluhilies Ior sludehl choice
Use oI varied resources
ThoughlIully plahhed learhihg groups
Slruclured lessoh plahs
KEY HSD 000618
26
1e DESI GNI NG COHERENT I NSTRUCTI ON
Learning activities are poorly aligned with the in-
structional outcomes, do not follow an organized
progression, are not designed to engage students in
active intellectual activity, and have unrealistic time
allocations. Instructional groups are not suitable to
the activities and offer no variety.
Learhihg aclivilies are borihg ahd/or hol well
aligned to the instructional goals.
Malerials are hol ehgagihg or do hol meel
instructional outcomes.
Ihslrucliohal groups do hol supporl learhihg.
Lessoh plahs are hol slruclured or sequehced ahd
are unrealistic in their expectations.
4fter his ninth groders hove memorized the ports of
the microscope, the teocher plons to hove them fll
in a worksheet.
7he teocher plons to use o 15-yeor-old textbook os
the sole resource for a unit on communism.
7he teocher orgonizes her closs in rows, seoting the
students olphobeticolly; she plons to hove students
work oll yeor in groups of four bosed on where they
are sitting.
7he teocher's lesson plons ore written on sticky
notes in his grodebook; they indicote: lecture,
octivity, or test, olong with poge numbers in the text.
4nd others.
BASI C L Ev EL 2
Some of the learning activities and materials are
aligned with the instructional outcomes and represent
moderate cognitive challenge, but with no differen-
tiation for different students. Instructional groups
partially support the activities, with some variety. The
lesson or unit has a recognizable structure; but the
progression of activities is uneven, with only some rea-
sonable time allocations.
Learhihg aclivilies are moderalely challehgihg.
Learhihg resources are suilable, bul lhere is
limited variety.
Ihslrucliohal groups are rahdom, or lhey ohly
partially support objectives.
Lessoh slruclure is uheveh or may be uhrealislic
about time expectations.
4fter o mini-lesson, the teocher plons to hove
the whole closs ploy o gome to reinforce the skill
she taught.
7he teocher fnds on otlos to use os o supplementol
resource during the geogrophy unit.
7he teocher olwoys lets students self-select o
working group becouse they behove better when
they con choose whom to sit with.
7he teocher's lesson plons ore well formotted,
but the timing for mony octivities is too short
to octuolly cover the concepts thoroughly.
7he plon for the EL4 lesson includes only possing
ottention to students' citing evidence from the text
for their interpretotion of the short story.
4nd others.
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KEY HSD 000619
DOMAI N 1
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Most of the learning activities are aligned with the
instructional outcomes and follow an organized pro-
gression suitable to groups of students. The learning
activities have reasonable time allocations; they rep-
resent signicant cognitive challenge, with some
differentiation for different groups of students and var-
ied use of instructional groups.
Learhihg aclivilies are malched lo ihslrucliohal
outcomes.
Aclivilies provide opporluhily Ior higher-level
thinking.
The leacher provides a variely oI approprialely
challenging materials and resources.
Ihslrucliohal sludehl groups are orgahized
thoughtfully to maximize learning and build on
students strengths.
The plah Ior lhe lessoh or uhil is well slruclured,
with reasonable time allocations.
7he teocher reviews her leorning octivities with o
reference to high-level "oction verbs" ond rewrites
some of the activities to increase the challenge level.
7he teocher creotes o list of historicol fction titles
thot will expond her students' knowledge of the oge
of exploration.
7he teocher plons for students to complete o project
in smoll groups; he corefully selects group members
by their reoding level ond leorning style.
7he teocher reviews lesson plons with her principol;
they ore well structured, with pocing times ond
octivities cleorly indicoted.
7he fourth-grode moth unit plon focuses on the key
concepts for that level.
4nd others.
The sequence of learning activities follows a coher-
ent sequence, is aligned to instructional goals, and
is designed to engage students in high-level cogni-
tive activity. These are appropriately differentiated for
individual learners. Instructional groups are varied ap-
propriately, with some opportunity for student choice.
Aclivilies permil sludehl choice.
Learhihg experiehces cohhecl lo olher
disciplines.
The leacher provides a variely oI approprialely
challenging resources that are differentiated for
students in the class.
Lessoh plahs diIIerehliale Ior ihdividual sludehl
needs.
7he teocher's unit on ecosystems lists o voriety of
challenging activities in a menu; the students
choose those that suit their approach to learning.
While completing their projects, the students will
hove occess to o wide voriety of resources thot the
teocher hos coded by reoding level so thot students
can make the best selections.
4fter the cooperotive group lesson, the
students will reect on their participation and
make suggestions.
7he lesson plon cleorly indicotes the concepts
taught in the last few lessons; the teacher plans
for his students to link the current lesson outcomes
to those they previously leorned.
7he teocher hos contributed to o curriculum
mop thot orgonizes the EL4 Common Core Stote
Standards in tenth grade into a coherent curriculum.
4nd others.
KEY HSD 000620
28
KEY HSD 000621
DOMAI N 1
29
1f DESI GNI NG STUDENT ASSESSMENTS
Good teaching requires both assessment of learning and assessment for learning. Assessments
of learning ensure that teachers know that students have learned the intended outcomes. These
assessments must be designed in such a manner that they provide evidence of the full range of
learning outcomes; that is, the methods needed to assess reasoning skills are different from those
for factual knowledge. Furthermore, such assessments may need to be adapted to the particular
needs of individual students; an ESL student, for example, may need an alternative method of as-
sessment to allow demonstration of understanding. Assessment for learning enables a teacher to
incorporate assessments directly into the instructional process and to modify or adapt instruction
as needed to ensure student understanding. Such assessments, although used during instruction,
must be designed as part of the planning process. These formative assessment strategies are on-
going and may be used by both teachers and students to monitor progress toward understanding
the learning outcomes.
The elements of component 1f are:
Congruence with instructional outcomes
Assessments must match learning expectations.
Criteria and standards
Expectations must be clearly dened.
Design of formative assessments
Assessments for learning must be planned as part of the instructional process.
Use for planning
Results of assessment guide future planning.
Indicators include:
Lessoh plahs ihdicalihg correspohdehce belweeh assessmehls ahd ihslrucliohal
outcomes
Assessmehl lypes suilable lo lhe slyle oI oulcome
variely oI perIormahce opporluhilies Ior sludehls
ModiIed assessmehls available Ior ihdividual sludehls as heeded
Expeclaliohs clearly wrilleh wilh descriplors Ior each level oI perIormahce
Formalive assessmehls desighed lo ihIorm mihule-lo-mihule decisioh makihg by lhe
teacher during instruction
KEY HSD 000622
30
1f DESI GNI NG STUDENT ASSESSMENTS
Assessment procedures are not congruent with
instructional outcomes and lack criteria by which stu-
dent performance will be assessed. The teacher has
no plan to incorporate formative assessment in the
lesson or unit.
Assessmehls do hol malch ihslrucliohal
outcomes.
Assessmehls lack crileria.
No Iormalive assessmehls have beeh desighed.
Assessmehl resulls do hol aIIecl Iulure plahs.
7he teocher morks popers on the foundotion of
the U.S. Constitution mostly on grommor ond
punctuotion; for every mistoke, the grode drops from
on 4 to o B, o B to o C, etc.
7he teocher soys, "Whot's the difference between
formative assessment and the test I give at the end
of the unit?
7he teocher soys, "7he district gove me this entire
curriculum to teoch, so l just hove to keep moving."
4nd others.
BASI C L Ev EL 2
Assessment procedures are partially congruent
with instructional outcomes. Assessment criteria
and standards have been developed, but they are
not clear. The teachers approach to using formative
assessment is rudimentary, including only some of
the instructional outcomes.
0hly some oI lhe ihslrucliohal oulcomes are
addressed in the planned assessments.
Assessmehl crileria are vague.
Plahs reIer lo lhe use oI Iormalive assessmehls,
but they are not fully developed.
Assessmehl resulls are used lo desigh lessoh
plans for the whole class, not individual students.
7he district gool for the unit on Europe is for
students to understand geopolitical relationships;
the teocher plons to hove the students memorize
oll the country copitols ond rivers.
7he plon indicotes thot the teocher will pouse
to "check for understonding" but does not specify
a clear process for accomplishing that goal.
4 student osks, "lf holf the closs possed the test,
why ore we oll reviewing the moteriol ogoin?"
4nd others.
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KEY HSD 000623
DOMAI N 1
31
All the instructional outcomes may be assessed by the
proposed assessment plan; assessment methodolo-
gies may have been adapted for groups of students.
Assessment criteria and standards are clear. The
teacher has a well-developed strategy for using for-
mative assessment and has designed particular
approaches to be used.
All lhe learhihg oulcomes have a melhod Ior
assessment.
Assessmehl lypes malch learhihg expeclaliohs.
Plahs ihdicale modiIed assessmehls wheh lhey
are necessary for some students.
Assessmehl crileria are clearly wrilleh.
Plahs ihclude Iormalive assessmehls lo use
during instruction.
Lessoh plahs ihdicale possible ad|uslmehls based
on formative assessment data.
7he teocher knows thot his students will hove to
write o persuosive essoy on the stote ossessment;
he plans to provide them with experiences
developing persuasive writing as preparation.
7he teocher hos worked on o writing rubric for
her research assessment; she has drawn on
multiple sources to be sure the levels of expectation
will be cleorly defned.
7he teocher creotes o short questionnoire to
distribute to his students at the end of class; using
their responses, he will orgonize the students into
different groups during the next lesson's octivities.
Employing the formotive ossessment of the
previous morning's project, the teocher plons to
hove fve students work on o more chollenging one
while she works with six other students to reinforce
the previous morning's concept.
4nd others.
All the instructional outcomes may be assessed by
the proposed assessment plan, with clear criteria
for assessing student work. The plan contains evi-
dence of student contribution to its development.
Assessment methodologies have been adapted
for individual students as the need has arisen. The
approach to using formative assessment is well de-
signed and includes student as well as teacher use
of the assessment information.
Assessmehls provide opporluhilies Ior sludehl
choice.
Sludehls parlicipale ih desighihg assessmehls
for their own work.
Teacher-desighed assessmehls are aulhehlic,
with real-world application as appropriate.
Sludehls develop rubrics accordihg lo leacher-
specied learning objectives.
Sludehls are aclively ihvolved ih colleclihg
information from formative assessments and
provide input.
7o teoch persuosive writing, the teocher plons to
have his class research and write to the principal
on an issue that is important to the students: the
use of cell phones in class.
7he students will write o rubric for their fnol
project on the benefts of solor energy; the teocher
hos shown them severol somple rubrics, ond they
will refer to those os they creote o rubric of their own.
4fter the lesson the teocher plons to osk students
to rote their understonding on o scole of 1 to 5;
the students know that their rating will indicate
their octivity for the next lesson.
7he teocher hos developed o routine for her closs;
students know thot if they ore struggling with o
moth concept, they sit in o smoll group with her
during workshop time.
4nd others.
KEY HSD 000624
32
D0MAI N 2 THE CLASSR00M ENvI R0NMENT
KEY HSD 000625
T HE C L A S S R OOM E NV I R ONME NT
DOMA I N 2
KEY HSD 000626
34
KEY HSD 000627
DOMAI N 2
35
2a CREATI NG AN ENVI RONMENT OF RESPECT
AND RAPPORT
An essential skill of teaching is that of managing relationships with students and ensuring that re-
lationships among students are positive and supportive. Teachers create an environment of respect
and rapport in their classrooms by the ways they interact with students and by the interactions
they encourage and cultivate among students. An important aspect of respect and rapport relates
to how the teacher responds to students and how students are permitted to treat one another.
Patterns of interactions are critical to the overall tone of the class. In a respectful environment, all
students feel valued, safe, and comfortable taking intellectual risks. They do not fear put-downs or
ridicule from either the teacher or other students.
Respect shown to the teacher by students should be distinguished from students complying with
standards of conduct and behavior. Caring interactions among teachers and students are the hall-
mark of component 2a (Creating an Environment of Respect and Rapport); while adherence to the
established classroom rules characterizes success in component 2d (Managing Student Behavior).
Teacher interactions with students, including both words and actions
A teachers interactions with students set the tone for the classroom. Through their interactions,
teachers convey that they are interested in and care about their students.
Student interactions with other students, including both words and actions
As important as a teachers treatment of students is, how students are treated by their classmates
is arguably even more important to students. At its worst, poor treatment causes students to feel
rejected by their peers. At its best, positive interactions among students are mutually supportive
and create an emotionally healthy school environment. Teachers not only model and teach students
how to engage in respectful interactions with one another but also acknowledge such interactions.
Indicators include:
RespeclIul lalk, aclive lislehihg, ahd lurh-lakihg
Ackhowledgmehl oI sludehls' backgrouhds ahd lives oulside lhe classroom
Body lahguage ihdicalive oI warmlh ahd carihg showh by leacher ahd sludehls
Physical proximily
Polilehess ahd ehcouragemehl
Fairhess
KEY HSD 000628
36 36
2a CREATI NC AN ENvI R0NMENT 0F RESPECT AND RAPP0RT
Patterns of classroom interactions, both between
teacher and students and among students, are most-
ly negative, inappropriate, or insensitive to students
ages, cultural backgrounds, and developmental levels.
Student interactions are characterized by sarcasm,
put-downs, or conict. The teacher does not deal with
disrespectful behavior.
The leacher is disrespeclIul loward sludehls or
insensitive to students ages, cultural
backgrounds, and developmental levels.
Sludehl body lahguage ihdicales Ieelihgs oI hurl,
discomfort, or insecurity.
The leacher displays ho Iamiliarily wilh, or carihg
about, individual students.
The leacher disregards disrespeclIul ihleracliohs
among students.
4 student slumps in his choir following o comment
by the teocher.
Students roll their eyes ot o clossmote's ideo; the
teacher does not respond.
Mony students tolk when the teocher ond other
students are talking; the teacher does not correct
them.
Some students refuse to work with other students.
7he teocher does not coll students by their nomes.
4nd others.
BASI C L Ev EL 2
Patterns of classroom interactions, both between
teacher and students and among students, are
generally appropriate but may reect occasional
inconsistencies, favoritism, and disregard for students
ages, cultures, and developmental levels. Students
rarely demonstrate disrespect for one another. The
teacher attempts to respond to disrespectful behavior,
with uneven results. The net result of the interactions
is neutral, conveying neither warmth nor conict.
The qualily oI ihleracliohs belweeh leacher ahd
students, or among students, is uneven, with
occasional disrespect or insensitivity.
The leacher allempls lo respohd lo disrespeclIul
behavior among students, with uneven results.
The leacher allempls lo make cohhecliohs wilh
individual students, but student reactions
indicate that these attempts are not entirely
successful.
Students ottend possively to the teocher, but
tend to tolk, poss notes, etc. when other students
are talking.
4 few students do not engoge with others in the
clossroom, even when put together in smoll groups.
Students opploud holfheortedly following o
clossmote's presentotion to the closs.
7he teocher soys, "0on't tolk thot woy to your
clossmotes," but the student shrugs her shoulders.
4nd others.
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KEY HSD 000629
DOMAI N 2
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Teacher-student interactions are friendly and demon-
strate general caring and respect. Such interactions are
appropriate to the ages, cultures, and developmental
levels of the students. Interactions among students are
generally polite and respectful, and students exhibit re-
spect for the teacher. The teacher responds successfully
to disrespectful behavior among students. The net result
of the interactions is polite, respectful, and business-
like, though students may be somewhat cautious about
taking intellectual risks.
Talk belweeh leacher ahd sludehls ahd amohg
students is uniformly respectful.
The leacher successIully respohds lo
disrespectful behavior among students.
Sludehls parlicipale willihgly, bul may be
somewhat hesitant to offer their ideas in front of
classmates.
The leacher makes geheral cohhecliohs wilh
individual students.
Sludehls exhibil respecl Ior lhe leacher.
7he teocher greets students by nome os they enter
the class or during the lesson.
7he teocher gets on the some level with students,
kneeling, for instonce, beside o student working ot
a desk.
Students ottend fully to whot the teocher is soying.
Students woit for clossmotes to fnish speoking
before beginning to talk.
Students opploud politely following o clossmote's
presentation to the class.
Students help eoch other ond occept help from
each other.
7he teocher ond students use courtesies such os
"pleose," "thonk you," ond "excuse me."
7he teocher soys, "0on't tolk thot woy to your
clossmotes," ond the insults stop.
4nd others.
Classroom interactions between teacher and stu-
dents and among students are highly respectful,
reflecting genuine warmth, caring, and sensitivity to
students as individuals. Students exhibit respect for
the teacher and contribute to high levels of civility
among all members of the class. The net result is an
environment where all students feel valued and are
comfortable taking intellectual risks.
The leacher demohslrales khowledge ahd carihg
about individual students lives beyond the class
and school.
There is ho disrespeclIul behavior amohg sludehls.
Wheh hecessary, sludehls respeclIully correcl
one another.
Sludehls parlicipale wilhoul Iear oI pul-dowhs
or ridicule from either the teacher or other students.
The leacher respecls ahd ehcourages sludehls'
efforts.
7he teocher inquires obout o student's soccer
game last weekend (or extracurricular activities
or hobbies).
Students soy "Shhh" to clossmotes who ore tolking
while the teacher or another student is speaking.
Students clop enthusiosticolly for one onother's
presentotions for o job well done.
7he teocher soys, "7hot's on interesting ideo, 1osh,
but you're forgetting."
4 student questions o clossmote, "0idn't you
mean ________ ? and the classmate reects and
responds, "0h, moybe you ore right!"
4nd others.
KEY HSD 000630
38
KEY HSD 000631
DOMAI N 2
39
2b ESTABLI SHI NG A CULTURE FOR LEARNI NG
A culture for learning refers to the atmosphere in the classroom that reects the educational
importance of the work undertaken by both students and teacher. It describes the norms that
govern the interactions among individuals about the activities and assignments, the value of hard
work and perseverance, and the general tone of the class. The classroom is characterized by high
cognitive energy, by a sense that what is happening there is important, and by a shared belief that
it is essential, and rewarding, to get it right. There are high expectations for all students; the class-
room is a place where the teacher and students value learning and hard work.
Teachers who are successful in creating a culture for learning know that students are, by their
nature, intellectually curious, and that one of the many challenges of teaching is to direct the stu-
dents natural energy toward the content of the curriculum. They also know that students derive
great satisfaction, and a sense of genuine power, from mastering challenging content in the same
way they experience pride in mastering, for example, a difcult physical skill.
Part of a culture of hard work involves precision in thought and language; teachers whose classrooms
display such a culture insist that students use language to express their thoughts clearly. An insis-
tence on precision reects the importance placed, by both teacher and students, on the quality of
thinking; this emphasis conveys that the classroom is a business-like place where important work is
being undertaken. The classroom atmosphere may be vibrant, even joyful, but it is not frivolous.
KEY HSD 000632
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Importance of the content and of learning
In a classroom with a strong culture for learning, teachers convey the educational value of what
the students are learning.
Expectations for learning and achievement
In classrooms with robust cultures for learning, all students receive the message that although the
work is challenging, they are capable of achieving it if they are prepared to work hard. A manifesta-
tion of teachers expectations for high student achievement is their insistence on the use of precise
language by students.
Student pride in work
When students are convinced of their capabilities, they are willing to devote energy to the task at
hand, and they take pride in their accomplishments. This pride is reected in their interactions
with classmates and with the teacher.
KEY HSD 000633
DOMAI N 2
41
Indicators include:
BelieI ih lhe value oI whal is beihg learhed
High expeclaliohs, supporled lhrough bolh verbal ahd hohverbal behaviors, Ior bolh
learning and participation
Expeclalioh oI high-qualily work oh lhe parl oI sludehls
Expeclalioh ahd recoghilioh oI eIIorl ahd persislehce oh lhe parl oI sludehls
High expeclaliohs Ior expressioh ahd work producls
KEY HSD 000634
42 42
2b ESTABLI SHI NG A CULTURE FOR LEARNI NG
The classroom culture is characterized by a lack of
teacher or student commitment to learning, and/or
little or no investment of student energy in the task
at hand. Hard work and the precise use of language
are not expected or valued. Medium to low expec-
tations for student achievement are the norm, with
high expectations for learning reserved for only one
or two students.
The leacher cohveys lhal lhere is lillle or ho
purpose for the work, or that the reasons for doing
it are due to external factors.
The leacher cohveys lo al leasl some sludehls
that the work is too challenging for them.
Sludehls exhibil lillle or ho pride ih lheir work.
Sludehls use lahguage ihcorreclly; lhe leacher
does not correct them.
7he teocher tells students thot they're doing
o lesson becouse it's in the book or is
district-mondoted.
7he teocher soys to o student, "Why don't you try
this easier problem?
Students turn in sloppy or incomplete work.
Mony students don't engoge in on ossigned tosk,
ond yet the teocher ignores their behovior.
Students hove not completed their homework; the
teacher does not respond.
4nd others.
BASI C L Ev EL 2
The classroom culture is characterized by little
commitment to learning by the teacher or students.
The teacher appears to be only going through the
motions, and students indicate that they are in-
terested in the completion of a task rather than the
quality of the work. The teacher conveys that stu-
dent success is the result of natural ability rather
than hard work, and refers only in passing to the pre-
cise use of language. High expectations for learning
are reserved for those students thought to have a
natural aptitude for the subject.
The leacher's ehergy Ior lhe work is heulral,
neither indicating a high level of commitment
nor ascribing the need to do the work to external
forces.
The leacher cohveys high expeclaliohs Ior ohly
some students.
Sludehls exhibil a limiled commilmehl lo
complete the work on their own; many students
indicate that they are looking for an easy path.
The leacher's primary cohcerh appears lo be lo
complete the task at hand.
The leacher urges, bul does hol ihsisl, lhal
students use precise language.
7he teocher soys, "Let's get through this."
7he teocher soys, "l think most of you will be oble to
do this.
Students consult with one onother to determine
how to fll in o worksheet, without chollenging one
onother's thinking.
7he teocher does not encouroge students who ore
struggling.
0nly some students get right to work ofter on
assignment is given or after entering the room.
4nd others.
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KEY HSD 000635
DOMAI N 2
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The classroom culture is a place where learning is
valued by all; high expectations for both learning and
hard work are the norm for most students. Students
understand their role as learners and consistently
expend effort to learn. Classroom interactions support
learning, hard work, and the precise use of language.
The leacher commuhicales lhe imporlahce oI lhe
content and the conviction that with hard work all
students can master the material.
The leacher demohslrales a high regard Ior
students abilities.
The leacher cohveys ah expeclalioh oI high levels
of student effort.
Sludehls expehd good eIIorl lo complele work oI
high quality.
The leacher ihsisls oh precise use oI lahguage by
students.
7he teocher soys, "7his is importont; you'll need
to speok grommoticol English when you opply
for o job."
7he teocher soys, "7his ideo is reolly importont! lt's
centrol to our understonding of history."
7he teocher soys, "Let's work on this together; it's
hord, but you oll will be oble to do it well."
7he teocher honds o poper bock to o student, soying,
"l know you con do o better job on this." 7he student
accepts it without complaint.
Students get to work right owoy when on
assignment is given or after entering the room.
4nd others.
The classroom culture is a cognitively busy place,
characterized by a shared belief in the importance
of learning. The teacher conveys high expectations
for learning for all students and insists on hard
work; students assume responsibility for high qual-
ity by initiating improvements, making revisions,
adding detail, and/or assisting peers in their precise
use of language.
The leacher commuhicales passioh Ior lhe
subject.
The leacher cohveys lhe salisIaclioh lhal
accompanies a deep understanding of complex
content.
Sludehls ihdicale lhrough lheir quesliohs ahd
comments a desire to understand the content.
Sludehls assisl lheir classmales ih
understanding the content.
Sludehls lake ihilialive ih improvihg lhe qualily
of their work.
Sludehls correcl ohe aholher ih lheir use oI
language.
7he teocher soys, "lt's reolly fun to fnd the
potterns for foctoring polynomiols."
4 student soys, "l don't reolly understond why it's
better to solve this problem thot woy."
4 student osks o clossmote to exploin o concept
or procedure since he didn't quite follow the
teocher's explonotion.
Students question one onother on onswers.
4 student osks the teocher for permission to
redo a piece of work since she now sees how it
could be strengthened.
4nd others.
KEY HSD 000636
44
KEY HSD 000637
DOMAI N 2
45
2c MANAGI NG CLASSROOM PROCEDURES
A smoothly functioning classroom is a prerequisite to good instruction and high levels of student
engagement. Teachers establish and monitor routines and procedures for the smooth operation of
the classroom and the efcient use of time. Hallmarks of a well-managed classroom are that in-
structional groups are used effectively, noninstructional tasks are completed efciently, and tran-
sitions between activities and management of materials and supplies are skillfully done in order
to maintain momentum and maximize instructional time. The establishment of efcient routines,
and teaching students to employ them, may be inferred from the sense that the class runs itself.
Management of instructional groups
Teachers help students to develop the skills to work purposefully and cooperatively in groups or
independently, with little supervision from the teacher.
Management of transitions
Many lessons engage students in different types of activities: large group, small group, indepen-
dent work. Its important that little time is lost as students move from one activity to another;
students know the drill and execute it seamlessly.
Management of materials and supplies
Experienced teachers have all necessary materials at hand and have taught students to imple-
ment routines for distribution and collection of materials with a minimum of disruption to the ow
of instruction.
Performance of classroom routines
Overall, little instructional time is lost in activities such as taking attendance, recording the lunch
count, or the return of permission slips for a class trip.
Indicators include:
Smoolh Iuhcliohihg oI all roulihes
Lillle or ho loss oI ihslrucliohal lime
Sludehls playihg ah imporlahl role ih carryihg oul lhe roulihes
Sludehls khowihg whal lo do, where lo move
KEY HSD 000638
46 46
2c MANAGI NG CLASSROOM PROCEDURES
Much instructional time is lost due to inefcient
classroom routines and procedures. There is little or
no evidence of the teachers managing instructional
groups and transitions and/or handling of materials
and supplies effectively. There is little evidence that
students know or follow established routines.
Sludehls hol workihg wilh lhe leacher are hol
productively engaged.
Trahsiliohs are disorgahized, wilh much loss oI
instructional time.
There do hol appear lo be ahy eslablished
procedures for distributing and collecting materials.
A cohsiderable amouhl oI lime is spehl oII lask
because of unclear procedures.
When moving into smoll groups, students osk
questions obout where they ore supposed to go,
whether they should toke their choirs, etc.
7here ore long lines for moteriols ond supplies.
0istributing or collecting supplies is time consuming.
Students bump into one onother when lining up or
sharpening pencils.
4t the beginning of the lesson, roll-toking
consumes much time and students are not working
on onything.
4nd others.
BASI C L Ev EL 2
Some instructional time is lost due to partially effec-
tive classroom routines and procedures. The teachers
management of instructional groups and transitions,
or handling of materials and supplies, or both, are
inconsistent, leading to some disruption of learning.
With regular guidance and prompting, students follow
established routines.
Sludehls hol workihg direclly wilh lhe leacher
are only partially engaged.
Procedures Ior lrahsiliohs seem lo have beeh
established, but their operation is not smooth.
There appear lo be eslablished roulihes Ior
distribution and collection of materials, but
students are confused about how to carry them out.
Classroom roulihes Iuhclioh uhevehly.
Some students not working with the teocher ore
off task.
7ronsition between lorge- ond smoll-group
octivities requires fve minutes but is
accomplished.
Students osk whot they ore to do when moteriols
are being distributed or collected.
Students osk clorifying questions obout procedures.
7oking ottendonce is not fully routinized;
students ore idle while the teocher flls out the
attendance form.
4nd others.
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KEY HSD 000639
DOMAI N 2
47
There is little loss of instructional time due to effec-
tive classroom routines and procedures. The teachers
management of instructional groups and transitions,
or handling of materials and supplies, or both, are
consistently successful. With minimal guidance and
prompting, students follow established classroom
routines.
Sludehls are produclively ehgaged durihg small-
group or independent work.
Trahsiliohs belweeh large- ahd small-group
activities are smooth.
Roulihes Ior dislribulioh ahd colleclioh oI
materials and supplies work efciently.
Classroom roulihes Iuhclioh smoolhly.
ln smoll-group work, students hove estoblished
roles; they listen to one onother, summorizing
different views, etc.
Students move directly between lorge- ond smoll-
group activities.
Students get storted on on octivity while the teocher
takes attendance.
7he teocher hos on estoblished timing device, such
os counting down, to signol students to return to
their desks.
7he teocher hos on estoblished ottention signol,
such as raising a hand or dimming the lights.
0ne member of eoch smoll group collects moteriols
for the table.
7here is on estoblished color-coded system
indicating where materials should be stored.
Cleonup ot the end of o lesson is fost ond effcient.
4nd others.
Instructional time is maximized due to efcient
and seamless classroom routines and procedures.
Students take initiative in the management of instruc-
tional groups and transitions, and/or the handling of
materials and supplies. Routines are well understood
and may be initiated by students.
Wilh mihimal promplihg by lhe leacher, sludehls
ensure that their time is used productively.
Sludehls lake ihilialive ih dislribulihg ahd
collecting materials efciently.
Sludehls lhemselves ehsure lhal lrahsiliohs ahd
other routines are accomplished smoothly.
Students redirect clossmotes in smoll groups not
working directly with the teocher to be more
effcient in their work.
4 student reminds clossmotes of the roles thot
they ore to ploy within the group.
4 student redirects o clossmote to the toble he
should be at following a transition.
Students propose on improved ottention signol.
Students independently check themselves into
class on the attendance board.
4nd others.
KEY HSD 000640
48
KEY HSD 000641
DOMAI N 2
49
2d MANAGI NG STUDENT BEHAVI OR
In order for students to be able to engage deeply with content, the classroom environment must be
orderly; the atmosphere must feel business-like and productive, without being authoritarian. In a
productive classroom, standards of conduct are clear to students; they know what they are permit-
ted to do and what they can expect of their classmates. Even when their behavior is being corrected,
students feel respected; their dignity is not undermined. Skilled teachers regard positive student
behavior not as an end in itself, but as a prerequisite to high levels of engagement in content.
Expectations
It is clear, either from what the teacher says, or by inference from student actions, that expectations
for student conduct have been established and that they are being implemented.
Monitoring of student behavior
Experienced teachers seem to have eyes in the backs of their heads; they are attuned to whats
happening in the classroom and can move subtly to help students, when necessary, re-engage with
the content being addressed in the lesson. At a high level, such monitoring is preventive and subtle,
which may make it challenging to observe.
Response to student misbehavior
Even experienced teachers nd that their students occasionally violate one or another of the
agreed-upon standards of conduct; how the teacher responds to such infractions is an important
mark of the teachers skill. Accomplished teachers try to understand why students are conduct-
ing themselves in such a manner (are they unsure of the content? are they trying to impress their
friends?) and respond in a way that respects the dignity of the student. The best responses are
those that address misbehavior early in an episode, although doing so is not always possible.
Indicators include:
Clear slahdards oI cohducl, possibly posled, ahd possibly reIerred lo durihg a lessoh
Absehce oI acrimohy belweeh leacher ahd sludehls cohcerhihg behavior
Teacher awarehess oI sludehl cohducl
Prevehlive aclioh wheh heeded by lhe leacher
Absehce oI misbehavior
ReihIorcemehl oI posilive behavior
KEY HSD 000642
50 50
2d MANACI NC STUDENT BEHAvI 0R
There appear to be no established standards of con-
duct, or students challenge them. There is little or no
teacher monitoring of student behavior, and response
to students misbehavior is repressive or disrespectful
of student dignity.
The classroom ehvirohmehl is chaolic, wilh ho
standards of conduct evident.
The leacher does hol mohilor sludehl behavior.
Some sludehls disrupl lhe classroom, wilhoul
apparent teacher awareness or with an
ineffective response.
Students ore tolking omong themselves, with no
ottempt by the teocher to silence them.
4n object fies through the oir, opporently without
the teocher's notice.
Students ore running oround the room, resulting in
chaos.
Students use their phones ond other electronic
devices; the teocher doesn't ottempt to stop them.
4nd others.
BASI C L Ev EL 2
Standards of conduct appear to have been estab-
lished, but their implementation is inconsistent. The
teacher tries, with uneven results, to monitor student
behavior and respond to student misbehavior.
The leacher allempls lo maihlaih order ih lhe
classroom, referring to classroom rules, but with
uneven success.
The leacher allempls lo keep lrack oI sludehl
behavior, but with no apparent system.
The leacher's respohse lo sludehl misbehavior is
inconsistent: sometimes harsh, other times lenient.
Clossroom rules ore posted, but neither the teocher
nor the students refer to them.
7he teocher repeotedly osks students to toke their
seats; some ignore her.
7o one student: "Where's your lote poss? So to
the offce." 7o onother: "ou don't hove o lote
poss? Come in ond toke your seot; you've missed
enough olreody."
4nd others.
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KEY HSD 000643
DOMAI N 2
51
Student behavior is generally appropriate. The teach-
er monitors student behavior against established
standards of conduct. Teacher response to student
misbehavior is consistent, proportionate, and respect-
ful to students and is effective.
Slahdards oI cohducl appear lo have beeh
established and implemented successfully.
0verall, sludehl behavior is geherally appropriale.
The leacher Irequehlly mohilors sludehl behavior.
The leacher's respohse lo sludehl misbehavior
is effective.
Upon o nonverbol signol from the teocher, students
correct their behavior.
7he teocher moves to every section of the clossroom,
keeping o close eye on student behovior.
7he teocher gives o student o "hord look," ond the
student stops talking to his neighbor.
4nd others.
Student behavior is entirely appropriate. Students
take an active role in monitoring their own behavior
and/or that of other students against standards of
conduct. Teacher monitoring of student behavior is
subtle and preventive. The teachers response to stu-
dent misbehavior is sensitive to individual student
needs and respects students dignity.
Sludehl behavior is ehlirely appropriale;
any student misbehavior is very minor and
swiftly handled.
The leacher silehlly ahd sublly mohilors
student behavior.
Sludehls respeclIully ihlervehe wilh classmales
at appropriate moments to ensure compliance
with standards of conduct.
4 student suggests o revision to one of the
classroom rules.
7he teocher notices thot some students ore tolking
among themselves and without a word moves
nearer to them; the talking stops.
7he teocher speoks privotely to o student obout
misbehavior.
4 student reminds her clossmotes of the closs rule
about chewing gum.
4nd others.
KEY HSD 000644
52
KEY HSD 000645
DOMAI N 2
53
2e ORGANI ZI NG PHYSI CAL SPACE
The use of the physical environment to promote student learning is a hallmark of an experienced
teacher. Its use varies, of course, with the age of the students: in a primary classroom, centers and
reading corners may structure class activities; while with older students, the position of chairs and
desks can facilitate, or inhibit, rich discussion. Naturally, classrooms must be safe (no dangling
wires or dangerous trafc patterns), and all students must be able to see and hear whats going
on so that they can participate actively. Both the teacher and students must make effective use of
electronics and other technology.
Safety and accessibility
Physical safety is a primary consideration of all teachers; no learning can occur if students are
unsafe or if they dont have access to the board or other learning resources.
Arrangement of furniture and use of physical resources
Both the physical arrangement of a classroom and the available resources provide opportunities
for teachers to advance learning; when these resources are used skillfully, students can engage
with the content in a productive manner. At the highest levels of performance, the students
themselves contribute to the use or adaptation of the physical environment.
Indicators include:
Pleasahl, ihvilihg almosphere
SaIe ehvirohmehl
Accessibilily Ior all sludehls
Furhilure arrahgemehl suilable Ior lhe learhihg aclivilies
EIIeclive use oI physical resources, ihcludihg compuler lechhology, by bolh
teacher and students
KEY HSD 000646
54 54
2e ORGANI ZI NG PHYSI CAL SPACE
The classroom environment is unsafe, or learning is not
accessible to many. There is poor alignment between
the arrangement of furniture and resources, including
computer technology, and the lesson activities.
There are physical hazards ih lhe classroom,
endangering student safety.
Mahy sludehls cah'l see or hear lhe leacher or
see the board.
Available lechhology is hol beihg used eveh iI il is
available and its use would enhance the lesson.
7here ore electricol cords running oround the
classroom.
7here is o pole in the middle of the room; some
students con't see the boord.
4 whiteboord is in the clossroom, but it is focing
the wall.
4nd others.
BASI C L Ev EL 2
The classroom is safe, and essential learning is acces-
sible to most students. The teacher makes modest use
of physical resources, including computer technology.
The teacher attempts to adjust the classroom furni-
ture for a lesson or, if necessary, to adjust the lesson to
the furniture, but with limited effectiveness.
The physical ehvirohmehl is saIe, ahd mosl
students can see and hear the teacher or
see the board.
The physical ehvirohmehl is hol ah impedimehl lo
learning but does not enhance it.
The leacher makes limiled use oI available
technology and other resources.
7he teocher ensures thot dongerous chemicols ore
stored sofely.
7he clossroom desks remoin in two semicircles,
requiring students to lean around their classmates
during smoll-group work.
7he teocher tries to use o computer to illustrote
a concept but requires several attempts to make
the demonstration work.
4nd others.
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KEY HSD 000647
DOMAI N 2
55
The classroom is safe, and students have equal ac-
cess to learning activities; the teacher ensures that the
furniture arrangement is appropriate to the learning
activities and uses physical resources, including com-
puter technology, effectively.
The classroom is saIe, ahd all sludehls are able
to see and hear the teacher or see the board.
The classroom is arrahged lo supporl lhe
instructional goals and learning activities.
The leacher makes appropriale use oI
available technology.
7here ore estoblished guidelines concerning where
backpacks are left during class to keep the
pothwoys cleor; students comply.
0esks ore moved together so thot students con work
in smoll groups, or desks ore moved into o circle for
a class discussion.
7he use of on lnternet connection extends the lesson.
4nd others.
The classroom environment is safe, and learning
is accessible to all students, including those with
special needs. The teacher makes effective use of
physical resources, including computer technology.
The teacher ensures that the physical arrangement
is appropriate to the learning activities. Students
contribute to the use or adaptation of the physical
environment to advance learning.
ModiIcaliohs are made lo lhe physical
environment to accommodate students with
special needs.
There is lolal alighmehl belweeh lhe learhihg
activities and the physical environment.
Sludehls lake lhe ihilialive lo ad|usl lhe
physical environment.
The leacher ahd sludehls make exlehsive ahd
imaginative use of available technology.
Students osk if they con shift the furniture to
better suit smoll-group work or discussion.
4 student closes the door to shut out noise in the
corridor or lowers a blind to block the sun from a
clossmote's eyes.
4 student suggests on opplicotion of the
whiteboord for on octivity.
4nd others.
KEY HSD 000648
56
D0MAI N 3 I NSTRUCTI 0N
KEY HSD 000649
I NST R UCT I ON
DOMA I N 3
KEY HSD 000650
58
KEY HSD 000651
DOMAI N 3
59
3a COMMUNI CATI NG WI TH STUDENTS
Teachers communicate with students for several independent, but related, purposes. First, they con-
vey that teaching and learning are purposeful activities; they make that purpose clear to students.
They also provide clear directions for classroom activities so that students know what to do; when
additional help is appropriate, teachers model these activities. When teachers present concepts and
information, they make those presentations with accuracy, clarity, and imagination, using precise,
academic language; where amplication is important to the lesson, skilled teachers embellish their
explanations with analogies or metaphors, linking them to students interests and prior knowledge.
Teachers occasionally withhold information from students (for example, in an inquiry science lesson)
to encourage them to think on their own, but what information they do convey is accurate and reects
deep understanding of the content. And teachers use of language is vivid, rich, and error free, afford-
ing the opportunity for students to hear language used well and to extend their own vocabularies.
Teachers present complex concepts in ways that provide scaffolding and access to students.
Expectations for learning
The goals for learning are communicated clearly to students. Even if the goals are not conveyed
at the outset of a lesson (for example, in an inquiry science lesson), by the end of the lesson
students are clear about what they have been learning.
Directions for activities
Students understand what they are expected to do during a lesson, particularly if students are
working independently or with classmates, without direct teacher supervision. These directions
for the lessons activities may be provided orally, in writing, or in some combination of the two,
with modeling by the teacher, if it is appropriate.
Explanations of content
Skilled teachers, when explaining concepts and strategies to students, use vivid language and
imaginative analogies and metaphors, connecting explanations to students interests and lives
beyond school. The explanations are clear, with appropriate scaffolding, and, where appropriate,
anticipate possible student misconceptions. These teachers invite students to be engaged intellec-
tually and to formulate hypotheses regarding the concepts or strategies being presented.
Use of oral and written language
For many students, their teachers use of language represents their best model of both accurate
syntax and a rich vocabulary; these models enable students to emulate such language, making
their own more precise and expressive. Skilled teachers seize on opportunities both to use precise,
academic vocabulary and to explain their use of it.
Indicators include:
Clarily oI lessoh purpose
Clear direcliohs ahd procedures speciIc lo lhe lessoh aclivilies
Absehce oI cohlehl errors ahd clear explahaliohs oI cohcepls ahd slralegies
Correcl ahd imagihalive use oI lahguage
KEY HSD 000652
60 60 60
3a COMMUNI CATI NG WI TH STUDENTS
The instructional purpose of the lesson is unclear
to students, and the directions and procedures are
confusing. The teachers explanation of the content
contains major errors and does not include any expla-
nation of strategies students might use. The teachers
spoken or written language contains errors of gram-
mar or syntax. The teachers academic vocabulary is
inappropriate, vague, or used incorrectly, leaving stu-
dents confused.
Al ho lime durihg lhe lessoh does lhe leacher
convey to students what they will be learning.
Sludehls ihdicale lhrough body lahguage or
questions that they dont understand the content
being presented.
The leacher makes a serious cohlehl error lhal will
affect students understanding of the lesson.
Sludehls ihdicale lhrough lheir quesliohs lhal
they are confused about the learning task.
The leacher's commuhicaliohs ihclude errors oI
vocabulary or usage or imprecise use of academic
language.
The leacher's vocabulary is ihappropriale lo lhe
age or culture of the students.
4 student osks, "Whot ore we supposed to be
doing? but the teacher ignores the question.
7he teocher stotes thot to odd froctions they must
have the same numerator.
Students hove o quizzicol look on their foces; some
moy withdrow from the lesson.
Students become disruptive or tolk omong
themselves in an effort to follow the lesson.
7he teocher uses technicol terms without exploining
their meanings.
7he teocher soys "oin't."
4nd others.
BASI C L Ev EL 2
The teachers attempt to explain the instructional
purpose has only limited success, and/or directions
and procedures must be claried after initial student
confusion. The teachers explanation of the content
may contain minor errors; some portions are clear,
others difcult to follow. The teachers explanation
does not invite students to engage intellectually or to
understand strategies they might use when working
independently. The teachers spoken language is cor-
rect but uses vocabulary that is either limited or not
fully appropriate to the students ages or backgrounds.
The teacher rarely takes opportunities to explain aca-
demic vocabulary.
The leacher provides lillle elaboralioh or
explanation about what the students will be learning.
The leacher's explahalioh oI lhe cohlehl cohsisls
of a monologue, with minimal participation or
intellectual engagement by students.
The leacher makes ho serious cohlehl errors bul
may make minor ones.
The leacher's explahaliohs oI cohlehl are purely
procedural, with no indication of how students
can think strategically.
The leacher musl clariIy lhe learhihg lask so
students can complete it.
The leacher's vocabulary ahd usage are correcl
but unimaginative.
Wheh lhe leacher allempls lo explaih academic
vocabulary, it is only partially successful.
The leacher's vocabulary is loo advahced, or loo
juvenile, for students.
7he teocher mispronounces "."
7he teocher soys, "4nd oh, by the woy, todoy we're
going to foctor polynomiols."
4 student osks, "Whot ore we supposed to be
doing?" ond the teocher clorifes the tosk.
4 student osks, "Whot do l write here?" in order to
complete a task.
7he teocher soys, "Wotch me while l show you how
to ," osking students only to listen.
4 number of students do not seem to be following
the explanation.
Students ore inottentive during the teocher's
explanation of content.
Students' use of ocodemic vocobulory is imprecise.
4nd others.
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KEY HSD 000653
DOMAI N 3
61
The instructional purpose of the lesson is clearly com-
municated to students, including where it is situated
within broader learning; directions and procedures are
explained clearly and may be modeled. The teachers
explanation of content is scaffolded, clear, and ac-
curate and connects with students knowledge and
experience. During the explanation of content, the
teacher focuses, as appropriate, on strategies students
can use when working independently and invites stu-
dent intellectual engagement. The teachers spoken
and written language is clear and correct and is suit-
able to students ages and interests. The teachers use
of academic vocabulary is precise and serves to extend
student understanding.
The leacher slales clearly, al some poihl durihg
the lesson, what the students will be learning.
The leacher's explahalioh oI cohlehl is clear ahd
invites student participation and thinking.
The leacher makes ho cohlehl errors.
The leacher describes speciIc slralegies sludehls
might use, inviting students to interpret them in
the context of what theyre learning.
Sludehls ehgage wilh lhe learhihg lask, ihdicalihg
that they understand what they are to do.
II appropriale, lhe leacher models lhe process lo
be followed in the task.
The leacher's vocabulary ahd usage are correcl
and entirely suited to the lesson, including, where
appropriate, explanations of academic vocabulary.
The leacher's vocabulary is appropriale lo
students ages and levels of development.
7he teocher soys, "By the end of todoy's lesson
you're oll going to be oble to foctor different types of
polynomiols."
ln the course of o presentotion of content, the
teocher osks students, "Con onyone think of on
example of that?
7he teocher uses o boord or projection device for
task directions so that students can refer to it
without requiring the teocher's ottention.
7he teocher soys, "When you're trying to solve o
moth problem like this, you might think of o similor,
but simpler, problem you've done in the post ond see
whether the same approach would work.
7he teocher exploins possive solor energy by inviting
students to think about the temperature in a closed
cor on o cold, but sunny, doy or obout the woter in o
hose that has been sitting in the sun.
7he teocher uses o venn diogrom to illustrote the
distinctions between o republic ond o democrocy.
4nd others.
The teacher links the instructional purpose of the
lesson to the larger curriculum; the directions and
procedures are clear and anticipate possible stu-
dent misunderstanding. The teachers explanation of
content is thorough and clear, developing conceptual
understanding through clear scaffolding and con-
necting with students interests. Students contribute
to extending the content by explaining concepts to
their classmates and suggesting strategies that might
be used. The teachers spoken and written language
is expressive, and the teacher nds opportunities to
extend students vocabularies, both within the disci-
pline and for more general use. Students contribute to
the correct use of academic vocabulary.
II asked, sludehls are able lo explaih whal lhey
are learning and where it ts into the larger
curriculum context.
The leacher explaihs cohlehl clearly ahd
imaginatively, using metaphors and analogies to
bring content to life.
The leacher poihls oul possible areas Ior
misunderstanding.
The leacher ihviles sludehls lo explaih lhe
content to their classmates.
Sludehls suggesl olher slralegies lhey mighl use
in approaching a challenge or analysis.
The leacher uses rich lahguage, oIIerihg brieI
vocabulary lessons where appropriate, both for
general vocabulary and for the discipline.
Sludehls use academic lahguage correclly.
7he teocher soys, "ere's o spot where some
students hove diffculty; be sure to reod it corefully."
7he teocher osks o student to exploin the tosk to
other students.
When clorifcotion obout the leorning tosk is
needed, o student offers it to clossmotes.
7he teocher, in exploining the westword movement
in U.S. history, invites students to consider thot
historical period from the point of view of the
Notive Peoples.
7he teocher osks, "Who would like to exploin this
idea to us?
4 student osks, "ls this onother woy we could think
about analogies?
4 student exploins on ocodemic term to clossmotes.
7he teocher pouses during on explonotion of the
civil rights movement to remind students that the
prefx in- os in inequality means not and that the
prefx un- olso meons the some thing.
4 student soys to o clossmote, "l think thot side of
the triangle is called the hypotenuse.
4nd others.
KEY HSD 000654
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KEY HSD 000655
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3b USI NG QUESTI ONI NG AND DI SCUSSI ON TECHNI QUES
0uesliohihg ahd discussioh are lhe ohly ihslrucliohal slralegies speciIcally reIerred lo ih lhe
Framework for Teaching, a decision that reects their central importance to teachers practice. In
the Framework it is important that questioning and discussion be used as techniques to deepen
student understanding rather than serve as recitation, or a verbal quiz. Good teachers use diver-
gent as well as convergent questions, framed in such a way that they invite students to formulate
hypotheses, make connections, or challenge previously held views. Students responses to ques-
tions are valued; effective teachers are especially adept at responding to and building on student
responses and making use of their ideas. High-quality questions encourage students to make con-
nections among concepts or events previously believed to be unrelated and to arrive at new under-
standings of complex material. Effective teachers also pose questions for which they do not know
the answers. Even when a question has a limited number of correct responses, the question, being
nonformulaic, is likely to promote student thinking.
Class discussions are animated, engaging all students in important issues and promoting the use
of precise language to deepen and extend their understanding. These discussions may be based
around questions formulated by the students themselves. Furthermore, when a teacher is building
on student responses to questions (whether posed by the teacher or by other students), students
are challenged to explain their thinking and to cite specic text or other evidence (for example,
from a scientic experiment) to back up a position. This focus on argumentation forms the founda-
tion of logical reasoning, a critical skill in all disciplines.
Not all questions must be at a high cognitive level in order for a teachers performance to be rated
at a high level; that is, when exploring a topic, a teacher might begin with a series of questions of
low cognitive challenge to provide a review, or to ensure that everyone in the class is on board.
Furthermore, if questions are at a high level, but only a few students participate in the discussion,
the teachers performance on the component cannot be judged to be at a high level. In addition,
during lessons involving students in small-group work, the quality of the students questions and
discussion in their small groups may be considered as part of this component. In order for students
to formulate high-level questions, they must have learned how to do so. Therefore, high-level ques-
tions from students, either in the full class or in small-group discussions, provide evidence that
these skills have been taught.
KEY HSD 000656
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0ualily oI quesliohs/prompls
Questions of high quality cause students to think and reect, to deepen their understanding,
and to test their ideas against those of their classmates. When teachers ask questions of high
quality, they ask only a few of them and provide students with sufcient time to think about their
responses, to reect on the comments of their classmates, and to deepen their understanding.
Occasionally, for the purposes of review, teachers ask students a series of (usually low-level)
questions in a type of verbal quiz. This technique may be helpful for the purpose of establishing
the facts of a historical event, for example, but should not be confused with the use of question-
ing to deepen students understanding.
Discussion techniques
Effective teachers promote learning through discussion. A foundational skill that students learn
through engaging in discussion is that of explaining and justifying their reasoning and conclusions,
based on specic evidence. Teachers skilled in the use of questioning and discussion techniques
challenge students to examine their premises, to build a logical argument, and to critique the
arguments of others. Some teachers report, We discussed x, when what they mean is I said x.
That is, some teachers confuse discussion with explanation of content; as important as that is,
its not discussion. Rather, in a true discussion a teacher poses a question and invites all students
views to be heard, enabling students to engage in discussion directly with one another, not always
mediated by the teacher. Furthermore, in conducting discussions, skilled teachers build further
questions on student responses and insist that students examine their premises, build a logical
argument, and critique the arguments of others.
Student participation
In some classes a few students tend to dominate the discussion; other students, recognizing
this pattern, hold back their contributions. The skilled teacher uses a range of techniques to
encourage all students to contribute to the discussion and enlists the assistance of students
to ensure this outcome.
KEY HSD 000657
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Indicators include:
0uesliohs oI high coghilive challehge, Iormulaled by bolh sludehls ahd leacher
0uesliohs wilh mulliple correcl ahswers or mulliple approaches, eveh wheh lhere is a
single correct response
EIIeclive use oI sludehl respohses ahd ideas
Discussioh, wilh lhe leacher sleppihg oul oI lhe cehlral, medialihg role
Focus oh lhe reasohihg exhibiled by sludehls ih discussioh, bolh ih give-ahd-lake
with the teacher and with their classmates
High levels oI sludehl parlicipalioh ih discussioh
KEY HSD 000658
66 66 66
3b USI NC 0UESTI 0NI NC AND DI SCUSSI 0N TECHNI 0UES
The teachers questions are of low cognitive chal-
lenge, with single correct responses, and are asked
in rapid succession. Interaction between the teacher
and students is predominantly recitation style, with
the teacher mediating all questions and answers; the
teacher accepts all contributions without asking stu-
dents to explain their reasoning. Only a few students
participate in the discussion.
0uesliohs are rapid-Ire ahd cohvergehl, wilh a
single correct answer.
0uesliohs do hol ihvile sludehl lhihkihg.
All discussioh is belweeh lhe leacher ahd
students; students are not invited to speak directly
to one another.
The leacher does hol ask sludehls lo explaih lheir
thinking.
0hly a Iew sludehls domihale lhe discussioh.
4ll questions ore of the "recitotion" type, such os
"Whot is 3 x 4?"
7he teocher osks o question for which the onswer is
on the boord; students respond by reoding it.
7he teocher colls only on students who hove their
hands up.
4 student responds to o question with wrong
informotion, ond the teocher doesn't follow up.
4nd others.
BASI C L Ev EL 2
The teachers questions lead students through a single
path of inquiry, with answers seemingly determined in
advance. Alternatively, the teacher attempts to ask
some questions designed to engage students in think-
ing, but only a few students are involved. The teacher
attempts to engage all students in the discussion, to
encourage them to respond to one another, and to ex-
plain their thinking, with uneven results.
The leacher Irames some quesliohs desighed lo
promote student thinking, but many have a single
correct answer, and the teacher calls on students
quickly.
The leacher ihviles sludehls lo respohd direclly lo
one anothers ideas, but few students respond.
The leacher calls oh mahy sludehls, bul ohly a
small number actually participate in the discussion.
The leacher asks sludehls lo explaih lheir
reasoning, but only some students attempt to do so.
Mony questions ore of the "recitotion" type, such
os "ow mony members of the ouse of
Representatives are there?
7he teocher osks, "Who hos on ideo obout this?"
The usual three students offer comments.
7he teocher osks, "Morio, con you comment on lon's
ideo?" but Morio does not respond or mokes o
comment directly to the teocher.
7he teocher osks o student to exploin his
reosoning for why 13 is o prime number but does
not follow up when the student falters.
4nd others.
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While the teacher may use some low-level questions,
he poses questions designed to promote student think-
ing and understanding. The teacher creates a genuine
discussion among students, providing adequate time
for students to respond and stepping aside when do-
ing so is appropriate. The teacher challenges students
to justify their thinking and successfully engages most
students in the discussion, employing a range of strate-
gies to ensure that most students are heard.
The leacher uses opeh-ehded quesliohs,
inviting students to think and/or offer multiple
possible answers.
The leacher makes eIIeclive use oI wail lime.
Discussiohs ehable sludehls lo lalk lo ohe aholher
without ongoing mediation by teacher.
The leacher calls oh mosl sludehls, eveh lhose
who dont initially volunteer.
Mahy sludehls aclively ehgage ih lhe discussioh.
The leacher asks sludehls lo |usliIy lheir
reasoning, and most attempt to do so.
7he teocher osks, "Whot might hove hoppened if
the colonists had not prevailed in the American war
for independence?
7he teocher uses the plurol form in osking questions,
such os "Whot ore some things you think might
contribute to ________?
7he teocher osks, "Morio, con you comment on lon's
ideo?" ond Morio responds directly to lon.
7he teocher poses o question, osking every
student to write a brief response and then share it
with o portner, before inviting o few to offer their
ideas to the entire class.
7he teocher osks students when they hove
formuloted on onswer to the question "Why do you
think uck Finn did ?" to fnd the reoson in
the text and to explain their thinking to a neighbor.
4nd others.
The teacher uses a variety or series of questions or
prompts to challenge students cognitively, advance
high-level thinking and discourse, and promote
metacognition. Students formulate many questions,
initiate topics, challenge one anothers thinking, and
make unsolicited contributions. Students themselves
ensure that all voices are heard in the discussion.
Sludehls ihiliale higher-order quesliohs.
The leacher builds oh ahd uses sludehl respohses
to questions in order to deepen student
understanding.
Sludehls exlehd lhe discussioh, ehrichihg il.
Sludehls ihvile commehls Irom lheir classmales
during a discussion and challenge one anothers
thinking.
virlually all sludehls are ehgaged ih lhe
discussion.
4 student osks, "ow mony woys ore there to get
this answer?
4 student soys to o clossmote, "l don't think l ogree
with you on this, becouse."
4 student osks of other students, "0oes onyone
hove onother ideo how we might fgure this out?"
4 student osks, "Whot if.?"
4nd others.
KEY HSD 000660
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KEY HSD 000661
DOMAI N 3
69
3c ENGAGI NG STUDENTS I N LEARNI NG
Student engagement in learning is the centerpiece of the Framework for Teaching; all other compo-
nents contribute to it. When students are engaged in learning, they are not merely busy, nor are they
only on task. Rather, they are intellectually active in learning important and challenging content.
The critical distinction between a classroom in which students are compliant and busy, and one in
which they are engaged, is that in the latter students are developing their understanding through
what they do. That is, they are engaged in discussion, debate, answering what if? questions, dis-
covering patterns, and the like. They may be selecting their work from a range of (teacher-arranged)
choices, and making important contributions to the intellectual life of the class. Such activities dont
typically consume an entire lesson, but they are essential components of engagement.
A lesson in which students are engaged usually has a discernible structure: a beginning, a middle,
and an end, with scaffolding provided by the teacher or by the activities themselves. Student tasks
are organized to provide cognitive challenge, and then students are encouraged to reect on what
they have done and what they have learned. That is, the lesson has closure, in which teachers en-
courage students to derive the important learning from the learning tasks, from the discussion, or
from what they have read. Critical questions for an observer in determining the degree of student
engagement are What are the students being asked to do? Does the learning task involve thinking?
Are students challenged to discern patterns or make predictions? If the answer to these ques-
tions is that students are, for example, lling in blanks on a worksheet or performing a rote proce-
dure, they are unlikely to be cognitively engaged.
In observing a lesson, it is essential not only to watch the teacher but also to pay close attention to
the students and what they are doing. The best evidence for student engagement is what students
are saying and doing as a consequence of what the teacher does, or has done, or has planned.
And while students may be physically active (e.g., using manipulative materials in mathematics or
making a map in social studies), it is not essential that they be involved in a hands-on manner; it is,
however, essential that they be challenged to be minds-on.
KEY HSD 000662
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Activities and assignments
The activities and assignments are the centerpiece of student engagement, since they deter-
mine what it is that students are asked to do. Activities and assignments that promote learning
require student thinking that emphasizes depth over breadth and encourage students to explain
their thinking.
Grouping of students
How students are grouped for instruction (whole class, small groups, pairs, individuals) is one of
the many decisions teachers make every day. There are many options; students of similar back-
ground and skill may be clustered together, or the more-advanced students may be spread around
into the different groups. Alternatively, a teacher might permit students to select their own groups,
or they could be formed randomly.
Instructional materials and resources
The instructional materials a teacher selects to use in the classroom can have an enormous
impact on students experience. Though some teachers are obliged to use a schools or districts
ofcially sanctioned materials, many teachers use these selectively or supplement them with
others of their choosing that are better suited to engaging students in deep learningfor example,
the use of primary source materials in social studies.
Structure and pacing
No one, whether an adult or a student, likes to be either bored or rushed in completing a task.
Keeping things moving, within a well-dened structure, is one of the marks of an experienced
teacher. And since much of student learning results from their reection on what they have done, a
well-designed lesson includes time for reection and closure.
KEY HSD 000663
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Indicators include:
Sludehl ehlhusiasm, ihleresl, lhihkihg, problem solvihg, elc.
Learhihg lasks lhal require high-level sludehl lhihkihg ahd ihvile sludehls lo explaih
their thinking
Sludehls highly molivaled lo work oh all lasks ahd persislehl eveh wheh lhe lasks are
challenging
Sludehls aclively "workihg," ralher lhah walchihg while lheir leacher "works"
Suilable pacihg oI lhe lessoh: heilher dragged oul hor rushed, wilh lime Ior closure
and student reection
KEY HSD 000664
72 72 72
3c ENGAGI NG STUDENTS I N LEARNI NG
The learning tasks/activities, materials, and resources
are poorly aligned with the instructional outcomes, or
require only rote responses, with only one approach
possible. The groupings of students are unsuitable to
the activities. The lesson has no clearly dened struc-
ture, or the pace of the lesson is too slow or rushed.
Few sludehls are ihlelleclually ehgaged ih lhe lessoh.
Learhihg lasks/aclivilies ahd malerials require
only recall or have a single correct response or
method.
Ihslrucliohal malerials used are uhsuilable lo lhe
lesson and/or the students.
The lessoh drags or is rushed.
0hly ohe lype oI ihslrucliohal group is used (whole
group, small groups) when variety would promote
more student engagement.
Most students disregord the ossignment given by
the teocher; it oppeors to be much too diffcult
for them.
Students fll out the lesson worksheet by copying
words from the board.
Students ore using moth monipulotive moteriols in o
rote octivity.
7he teocher lectures for 45 minutes.
Most students don't hove time to complete the
assignment; the teacher moves on in the lesson.
4nd others.
BASI C L Ev EL 2
The learning tasks and activities are partially aligned
with the instructional outcomes but require only
minimal thinking by students and little opportuni-
ty for them to explain their thinking, allowing most
students to be passive or merely compliant. The
groupings of students are moderately suitable to the
activities. The lesson has a recognizable structure;
however, the pacing of the lesson may not provide
students the time needed to be intellectually en-
gaged or may be so slow that many students have a
considerable amount of downtime.
Some sludehls are ihlelleclually ehgaged ih lhe
lesson.
Learhihg lasks are a mix oI lhose requirihg lhihkihg
and those requiring recall.
Sludehl ehgagemehl wilh lhe cohlehl is largely
passive; the learning consists primarily of facts
or procedures.
The malerials ahd resources are parlially alighed
to the lesson objectives.
Few oI lhe malerials ahd resources require
student thinking or ask students to explain
their thinking.
The pacihg oI lhe lessoh is uheveh-suilable ih
parts but rushed or dragging in others.
The ihslrucliohal groupihgs used are parlially
appropriate to the activities.
Students in only three of the fve smoll groups ore
fguring out on onswer to the ossigned problem; the
others seem to be unsure how they should proceed.
Students ore osked to fll in o worksheet, following
an established procedure.
7here is o recognizoble beginning, middle, ond end
to the lesson.
7he teocher lectures for 20 minutes ond provides
15 minutes for the students to write on essoy; not
all students are able to complete it.
4nd others.
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The learning tasks and activities are fully aligned with
the instructional outcomes and are designed to chal-
lenge student thinking, inviting students to make their
thinking visible. This technique results in active intel-
lectual engagement by most students with important
and challenging content and with teacher scaffolding
to support that engagement. The groupings of students
are suitable to the activities. The lesson has a clearly
dened structure, and the pacing of the lesson is ap-
propriate, providing most students the time needed to
be intellectually engaged.
Mosl sludehls are ihlelleclually ehgaged ih
the lesson.
Mosl learhihg lasks have mulliple correcl
responses or approaches and/or encourage
higher-order thinking.
Sludehls are ihviled lo explaih lheir lhihkihg
as part of completing tasks.
Malerials ahd resources supporl lhe learhihg
goals and require intellectual engagement,
as appropriate.
The pacihg oI lhe lessoh provides sludehls lhe
time needed to be intellectually engaged.
The leacher uses groupihgs lhal are suilable lo
the lesson activities.
Five students (out of 2Z hove fnished on ossignment
eorly ond begin tolking omong themselves; the
teocher ossigns o follow-up octivity.
Students ore osked to formulote o hypothesis obout
whot might hoppen if the 4mericon voting system
allowed for the direct election of presidents and to
explain their reasoning.
Students ore given o tosk to do independently, then
to discuss with o toble group, followed by o reporting
from each table.
Students ore osked to creote different representotions
of o lorge number using o voriety of monipulotive
materials.
7he lesson is neither rushed nor does it drog.
4nd others.
virlually all sludehls are ihlelleclually ehgaged ih
challenging content through well-designed learning
tasks and activities that require complex thinking
by students. The teacher provides suitable scaffold-
ing and challenges students to explain their thinking.
There is evidence of some student initiation of inquiry
and student contributions to the exploration of im-
portant content; students may serve as resources for
one another. The lesson has a clearly dened struc-
ture, and the pacing of the lesson provides students
the time needed not only to intellectually engage with
and reect upon their learning but also to consolidate
their understanding.
virlually all sludehls are ihlelleclually ehgaged
in the lesson.
Lessoh aclivilies require high-level sludehl
thinking and explanations of their thinking.
Sludehls lake ihilialive lo improve lhe lessoh
by (1) modifying a learning task to make it more
meaningful or relevant to their needs,
(2) suggesting modications to the grouping
patterns used, and/or (3) suggesting
modications or additions to the materials
being used.
Sludehls have ah opporluhily Ior reIeclioh ahd
closure on the lesson to consolidate their
understanding.
Students ore osked to write on essoy in the style of
emmingwoy ond to describe which ospects of his
style they hove incorporoted.
Students determine which of severol tools-e.g., o
protroctor, spreodsheet, or grophing colculotor-
would be most suitable to solve a math problem.
4 student osks whether they might remoin in their
small groups to complete another section of the
octivity, rother thon work independently.
Students identify or creote their own leorning
materials.
Students summorize their leorning from the lesson.
4nd others.
KEY HSD 000666
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KEY HSD 000667
DOMAI N 3
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3d USI NG ASSESSMENT I N I NSTRUCTI ON
Assessment of student learning plays an important new role in teaching: no longer signaling the end
of instruction, it is now recognized to be an integral part of instruction. While assessment of learning
has always been and will continue to be an important aspect of teaching (its important for teachers
to know whether students have learned what teachers intend), assessment for learning has increas-
ingly come to play an important role in classroom practice. And in order to assess student learning
for the purposes of instruction, teachers must have a nger on the pulse of a lesson, monitoring
student understanding and, where feedback is appropriate, offering it to students.
A teachers actions in monitoring student learning, while they may supercially look the same as
those used in monitoring student behavior, have a fundamentally different purpose. When monitor-
ing behavior, teachers are alert to students who may be passing notes or bothering their neighbors;
when monitoring student learning, teachers look carefully at what students are writing, or listen
carefully to the questions students ask, in order to gauge whether they require additional activity
or explanation to grasp the content. In each case, the teacher may be circulating in the room, but
his or her purpose in doing so is quite different in the two situations.
Similarly, on the surface, questions asked of students for the purpose of monitoring learning are
fundamentally different from those used to build understanding; in the former, the questions seek
to reveal students misconceptions, whereas in the latter the questions are designed to explore re-
lationships or deepen understanding. Indeed, for the purpose of monitoring, many teachers create
questions specically to elicit the extent of student understanding and use additional techniques
(such as exit tickets) to determine the degree of understanding of every student in the class. Teachers
at high levels of performance in this component, then, demonstrate the ability to encourage students
and actually teach them the necessary skills of monitoring their own learning against clear standards.
But as important as monitoring student learning and providing feedback to students are, however, they
are greatly strengthened by a teachers skill in making mid-course corrections when needed, seizing on
a teachable moment, or enlisting students particular interests to enrich an explanation.
KEY HSD 000668
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Assessment criteria
It is essential that students know the criteria for assessment. At its highest level, students
themselves have had a hand in articulating the criteria (for example, of a clear oral presentation).
Monitoring of student learning
A teachers skill in eliciting evidence of student understanding is one of the true marks of expertise.
This is not a hit-or-miss effort, but is planned carefully in advance. Even after planning carefully,
however, a teacher must weave monitoring of student learning seamlessly into the lesson, using a
variety of techniques.
Feedback to students
Feedback on learning is an essential element of a rich instructional environment; without it,
students are constantly guessing at how they are doing and at how their work can be improved.
Valuable feedback must be timely, constructive, and substantive and must provide students the
guidance they need to improve their performance.
Student self-assessment and monitoring of progress
The culmination of students assumption of responsibility for their learning is when they
monitor their own learning and take appropriate action. Of course, they can do these things
only if the criteria for learning are clear and if they have been taught the skills of checking their
work against clear criteria.
KEY HSD 000669
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Indicators include:
The leacher payihg close allehlioh lo evidehce oI sludehl uhderslahdihg
The leacher posihg speciIcally crealed quesliohs lo elicil evidehce oI sludehl
understanding
The leacher circulalihg lo mohilor sludehl learhihg ahd lo oIIer Ieedback
Sludehls assessihg lheir owh work agaihsl eslablished crileria
KEY HSD 000670
78 78 78
3d USI NG ASSESSMENT I N I NSTRUCTI ON
Students do not appear to be aware of the assess-
ment criteria, and there is little or no monitoring of
student learning; feedback is absent or of poor quality.
Students do not engage in self- or peer assessment.
The leacher gives ho ihdicalioh oI whal high-qualily
work looks like.
The leacher makes ho eIIorl lo delermihe whelher
students understand the lesson.
Sludehls receive ho Ieedback, or Ieedback is global or
directed to only one student.
The leacher does hol ask sludehls lo evaluale lheir
own or classmates work.
4 student osks, "ow is this ossignment going to
be graded?
4 student osks, "ls this the right woy to solve this
problem? but receives no information from the
teacher.
7he teocher forges oheod with o presentotion
without checking for understanding.
4fter the students present their reseorch on
globolizotion, the teocher tells them their letter
grade; when students ask how he arrived at the
grode, the teocher responds, "4fter oll these yeors in
educotion, l just know whot grode to give."
4nd others.
BASI C L Ev EL 2
Students appear to be only partially aware of the as-
sessment criteria, and the teacher monitors student
learhihg Ior lhe class as a whole. 0uesliohs ahd as-
sessments are rarely used to diagnose evidence of
learning. Feedback to students is general, and few
students assess their own work.
There is lillle evidehce lhal lhe sludehls
understand how their work will be evaluated.
The leacher mohilors uhderslahdihg lhrough a
single method, or without eliciting evidence of
understanding from students.
Feedback lo sludehls is vague ahd hol oriehled
toward future improvement of work.
The leacher makes ohly mihor allempls lo ehgage
students in self- or peer assessment.
7he teocher osks, "0oes onyone hove o question?
When o student completes o problem on the boord,
the teocher corrects the student's work without
exploining why.
7he teocher soys, "Sood job, everyone."
7he teocher, ofter receiving o correct response
from one student, continues without oscertoining
whether other students understand the concept.
7he students receive their tests bock; eoch one is
simply morked with o letter grode ot the top.
4nd others.
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KEY HSD 000671
DOMAI N 3
79
Students appear to be aware of the assessment cri-
teria, and the teacher monitors student learning for
groups oI sludehls. 0uesliohs ahd assessmehls are
regularly used to diagnose evidence of learning. Teacher
feedback to groups of students is accurate and specif-
ic; some students engage in self-assessment.
The leacher makes lhe slahdards oI high-qualily
work clear to students.
The leacher elicils evidehce oI sludehl
understanding.
Sludehls are ihviled lo assess lheir owh work ahd
make improvements; most of them do so.
Feedback ihcludes speciIc ahd limely guidahce,
at least for groups of students.
7he teocher circulotes during smoll-group or
independent work, offering suggestions to students.
7he teocher uses specifcolly formuloted questions
to elicit evidence of student understanding.
7he teocher osks students to look over their popers
to correct their errors; most of them engage in
this task.
4nd others.
Assessment is fully integrated into instruction,
through extensive use of formative assessment.
Students appear to be aware of, and there is some
evidence that they have contributed to, the assess-
mehl crileria. 0uesliohs ahd assessmehls are used
regularly to diagnose evidence of learning by indi-
vidual students. A variety of forms of feedback, from
both teacher and peers, is accurate and specic and
advances learning. Students self-assess and monitor
their own progress. The teacher successfully differ-
entiates instruction to address individual students
misunderstandings.
Sludehls ihdicale lhal lhey clearly uhderslahd
the characteristics of high-quality work, and
there is evidence that students have helped
establish the evaluation criteria.
The leacher is cohslahlly "lakihg lhe pulse" oI
the class; monitoring of student understanding
is sophisticated and continuous and makes use
of strategies to elicit information about individual
student understanding.
Sludehls mohilor lheir owh uhderslahdihg, eilher
on their own initiative or as a result of tasks set
by the teacher.
High-qualily Ieedback comes Irom mahy sources,
including students; it is specic and focused on
improvement.
7he teocher reminds students of the chorocteristics
of high-quolity work, observing thot the students
themselves helped develop them.
While students ore working, the teocher circulotes,
providing specifc feedbock to individuol students.
7he teocher uses popsicle sticks or exit tickets to
elicit evidence of individual student understanding.
Students offer feedbock to their clossmotes on
their work.
Students evoluote o piece of their writing ogoinst
the writing rubric and confer with the teacher
about how it could be improved.
4nd others.
KEY HSD 000672
80
KEY HSD 000673
DOMAI N 3
81
3e DEMONSTRATING FLEXIBILITY AND RESPONSIVENESS
Flexibility and responsiveness refer to a teachers skill in making adjustments in a lesson to re-
spond to changing conditions. When a lesson is well planned, there may be no need for changes
during the course of the lesson itself. Shifting the approach in midstream is not always necessary; in
fact, with experience comes skill in accurately predicting how a lesson will go and being prepared for
different possible scenarios. But even the most skilled, and best prepared, teachers will occasion-
ally nd either that a lesson is not proceeding as they would like or that a teachable moment has
presented itself. They are ready for such situations. Furthermore, teachers who are committed to the
learning of all students persist in their attempts to engage them in learning, even when confronted
with initial setbacks.
Lesson adjustment
Experienced teachers are able to make both minor and (at times) major adjustments to a lesson, or
mid-course corrections. Such adjustments depend on a teachers store of alternate instructional
strategies and the condence to make a shift when needed.
Response to students
Occasionally during a lesson, an unexpected event will occur that presents a true teachable
moment. It is a mark of considerable teacher skill to be able to capitalize on such opportunities.
Persistence
Committed teachers dont give up easily; when students encounter difculty in learning (which
all do at some point), these teachers seek alternate approaches to help their students be suc-
cessful. In these efforts, teachers display a keen sense of efcacy.
Indicators include:
Ihcorporalioh oI sludehls' ihleresls ahd daily evehls ihlo a lessoh
The leacher ad|uslihg ihslruclioh ih respohse lo evidehce oI sludehl
understanding (or lack of it)
The leacher seizihg oh a leachable momehl
KEY HSD 000674
82
3e DEM0NSTRATI NC FLEXI BI LI TY AND RESP0NSI vENESS
The teacher ignores students questions; when stu-
dents have difculty learning, the teacher blames them
or their home environment for their lack of success. The
teacher makes no attempt to adjust the lesson even
when students dont understand the content.
The leacher ighores ihdicaliohs oI sludehl boredom
or lack of understanding.
The leacher brushes aside sludehls' quesliohs.
The leacher cohveys lo sludehls lhal wheh lhey have
difculty learning it is their fault.
Ih reIeclihg oh praclice, lhe leacher does hol ihdicale
that it is important to reach all students.
The leacher makes ho allempl lo ad|usl lhe lessoh ih
response to student confusion.
7he teocher soys, "We don't hove time for thot todoy."
7he teocher soys, "lf you'd just poy ottention, you
could understand this.
When o student osks the teocher to exploin o
mothemoticol procedure ogoin, the teocher soys,
"1ust do the homework ossignment; you'll get it then."
4nd others.
BASI C L Ev EL 2
The teacher accepts responsibility for the success
of all students but has only a limited repertoire of
strategies to use. Adjustment of the lesson in response
to assessment is minimal or ineffective.
The leacher makes perIuhclory allempls lo
incorporate students questions and interests
into the lesson.
The leacher cohveys lo sludehls a level oI
responsibility for their learning but also his
uncertainty about how to assist them.
Ih reIeclihg oh praclice, lhe leacher ihdicales
the desire to reach all students but does not
suggest strategies for doing so.
The leacher's allempls lo ad|usl lhe lessoh
are partially successful.
7he teocher soys, "l'll try to think of onother woy to
come ot this ond get bock to you."
7he teocher soys, "l reolize not everyone
understonds this, but we con't spend ony more
time on it.
7he teocher reorronges the woy the students ore
grouped in an attempt to help students understand
the lesson; the strotegy is portiolly successful.
4nd others.
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KEY HSD 000675
DOMAI N 3
83
The teacher successfully accommodates students
questions and interests. Drawing on a broad repertoire
of strategies, the teacher persists in seeking ap-
proaches for students who have difculty learning. If
impromptu measures are needed, the teacher makes a
minor adjustment to the lesson and does so smoothly.
The leacher ihcorporales sludehls' ihleresls
and questions into the heart of the lesson.
The leacher cohveys lo sludehls lhal she has
other approaches to try when the students
experience difculty.
Ih reIeclihg oh praclice, lhe leacher ciles
multiple approaches undertaken to reach
students having difculty.
Wheh improvisihg becomes hecessary, lhe
teacher makes adjustments to the lesson.
7he teocher soys, "7hot's on interesting ideo; let's
see how it fts."
7he teocher illustrotes o principle of good writing to
o student, using his interest in bosketboll os context.
7he teocher soys, "7his seems to be more diffcult
for you thon l expected; let's try this woy," ond then
uses another approach.
4nd others.
The teacher seizes an opportunity to enhance learn-
ing, building on a spontaneous event or students
interests, or successfully adjusts and differen-
tiates instruction to address individual student
misunderstandings. Using an extensive repertoire
of instructional strategies and soliciting additional
resources from the school or community, the teacher
persists in seeking effective approaches for students
who need help.
The leacher seizes oh a leachable momehl lo
enhance a lesson.
The leacher cohveys lo sludehls lhal she woh'l
consider a lesson nished until every student
understands and that she has a broad range of
approaches to use.
Ih reIeclihg oh praclice, lhe leacher cah cile olhers
in the school and beyond whom he has contacted
for assistance in reaching some students.
The leacher's ad|uslmehls lo lhe lessoh, wheh
they are needed, are designed to assist
individual students.
7he teocher stops o lesson midstreom ond soys,
"7his octivity doesn't seem to be working. ere's
onother woy l'd like you to try it."
7he teocher incorporotes the school's upcoming
championship game into an explanation of averages.
7he teocher soys, "lf we hove to come bock to this
tomorrow, we will; it's reolly importont thot you
understand it.
4nd others...
KEY HSD 000676
84
D0MAI N 4 PR0FESSI 0NAL RESP0NSI BI LI TI ES
KEY HSD 000677
P R OF E S S I ONA L R E S P ONS I B I L I T I E S
DOMA I N 4
KEY HSD 000678
86
KEY HSD 000679
DOMAI N 4
87
4a REFLECTI NG ON TEACHI NG
Reecting on teaching encompasses the teachers thinking that follows any instructional event, an
analysis of the many decisions made in both the planning and the implementation of a lesson. By con-
sidering these elements in light of the impact they had on student learning, teachers can determine
where to focus their efforts in making revisions and choose which aspects of the instruction they will
continue in future lessons. Teachers may reect on their practice through collegial conversations,
journal writing, examining student work, conversations with students, or simply thinking about their
teaching. Reecting with accuracy and specicity, as well as being able to use in future teaching
what has been learned, is an acquired skill; mentors, coaches, and supervisors can help teachers
acquire and develop the skill of reecting on teaching through supportive and deep questioning. Over
time, this way of thinking both reectively and self-critically and of analyzing instruction through the
lens of student learningwhether excellent, adequate, or inadequatebecomes a habit of mind,
leading to improvement in teaching and learning.
Accuracy
As teachers gain experience, their reflections on practice become more accurate, correspond-
ing to the assessments that would be given by an external and unbiased observer. Not only
are the reflections accurate, but teachers can provide specific examples from the lesson to
support their judgments.
Use in future teaching
If the potential of reection to improve teaching is to be fully realized, teachers must use their
reections to make adjustments in their practice. As their experience and expertise increases,
teachers draw on an ever-increasing repertoire of strategies to inform these adjustments..
Indicators include:
Accurale reIecliohs oh a lessoh
Cilalioh oI ad|uslmehls lo praclice lhal draw oh a reperloire oI slralegies
KEY HSD 000680
88 88 88 88
4a REFLECTI NG ON TEACHI NG
The teacher does not know whether a lesson was ef-
fective or achieved its instructional outcomes, or the
teacher profoundly misjudges the success of a lesson.
The teacher has no suggestions for how a lesson could
be improved.
The leacher cohsiders lhe lessoh bul draws
incorrect conclusions about its effectiveness.
The leacher makes ho suggesliohs Ior
improvement.
0espite evidence to the controry, the teocher soys,
"My students did greot on thot lesson!"
7he teocher soys, "7hot wos owful; l wish l knew
whot to do!"
4nd others.
BASI C L Ev EL 2
The teacher has a generally accurate impression
of a lessons effectiveness and the extent to which
instructional outcomes were met. The teacher makes
general suggestions about how a lesson could
be improved.
The leacher has a geheral sehse oI whelher or
not instructional practices were effective.
The leacher oIIers geheral modiIcaliohs Ior
future instruction.
4t the end of the lesson, the teocher soys, "l guess
thot went okoy."
7he teocher soys, "l guess l'll try next time."
4nd others.
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KEY HSD 000681
DOMAI N 4
89
The teacher makes an accurate assessment of a
lessons effectiveness and the extent to which it
achieved its instructional outcomes and can cite
general references to support the judgment. The
teacher makes a few specific suggestions of what
could be tried another time the lesson is taught.
The leacher accuralely assesses lhe
effectiveness of instructional activities used.
The leacher idehliIes speciIc ways ih which a
lesson might be improved.
7he teocher soys, "l wosn't pleosed with the level
of engagement of the students.
7he teocher's journol indicotes severol possible
lesson improvements.
4nd others.
The teacher makes a thoughtful and accurate as-
sessment of a lessons effectiveness and the extent
to which it achieved its instructional outcomes, cit-
ing many specific examples from the lesson and
weighing the relative strengths of each. Drawing on
an extensive repertoire of skills, the teacher offers
specific alternative actions, complete with the prob-
able success of different courses of action.
The leacher's assessmehl oI lhe lessoh is
thoughtful and includes specic indicators
of effectiveness.
The leacher's suggesliohs Ior improvemehl draw oh
an extensive repertoire.
7he teocher soys, "l think thot lesson worked pretty
well, olthough l wos disoppointed in how the group
at the back table performed.
ln conversotion with colleogues, the teocher
considers strategies for grouping students
differently to improve o lesson.
4nd others.
KEY HSD 000682
90
KEY HSD 000683
DOMAI N 4
91
4b MAI NTAI NI NG ACCURATE RECORDS
An essential responsibility of professional educators is keeping accurate records of both instruc-
tional and noninstructional events. These include student completion of assignments, student prog-
ress in learning, and noninstructional activities that are part of the day-to-day functions in a school
setting, such as the return of signed permission slips for a eld trip and money for school pictures.
Prociency in this component is vital because these records inform interactions with students and
parents and allow teachers to monitor learning and adjust instruction accordingly. The methods
of keeping records vary as much as the type of information being recorded. For example, teachers
may keep records of formal assessments electronically, using spreadsheets and databases, which
allow for item analysis and individualized instruction. A less formal means of keeping track of
student progress may include anecdotal notes that are kept in student folders.
Student completion of assignments
Most teachers, particularly at the secondary level, need to keep track of student completion of
assignments, including not only whether the assignments were actually completed but also
students success in completing them.
Student progress in learning
In order to plan instruction, teachers need to know where each student is in his or her learning.
This information may be collected formally or informally but must be updated frequently.
Noninstructional records
Noninstructional records encompass all the details of school life for which records must be main-
tained, particularly if they involve money. Examples include tracking which students have returned
their permission slips for a eld trip or which students have paid for their school pictures.
Indicators include:
Roulihes ahd syslems lhal lrack sludehl complelioh oI assighmehls
Syslems oI ihIormalioh regardihg sludehl progress agaihsl ihslrucliohal oulcomes
Processes oI maihlaihihg accurale hohihslrucliohal records
KEY HSD 000684
92 92 92 92
4b MAI NTAI NI NG ACCURATE RECORDS
The teachers system for maintaining information
on student completion of assignments and student
progress in learning is nonexistent or in disarray. The
teachers records for noninstructional activities are in
disarray, the result being errors and confusion.
There is ho syslem Ior eilher ihslrucliohal or
noninstructional records.
Record-keepihg syslems are ih disarray ahd provide
incorrect or confusing information.
4 student soys, "l'm sure l turned in thot ossignment,
but the teocher lost it!"
7he teocher soys, "l misploced the writing somples
for my closs, but it doesn't motter-l know whot the
students would have scored.
0n the morning of the feld trip, the teocher
discovers thot fve students never turned in their
permission slips.
4nd others.
BASI C L Ev EL 2
The teachers system for maintaining information
on student completion of assignments and student
progress in learning is rudimentary and only partially
effective. The teachers records for noninstructional
activities are adequate but inefcient and, unless given
frequent oversight by the teacher, prone to errors.
The leacher has a process Ior recordihg
student work completion. However, it may be
out of date or may not permit students to access
the information.
The leacher's process Ior lrackihg sludehl
progress is cumbersome to use.
The leacher has a process Ior lrackihg some, bul
not all, noninstructional information, and it may
contain some errors.
4 student soys, "l wosn't in school todoy, ond my
teocher's website is out of dote, so l don't know
whot the ossignments ore!"
7he teocher soys, "l've got oll these notes obout
how the kids are doing; I should put them into the
system, but l just don't hove time."
0n the morning of the feld trip, the teocher
fronticolly seorches oll the drowers in the desk
looking for the permission slips ond fnds them
just before the bell rings.
4nd others.
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KEY HSD 000685
DOMAI N 4
93
The teachers system for maintaining information on
student completion of assignments, student progress in
learning, and noninstructional records is fully effective.
The leacher's process Ior recordihg complelioh oI
student work is efcient and effective; students
have access to information about completed
and/or missing assignments.
The leacher has ah eIIciehl ahd eIIeclive process
for recording student attainment of learning goals;
students are able to see how theyre progressing.
The leacher's process Ior recordihg
noninstructional information is both efcient
and effective.
0n the closs website, the teocher creotes o link
thot students con occess to check on ony missing
assignments.
7he teocher's grodebook records student progress
toward learning goals.
7he teocher creotes o spreodsheet for trocking
which students have paid for their school pictures.
4nd others.
The teachers system for maintaining information on
student completion of assignments, student prog-
ress in learning, and noninstructional records is
fully effective. Students contribute information and
participate in maintaining the records.
Sludehls cohlribule lo ahd maihlaih records
indicating completed and outstanding work
assignments.
Sludehls cohlribule lo ahd maihlaih dala Iles
indicating their own progress in learning.
Sludehls cohlribule lo maihlaihihg
noninstructional records for the class.
4 student from eoch teom mointoins the dotobose
of current and missing assignments for the team.
When osked obout her progress in o closs, o
student proudly shows her portfolio of work ond
can explain how the documents indicate her
progress toward learning goals.
When they bring in their permission slips for o
feld trip, students odd their own informotion
to the database.
4nd others.
KEY HSD 000686
94
KEY HSD 000687
DOMAI N 4
95
4c COMMUNI CATI NG WI TH FAMI LI ES
Although the ability of families to participate in their childs learning varies widely because of other
family or job obligations, it is the responsibility of teachers to provide opportunities for them to
understand both the instructional program and their childs progress. Teachers establish relation-
ships with families by communicating to them about the instructional program, conferring with
them about individual students, and inviting them to be part of the educational process itself. The
level of family participation and involvement tends to be greater at the elementary level, when
young children are just beginning school. However, the importance of regular communication with
families of adolescents cannot be overstated. A teachers effort to communicate with families
conveys the teachers essential caring, valued by families of students of all ages.
Information about the instructional program
The teacher frequently provides information to families about the instructional program.
Information about individual students
The teacher frequently provides information to families about students individual progress.
Engagement of families in the instructional program
The teacher frequently and successfully offers engagement opportunities to families so that
they can participate in the learning activities.
Indicators include:
Frequehl ahd cullurally appropriale ihIormalioh sehl home regardihg lhe ihslrucliohal
program and student progress
Two-way commuhicalioh belweeh lhe leacher ahd Iamilies
Frequehl opporluhilies Ior Iamilies lo ehgage ih lhe learhihg process
KEY HSD 000688
96 96 96 96
4c COMMUNI CATI NG WI TH FAMI LI ES
The teacher provides little information about the
instructional program to families; the teachers com-
munication about students progress is minimal. The
teacher does not respond, or responds insensitively,
to parental concerns.
Lillle or ho ihIormalioh regardihg lhe ihslrucliohal
program is available to parents.
Families are uhaware oI lheir childreh's progress.
Family ehgagemehl aclivilies are lackihg.
There is some cullurally ihappropriale
communication.
4 porent soys, "l'd like to know whot my kid is
working on at school.
4 porent soys, "l wish l could know something
obout my child's progress before the report
card comes out.
4 porent soys, "l wonder why we never see ony
schoolwork come home.
4nd others.
BASI C L Ev EL 2
The teacher makes sporadic attempts to communi-
cate with families about the instructional program and
about the progress of individual students but does not
attempt to engage families in the instructional pro-
gram. Moreover, the communication that does take
place may not be culturally sensitive to those families.
School- or dislricl-crealed malerials aboul lhe
instructional program are sent home.
The leacher sehds home ihIrequehl or ihcomplele
information about the instructional program.
The leacher maihlaihs a school-required
gradebook but does little else to inform families
about student progress.
Some oI lhe leacher's commuhicaliohs are
inappropriate to families cultural norms.
4 porent soys, "l received the district pomphlet
on the reoding progrom, but l wonder how it's being
tought in my child's closs."
4 porent soys, "l emoiled the teocher obout my
child's struggles with moth, but oll l got bock wos o
note soying thot he's doing fne."
7he teocher sends home weekly quizzes for porent
or guardian signature.
4nd others.
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KEY HSD 000689
DOMAI N 4
97
The teacher provides frequent and appropriate infor-
mation to families about the instructional program
and conveys information about individual student
progress in a culturally sensitive manner. The teach-
er makes some attempts to engage families in the
instructional program.
The leacher regularly makes ihIormalioh aboul lhe
instructional program available.
The leacher regularly sehds home ihIormalioh
about student progress.
The leacher develops aclivilies desighed lo
engage families successfully and appropriately in
their childrens learning.
Mosl oI lhe leacher's commuhicaliohs are
appropriate to families cultural norms.
7he teocher sends o weekly newsletter home to
fomilies thot describe current closs octivities,
community ond/or school projects, feld trips, etc.
7he teocher creotes o monthly progress report,
which is sent home for each student.
7he teocher sends home o project thot osks
students to interview o fomily member obout
growing up during the 1950s.
4nd others.
The teacher communicates frequently with fami-
lies in a culturally sensitive manner, with students
contributing to the communication. The teacher
responds to family concerns with professional and
cultural sensitivity. The teachers efforts to engage
families in the instructional program are frequent
and successful.
Sludehls regularly develop malerials lo ihIorm
their families about the instructional program.
Sludehls maihlaih accurale records aboul lheir
individual learning progress and frequently share
this information with families.
Sludehls cohlribule lo regular ahd ohgoihg
projects designed to engage families in the
learning process.
All oI lhe leacher's commuhicaliohs are highly
sensitive to families cultural norms.
Students creote moteriols for Bock-to-School
Night thot outline the opprooch for leorning science.
Eoch student's doily refection log describes whot
she or he is leorning, ond the log goes home eoch
week for review by o porent or guordion.
Students design o project on chorting their fomily's
use of plastics.
4nd others.
KEY HSD 000690
98
KEY HSD 000691
DOMAI N 4
99
4d PARTI CI PATI NG I N THE PROFESSI ONAL COMMUNI TY
Schools are, rst of all, environments to promote the learning of students. But in promoting student
learning, teachers must work with their colleagues to share strategies, plan joint efforts, and plan for
the success of individual students. Schools are, in other words, professional organizations for teach-
ers, with their full potential realized only when teachers regard themselves as members of a profes-
sional community. This community is characterized by mutual support and respect, as well as by
recognition of the responsibility of all teachers to be constantly seeking ways to improve their prac-
tice and to contribute to the life of the school. Inevitably, teachers duties extend beyond the doors of
their classrooms and include activities related to the entire school or larger district, or both. These
activities include such things as school and district curriculum committees or engagement with the
parent-teacher organization. With experience, teachers assume leadership roles in these activities.
Relationships with colleagues
Teachers maintain professional collegial relationships that encourage sharing, planning,
and working together toward improved instructional skill and student success.
Involvement in a culture of professional inquiry
Teachers contribute to and participate in a learning community that supports and respects
its members efforts to improve practice.
Service to the school
Teachers efforts move beyond classroom duties by contributing to school initiatives and projects.
Participation in school and district projects
Teachers contribute to and support larger school and district projects designed to improve the
professional community.
Indicators include:
Regular leacher parlicipalioh wilh colleagues lo share ahd plah Ior sludehl success
Regular leacher parlicipalioh ih proIessiohal courses or commuhilies lhal emphasize
improving practice
Regular leacher parlicipalioh ih school ihilialives
Regular leacher parlicipalioh ih ahd supporl oI commuhily ihilialives
KEY HSD 000692
100 100 100 100
4d PARTI CI PATI NG I N THE PROFESSI ONAL COMMUNI TY
The teachers relationships with colleagues are
negative or self-serving. The teacher avoids partici-
pation in a professional culture of inquiry, resisting
opportunities to become involved. The teacher avoids
becoming involved in school events or school and
district projects.
The leacher's relaliohships wilh colleagues are
characterized by negativity or combativeness.
The leacher purposeIully avoids cohlribulihg lo
activities promoting professional inquiry.
The leacher avoids ihvolvemehl ih school aclivilies
and district and community projects.
7he teocher doesn't shore test-toking strotegies
with his colleogues. e fgures thot if his students
do well, he will look good.
7he teocher does not ottend PLC meetings.
7he teocher does not ottend ony school functions
after the dismissal bell.
7he teocher soys, "l work from 8:30 to 3:30 ond not
o minute more. l won't serve on ony district
committee unless they get me o substitute to cover
my closs."
4nd others.
BASI C L Ev EL 2
The teacher maintains cordial relationships with col-
leagues to fulll duties that the school or district
requires. The teacher participates in the schools cul-
ture of professional inquiry when invited to do so. The
teacher participates in school events and school and
district projects when specically asked.
The leacher has cordial relaliohships
with colleagues.
Wheh ihviled, lhe leacher parlicipales ih aclivilies
related to professional inquiry.
Wheh asked, lhe leacher parlicipales ih
school activities, as well as district and
community projects.
7he teocher is polite but seldom shores ony
instructional materials with his grade partners.
7he teocher ottends PLC meetings only when
reminded by her supervisor.
7he principol soys, "l wish l didn't hove to osk the
teocher to 'volunteer' every time we need someone
to chaperone the dance.
7he teocher contributes to the district literocy
committee only when requested to do so by the
principal.
4nd others.
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KEY HSD 000693
DOMAI N 4
101
The teachers relationships with colleagues are char-
acterized by mutual support and cooperation; the
teacher actively participates in a culture of profes-
sional inquiry. The teacher volunteers to participate
in school events and in school and district projects,
making a substantial contribution.
The leacher has supporlive ahd collaboralive
relationships with colleagues.
The leacher regularly parlicipales ih aclivilies
related to professional inquiry.
The leacher Irequehlly voluhleers lo parlicipale
in school events and school district and
community projects.
7he principol remorks thot the teocher's students
hove been noticeobly successful since her teocher
team has been focusing on instructional strategies
during its meetings.
7he teocher hos decided to toke some free Ml7
courses online and to share his learning with
colleagues.
7he bosketboll cooch is usuolly willing to choperone
the ninth-grode donce becouse she knows oll of her
ployers will be there.
7he teocher enthusiosticolly represents the school
during the district social studies review and brings
his substontiol knowledge of U.S. history to the
course writing team.
4nd others.
The teachers relationships with colleagues are
characterized by mutual support and coopera-
tion, with the teacher taking initiative in assuming
leadership among the faculty. The teacher takes
a leadership role in promoting a culture of profes-
sional inquiry. The teacher volunteers to participate
in school events and district projects, making a sub-
stantial contribution and assuming a leadership role
in at least one aspect of school or district life.
The leacher lakes a leadership role ih promolihg
activities related to professional inquiry.
The leacher regularly cohlribules lo ahd leads
events that positively impact school life.
The leacher regularly cohlribules lo ahd leads
signicant district and community projects.
7he teocher leods the group of mentor teochers
ot school, which is devoted to supporting teochers
during their frst yeors of teoching.
7he teocher hosts o book study group thot
meets monthly; he guides the book choices so thot
the group can focus on topics that will enhance
their skills.
7he teocher leods the onnuol "0lympics" doy,
thereby involving the entire student body ond
foculty in othletic events.
7he teocher leods the district wellness committee,
and involves healthcare and nutrition specialists
from the community.
4nd others.
KEY HSD 000694
102
KEY HSD 000695
DOMAI N 4
103
4e GROWI NG AND DEVELOPI NG PROFESSI ONALLY
As in other professions, the complexity of teaching requires continued growth and development in
order for teachers to remain current. Continuing to stay informed and increasing their skills allows
teachers to become ever more effective and to exercise leadership among their colleagues. The
academic disciplines themselves evolve, and educators constantly rene their understanding of
how to engage students in learning; thus, growth in content, pedagogy, and information technology
are essential to good teaching. Networking with colleagues through such activities as joint plan-
ning, study groups, and lesson study provides opportunities for teachers to learn from one another.
These activities allow for job-embedded professional development. In addition, professional edu-
cators increase their effectiveness in the classroom by belonging to professional organizations,
reading professional journals, attending educational conferences, and taking university classes.
As they gain experience and expertise, educators nd ways to contribute to their colleagues and to
the profession.
Enhancement of content knowledge and pedagogical skill
Teachers remain current by taking courses, reading professional literature, and remaining
current on the evolution of thinking regarding instruction.
Receptivity to feedback from colleagues
Teachers actively pursue networks that provide collegial support and feedback.
Service to the profession
Teachers are active in professional organizations in order to enhance both their personal
practice and their ability to provide leadership and support to colleagues.
Indicators include:
Frequehl leacher allehdahce ih courses ahd workshops; regular academic readihg
Parlicipalioh ih learhihg helworks wilh colleagues; Ireely shared ihsighls
Parlicipalioh ih proIessiohal orgahizaliohs supporlihg academic ihquiry
KEY HSD 000696
104 104 104 104
4e CR0WI NC AND DEvEL0PI NC PR0FESSI 0NALLY
The teacher engages in no professional development
activities to enhance knowledge or skill. The teacher
resists feedback on teaching performance from either
supervisors or more experienced colleagues. The teach-
er makes no effort to share knowledge with others or to
assume professional responsibilities.
The leacher is hol ihvolved ih ahy aclivily lhal mighl
enhance knowledge or skill.
The leacher purposeIully resisls discussihg
performance with supervisors or colleagues.
The leacher ighores ihvilaliohs lo |oih proIessiohal
organizations or attend conferences.
7he teocher never tokes continuing educotion
courses, even though the credits would increose
his solory.
7he teocher endures the principol's onnuol
observotions in her clossroom, knowing thot if
she woits long enough, the principol will eventuolly
leove ond she will be oble to simply discord the
feedback form.
0espite teoching high school honors mothemotics,
the teocher declines to join NC7M becouse it costs
too much ond mokes too mony demonds on
members' time.
4nd others.
BASI C L Ev EL 2
The teacher participates to a limited extent in profes-
sional activities when they are convenient. The teacher
engages in a limited way with colleagues and super-
visors in professional conversation about practice,
including some feedback on teaching performance.
The teacher nds limited ways to assist other teach-
ers and contribute to the profession.
The leacher parlicipales ih proIessiohal aclivilies
when they are required or provided by the district.
The leacher reluclahlly accepls Ieedback Irom
supervisors and colleagues.
The leacher cohlribules ih a limiled Iashioh lo
professional organizations.
7he teocher politely ottends district workshops
ond professionol development doys but doesn't
make much use of the materials received.
7he teocher listens to his principol's feedbock ofter
o lesson but isn't sure thot the recommendotions
reolly opply in his situotion.
7he teocher joins the locol chopter of the 4mericon
Librory 4ssociotion becouse she might beneft from
the free books-but otherwise doesn't feel it's
worth much of her time.
4nd others.
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KEY HSD 000697
DOMAI N 4
105
The teacher seeks out opportunities for profes-
sional development to enhance content knowledge
and pedagogical skill. The teacher actively engages
with colleagues and supervisors in professional con-
versation about practice, including feedback about
practice. The teacher participates actively in assist-
ing other educators and looks for ways to contribute
to the profession.
The leacher seeks regular opporluhilies Ior
continued professional development.
The leacher welcomes colleagues ahd supervisors
into the classroom for the purposes of gaining
insight from their feedback.
The leacher aclively parlicipales ih orgahizaliohs
designed to contribute to the profession.
7he teocher eogerly ottends the district's optionol
summer workshops, knowing they provide o weolth
of instructionol strotegies he'll be oble to use during
the school yeor.
7he teocher enjoys her principol's weekly
wolk-through visits becouse they olwoys leod to o
voluoble informol discussion during lunch the next doy.
7he teocher joins o science educotion portnership
ond fnds thot it provides him occess to resources
for his clossroom thot truly beneft his students.
4nd others.
The teacher seeks out opportunities for professional
development and makes a systematic effort to con-
duct action research. The teacher solicits feedback
on practice from both supervisors and colleagues.
The teacher initiates important activities to contrib-
ute to the profession.
The leacher seeks regular opporluhilies Ior
continued professional development, including
initiating action research.
The leacher aclively seeks Ieedback Irom
supervisors and colleagues.
The leacher lakes ah aclive leadership role ih
professional organizations in order to contribute to
the profession.
7he teocher's principol rorely spends time
observing in her clossroom. 7herefore, she hos
initioted on oction reseorch project in order to
improve her own instruction.
7he teocher is working on o porticulor instructionol
strotegy ond osks his colleogues to observe in his
clossroom in order to provide objective feedbock on
his progress.
7he teocher hos founded o locol orgonizotion
devoted to literocy educotion; her leodership hos
inspired teochers in the community to work on
severol curriculum ond instruction projects.
4nd others.
KEY HSD 000698
106
KEY HSD 000699
DOMAI N 4
107
4f SHOWI NG PROFESSI ONALI SM
Expert teachers demonstrate professionalism in service both to students and to the profession.
Teaching at the highest levels of performance in this component is student focused, putting students
rst regardless of how this stance might challenge long-held assumptions, past practice, or simply
the easier or more convenient procedure. Accomplished teachers have a strong moral compass and
are guided by what is in the best interest of each student. They display professionalism in a number
of ways. For example, they conduct interactions with colleagues in a manner notable for honesty and
integrity. Furthermore, they know their students needs and can readily access resources with which
to step in and provide help that may extend beyond the classroom. Seeking greater exibility in the
ways school rules and policies are applied, expert teachers advocate for their students in ways that
might challenge traditional views and the educational establishment. They also display professional-
ism in the ways they approach problem solving and decision making, with student needs constantly
in mind. Finally, accomplished teachers consistently adhere to school and district policies and pro-
cedures but are willing to work to improve those that may be outdated or ineffective.
The elements of component 4f are:
Integrity and ethical conduct
Teachers act with integrity and honesty.
Service to students
Teachers put students rst in all considerations of their practice.
Advocacy
Teachers support their students best interests, even in the face of traditional practice or beliefs.
Decision making
Teachers solve problems with students needs as a priority.
Compliance with school and district regulations
Teachers adhere to policies and established procedures.
Indicators include:
The leacher havihg a repulalioh as beihg lruslworlhy ahd oIleh soughl as a
sounding board
The leacher Irequehlly remihdihg parlicipahls durihg commillee or plahhihg work
that students are the highest priority
The leacher supporlihg sludehls, eveh ih lhe Iace oI diIIcull silualiohs or
conicting policies
The leacher challehgihg exislihg praclice ih order lo pul sludehls Irsl
The leacher cohsislehlly IulIllihg dislricl mahdales regardihg policies ahd procedures
KEY HSD 000700
108 108 108 108
4f SHOWI NG PROFESSI ONALI SM
The teacher displays dishonesty in interactions with
colleagues, students, and the public. The teacher
is not alert to students needs and contributes to
school practices that result in some students being
ill served by the school. The teacher makes decisions
and recommendations that are based on self-serving
interests. The teacher does not comply with school
and district regulations.
The leacher is dishohesl.
The leacher does hol holice lhe heeds oI sludehls.
The leacher ehgages ih praclices lhal are
self-serving.
The leacher willIully re|ecls dislricl regulaliohs.
7he teocher mokes some errors when morking the
most recent common ossessment but doesn't tell
his colleagues.
7he teocher does not reolize thot three of her
neediest students arrive at school an hour
eorly every morning becouse their mothers con't
offord doycore.
7he teocher foils to notice thot one of his
kindergortners is often ill, looks molnourished, ond
frequently hos bruises on her orms ond legs.
When one of her colleogues goes home suddenly
becouse of illness, the teocher pretends to hove o
meeting so thot she won't hove to shore in the
coverage responsibilities.
7he teocher does not fle his students' writing
samples in their district cumulative folders; it is
time-consuming, ond he wonts to leove eorly for
summer break.
4nd others.
BASI C L Ev EL 2
The teacher is honest in interactions with colleagues,
students, and the public. The teachers attempts to
serve students are inconsistent, and unknowingly con-
tribute to some students being ill served by the school.
The teachers decisions and recommendations are
based on limited though genuinely professional consid-
erations. The teacher must be reminded by supervisors
about complying with school and district regulations.
The leacher is hohesl.
The leacher holices lhe heeds oI sludehls bul is
inconsistent in addressing them.
The leacher does hol holice lhal some school
practices result in poor conditions for students.
The leacher makes decisiohs proIessiohally bul oh
a limited basis.
The leacher complies wilh dislricl regulaliohs.
7he teocher soys, "l hove olwoys known my grode
portner to be truthful. lf she colled in sick todoy,
then I believe her.
7he teocher considers stoying lote to help some
of her students in ofter-school doycore but then
reolizes it would confict with her heolth club closs
and so decides against it.
7he teocher notices o student struggling in his
class and sends a quick email to the counselor.
When he doesn't get o response, he ossumes the
problem has been taken care of.
When the teocher's grode portner goes out on
moternity leove, the teocher soys "ello" ond
"Welcome" to the substitute but does not offer
ony further ossistonce.
7he teocher keeps his district-required grodebook
up to dote but enters exoctly the minimum number
of ossignments specifed by his deportment choir.
4nd others.
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KEY HSD 000701
DOMAI N 4
109
The teacher displays high standards of honesty,
integrity, and confidentiality in interactions with
colleagues, students, and the public. The teacher is
active in serving students, working to ensure that all
students receive a fair opportunity to succeed. The
teacher maintains an open mind in team or depart-
mental decision making. The teacher complies fully
with school and district regulations.
The leacher is hohesl ahd khowh Ior havihg
high standards of integrity.
The leacher aclively addresses sludehl heeds.
The leacher aclively works lo provide
opportunities for student success.
The leacher willihgly parlicipales ih leam ahd
departmental decision making.
The leacher complies complelely wilh
district regulations.
7he teocher is trusted by his grode portners; they
shore informotion with him, confdent it will not be
repeoted inoppropriotely.
0espite her lock of knowledge obout donce, the
teacher forms a dance club at her high school to
meet the high interest level of her students who
cannot afford lessons.
7he teocher notices some speech deloys in o few of
her young students; she colls in the speech
therapist to do a few sessions in her classroom and
provide feedback on further steps.
7he English deportment choir soys, "l oppreciote
when ottends our ofter-school meetings;
he olwoys contributes something meoningful to
the discussion.
7he teocher leorns the district's new online
curriculum mopping system ond writes in oll
of her courses.
4nd others.
The teacher can be counted on to hold the highest
standards of honesty, integrity, and confidential-
ity and takes a leadership role with colleagues. The
teacher is highly proactive in serving students, seek-
ing out resources when needed. The teacher makes
a concerted effort to challenge negative attitudes
or practices to ensure that all students, particularly
those traditionally underserved, are honored in the
school. The teacher takes a leadership role in team
or departmental decision making and helps ensure
that such decisions are based on the highest pro-
fessional standards. The teacher complies fully with
school and district regulations, taking a leadership
role with colleagues.
The leacher is cohsidered a leader ih lerms oI
honesty, integrity, and condentiality.
The leacher is highly proaclive ih servihg sludehls.
The leacher makes a cohcerled eIIorl lo ehsure
opportunities are available for all students to
be successful.
The leacher lakes a leadership role ih leam ahd
departmental decision making.
The leacher lakes a leadership role regardihg
district regulations.
When o young teocher hos trouble understonding
directions from the principol, she immediotely goes
to o more seosoned teocher-who, she knows, con
be relied on for expert advice and complete discretion.
4fter the school's intromurol bosketboll progrom is
discontinued, the teocher fnds some former
student athletes to come in and work with his
students, who hove come to love the ofter-school
sessions.
7he teocher enlists the help of her principol when
she reolizes thot o colleogue hos been moking
disparaging comments about some disadvantaged
students.
7he moth deportment looks forword to their weekly
meetings; their leoder, the teocher, is olwoys
seeking new instructional strategies and resources
for them to discuss.
When the district odopts o new Web-bosed groding
progrom, the teocher leorns it inside ond out so
that she will be able to assist her colleagues with
its implementation.
4nd others.
KEY HSD 000702
Key Points about the 2013 Edition
The framework for teaching document is an evolving instrument, but the core
concepts and architecture (domains, components, and elements) have remained
the same.
Major concepts of the Common Core State Standards are included. For
example, deep conceptual understanding, the importance of student
intellectual engagement, and the precise use of language have always been at
the foundation of the Framework for Teaching, but are more clearly articulated
in this edition.
The language has been tightened to increase ease of use and accuracy in
assessment.
Many of the enhancements to the Framework are located in the possible
examples, rather than in the rubric language or critical attributes for each level
of performance.
Charlotte Danielson, acclaimed
educator, continues to improve the language of
the Framework for Teaching Evaluation
Instrument in response to feedback from the
field. During the past year she has met with
teachers, supervisors, and researchers across
the country to learn from empirical studies and
theoretical research about current issues with
teacher evaluation systems and student
achievement.
Copyright 2013 The Danielson Group
KEY HSD 000703
Principal Evaluation Rubric Draft 07/17/12

Principal Effectiveness Instrument (07/17/12 Draft): Pennsylvania Department of Education, 2012 Page | 1

RUBRIC ASSESSMENT

Date: Principal Self-Assessment Evaluator Assessment

Domain 1: Strategic/Cultural Leadership

The school leader will systematically and collaboratively develop a positive culture to promote continuous student growth and staff development. The leader articulates and
models a clear vision of the schools culture that involves students, families, and staff.

1a: Creates an Organizational Vision, Mission, and Strategic Goals: The school leader plans strategically and creates an organizational vision, mission, and
goals around personalized student success that is aligned to LEA goals.
Failing Needs Improvement

Proficient Distinguished
Fails to satisfy the component as
defined.

Fails to develop a school wide vision,
mission, or strategic goals.

Fails to demonstrate the involvement of
staff and stakeholders in a strategic
process that leads to the development of
the schools vision, mission, and goals.

Develops school wide vision, mission,
and strategic goals based on his/her own
individual beliefs regarding future needs
of student performance, with limited
evidence of stakeholder involvement.

Implements a process that includes
stakeholders for developing a shared
vision and strategic goals for student
achievement that results in rigor and
relevance for students and staff.

Maintains a focus on the vision and
strategic goals throughout the school
year.

Ensures that staff incorporates the
schools vision, mission, and strategic
goals in their instructional plans to
assure that students achieve expected
outcomes.

and

Designs, initiates, and implements
collaborative processes to collect and
analyze data about the schools progress
for the periodic review and revision of
the schools vision, mission, and
strategic goals.

Systematically ensures that the schools
vision, mission, values, beliefs and goals
drive decisions that positively influence
the culture of the school.

KEY HSD 000704


1b: Uses Data for Informed Decision Making: The school leader analyzes and uses multiple data sources to drive effective decision-making.

Failing Needs Improvement Proficient Distinguished

defined.

Fails to demonstrate the ability to
analyze or use data to drive effective
decision-making.

Infrequently uses data and assessments
to monitor progress.

Exhibits the inability to develop the
capacity of staff and other stakeholders
to use data for decision-making.
Collects, analyzes, monitors, and uses
data systematically regarding the
schools progress in driving informed
decision-making for the attainment of
strategic goals and objectives.

Develops the capacity of staff and other
stakeholders to use data for decision-
making.
and

Activates and sustains a school wide
system for monitoring and evaluating
progress toward achieving school goals
and student outcomes.

Listens, evaluates, and considers staff
and other stakeholders input regarding
recommended activities and initiatives

1c: Builds a Collaborative and Empowering Work Environment: The school leader develops a culture of collaboration, distributive leadership, and
continuous improvement conducive to student learning and professional growth. The school leader empowers staff in the development and successful implementation of
initiatives that better serve students, staff, and the school.

Failing

Needs Improvement Proficient Distinguished
defined.

Fails to demonstrate the involvement of
staff and stakeholders in discussions and
decisions regarding school issues.
Frequently makes unilateral decisions
(uses distributive leadership
infrequently).

Inconsistently includes parents, families,
and the larger school community in the
decision-making processes.

Articulates the importance of building a
sense of empowerment among staff, but
only sporadically incorporates activities,
tools, and protocols to develop
empowerment among staff.
Creates a collaborative work
environment predicated upon cooperation
among and between students, parents,
staff, and the community.

Consistently engages in shared decision-
making and distributive leadership.

Actively models behaviors that promote a
sense of empowerment among staff and
stakeholders.

and

Empowers staff and other stakeholders
to assume responsibility for making
decisions regarding the school culture
and student achievement.

Establishes an environment where staff
and other stakeholders:

Select and implement effective
improvement strategies.
Assess and monitor progress
towards achieving the vision,
mission, and strategic goals.
Lead planning and monitoring
efforts.
KEY HSD 000705


1d: Leads Change Efforts for Continuous Improvement: The school leader systematically guides staff through the change process to positively impact the
culture and performance of the school.


defined.

Fails to identify the importance of the
change process with no provision for
positively impacting the culture and
performance of the school.

Articulates the importance of the change
process; however, when change occurs,
it is only through random processes.

Implements a change process to ensure
continuous school improvement.

and

Drives major initiatives that help
students become college and career
ready.

Systematically examines the status quo,
identifies beneficial changes, and leads
the change process to successful
completion.

1e: Celebrates Accomplishments and Acknowledges Failures: The school leader utilizes lessons from accomplishments and failures to positively impact the
culture and performance of the school.

Failing

defined.

Fails to utilize lessons from
accomplishments and failures to
positively impact the culture and

Inconsistently utilizes lessons from
accomplishments and failures to

Recognizes individual and collective
contributions in a systematic manner
toward attainment of strategic goals.

Utilizes failure as an opportunity to
improve school culture and student
performance.

and

Utilizes recognition, reward, and
advancement as a way to promote the
accomplishments of the school.

KEY HSD 000706


Domain 2: Systems Leadership

The school leader will ensure that the school has processes and systems in place for budgeting, staffing, problem solving, communicating expectations and scheduling that
result in organizing the work routines in the building. The school leader must efficiently, effectively, and safely manage the building to foster staff accountability and
student achievement.

2a: Leverages Human and Financial Resources: The school leader establishes systems for marshaling all available resources to better serve students, staff, and
the school.
Failing

defined.

Fails to systematically allocate human
and financial resources that support the
vision, mission, and strategic goals of
the school.

Utilizes systems for allocating human
and financial resources that are not
transparent.
Designs transparent systems to equitably
manage human and financial resources.

Ensures the strategic allocation and
equitable use of human and financial
resources to meet instructional goals and
support teacher needs.

and

Integrates school, LEA, and community
resources to maximize the efficiency of
school operations.

Uses data and feedback to assess the
success of funding and program
decisions.

KEY HSD 000707


2b: Ensures School Safety: The school leader ensures the development and implementation of a comprehensive safe schools plan that includes prevention,
intervention, crisis response, and recovery.


defined.

Fails to develop and implement a
comprehensive safe schools plan that
includes prevention, intervention, crisis
response, and recovery.

Lacks a process for reviewing/revising
the school safety plan.

Lacks a process to collect data on the
effectiveness of the school safety plan
that includes prevention, intervention,
crisis response, and recovery.
Reviews, analyzes and adjusts school
safety and discipline plans based on
school data, crisis feedback, and current
regulations/mandates.

Maintains and creates open
communication processes that allow for
proactive identification and intervention
of potential incidents.

Communicates to stakeholders regarding
safety issues in a clear, appropriate, and
timely manner.
and

Incorporates active involvement of
various safety agencies in the
development, implementation, and
evaluation of the comprehensive safe
schools plan.

2c: Complies with Federal, State, and LEA Mandates: The school leader designs protocols and processes in order to comply with federal, state and LEA
mandates.

Failing

defined.

Fails to comply with policies, mandates,
and contractual agreements in a timely
and/or complete manner.

Inconsistently complies with federal,
state, and LEA mandates and all
contractual agreements in a timely
and/or complete manner.
Designs protocols and processes in order
to comply with federal, state and LEA
mandates.

Consistently complies with federal,
state, and LEA mandates and all
contractual agreements in a timely and
complete manner.

and

Presents federal, state and LEA mandates
so that such mandates are viewed as an
opportunity for improvement within the
school.

Identifies opportunities for improvement
to develop programs derived from the
mandates.

Implements related programs supported
by the school community.

KEY HSD 000708


2d: Establishes and Implements Expectations for Students and Staff: The school leader establishes and implements clear expectations, structures, rules,
and procedures for students and staff.

Failing

defined.

Fails to establish clear expectations,
structures, rules, and procedures for
students and staff.

Utilizes only school rules and
procedures required by LEA
administration and/or school policy.

Inconsistently communicates and
enforces expectations, rules, and
procedures for students and staff.

Engages students and staff members in
developing expectations for learning and
improved performance.

Creates and revises rules and procedures
to maintain a safe and positive school
culture conducive to student learning.

Communicates and enforces clear
expectations, structures, and fair rules
and procedures for students and staff.

and

Empowers staff to monitor their own
performance and exceed school-wide
expectations.

Encourages students to monitor their
performance and strive to exceed
expectations set by their teachers, parents
and themselves.

2e: Communicates Effectively and Strategically: The school leader strategically designs and utilizes various forms of formal and informal communication with
all staff and stakeholders.

Failing

defined.

Fails to develop a coherent plan to
effectively communicate with all staff
and stakeholders.

Defines a communications plan for staff
and stakeholders; however, actual
communications lack purpose, clarity,
consistency, or regularity.

Designs and utilizes a system of open
communication that provides for the
timely, responsible sharing of
information to, from, and with staff and
stakeholders.

Provides information in various formats
in multiple ways through different
media in order to ensure communication
with staff and stakeholder
and

Ensures that staff and stakeholders are
aware of school goals for instruction and
achievement, activities used to meet
these goals, and progress toward meeting
these goals.

KEY HSD 000709


2f: Manages Conflict Constructively: The leader effectively and efficiently manages the complexity of human interactions and relationships, including those
among and between parents/guardians, students, and staff.

Failing

defined.

Fails to develop and implement conflict
management processes to manage the
complexity of human interactions and
relationships.

Inconsistently implements processes to
resolve problems and/or areas of conflict
within the school.

Interacts with students, staff and other
stakeholders primarily on an as needed
basis in order to defuse potentially
stressful situations.
Consistently resolves school-based
problems/conflicts in a fair, democratic
way.

Provides opportunities for affected
stakeholders (students, staff, and
parents) to express opinions and
discusses options to address discordant
issues.

Implements and reviews solutions that
address discordant issues.

and

Provides conflict management and
relationship building training for
students, staff, and other stakeholders.

Empowers students, staff, and others to
engage each other in relationship
building activities designed to avoid
conflict and maintain a positive school
culture.

Encourages staff and students to accept
responsibility for their own actions by
adhering to operational norms.

KEY HSD 000710


Domain 3: Leadership for Learning

The school leader assures a Standards Aligned System is in place to address the linkage of curriculum, instruction, assessment, and data on student learning and teacher
effectiveness based on research and best practices.

3a: Leads School Improvement Initiatives: The school leader develops, implements, monitors, and evaluates a School Improvement Plan that provides the
structure for the vision, goals, and changes necessary for improved student achievement.

Failing

defined.

Fails to develop a School Improvement
Plan that provides the structure for the
vision, goals, and changes necessary for
improved student achievement.

Develops a School Improvement Plan;
however, the plan lacks clear and
consistent processes and systems to
improve student achievement.

Develops a School Improvement Plan,
as well as establishes clear and
consistent processes and systems to:

Implement the School Improvement
Plan.
Monitor and evaluate progress
toward achieving school
improvement goals and student
outcomes.
Revise school improvement goals
and outcomes based on data
analysis.
and

Incorporates principles of continuous
improvement into a School
Improvement Plan, which positively
impacts the schools culture and exceeds
expectations of student achievement.

KEY HSD 000711


3b: Aligns Curricula, Instruction, and Assessments: The school leader ensures that the adopted curricula, instructional practices, and associated assessments
are implemented within a Standards Aligned System. Data are used to drive refinements to the system.

Failing

defined.

Fails to monitor that the LEAs curricula
are being implemented.

Fails to engage staff in curricula
planning and instruction.

Inconsistently monitors that the LEAs
curricula are implemented with fidelity
throughout the school.

Inconsistently engages staff in curricula
planning and instruction.

Consistently ensures that the LEAs
curricula are implemented with fidelity
throughout the school.

Aligns curricula with assessments and
instructional material.

Engages staff in curricula planning and
instruction based upon state and local
assessments.

Creates opportunities to collaboratively
use data/assessments to drive
instructional decisions and practices.

and

Engages staff to assesses curricula for
strengths and weaknesses.

Reports data and recommendations to
curriculum committee for refinement of
the LEAs curricula.

KEY HSD 000712

3c: Implements High Quality Instruction: The school leader monitors progress of teachers and staff. In addition, the school leader conducts formative and
summative assessments in measuring teacher effectiveness in order to ensure that rigorous, relevant, and appropriate instruction and learning experiences are delivered to
and for all students.

Failing

defined.

Fails to monitor the effectiveness of
professional staff in the domains of:

Planning and Preparation.
Classroom Environment.
Instruction.
Professional Responsibilities.

Inconsistently monitors the
effectiveness of and timely feedback to
professional staff in the domains of:

Instruction.
Professional Responsibilities.

Lacks participation in ongoing
professional development activities to
better monitor and coach the use of
effective instructional and assessment
practices.

Consistently monitors the effectiveness
of and timely feedback to professional
staff in the domains of:

Instruction.
Professional Responsibilities

Participates in professional development
activities, including inter-rater
reliability, to better monitor and coach
the use of effective instructional and
assessment practices.

and

Collaboratively works with staff
members to:

Identify professional development
needs based upon observation data.
Plan short and long term
professional development activities
to address identified needs based
upon observation data.
Monitor performance following
professional development to ensure
the application of lessons learned.

KEY HSD 000713


3d: Sets High Expectations for All Students: The school leader holds all staff accountable for setting and achieving rigorous performance goals for all students.

Failing

defined.

Fails to hold all staff accountable for
setting and achieving rigorous
performance goals for all students.

Inconsistently holds all staff
accountable for setting and achieving
rigorous performance goals for all
students.

Articulates a belief in high measureable
goals for all students and staff.

Leads school efforts to set and monitor
learning goals for all students and
establish safety nets for struggling
students.

Holds every staff member responsible
and accountable for ensuring that all
students achieve the rigorous outcomes
established for them.
and

Models high expectations for staff and
other stakeholders by systematically
pursuing performance goals for all
students.

3e: Maximizes Instructional Time: The school leader creates processes which protect teachers from disruption of instructional and preparation time.

Failing

defined.

Fails to protect teachers from disruption
of instructional and preparation time.

Sporadically permits interruptions to
instructional and planning time.

Implements processes and schedules in
a systematic manner to protect
instructional and planning time from
interruptions.

... and

Structures the school schedule to increase
opportunities for teachers to have
collaborative planning time.

Systematically monitors the effect of the
master schedule on collaborative
planning and student achievement.

KEY HSD 000714


Domain 4: Professional and Community Leadership

The school leader promotes the success of all students, the positive interactions among building stakeholders, and the professional growth of staff by acting with integrity,
fairness and in an ethical manner.

4a: Maximizes Parent and Community Involvement and Outreach: The school leader designs structures and processes which result in parent and
community engagement, support, and ownership for the school.

Failing

defined.

Fails to design structures and processes,
which result in a lack of parent and
community engagement, support, and
ownership for the school.
Efforts for community outreach do not
result in meaningful support for teaching
and learning.

Unilaterally designs structures and
processes that result in limited
involvement of parents and other
stakeholders.

Creates systems and engages parents/
guardians and all community
stakeholders in a shared responsibility
for student and school success reflecting
the communitys vision of the school.

Collaboratively works to establish a
culture that encourages and welcomes
families and community members and
seeks ways in which to engage them in
student learning.

and

Proactively develops relationships with
parents/guardians and the community so
as to develop good will and garner fiscal,
intellectual and human resources that
support specific aspects of the schools
learning agenda.

KEY HSD 000715


4b: Shows professionalism: The leader operates in a fair and equitable manner with personal and professional integrity.

Failing

defined.

Fails to display honesty in interactions
with students, staff, and stakeholders.

Fails to recognize student needs and
contributes to school practices that
result in some students being ill served.
Interacts honestly with students, staff,
and stakeholders, but attempts to serve
students are inconsistent.

Articulates and demonstrates a personal
and professional code of ethics (e.g.
AASA, NASSP, PAESSP).

Displays high standards of honesty,
integrity, and confidentiality in
interactions with students, staff, and
stakeholders.

Actively serves students to ensure that
all students receive a fair opportunity to
succeed.

and

Holds the highest standards of honesty,
integrity, and confidentiality.

Proactively serves students, seeking out
resources when needed.

Makes a concerted effort to challenge
negative attitudes or practices to ensure
that all students, particularly those
traditionally underserved, are honored in
the school.

4c: Supports Professional Growth: The school leader supports continuous professional growth of self and others through practice and inquiry.

Failing

defined.

Fails to identify professional growth
needs of self and others, which would

Implements professional development
inconsistently which is not aligned with
curricular, instructional, and assessment
needs.
Targets professional development
toward the improvement of learning
experiences, including quality of
classroom instruction and the ability of
teachers to meet the needs of all
students.

Plans and routinely participates in
professional development focused on
improving instructional programs and
practices.

and

Ensures that professional development
within the school is aligned with
curricular, instructional, and assessment
needs, while recognizing the unique
professional development needs of
individual staff members and self.

KEY HSD 000716

The following provides alignment to Legislative Categories and PIL Standards

Domain Component Alignment with Legislative
Categories
Alignment with the Pennsylvania
Inspired Leadership (PIL) Program
Domain 1:
Strategic/Cultural
Leadership

1a: Creates an Organizational Vision, Mission, and Strategic Goals Planning and Preparation Core Standards 1,3
Corollary Standard 3
1b: Uses Data for Informed Decision Making Planning and Preparation Core Standard 3
Corollary Standards 3, 6
1c: Builds a Collaborative and Empowering Work Environment School Environment
Delivery of Service
1d: Leads Change Efforts for Continuous Improvement Planning and Preparation
School Environment
Core Standard 1
Corollary Standards 1,2
1e: Celebrates Accomplishments and Acknowledges Failures School Environment
Delivery of Service
Domain 2:
Systems
Leadership

2a: Leverages Human and Financial Resources Planning and Preparation
Delivery of Service
Corollary Standards 2,3, 4
2b: Ensures School Safety Planning and Preparation
School Environment
Delivery of Service
Core Standard 3
2c: Complies with Federal, State, and LEA Mandates Planning and Preparation Corollary Standard 2
2d: Establishes and Implements Expectations for Students and Staff School Environment Corollary Standard 3
2e: Communicates Effectively and Strategically Planning and Preparation
School Environment
Core Standard 1
2f: Manages Conflict Constructively School Environment Corollary Standards 2, 3, 4
Domain 3:
Leadership for
Learning

3a: Leads School Improvement Initiatives: Planning and Preparation
Delivery of Service
Core Standard 1
Corollary Standards 1, 2, 3, 4
3b: Aligns Curricula, Instruction, and Assessments Planning and Preparation
Delivery of Service
Core Standards 2, 3
3c: Implements High Quality Instruction Planning and Preparation
Delivery of Service
Core Standard 3
Corollary Standards 1, 3, 6

3d: Sets High Expectations for All Students School Environment
Delivery of Service
Core Standards 1, 2, 3
3e: Maximizes Instructional Time Delivery of Service Core Standard 3
Corollary Standards 1, 2, 3
Domain 4:
Professional and
Community
Leadership

4a: Maximizes Parent and Community Involvement and Outreach Planning and Preparation
School Environment
Delivery of Service
Corollary Standards 2, 3, 4, 5
4b: Shows professionalism School Environment Corollary Standards 2, 4, 5
4c: Supports Professional Growth School Environment
Delivery of Service
Core Standard 2

KEY HSD 000717


The following documents were used as reference in the development of this document:

Colorado Department of Education. (November 2011). Rubric for Evaluating Colorados Principals and Assistant Principals. Denver, Co.

Danielson, C. (2011). Framework for Teaching Evaluation Instrument. The Danielson Group

Delaware Department of Education. (August 2008). Delaware Performance Appraisal System. Dover, DE.

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. (May 2008). Principal and Assistant Principal Evaluation Process. Raleigh, NC.

Pittsburgh Public Schools. (2009). Administrator Performance Standard Rubric Revised 09-10. Pittsburgh, PA.

State of Washington: Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (July 2011). Teacher and Principal Evaluation Pilot. Olympia, WA

Tennessee Department of Education. (September 2011). Tennessees Principal Evaluation System. Nashville, TN

KEY HSD 000718
Grade
K 4(20) 80 4(20) 80 4(20) 80 4(20) 80 4(20) 80
1 4(20) 80 4(20) 80 4(20) 80 4(20) 80 4(20) 80
2 4(20) 80 4(20) 80 4(20) 80 4(20) 80 4(20) 80
3 3(22) 66 4(22) 88 4(22) 88 4(22) 88 4(22) 88
4 3(22) 66 4(22) 88 4(22) 88 4(22) 88 4(22) 88
5 3(22) 66 4(22) 88 4(22) 88 4(22) 88 4(22) 88
6 2(22) 44 3(22) 66 4(22) 88 4(22) 88 4(22) 88
7 2(22) 44 3(22) 66 4(22) 88 4(22) 88 4(22) 88
8 2(22) 44 3(22) 66 4(22) 88 4(22) 88 4(22) 88
9 2(22) 44 3(22) 66 4(22) 88 4(22) 88 4(22) 88
10 3(22) 66 4(22) 88 4(22) 88 4(22) 88
11 4(22) 88 4(22) 88 4(22) 88
12 4(22) 88 4(22) 88
Total
Enrollment
STUDENT ENROLLMENT PROJECTIONS 2014 - 2019
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5
614 834 1032 1120 1120
KEY HSD 000719
KEY HSD 000720
KEY HSD 000721
KEY HSD 000722
KEY HSD 000723
KEY HSD 000724
KEY HSD 000725
KEY HSD 000726
KEY HSD 000727
KEY HSD 000728
KEY HSD 000729
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KEY HSD 000730
FormS ubmissions
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Form Name: S taterrnt of S upport
Date: 1 0/ 26/ 201 3
Date: Oc tober26, 201 3
Name: S hannon Kertze!
Ad d ress: 3 21 FolkstoneWay York, Pa1 7402
M essag e: DearB oaM of E d uc ation- Thisletteristoexpresssupport Key C haterS c hool, whic h will prav id eusaf ull,
c omprehensiv e K-1 2 sc hool in ourarea. B ased on theresearc h, webeliev ethisd ev elopmental, hand s-on, proJ ec t-based
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1 0/ 29/ 201 3 1 : 1 9 PM
KEY HSD 000731
FormS ubmissians
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Farm Name: S tatement of S upport
Date: 1 0/ 27/ 201 3
Date: 1 0-27-1 3
Name: S tephanf eHippman
Ac id ress: 224 Amity Road Dunc annon, PA1 7020
M essag e: DearS oard of E d uc ation- Thislet#eristoexpresssupport f arKey C harterS c hool, whic h will prov id eusaf ull,
c omp ehensiv eK-1 2 sc haol in ourarea. B ased on theresearc h, webeq ev ethisd ev elopmental, hand s-on, proj ec t-based
approac h will shawg reat ben tsE oall stud entsand prepareourc hild ren tobec areerand c olleg eread y . Wesupport Key
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Title: E ementary / E arly C hild hood Teac her
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1 0/ 29/ 201 3 1 : 1 9 PM
KEY HSD 000732
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FormS ubmissions
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Form Name: S tatement of S upport
Date: 1 0/ 28/ 201 3
Date: 1 0/ 28/ 201 3
Name: Ronaf d Troxell
Ad d ress: 3 722 Rutherf ord street, Harrisburg , PA
M essag e: DearB oard of E d uc ation- Thisleiteristoexpresssupport f orKey C harterS c hool, whic h witl prov id eusaf ull,
c omprehensiv e K-1 2 sc hool in ourarea, B ased on theresearc h, webeliev ethisd ev eloprrntai, hand s-on, proj ec t-based
approac h wiil showg reat benef itstoa1 1 stud entsand prepareourc hild ren tabec areerand c alleg eread y .Wesupport Key
C harterS c hool in theirproposai# oprov id eaun[ q uepublic c hartersc hooi f oriamiliesin ourarea. Asparerrtsand lorc orrununity
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KEY HSD 000733
FormS ubmissions
hrips: / / f sm.my reg istered site.c omlf orms/ sec uref orn slind exj spj sessian...
Date: 1 0/ 29/ 2093
Date: 1 0/ 29/ 2093
Name: Ad rianaS osa
Ad d ress: 928 hinnershitzc t. Read ing Pa1 9601
M essag e: DearB oard of E d uc ation- 7hisletteristoexpresssupport f orlC ey C harterS c hoot, whic h will prov id eusaf uli,
c omprehensiv e I ( - 1 2 sc hoot in ourarea. B ased on the researc h, webeliev ethisd ev elopmental, hand s-on, proj ec t-based
approac h will showg reat benef itstoall stud entsand prepareourc hild ren tobec areerand c olteg eread y . Wesupport Key
C harterS c hool in theirproposal toproid eauniq uepublic c hartersc hool f orf amiliesin ourarea. Asparentsand / orc ommunity
members, welook f onv arc ! toworking c losely with them toreinf orc etheed uc ation that stud entswill rec eiv eat Key C harterS c hool.
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KEY HSD 000734
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Farm Name: S tatement of S upport
Date: 1 0/ 3 0/ 201 3
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Date: Oc ober3 0, 201 3
Name: E v eG urbac ki
Ad d ress: Hershey , PA
M essag e: DearB oard of E d uc ation- Thisletteristoexpresssupport f orKey C harterS c hool, whic h will ptov id eusaf ull,
c omprehensiv eK-1 2 sc hooi in ourarea. B ased on theresearc h, we believ ethisd ev elapmental, hand s-on, proj ec f -based
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1 of 1
1 1 / 1 / 201 3 1 1 : 40AM
KEY HSD 000735
FormS ubmissions
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Date: 1 0/ 3 1 / 201 3
Date: 1 0/ 3 1 / 1 3
Name: OrtrawattieFeE ic iano
Ad d ress: 41 7 Doug lasS treet Read ing , PA1 9601
M essag e: DearB oard of E d uc ation- Thisletteristoexpresssupport f orKey C harterS c hool, whic h will prov id eusaf ull,
c arrrehensiv eK-1 2 sc hool in ourarea. B ased on theresearc h, webeliev ethisd ev elopmental, hand s-on, proj ec t-based
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mernbers, wetook f on+v ard f owarking c losely with themtoreinf orc etheed uc ation that stud entswill rec eiv eat Key C harterS c hool.
Title: Homemaker
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KEY HSD 000736
FormS ubmissions
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Da#e: 1 0/ 3 1 / 201 3
Date: 1 0/ 3 1 / 201 3
Name: And reaM artin
Aed d ress: 662 VesterPlac sS inlc ing S pring , PA1 9608
M essag e: DearB oard of E d uc ation- Thisietteriatoexpresssupport f orKey C harterS c haal, whic h will prov id eusaf ull,
c omprehensiv eK-1 2 sc hool in ourarea. B ased on theresearc h, webeliev ethisd ev elopmental, hand s-on, proj ed -based
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C harterS c hool in theirproposal taprov id eauniq uepublic c hartersc hool f orf amiliesin ourarea. Asparentsand / orc ommunity
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Title: Family Resourc e S pec ialist
1 of 1
1 l/ 1 / 201 3 1 1 _3 8 AM
KEY HSD 000737
FormS ubmissions
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Farm Name: S taterrnt of S upporf
bate: 1 1 / 01 / 201 3
Date: 1 'E / 01 1 201 3
I d ame: E lizabeth Trimmee
Ad d ress: 471 1 Lond ond arry M Warrisburg pa1 71 09
M essag e: D.earB oard of E d uc a#ion- Thisletteristoexpresssupport f orKey C harterS c hool, whic h will prov id eusaf ull,
c amprehensiv eK-1 2 sc hool in ourarea. B ased on theresearc h, webeliev ethisd ev elopmental, .hand s-on, proj ec t-based
approac h will showg reat benef itstoail stud entsand prepareourc hild ren tobec areerand c olleg eread y . Wesupport Key
C harterS c hoal in E heirproposal toprov id eauniq uepubltc c hartersc hool f orf amiliesin ourarea. Asparentsand lorc ommunity
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1 1 / 1 / 201 3 1 1 : 3 8 AM
KEY HSD 000738
FormS ubmissions
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Date: 1 1 / 01 l201 3
Date: Nov ember1 , 201 3
Name: Ken C herry
Ad d ress: 4299 Old Orc hard Road , York, PA1 7402
M essag e: DearB oard of E d uc ation- Thisletter1 s toexpresssupport f orKey C harterS c hoof , whic h will prov id eusa# ull,
c omprehenslv e!( -
1 2 sc hool in ourarea. B ased on theresearc h, webeliev ethisd ev elopmental, hand s-on, proj ed -based
approac h will shawg reat benef itstoall stud entsand prepareourc hild ren tobec areerand c olleg eread y .Wesupport Key
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Title: Parent
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1 of 1
1 1 / 5/ 201 3 9: 1 3 AM
KEY HSD 000739
FormS ubmissions
hups: / / f sm.my reg stered site.c omif orms/ sec uref orms/ ind exj sp; j session...
FormName: S tatement of S upport
bate: 1 1 / 01 / 20t3
Date: 1 1 / U1 / 201 3
Name: E lizabeth Trimmee
Ac ld ress: 471 1 Lond ond erry rd Harrisburg pa971 09
M essag e: DearB oard of E d uc atlon- Thisletter1 stoexpresssupport# orKey C harterS c hool, whic h will prpv id eusaf ull,
c omprehensiv eK-1 2 sc hool iaourarea. B ased an theresearc h, webeliev ethisd ev elopmental, hand s-an, proj ec t-based
approac h will ahowg reat benef itstoall stud entsand prepareourc hild ren tobec areerand c olleg eread y . Wesupport Key
C harterS c hool ln theirproposal toprov id eauniq uepublic c hartersc hoal f orf amiliesin ourarea. Asparentsand / orc ommunity
members, welook f orward toworic ing c d osely with themtoreinf orc etheed uc ation that siud entswill rec eiv eat Key C harterS c hool.
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1 1 / 5/ 20i 3 9: 1 3 AM
KEY HSD 000740
ParmS ubmissions
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Date: 1 1 / 02/ 201 3
Date: 1 1 / 1 / 1 3
Name: M ikoJ ones
Ad d ress: 81 3 N 1 6th S treei, Harrisburg , PA
M essag e: DearB oard of E d uc ation- Thisletteristoexpresssupport f orKey C harterS c hool, whic h wilf prov id eusaf uil,
c omprehensiv e K-1 2 sc hool in ourarea. B ased on theresearc h, webeliev ethisd ev elopmentaf , hand s-on, proj ec t-based
approac h will showg reat benef itstoall stud entsand prepareourc hitd ren tobec areerand c olleg e read y . Wesupport Key
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Titie: Pay rotl C oord inator, HershaHopitality M anag ement
1 of l
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KEY HSD 000741
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Date: 1 1 / 02/ 201 3
Date: 1 1 / 2/ 201 3
Name: LE RI NHE YWARD
Ad d ress: 506 NORTH 1 3 TH S TRE E I '
M essag e: DearB oard of E d uc ation- Thisletteristoexpresssupport f orKey C harte S t ool, whic h wi1 1 prov id eusaf uil,
c omprehensiv eK-1 2 sc hool in ourarea. B ased on theresearc h, webeliev ethisd ev elopmentai, hand s-on, proJ ec t-based
approac h will showg reat benef 'itstaall stud entsand prepareourc hild ren tobec areerand c olleg eread y . Wesupport Key
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members, welook f orward toworking c iosely with themtoreinf orc etheed uc atian that stud entswill rec eiv eat Key C harterS c hool.
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KEY HSD 000742
FormS ubmissions
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Date: 1 1 / 02/ 201 3
Date: 1 1 / 02/ 1 3
Name: Troy S c hrum
Ad d ress: 3 53 B B uf tonwood LaneHellamPa1 7406
M assag e: DearB oard of d uc ation- ThisletterI stoexpresssuppart f orKey C harterS c hool, whlc h will prov id e usaf ull,
c omprehensiv e K-1 2 sc hool in ourarea. B ased on theresearc h, webeliev ethisd ev elopmental, hand s-on, proj ec t-based
approac h will showg reat benef itstaali stud eM sand prepareourc hild ren tobec areerand c olleg eread y . Wesupport Key
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KEY HSD 000743
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Date: 1 1 / 02/ 201 3
Date: 1 1 1 2/ 1 3
Name: G ord on Kerizef
Ad d ress: 3 21 FolkstoneWay York Pa1 7402
M essag e: DearB oard of E d uc ation- Thisletteristoexpresssupport f orKey C harterS c hool, whiah will prov id e usaf uli,
c omprehensiv eK-1 2 sc hool in ourarea. B ased on the esearc h, we believ ethisd ev elopmentai, hand s-on, proj ec t-based
approac h will showg eat benef itstoall stud entsand preparaourc hiid ren tobec areerand c olleg eread y .Wesupport Key
C harterS c hoaf in theirproposal toprov id eauniq uepublic c hartersc hool f orf amiliesin ourarea. Asparentsand / orc ommunity
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1 of i
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KEY HSD 000744
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Da#e: 1 1 / 02/ 201 3
Date: 1 1 / 7J 1 3
Name: C ry stal S trine
Ad d ress: 3 53 B B uttornv ood LaneHellam Pa1 7406
M essag e: DearB oard of E d uc ation- Thisletteristoexpresssupport f orKey C harterS c hool, whic h wiil prov id eusaf ull,
c omprehensiv eK-72 sc hool in ourarea. B ased on theresesrc h, we believ ethisd ev elopmental, hand s-on, proj ec tbased
approac h will showg reat benef itstoall stud entsand prepareaurc hild ren tobec areerand c olieg eread y .Wesupport Key
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KEY HSD 000745
FormS ubmissions
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Date: 1 1 / 03 / 201 3
Date: 1 1 / 3 / 201 3
Name: Ashley Waters
Ad d ress: 1 71 1 Reg inast apt 2 Hbg pa1 71 03
M essag e: DearB oard of E d uc ation- ThisI etteristoe resssupport f orKey C harterS c hool, whic h will prov id eusaf ull,
c omprehensiv eK-1 2 sd ool in ourarea. S ased on theresearc h, webeliev ethisd ev elopmental, hand s-on, proj ec t-based
approac h will showg reat ben tstoalt sf ud entsand prepareourc hild ren tobec areerand c olieg eread y . Wesupport Key
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Title: S upport
1 of 1
1 1 / 5/ 201 3 9: 1 1 AM
KEY HSD 000746
FormS ubmissions
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FarmlUame: S tatement of S upport
Date: 1 1 / 04/ 201 3
Date: 91 l4l21 3
Name: Ashiy C rawFord
Ad d ress: 2204B erry hill street
M essag e: DearB oard of E d uc atian- Thisletteristoexpresssuppart f arKey C harterS c hool, whic h will proid eusaf ull,
c omprehensiv eK-1 2 sc hooi in ourarea. B ased an theresearc h, webeliev ethisd ev ef opmentaE , hand s-on, proj ec t-based
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KEY HSD 000747
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FormNarre: S tatement of S upport
Date: 1 1 / 04/ 201 3
Date: 1 1 / 05/ 2d 1 3
Name: C hristinaS mith
Ad d ress: 51 4 S 20th st 1 71 04
M essag e: DearB oard of E d uc ation- Thisletteristoexpresssupport f orKey C harterS c hool, whic h will prov id eusaf ull,
c omprehensiv e K-1 2 sc hool in ourarea. B ased on theresearc h, webeliev ethisd ev elopmental, hand s-on, proj ec t-based
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KEY HSD 000748
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Date: 1 1 / 09/ 201 3
Date: 1 1 / 09/ 201 3
Name'RutheiaS tanley
Ad d ress: 1 948 Kensing ton S t Harrisburg pa1 71 04
M essag e: DearB aard of E d uc ation- Thisletteristoexpresssupport f orKey C harterS c hoof , whic h will prov id eusaf ull,
c omp ehensiv aK-1 2 sc hoal in ourarea. B ased on theresearc h, webeliev ethisd ev elopmentai, hand s-on, proj ec t-based
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KEY HSD 000749
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FormName: S f atemeM of S upport
Date: 1 1 l1 2/ 201 3
Date: 1 9/ 1 2/ 1 3
Name: Terah Tippitt
Ad d ress: 1 83 7 ZarkerS treet, Harrisburg , PA1 71 04
M essag e: DearB aard of E d uc ation- Thislef teristoexpresssupport f orKey C harterS c hool, whic h wili prov id eusaf ull,
C omprehensiv e K-1 2 sc hoo} in ourarea. B ased on theresearc h, webef ie ethisd ev elopmental, hanc f s-on, proJ ec tbased
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1 1 / 1 2J 201 3 2: 06 PM
KEY HSD 000750

46 Winding Brook Dr.
Sinking Spring, PA
19608
Home: (610) 927-1844
Cell: (610) 914-3268
Fax: (610) 927-1843
Email:
momofacms@gmail.com
Andra E. Coleman-Hill
Objective To secure a challenging administrative position in a team oriented
environment. The position should provide for professional growth
and development, continued education, and professional mentoring.
Experience 2012-Present School District of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA

Transformational Principal

Convert middle school into a K-8 school
Develop instructional units at each grade level
Align curriculum to Common Core State Standards
Coach, support and mentor staff
Provide professional development in the areas of classroom
management, effective instructional practices, conflict resolution,
educator effectiveness, and the implementation of Common Core
State Standards

Assistant Superintendent

Manage 40 schools; (24 elementary and 16 high schools)
Coach, support and mentor principals
Project Manager for Danielson Teacher Effectiveness Training
Support vision and mission of district through one on one visits,
community meetings, principal meetings and school visits
Support the strategic thinking of the administration (budget process,
facilities master plan, academic support)
Principal Effectiveness Training for 40 principals and all SDP
assistant principals
Professional development on Effective Feedback
Support the district disciplinary process
Support the development of professional responsibilities in
association with the proposed teacher contract
Aligned interview questions for the principal selection process to the
Principal Effectiveness Framework
Member of the `Leadership Pathways Committee
Member of the Peer Assistance and Review (PAR) panel
Member of the Human Resources restructuring of the teacher hiring
practice
KEY HSD 000751
2007-Present Governor Mifflin School District, Shillington, PA
Director of Data Analysis, Assessments, and Research

Grant Writing for the District
Manage all aspects of 4Sight, DIBELS, PSSA and
Keystone assessments including training and professional
development
Manage the Performance Tracker Data Warehouse
Monitor all aspects of NCLB to ensure compliance
Coordinate district wide data teams
Analyze and publish district and school wide data
Provide district-wide professional development on the use of data
for continuous academic achievement
Professional development and demonstration of flex grouping,
4Square Writing and gap teaching in classrooms
Publish District AYP Report Card
Provide curriculum connections aligned to assessment data
Professional development for Webbs Depth of Knowledge
Professional development on Understanding Poverty in Education
District-Wide Strategic Planning
Development of common assessments for secondary content areas
Develop district assessment schedule
Disaggregate data for achievement gaps and develop strategies for
closing the gap
Introduced and provided professional development on Classroom
Diagnostic Tools
Managed the Change Process for rightsizing academics at the
high school
Implemented Study Island
PILs instructor for Data Analysis
New Teacher Induction on data analysis
RtII Elementary and Secondary Trainer

2005-2007 Governor Mifflin School District Shillington, PA
Intermediate School Principal

Day to day management of the school
Manage a facility of approximately 1000 students
Established rituals, routines, and celebrations
Chair of the building Steering Committee and building reform efforts.
Assessment of current programs and practices and implementation
of improvements
Aligned special education and regular education curriculums
Supervision of Staff using Danielson Framework
Informal observations
Training of teachers on Danielson Framework
KEY HSD 000752
Raised Academic Achievement

1998-2005 Reading School District Reading, PA
Elementary Principal

Implementation and supervision of all regular and special education
curriculums.
Building level staff development and training
District-wide staff development on DIBELS and Reading First
Managed the school budget, including title programs and grants
Wrote successful Reading First grant (6 million dollars)
Development of safety procedures for students
Developed Parents as Partners in Education
Wrote a grant to create a parent resource room
Developed grade and school data teams
Developed School Leadership Team
Aligned regular education, special education, and ELL curriculums
Demonstrated classroom lessons using best practice strategies
Provided new teacher training on best practices
Mentored teachers and aspiring principals
Raised academic achievement

19981999 Reading School District Reading, PA
Director of Alternative Education (Special Assignment)

Assessment of current program and recommendations for
improvement.
Management of Alternative Education Facility
Supervision of staff
Managed attendance and legal issues
Designed the new Alternative Education Program
Implemented social programs for students
Improved climate of building

19971998 Pottstown School District Pottstown, PA
Assistant Principal

Managed student discipline
Improved building climate
Supervision of Staff
Curriculum Alignment
Supervision PSSA Administration and PSSA Incentives
Supervision of Special Programs, (Graduation, Rewards, Etc.)
Grant Writing
KEY HSD 000753

KEY HSD 000754
Kenneth Bryan Cherry
4299 Old Orchard Road, York, PA 17402
717-793-3568 (h)
717-880-2651 (c)
kbryancherry@gmail.com
Page 1

Experience:

Administrative:
I. School District of Philadelphia, 440 North Broad Street, Suite 210, Philadelphia, PA
19130
Assistant Superintendent (September 2012 Present)
For the 2013-2014 academic year, I manage the supervision and evaluation of 26
principals comprised of 20 elementary schools, 2 middle schools and 4 high schools with
a student population of approximately 28,000
For 2012-2013, managed the supervision and evaluation process of 41 principals
comprised of 21 elementary schools, 4 middle schools, and 15 high schools with a
student population of approximately 22,000 students. 90% of the schools showed growth
on high-stakes assessments
Core member of the labor negotiation committee for the School District of Philadelphia
to renegotiate the administrators agreement and teachers agreement
Work collaboratively with the Superintendent, Deputy Superintendent, Chief Academic
Officer, and other school system leaders in implementing the policies and programs of
The School District of Philadelphia
Supervise the principal at each level, providing instructional leadership, mentoring,
coaching and staff development via school visits
Provides appropriate professional development activities for principals, teachers, school-
based non-instructional staff and assistant superintendents staff. Topics to date have
involved sessions on Common Core Standards, Unpacking the School Improvement Plan,
Transitioning from Compliance to Strategic Thinking, and PDE School Leadership
Framework
Provides direction and oversight of curriculum and instruction programs, focusing on
state and federal requirements for adequate yearly progress and achievement of goals of
the schools action plan and districts strategic plan.
Ensures that the instructional needs of each school are addressed promptly and
completely through 6-8 week strategic planning tools used during daily visitations to
schools
Recommends the discipline, and/or separation of school-based professional staff to the
Department of Human Resources, chief academic officer, deputy superintendent and
superintendent
Communicates district system policies, practices, and procedures to principals
Serves as a conduit for principals to assure a high level of service to schools by support
personnel at the central office
Participating in the development of educational specifications for new school
construction and renovations, and directs activities related to the opening for new schools
via the districts facilitys master plan
KEY HSD 000755
717-793-3568 (h)
717-880-2651 (c)
Page 2

II. Baltimore City Public Schools (City Schools), 200 East North Avenue, Baltimore,
MD
Executive Director of Network 13: Charter Schools (July 2011 August 2012)
Support and supervise 35 Schools (12 Elementary Schools; 12 Elementary/Middle
Schools; 6 Middle Schools; 2 Middle/High Schools; 3 High Schools) with an
approximate student population of 11,400 and annual budget of $105,000,000
Developed the systemic Leadership Planner outlining expectations for Instructional
Leadership Team regarding questions related to data, staff monitoring, professional
cycles of learning, and monthly management tasks
Working collaboratively with system leads to develop the administrative pipeline to
ensure future leaders are developed both technically and educationally
Assist with the recruitment, interviewing, selection, and matching of outstanding
principals for the district
Assist in the refinement of City Schools School Leader Standards, evaluation tools and
professional growth opportunities
Collaborate with Network Team Facilitators to maintain comprehensive and in-depth
knowledge of schools staff, programs, and activities in order to contribute to a district-
wide understanding of schools
Liaison, under the direction of the Chief Academic Officer, with alternative certification
program staff
Provide oversight and approval for school budgets to ensure alignment with schools
data, stated priorities, and goals.
Work with operators and principals to formulate comprehensive strategic plans for
improved school achievement in a learning environment that enables students to become
engaged and productive citizens
Perform and promote all activities in compliance with equal employment and
nondiscrimination policies; follows federal laws, state laws, school board policies and
professional standards.
Meet individually with each operator and principal to establish and monitor progress
against Leadership Development Plans
Conduct school visits with the operator to observe principals at work to ensure the high-
quality of their experience and assess the progress of each principal against School
Leader Standards
Plan and lead differentiated professional learning experiences to promote skill
development for principals and instructional leadership teams
Provide principals with local, operational, and practical content and offering advice,
problem solving, and support around difficult issues
Support and monitors implementation of the key systemic initiatives and school-level
strategies
Manage assigned staff in the design, development, implementation, monitoring, and
documentation of improvement plans and procedures (i.e. charter accountability plans)

KEY HSD 000756
717-793-3568 (h)
717-880-2651 (c)
Page 3

Function as a qualified observer when needed to assist principal in school staff
evaluations
Stay abreast of current policy and research developments, literature, and technical
sources of information
Develop a deep knowledge of the City Schools School Leader Standards.
Will inform the principal mid-year and year-end evaluation and support principals to
successfully demonstrate progress and proficiency according to the City Schools School
Leader Standards in collaboration with the school operator
Provide direct feedback to designated Chiefs about the status of school and school leader
performance

Principal, Furman L. Templeton Elementary (2007 2011)
Recognized 2011 Outstanding Superintendent Intern Edinboro University (150 hours
working at Baltimore City Headquarters)
Increased student outcomes over three years
1. Reading (all students) 22% increase
2. Reading (special education) 47% increase
3. Math (all students) 15% increase
4. Math (special education) 38% increase
Increased levels of student achievement through
1. Core program implementation
2. Data analysis protocols
3. Focused observations and feedback
4. Expanding intervention options to all learners
5. Pedagogy and data driven decision making
Successfully submitted and transitioned school to public charter school with a focus on
21
st
Century Technology Practices, Core Knowledge Education, and Power of Teaching
Pedagogy
Established positive culture through execution of Response to Intervention and Positive
Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) in school
Established key community partnerships from three (2007) to twenty-six (2011)
Organized School Improvement Team, Leadership Team, and Parent Teacher
Organization
Executive member of task force responsible for development of the School Strategic Plan
(former School Improvement Plan) for Baltimore City Public Schools
New principal mentor
Guest speaker at Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports Conference for
Baltimore City Public Schools and the State of Maryland
Managed school-based budget of 4.5 million dollars
Co-Chair of the 1
st
Annual Baltimore City Schools Title I Conference: Responsible for 2
day design and programming for the 150 Title I Schools in Baltimore City
Wrote nearly 1.2 million in grant opportunities in 2010 securing $600,000 for the school
KEY HSD 000757
717-793-3568 (h)
717-880-2651 (c)
Page 4

III. EdisonLearning, 521 Fifth Avenue, 11
th
Floor, New York, New York
Vice President of Educational Services, Friendship Public Charter Schools, Washington D.C.
(2006 2007)
Collaborated with Friendship Public Charter Schools in Washington D.C to manage and
support two elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school with a total
enrollment of 5500 students
Conducted strategic planning sessions with the executive members of Friendship Public
Charter Schools
Coordinated the support services and curriculum personnel for each school
Conducted weekly focused learning walks with the principals at each school
Mentored the principals
Analyzed and provided weekly feedback to the school leadership team regarding school-
based data such as achievement results, discipline outcomes, attendance percentages, and
budget status
Attended weekly team meetings and monthly school-based leadership team meetings
Planned and executed monthly principals meeting for 4 principals and 10 assistant
principals
Supervised and evaluated all administrators at each school
Monitored each schools accountability plan for the Washington D.C. Public Charter
Board

Vice President of Educational Services, School District of Philadelphia, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania (2002 2006)
Collaborated with the School District of Philadelphia to support sixteen elementary
schools (K-5 and K-8) and six middle school (5-8 and 6-8) for a total enrollment of
12,500 students
Coordinated the 7 members of the support team (i.e. Special Education, Curriculum, and
Technology) to meet the needs of each school either in Philadelphia
Coordinated the budgeting process for the 22 Philadelphia Partnership Schools and
worked with each principal to submit a balanced budget. Total funds across 22 schools:
1. Operating Funds: $88,500,000
2. Special Education Funds: $6,000,000
3. Title I Funds: $8,500,000
Worked collaboratively the support team to create strategic plans to increase student
outcomes, ensure financial responsibility, and establish client satisfaction
Supervised school staff (i.e. principals, assistant principals, and teachers)
Hosted visits from Pennsylvania State Senator Mr. Jeffrey Piccola, Chair of the
Education Committee to strengthen political relationships with elected officials
Conducted weekly learning walks with administration or curriculum coordinators
Planned and executed monthly principals meetings for 22 principals and 35 assistant
principals
KEY HSD 000758
717-793-3568 (h)
717-880-2651 (c)
Page 5

Developed and executed regional and national professional development for teachers,
principals, and school leadership teams. Topics included:
1. Student Achievement Planning/School Improvement Planning
2. Student Management Planning
3. Leadership Team Development
4. Reading and Writing in the Content Area
5. Building Effective Teams
6. Data Analysis
7. No Child Left Behind
8. Culture and Climate

Academy Director (Assistant Principal), Gilmor Elementary, Baltimore, Maryland (2001
2002)
Delivered weekly professional development during team collaboration meetings
Conducted monthly meetings with 3
rd
, 4
th
, and 5
th
grade teachers to model and facilitate
conversations around the high-stakes assessment (M.S.P.A.P.)
Conducted formal and informal observations
Monitored teacher certification and Highly Qualified Status
Monitored student achievement data (i.e. monthly reading, language, and math
benchmarks) and discipline data (referral, in-school suspensions, and suspensions)
Increased parent participation through monthly activities that foster academic growth
Conducted annual fundraiser through student art exhibit raising nearly $10,000.00

Teaching:
Baltimore City Public Schools, Grades 4 and 5
Washington D.C. Public School System, Grade 2, WINGS Grade 6
Baltimore County Public Schools, Grades 4 and 5
Westmoreland County Public Schools, Grade 5, Grade 6, Alternative High School 9-12

Education:
B.S. in Elementary Education, Slippery Rock University, Slippery Rock, PA (1991)
M.S. in Administration and Supervision of Schools, Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, MD (1999)
PA Letter of Eligibility Superintendent/Assistant Superintendent, Edinboro University
of Pennsylvania, Edinboro, PA (May 2011)

Certification:
Superintendent, Pennsylvania and Maryland
Professional Certificate, Principal K 12, Pennsylvania and Maryland
Professional Certificate, Elementary K 6, Pennsylvania and Maryland

KEY HSD 000759
KEY HSD 000760
KEY HSD 000761
KEY HSD 000762
KEY HSD 000763
KEY HSD 000764
KEY HSD 000765

June 6, 2011

Memo: Dr. Marlaina Palmeri
Senior Vice President Leadership & Operational Excellence
GEMS America/Global Partnership Schools

To: Human Capital Directors
Personnel File

Re: Recommendation for Kenneth Cherry

I am writing this letter to recommend Kenneth Cherry for the position of Assistant
Superintendent. Mr. Cherry worked for me in three different capacities from 2001-2009 in
various leadership positions when we were both employed by EdisonLearning, formerly known
as Edison Schools Inc. I was the Senior Vice President for the Schools Division Eastern Region,
overseeing 52 charter and district partnership schools from 13 states. Ken began his career as
the Academy Director at Gilmor Elementary in Baltimore, MD from 2001-2003. Edisons senior
leaders quickly recognized Kens potential to take on a larger role in the company, thus
promoting him to the position of Vice President of Achievement and Educational Services for
Philadelphia and Washington, DC where he was responsible for a portfolio of 10 schools
overseeing and leading the academic initiatives in each of his schools. For the next 4 years, Ken
worked with principals and teachers to improve the achievement provision and performance in
charter and district contract schools at the elementary, middle and high school level.

From 2007 to present, he has ably served as Principal of Furman L. Templeton in Baltimore City,
a high poverty, high need school that has been academically challenged throughout its history.
While I left my position with Edison in 2009 to join the new American division of GEMS
Education, a company with 125 schools in the UK, Singapore, China, Africa, India and the
Emirates, I still have a professional relationship with Ken as we share and discuss the efforts we
are making in the school reform arena, particularly in some of the most challenged schools in
America. Ken is eager to expand his sphere of influence to a broader base of schools, and I fully
support him in this endeavor.

I am pleased to share some of Kens latest accomplishments from 2010 and 2011, all of which
have brought him the noted recognition and success he so deserves. He has been called upon
KEY HSD 000766
to support several of Baltimore Citys initiatives under Dr. Andres Alonso and his staff, which
include the following:

Received the highest award from Edinboro University for the Most Outstanding Field
Project by a Superintendent Intern;
Appointed to the Baltimore City Superintendents Steering Committee to develop the new
Strategic School Plan (former School Improvement Plan);
Served as an external Lead Principal responsible for reviewing and providing feedback to
other principals on the quality of their Strategic School Plans.
Conducted field research regarding Alternative Governance choices and established findings
indicating that the zero-based approach to school reform has not impact on future student
outcomes;
Converted his public school, Furman L. Templeton, to a pubic charter school through
unparalleled community support and the successful use of the Alternative Governance process
the first school in Baltimore Citys history as well as the state to be approved as a conversion
charter;
Completed the extensive charter school application, and as a founding member of its Board,
defended it at several meetings and hearings to approve the charter;
Established the schools first charter board and developed its first budget;
Co-chaired the 1
st
annual, bi-annual Title Conference, working with Dr. Johnson, Director of
Federal Funds is coordinating a VIP social for all Baltimore and Maryland State and Educational
Officials and serving as host to 150 Title I Schools in a day-long conference;
Completed 150 hours with Ms. Tisha Edwards, mentor and Chief of Staff for Baltimore City
Schools;
Participated in Baltimore Citys budget process, attending meetings to hear the rationale and
discussion regarding the 1.2 billion dollar budget;
Established a Judy Center through MSDE funds which offers educational opportunities for 3 year
old students who have been identified with specific learning disabilities; and
Has led the continuous academic improvement of Furman L. Templeton Elementary School since
2007, reporting improved student achievement results on the MSA for the last 3 years.

Kens deep knowledge of highly effective academic and operational praxis has served as a
roadmap for success for the school leaders and teachers he has worked with in the areas of
student achievement, fiscal management, client satisfaction, program implementation and
operational excellence. Mr. Cherry is also an experienced and effective professional
development presenter and trainer, competently developing responsive training modules
based on the customized needs of students, teachers and school administrators. Kens own
implementation processes around effective instructional praxis, community engagement,
curriculum and instruction, operations, school culture/climate and data-driven decision making
has afforded many principals a compendium of methodologies designed to improve student
achievement and the teacher quality.

Mr. Cherry consistently translates his understanding of effective school research into his own
praxis, which has had a positive effect on school outcomes at his own school. By modifying and
KEY HSD 000767
perfecting many of the strategies he has developed over the years, Ken understands the
essential elements of change leadership that are the most critical factors in any school reform
effort.

I highly recommend Mr. Cherry for the position of Assistant Superintendent. He is diligent and
professional in his work, and brings the experience, courage and confidence to tackle the
challenging work of a district leader. I am certain you will find Ken to be a highly ethical,
responsible, and dedicated professional who will be deeply committed to the overarching goals
and initiatives of your organization. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need any
further insight into Mr. Cherrys work.

Professionally Yours,

Dr. Marlaina Palmeri
Senior Vice President Leadership and Operational Excellence
GEMS America/Global Partnership Schools
m.palmeri@gps.us.com
585-734-3210
KEY HSD 000768
KEY HSD 000769
KEY HSD 000770
KEY HSD 000771
KEY HSD 000772
KEY HSD 000773
KEY HSD 000774
KEY HSD 000775
KEY HSD 000776
KEY HSD 000777
KEY HSD 000778

K Y
Key Charter School
Board Member Job Description

1. Attend regular meetings of the charter school board, which are approximately two and a
half hours in duration. The board meets at least twelve (12) times per year. Be
accessible for personal contact between board meetings.

2. Provide leadership to board committees. Each board member is expected to serve as an
active, ongoing member of at least one committee. This requires a number of meetings
per year plus individual committee task completion time. Present committees include
executive, finance, and academic.

3. Commit time to developing financial resources for the charter school. This includes
contributing and/or supporting fund development activities of the charter school in a
manner appropriate for board members.

4. Responsibly review and act upon committee recommendations brought to the board for
action.

5. Prepare in advance for decision-making and policy formation at board meetings and take
responsibility for self-education on the major issues before the board.

6. Participate in the annual board member self-review process.

7. Participate in the annual board development and planning retreat usually held in July of
each year.

8. In general, utilize personal and professional skills, relationships and knowledge for the
advancement of the charter school.

I am aware that this board position description is an expression of good faith and
provides a common ground from which board members can operate. Additional
information on the charter school mission, educational program and board responsibilities
is contained in the board orientation materials and bylaws, which I have read.

_________________________________________ __________________
Board Members Signature Date
KEY HSD 000779

K Y
Key Charter School
Board Member Agreement

I, ______________________________________ understand that as a Board of Directors of Key
Charter School, I have a legal and moral responsibility to ensure that the school does the best
work possible in pursuit of its goals. I believe in the purpose and the mission of the school, and I
will act responsibly and prudently as its steward. As a part of my responsibility as a board
member:
1. I will interpret the schools work and values to the community, represent the school, and act as a
spokesperson.
2. I will attend at least 75% of board meetings, committee meetings and special events.
3. I will commit time to developing financial resources for the charter school.
4. I will actively participate in one or more fundraising activities.
5. I will act in the best interests of the school, and excuse myself from discussions and votes where I have a
conflict of interest.
6. I will stay informed about whats going on in the school. I will ask questions and request information. I
will participate in and take responsibility for making decisions on issues, policies and other board matters.
7. I will work in good faith with staff and other board members as partners towards achievement of our goals.
8. If I dont fulfill these commitments to the school, I will expect the board chair to call me and discuss my
responsibilities with me.
In turn, the organization will be responsible to me in several ways:
1. I will be sent, without request, quarterly financial report and an update of the schools activities that allow
me to meet the prudent person section to the law.
2. I will be offered opportunities to discuss with the school leader and the board chair the schools programs,
goals, activities and status and can request such opportunities.
3. The school will help me perform my duties by keeping me informed about the issues in the field in which
we are working, and by offering me opportunities for professional development as a board member.
4. Board members and staff will respond in a straightforward way to questions that I feel are necessary to
carry out my fiscal, legal and moral responsibilities to this school. Board members and staff will work in
good faith with me towards achievement of our goals.
5. If the school does not fulfill its commitments to me, I can call on the board chair and school leader to
discuss these responsibilities.

Signed,

_________________________________________________ __________________
Board Member Date

__________________________________________________ __________________
Board Chair Date
KEY HSD 000780

K Y
KEY CHARTER SCHOOL

Opening Doors to Opportunities!

Board Member Nomination Form

Title/Prefix: ___ Mrs. ___ Ms. ___ Mr. ___ Dr. Other: ___________________________

Name: ______________________________ __________ _____________________________
(First) (M.I.) (Last)

Home Address: ____________________________________________________________________
(Street Number and Street Name)

______________________________________ __________ _______________
(City) (State) (Zip Code)

Home Number: _________________________ Cellular Number: _________________________

Work Number: _________________________ Fax Number: ____________________________

Email Address: ____________________________________________________________________

Spouses Name: ____________________________ ________ ___________________________
(First) (M.I.) (Last)

Employer: ___________________________________ ___________________________________
(Name) (Title/Position)

Employer Address: _________________________________________________________________
(Street Number and Street Name)

___________________________________ __________ _______________
(City) (State) (Zip Code)

Will you have children/relatives that will attend KEY Charter? _____Yes _____NO

Will you be able to attend regularly scheduled board meetings? _____Yes _____NO

Please check your highest education level: ___High School/GED ___Associate Degree

___Trade/Business School ___BA/BS Degree ___Masters Degree ___ MD, DO, PhD, JD

Please check each area of expertise you would contribute to the board:

___Community Service ___Education ___Finance ___Fundraising ___Law

___Management ___Marketing ___Personnel ___Public Relations ___Parent Involvement

Other_____________________________________

Please submit a resume with your Nomination Form
KEY HSD 000781

K Y
Key Charter School Conflicts of Interest Policy

I. Application of Policy

This policy applies to board members, officers, staff, and certain volunteers of Key
Charter School (the Organization). A volunteer is covered under this policy if that
person has been granted significant independent decision making authority with respect
to financial or other resources of the Organization. Persons covered under this policy are
hereinafter referred to as interested parties.

II. Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest may exist when the interests of concerns of an interested party
may be seen as competing with the interests or concerns of the Organization. There
are a variety of situations that raise conflict of interest concerns including, but not
limited to, the following:

Financial Interests A conflict may exist where an interested party, or a relative or
associate of an interested party, directly or indirectly benefits or profits as a result of a
decision made or transaction entered into by the Organization. Examples include
situations where:

- the Organization contracts to purchase or lease goods, services, or properties from
an interested party or a relative or associate of an interested party;
- the Organization offers employment to an interested party or a relative or
associate of an interested party, other than a person who is already employed by
the Organization;
- an interested party or a relative or associate of an interested party is provided with
a gift, gratuity or favor, or more than nominal value, from a person or entity
which does business or seeks to do business with the Organization;
- an interested party, or a relative or associate of an interested party, is gratuitously
provided use of the facilities, property or services of the Organization.

Other Interests A conflict may also exist where an interested party or a relative or
associate of an interested party obtains a non-financial benefit or advantage that he
would not have obtained absent his/her relationship with the Organization, or where
his/her duty or responsibility owed to the Organization conflicts with duty or
responsibility owed to some other Organization. Examples include where:

- an interested party seeks to obtain preferential treatment by the Organization for
himself or relative or associate;
- an interested party seeks to make use of confidential information obtained from
the Organization for his own benefit or for the benefit of a relative, associate, or
other organization;
KEY HSD 000782
- an interested party seeks to take advantage of an opportunity or enables a relative,
associate or other organization to take advantage of an opportunity which s/he has
reason to believe would be of interest to the Organization;
- an interested party participates in any decision making process which places the
interests of the individual, including personal professional advancement, ahead of
the interests of the Organization.

III. Disclosure of Actual or Potential Conflicts of Interests

An interested party is under a continuing obligation to disclose any actual or potential
conflict of interest as soon as it is known or reasonably should be known.

An interested party shall complete a questionnaire in the form attached at Appendix A
to fully and completely disclose the material facts about any actual or potential
conflicts of interest which affirms that such person

a. has received a copy of the Conflicts of Interest policy
b. has read and understands the policy
c. has agreed to comply with the policy, and
d. understands that the Corporation is a charitable Organization and that in order to
maintain its federal tax exemption it must engage primarily in activities which
accomplish one or more of its tax-exempt purposes.

The disclosure statement shall be completed upon his/her association with the
Organization, and shall be updated at any point in time when the interested party
participates in a decision which may have the appearance of presenting a conflict of
interest as generally described in Section II above. An updated or additional disclosure
statement shall also be provided within ten (10) days of a written request for such a
statement from the Board of Directors.

For board members, the disclosure statements shall be provided to the President of the
Organization, or in the case of the Presidents disclosure statement shall be provided to
the Secretary of the Organization. Copies shall be provided to the Director of the
Organization.

In the case of staff or volunteers with significant decision-making authority, the
disclosure statements shall be provided to the Director of the Organization. In the case of
the Director, the disclosure statement shall be provided to the President of the
Organization.

The Secretary of the Organization shall file copies of all disclosure statements with the
official corporate records of the Organization.

III. Procedures for Review of Actual or Potential Conflicts Generally

KEY HSD 000783
Whenever there is reason to believe that an actual or potential conflict of interest exists
between Key Charter School and an interested party, the Board of Directors shall
determine the appropriate Organizational response. This shall include, but not
necessarily be limited to, invoking the procedures described below with respect to a
specific proposed action or transaction.

Where the actual or potential conflict involves an employee of the Organization other
than the President, the President shall, in the first instance, be responsible for reviewing
the matter and may take appropriate action as necessary to protect the interests of the
Organization. The President shall report to the Board of Directors the results of any
review and the action taken. The President, in consultation with the Executive
Committee, shall determine if any further board review or action is required.

Where the actual or potential conflict involves the President, the Vice President of the
Organization shall, in the first instance, be responsible for reviewing the matter and may
take appropriate action as necessary to protect the interests of the Organization. The Vice
President shall report to the Board of Directors the results of any review and the action
taken. The Vice President, in consultation with the Executive Committee, shall determine
if any further board review or action is required.

IV. Procedures for Addressing Conflicts of Interest Specific Transactions

Where an actual or potential conflict exists between the interests of Key Charter School
and an interested party with respect to a specific proposed action or transaction, Key
Charter School shall refrain from the proposed action or transaction until such time as the
proposed action or transaction has been approved by the disinterested members of the
board of directors of the Organization. The following procedures shall apply:

- An interested party who has an actual or potential conflict of interest with respect
to a proposed action or transaction of the Organization shall not participate in any
way in, or be present during, the deliberations and decision making of the
Organization with respect to such action or transaction. The interested party may,
upon request, be available to answer questions or provide material factual
information about the proposed action or transaction.
- The disinterested members of the board of directors may approved the proposed
action or transaction upon finding that is is in the best interests of the
Organization. The board shall consider whether the terms of the proposed
transaction are fair and reasonable to the Organization and whether it would be
possible, with reasonable effort, to find a more advantageous arrangement with a
party or entity that is not an interested party.
- Approval by the disinterested members of the board of directors shall be by vote
of a majority of directors in attendance at a meeting at which a quorum is present.
An interested party shall not be counted for purposes of determining whether a
quorum is present, nor for purposes of determining what constitutes a majority
vote of directors in attendance.
KEY HSD 000784
- The minutes of the meeting shall reflect that the conflict disclosure was made, the
vote taken and, where applicable, the abstention from voting and the extent of
participation by the interested party.

V. Violations of Conflict of Interest Policy

If the board of directors has reason to believe that an interested party has failed to
disclose an actual or potential conflict of interest, it shall inform the person of the basis
for such belief and allow the person an opportunity to explain the alleged failure to
disclose.

If, after hearing the response of the interested party and making such further investigation
as may be warranted in the circumstances, the board determines that the interested party
has in fact failed to disclose an actual or possible conflict of interest, it shall take
appropriate disciplinary and corrective action, which may include actions up to and
including termination of employees or staff members and removal of Officers or
members of the Board.

VI. Periodic Reviews

To ensure that the Corporation operates in a manner consistent with its charitable
purposes and that it does not engage in activities that could jeopardize its status as an
Organization exempt from federal income tax, periodic reviews shall be conducted.
KEY HSD 000785

K Y
Key Charter School
Conflict of Interest Policy

Affirmation of Compliance

I have received and carefully read the Conflict of Interest Policy for board members,
staff, and volunteers of Key Charter School and have considered not only the literal
expression of the policy, but also its intent. By signing this affirmation of compliance, I
hereby affirm that I understand and agree to comply with the Conflict of Interest Policy.
I further understand that Key Charter School is a charitable organization and that in order
to maintain its federal tax exemption it must engage primarily in activities which
accomplish one or more of its tax-exempt purposes.

Except as otherwise indicated in the Disclosure Statement and attachments, below, I
hereby state that I do not, to the best of my knowledge, have any conflict of interest that
may be seen as competing with the interests of Key Charter School nor does any relative
or associate have such an actual or potential conflict of interest.

If any situation should arise in the future which I think may involve me in a conflict of
interest, I will promptly and fully disclose the circumstances to the President or Vice
President of Key Charter School or to the CEO, as applicable.

I further certify that information set forth in the Disclosure Statement and attachments, if
any, is true and correct to the best of my knowledge, information, and belief.

____________________________Name

____________________________Signature ____________________Date

KEY HSD 000786

K Y
Key Charter School

Disclosure Statement

Please complete the questionnaire, below, indicating any actual or potential conflicts of
interest. If you answer yes to any of the questions, please provide a written description
of the details of the specific action or transaction in the space allowed. Attach additional
sheets as needed.

Financial Interests A conflict may exist where an interested party, or a relative or
business associate of an interested party, directly or indirectly benefits or profits as a
result of a decision made or transaction entered into by the organization.

Please indicate, during the past 12 months:

Has the organization contracted to purchase
or lease goods, services, or property from you
or from any of your relatives or associates? ___Yes ___No
If yes, please describe:

Has the organization offered employment
to you or any of your relatives or associates,
other than a person who was already
employed by the organization? ___Yes ___No

Have you, or have any of your relatives or
business associates, been provided with a
rift, gratuity or favor, of more than nominal
value, from a person or entity which does
business or seeks to do business with the
organization? ___Yes ___No

KEY HSD 000787

Have you or any of your relatives or
business associates been gratuitously
provided use of the facilities, property, or
services of the organization? ___Yes ___No

Other Interests A conflict may also exist where an interested party or a relative or
business associate of an interested party obtains a non-financial benefit or advantage that
he would not have obtained absent his/her relationship with the organization, or where
his/her duty or responsibility owed to the organization conflicts with a duty or
responsibility owed to some other organization.

Please indicate if at anytime during the past twelve months:

Did you obtain preferential treatment by the
organization for yourself or for any of your
relatives or business associates? ___Yes ___No

Did you make use of confidential information
Obtained from the organization for your own
Benefit or for the benefit or a relative,
Associate, or other organization? ___Yes ___No

Did you take advantage of an opportunity
or enable a relative, business associate or
other organization to take advantage of an
opportunity which you had reason to believe
would be of interest to the organization? ___Yes ___No

KEY HSD 000788
Did you participate in any decision making
process which placed your personal interests,
including personal professional
advancement, ahead of the interests of the
organization? ___Yes ___No

________________________________ __________________
Signature Date

KEY HSD 000789

K Y
Key Charter School
Executive Committee

A. Committee Purpose:
The purpose of the Executive Committee is to assist the Board of Directors oversight of:

The integrity of the Boards decision making;
The Boards governance structure, management and oversight and accountability over the
Organization;
The Boards long term strategy and objectives and measuring how they fulfill mission;
and
The Principals qualifications and performance.

B. Structure and Membership:
1. Number. The Committee shall consist of the Board President, Vice-President, Secretary,
CEO, CAO and Treasurer.
2. Chair. The President of the Board shall serve as the Chair of the Executive Committee.
The Vice-President may serve as the Chair in the Presidents absence.
3. Compensation. There is no compensation for Committee members.
4. Selection; Resignation and Removal. The Board shall elect members of the Committee
as Board Officers. Any member of the Committee may resign at any time by giving
written notice of his or her intention to do so to the Chairman of the Board. The Board
may remove or re-assign members of the Committee from such committee, as stipulated
by the bylaws.
Committee Members
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

C. Authority and Responsibilities
The Executive Committee shall serve at the pleasure of the Board, shall act only in the intervals
between meetings of the Board, and shall be subject to the control and direction of the Board.
The purpose of the Executive Committee is to exercise any or all of the authority of the Board,
subject to the limitations below, either where the specific authority has been expressly delegated
to the Executive Committee by the Board, or where, in the intervals between meetings of the
Board, it is necessary or appropriate to consider acting or to act promptly.

KEY HSD 000790
The Executive Committee shall not have any power or authority (i) to fill vacancies among the
directors or in any committee of the directors; (ii) to adopt, amend or repeal provisions of the
Organizations bylaws; (iii) to act upon matters that have been reserved by the Board for its
approval; or (vi) to exceed authority specifically delegated by the Board to act upon a matter.
The Board may limit or qualify the powers of the Executive Committee at any time.

Roles and responsibilities of the Executive Committee include:
Exercise the powers of the Board of Directors in the management of the business and
affairs of the Organization, except as limited by the bylaws, when a matter of urgency
requires
Report at the next regular meeting of the Board all significant items discussed at any
Executive Committee meeting
Review any matters relating to the property, income, business and affairs of the
Organization prior to the submission of such matters to the Board. Prepare or cause to be
prepared and submitted to the Board such information and data as the Executive
Committee considers pertinent to assist in the consideration of such matters by the Board.
The Executive Committee may make such recommendations to the Board with respect to
such matters as it may deem appropriate
Constitute itself from time to time as the Nominating Committee where no such
committee otherwise exists and, as such, propose the names of individuals to the Board
for membership on the Board in conformance with the requirements of the bylaws.
Propose to the Board the membership of the various Committees of the Board, including
the chairs and vice-chairs, and undertake any duties which a nominating committee
would reasonably do in performing its duties
Serve as a communication link with other Board members and maintain effective
communication with the committees of the Board. Ensure that the committees are
effectively coordinated
Monitor school climate and ensure that founding philosophy and culture is maintained
Support the School Leader and Board in the recruitment of staff, school leader and
students
Develop, recommend, and periodically review personnel policies
Collaborate with the Board President and the committee which evaluates the Principal
and set annual goals and performance metrics
Develop a long-term strategy, annual goals to guide board work and metrics to evaluate
performance on fulfilling its mission. Oversee the strategic planning process in
collaboration with the Principal. Develop and recommend to the Board procedures for
connecting the strategic plan to the annual work plans of board committees.
Keep the Board informed of organizational and environmental changes and trends that
will have an impact on the school, the families and the community served
Perform such other functions which from time to time may be assigned to it by the Board

KEY HSD 000791
Goals:
1. Annual strategic plan and board objectives budget approval, monthly review
2. Evaluation of Principal and definition of performance metrics
3. Propose names to the Board for membership on the board

D. Procedures and Administration
1. Meetings. The Executive Committee will hold meetings as necessary at the call of the
Chairman of the Board or if urgent action is required. The Committee may request that
members of management be present as needed in order to execute the Committee's
primary responsibilities.
2. Subcommittees. The Committee may form and delegate authority to one or more
subcommittees (including a subcommittee consisting of a single member), as it deems
appropriate from time to time under the circumstances. Any recommendation of a
subcommittee shall be presented to the full Committee for review and discussion at its
next scheduled meeting.
3. Scope and Jurisdiction. The Executive Committee may exercise any or all of the
authority of the Board, subject to the limitations below, either where the specific
authority has been expressly delegated to the Executive Committee by the Board, or
where, in the intervals between meetings of the Board, it is necessary or appropriate to
consider acting or to act promptly. The Executive Committee shall not have any power
or authority (i) to fill vacancies among the directors or in any committee of the directors;
(ii) to adopt, amend or repeal provisions of the Organizations bylaws; (iii) to act upon
matters that have been reserved by the Board for its approval; or (vi) to exceed authority
specifically delegated by the Board to act upon a matter. The Board may limit or qualify
the powers of the Executive Committee at any time.
4. Governance. Decision-making technique, e.g. consensus, 2/3-majority vote or chair's
authority, etc. Relationships of authority within the group and with the greater
organization.
5. Reports to Board. The Committee shall report at the next regular meeting of the Board all
significant items discussed at any Executive Committee meeting.
6. Charter. At least annually, the Committee shall review and reassess the adequacy of this
Charter and recommend any proposed changes to the Board for approval.
7. Annual Self-Evaluation. At least annually, the Committee shall evaluate its
performance. The Chairman of the Committee and CEO shall determine the form and
nature of the annual self-evaluation. The Chairman of the Committee shall report the
results of the evaluation to the Board.

KEY HSD 000792

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Key Charter School
Finance Committee

The purpose of the Finance Committee is to assist the Board of Directors oversight of:

The integrity of the Organizations financial statements;
The Organizations financial strategy and objectives;
The Organizations compliance with legal and regulatory requirements;
The independent auditors qualifications and independence; and
The performance of the Organizations internal audit function and independent auditors.

1. Number. The Committee shall consist of at least two members of the Board.
2. Financial Literacy. Each member of the Committee must be financially literate, as such
qualifications is interpreted by the Board in its business judgment, or must become
financially literate within a reasonable period of time after his or her appointment to the
Committee. At least one member of the Committee must have accounting or related
financial management expertise, as the Board interprets such qualification in its business
judgment.
3. Chair. Unless the Board elects a Chair of the Committee, the Committee shall elect a
Chair by majority vote.
5. Selection; Resignation and Removal. The Board shall appoint members of the
Committee. Any member of the Committee may resign at any time by giving written
notice of his or her intention to do so to the Chairman of the Board. The Board may
remove or re-assign members of the Committee from such committee, with or without
cause.
Committee Members
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

The Committee shall discharge its responsibilities, and shall assess the information provided by
the Organizations management and the independent auditor, in accordance with its business
judgment. Management is responsible for the preparation, presentation, and integrity of the
financial statements and for the appropriateness of the accounting principles and reporting
policies that are used by the Organization. The independent auditors are responsible for auditing
the Organizations financial statements and for reviewing the Organizations unaudited interim
financial statements. The authority and responsibilities set forth in this Charter do not reflect or
create any duty or obligation of the Committee to plan or conduct any audit, to determine or
KEY HSD 000793
certify that the Organizations financial statements are complete, accurate, fairly presented, or in
accordance with generally accepted accounting principles or applicable law, or to guarantee the
independent auditors report.
Roles and responsibilities of the Finance Committee include:

Assist in developing the Schools annual budget Help to prepare and monitor operating
budgets and capital projects
Make recommendations to the Board on any revisions to the schools budget
Review monthly financial reports
Ensure that a proper audit of the books and accounts of the Corporation are conducted
Plan and implement the schools fundraising programs
Help to develop a fundraising strategy and case statement for support
Develop partnerships with the community to ensure the school has the diversity of
resources needed to operate successfully
Oversee voluntary and public relations activities on behalf of the school
Coordinate Board trainings on financial matters
Goals:
1. Annual budget approval, monthly review
2. Plan and implement the Organizations fundraising program for the year Capital Project
1. Meetings. The Committee shall meet monthly, or as often as it deems necessary in order
to perform its responsibilities. The Committee may also act by unanimous written
consent in lieu of a meeting. A majority of the members of the Committee shall
constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, and the affirmative vote of a
majority of those present shall be necessary for any action by the Committee. The
Committee shall periodically meet separately with: (i) management; and (ii) the
independent auditor. The Committee shall keep such records of its meetings, as it
deems appropriate.
3. Scope and Jurisdiction. What are the bounds of responsibility and authority of this
committee? What do they need to address and what is outside their area of concern?
What can they decide on and what needs board input?
organization.
KEY HSD 000794
5. Reports to Board. The Committee shall report monthly to the Board. The Committee
should review with the full Board any issues that arise with respect to the quality or
integrity of the Organizations financial statements, the Organizations compliance with
legal or regulatory requirements, the performance and independence of the
Organizations independent auditors or the performance of the internal audit function.
The Committee will work closely with other committees of the board as necessary to
fulfill its charter.
performance. The Chairman of the Committee, together with the Chairman of the Board
and CEO, shall determine the form and nature of the annual self-evaluation. The
Chairman of the Committee shall report the results of the evaluation to the Board.

KEY HSD 000795

K Y
Key Charter School
Academic and Technology Committee

The purpose of the Academic and Technology Committee is to assist the Board of Directors
oversight of:

The Organizations academic and technology strategy and objectives;
The implementation of the Organizations academic and technology programs;
The Organizations compliance with charter school and regulatory requirements; and
The Organizations academic and student outcomes

1. Number. The Committee shall consist of at least two members of the Board.
2. Academic and Technical Literacy. Members of the Committee must be academically
and/or technically literate, as such qualifications is interpreted by the Board in its
business judgment, or must become academically and/or technically literate within a
reasonable period of time after his or her appointment to the Committee. At least one
member of the Committee must have education/curriculum expertise, as the Board
interprets such qualification in its business judgment. At least one member of the
Committee must have technical expertise, as the Board interprets such qualification in its
business judgment.
3. Chair. Unless the Board elects a Chair of the Committee, the Committee shall elect a
Chair by majority vote.
5. Selection; Resignation and Removal. The Board shall appoint members of the
Committee. Any member of the Committee may resign at any time by giving written
notice of his or her intention to do so to the Chairman of the Board. The Board may
remove or re-assign members of the Committee from such committee, with or without
cause.
Committee Members
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

The Committee shall discharge its responsibilities, and shall assess the information provided by
the Organizations management and school leadership, in accordance with its business judgment.
Management is responsible for the preparation, presentation, and integrity of all student outcome
and educational testing data for the Organization. The authority and responsibilities set forth in
this Charter do not reflect or create any duty or obligation of the Committee to plan or conduct
KEY HSD 000796
any assessment or testing, to determine or certify that the Organizations student outcome data
are complete, accurate, or fairly presented.
Roles and responsibilities of the Academic and Technology Committee include:

Help to ensure the academic quality and credibility of the charter school as an academic
institution and supports the Principal in the maintenance, promotion and improvement of
the academic standards set forth in the charter
Work in conjunction with the Principal to monitor and advance the quality of all
academic activities
Research, develop, and make recommendations regarding school curriculum; student
academic goals; special education programs; methods of instruction, enrichment and
remedial programs; homework policies; student attendance; disciplinary policies; field
trips and other academic matters
Monitor school data to ensure student academic success and monitor compliance with
academic outcomes as articulated by the Charter School Contract
Help to develop and prepare the school for the 21
st
century in technology
Develop a plan to improve the schools technology
Pursue research and foundation grants to finance and enhance schools technology
Collaborate with academic leaders to ensure that the technology aligns with the academic
program

1. Meetings. The Committee shall meet monthly, or as often as it deems necessary in order
to perform its responsibilities. The Committee may also act by unanimous written
consent in lieu of a meeting. A majority of the members of the Committee shall
constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, and the affirmative vote of a
majority of those present shall be necessary for any action by the Committee. The
Committee shall periodically meet separately with: (i) management; and (ii)
community leaders; (iii) third party consultants or subject matter experts. The
Committee shall keep such records of its meetings, as it deems appropriate.
3. Scope and Jurisdiction. What are the bounds of responsibility and authority of this
committee? What do they need to address and what is outside their area of concern?
What can they decide on and what needs board input?
organization.
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5. Reports to Board. The Committee shall report monthly to the Board. The Committee
should review with the full Board any issues that arise with respect to the quality or
integrity of the Organizations student outcomes, and the Organizations compliance
with education or regulatory requirements. The Committee will work closely with other
committees of the board as necessary to fulfill its charter.
performance. The Chairman of the Committee, together with the Chairman of the Board
and CEO, shall determine the form and nature of the annual self-evaluation. The
Chairman of the Committee shall report the results of the evaluation to the Board.

KEY HSD 000798

BY-LAWS

OF

KEY CHARTER SCHOOL
[ADDRESS]

AS APPROVED AND ADOPTED ON __________________

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1
Section 1. Name, Objects and Purposes, Mailing Address, Corporate Seal,
and Fiscal Year

1.1 Name. The name of this nonprofit corporation shall be KEY CHARTER
SCHOOL (the Charter School).

1.2 Objectives and Purposes. The objectives and purposes of the Charter
School are: (1) to foster quality public education and to advance the
interests of public school students through the promotion and advocacy of
community schools; (2) to stimulate the development of innovative
programs in public education; (3) to provide opportunities for learning
and assessment; (4) to provide parents and students with greater
educational options in choosing a school; and (5) to hold teachers, parents,
and school administrators accountable for the student educational
process. The Charter School is incorporated under the Nonprofit
Corporation Law of 1988, as amended, of the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania, and shall be organized and operated exclusively for
charitable, scientific, literary and educational purposes permitted within
the scope of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as
amended, including the purposes specified in Act No. 1997-22 of the
General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania known as the
Charter School Law. In furtherance of these purposes, the Charter School
may exercise all rights and powers conferred by the laws of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania upon nonprofit corporations and schools
formed pursuant to the Charter School Law.

1.3 Mailing Address. The mailing address of the Charter School shall be:

KEY CHARTER SCHOOL
[ADDRESS]

The Board of Trustees may change this address as necessary.

1.4 Fiscal Year. The fiscal year of the Charter School shall, unless
otherwise decided by the Trustees, end on June 30 of each calendar year.

1.5 Corporate Seal. The Trustees may adopt and alter the corporate seal,
inscribed with the name of the School, the year of its organization and the
words Corporate Seal, Pennsylvania and such other details as may be
specified by the Board of Trustees.
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2
Section 2. Membership

2.1 Membership. Unless or until the Articles of Incorporation of the Charter
School are amended to provide otherwise, Charter School shall have no
members. Any provision of law requiring notice to, the presence of, or the
vote, consent or other action by members of the corporation in connection
with such matter shall be satisfied by notice to, the presence of, or the
vote, consent or other action by the Board of Trustees. No certificates of
membership shall be issued at any time.

Section 3. Board of Trustees

3.1 Composition. The Board of Trustees shall be composed of not less than
five (5) and not more than nine (9) natural persons of full age. No
member of Board of School Directors of the chartering school district shall
serve on the Board of Trustees.

3.2 Election of Trustees. Nominations shall be placed before the Charter
School Board of Trustees as needed at any regularly scheduled or special
meeting open to the public. Nominations may be made by the
Nominating Committee or by any Trustee. The Trustees will cast an open,
public ballot. A simple majority of a quorum is required for election.

3.3 Initial Appointment of Trustees. The initial Trustees will be appointed by
those who incorporate the Charter School, with the appointments to
become effective upon incorporation and shall continue until the end of
the terms specified pursuant to this Section 3.3. The terms of the initial
Trustees shall be staggered so that the terms of two or more Trustees
expire in two years and the terms of two or more Trustees expire in three
years. Terms shall be assigned to individual initial Trustees by lot.

3.4 Tenure. Each Trustee, after the initial Trustees, shall hold office for three
(3) years, unless the Trustee dies, resigns, is removed, or becomes
disqualified. The term of office of each Trustee, after the initial Trustees,
shall be for a period effective upon appointment and qualification and
ending three years after the expiration of the term which such Trustee is
appointed to fill or until a successor is duly elected. A trustee may be
reelected or reappointed, but may not serve more than two (2) consecutive
terms.

3.5 Resignation. Any Trustee may resign by delivering a written resignation
to the Board of Trustees. Such resignation shall become effective upon
receipt unless it is specified to be effective at some time later.
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3.6 Vacancies.

(a) Any vacancies on the Board of Trustees shall be filled by a
vote of the Board of Trustees. Each trustee so elected to fill a vacancy shall
hold office for the remainder of the predecessors unexpired term.

(b) If a Trustee resigns by giving notice specifying that such
resignation shall be effective at a future time, the Board of Trustees shall
have the power to elect a successor to take office when the resignation
shall become effective.

3.7 Authority. The Board of Trustees (the Board) shall have and exercise
the corporate powers prescribed by the laws of the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania, and more particularly described in the Charter School Law
and the Charter of the Charter School (the Charter). The essential
function of the Board shall be policy making, the assurance of sound
management, and active participation in the provision of necessary funds.
The Board has ultimate responsibility to determine general, academic,
financial personnel and related policies deemed necessary for the
administration and development of the Charter School in accordance with
its stated purposes and goals. More specifically, the Boards authority
shall be, without limitation:

(a) to approve policies and procedures regarding employment,
including but not limited, to appointment, promotion, contracts,
leaves of absence, fringe benefits, qualifications of professional and
nonprofessional staff, professional development and dismissal of
employees;

(b) to adopt the curriculum or courses of study and text books;

(c) to authorize the acquisition, management and disposition of all
property and physical facilities, having due respect for the
corporate purpose, including the construction renovation and
upkeep of the physical plant. As prescribed by the Charter School
Law, the Board and contractors shall be restricted and subject to
certain statutory requirements governing construction projects as
set forth in Section 1715-A (10) of the Public School Code of 1949, as
amended 24 P.S. 17-1715-A;

KEY HSD 000802

4
(d) to approve institutional documents and policy statements at the
Boards discretion to assure compliance with the Articles of
Incorporation, Bylaws, Charter, and Board Policy;

(e) to sue and be sued, complain and defend and participate as a party
or otherwise, but only to the same extent and upon the same
condition that political subdivisions and local agencies can be sued;

(f) to make contracts and leases for the procurement of services,
equipment, and supplies;

(g) to incur temporary debts in anticipation of the receipt of funds;

(h) to solicit and accept any gifts or grants for Charter School purposes;

(i) to establish the annual academic calendar;

(j) to adopt and approve the annual budget and to make revisions
therein;

(k) to establish enrollment policies and procedures;

(l) to adopt and approve policies and procedures to assess student
achievement;

(m) to approve or ratify all contracts as determined by the policy on
contracting;

(n) to be final arbiter of all disciplinary matters;
(o) to authorize any annual audit by an independent certified public
accountant;

(p) to fix the salary or other compensation of the Chief Executive
Officer, Principals, teachers, and other employees of the Charter
School;

(q) to approve all personnel actions;
(r) to designate depositories of Charter School funds;

KEY HSD 000803

5
(s) to have and exercise all of the powers and means appropriate to
effect the purpose or purposes for which the Charter School is
chartered; and

(t) to have and exercise all other powers enumerated in the Nonprofit
Corporation Law or otherwise vested by law in the corporation and
not consistent with the Charter School Law.

3.8 Committees. The trustees may elect or appoint committees (which may
include individuals who are not Trustees of the Charter School) as they
determine necessary. Each committee shall be chaired by a Trustee,
unless otherwise agreed by the Board. At any meeting of a committee, a
quorum for the transaction of business shall consist of a majority of the
members of such committee. The members of any committee shall serve
on the committee at the pleasure of the Chairperson of the committee.

3.8.1 Permanent Committees. Permanent committees will be formed
to handle on-going business of the Charter School. These
committees may include:

(a) Nominating Committee. If a Nominating Committee is
appointed by the Board of Trustees, the Board of Trustees
shall set forth both the time frame for nominations and the
manner by which the Nominating Committee shall make
nominations. If a Nominating Committee is appointed by
the Board of Trustees, it shall consist of three Trustees.

(b) Finance and Audit Committee. The Finance and Audit
Committee shall prepare and present a proposed financial
budget to the Board of Trustees, and prepare and implement
a system of internal fiscal controls.

(c) Academic Assessment Curriculum Committee. The
Academic Curriculum Committee shall review and
recommend revisions to the curriculum as necessary and
recommend educational strategies, establish criteria for the
evaluation of faculty and student performance, and establish
and implement provisions for the regular assessment of the
academic performance of the student body.

(d) Personnel Committee. The Personnel Committee shall
establish criteria for the performance and evaluation of the
faculty and other employees of the school. This committee
KEY HSD 000804

6
shall make recommendations to the Board of Trustees
regarding salaries, bonuses, and benefits.

(e) Administrative Services Committee. The Administrative
Services Committee shall establish a disciplinary policy for
the school and review and recommend revisions of the
disciplinary policy as necessary. This committee will hear,
or appoint a hearing examiner to hear, any disciplinary
appeals made by the students, with either the committee or
the hearing examiner to recommend to the Board final
disposition of such appeals.

(f) Facilities Operations Committee. The Facilities Operations
Committee shall maintain the physical facilities.

3.8.2 Ad hoc Committees. Ad Hoc Committees will be formed by the
Board of Trustees from time to time as deemed necessary to handle
specific events, functions, or issues. These committees will be
terminated upon completion of their specific assigned task or as
determined by the Board of Trustees. Ad Hoc Committees will be
chaired by designees of the Board of Trustees.

3.9 Adoption and Modification of Policies. The Permanent and Ad Hoc
Committees will identify areas of need and/or concern and make
recommendations to the Board of Trustees for addition to or modification
of current policies or Bylaws. The Trustees will vote on these
recommendations at either a regularly scheduled meeting or a specifically
called meeting. An affirmative vote of a majority of a quorum of the
Board of Trustees will be required for adoption and/or modification of
policies. If such majority vote is not obtained, the proposed
recommendation may be returned to the appropriate committee for
refinement.

3.10 Meetings

3.10.1 Regular Meetings. Regular meetings of the Board may be held at
such time and at such places as the Trustees determine. Call or
notice to the Trustees shall not be required for regular meetings
(except as required by Section 3.10.8 of these Bylaws), provided
that reasonable notice is made of the first regular meeting following
the determination of the Trustees of the time and place of regular
meetings.

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3.10.2 Special Meetings. Special meetings of the Board may be held
anytime and any place when called by the Chairperson of the
Board of Trustees or by two or more Trustees. In addition to the
notice required by Section 3.10.8 hereof, reasonable notice of the
time and place of special meetings shall be given to each Trustee.
Such notice will specify the purposes of the meeting. It shall be
given to each Trustee in accordance with the Pennsylvania
Nonprofit Corporations Law. It shall be considered reasonable and
sufficient notice to a Trustee to send notice by mail at least three (3)
business days before the meeting, addressed to the director at the
Trustees usual or last known residence, or to give notice in person
or by telephone at least twenty four (24) hours before a special
meeting.

3.10.3 Annual Meeting. The Board shall meet annually once per year at
the first regularly scheduled meeting in July of each year, at a
reasonable time and place convenient to the Board of Trustees and
members of the community. In the event that the annual meeting is
not held on the specified day, the Trustees may hold a special
meeting in place thereof, and any business transacted or elections
held at such meeting shall have the same force and effect as if
transacted or held at the annual meeting, provided that notice is
given for the meeting and the notice indicates that the special
meeting shall be in place of the annual meeting. Notice of the
annual meeting or notice of a special meeting called in its place,
setting forth the date, time and place shall be published in
accordance with Section 3.10.8 hereof and shall be mailed to all
Trustees at each individual Trustees usual or last known address
not less than seven days prior to the date of the annual meeting. At
the Annual Meeting the Chairperson and Secretary-Treasurer shall
present an annual report which shall set forth:

(a) The assets and liabilities, including the trust funds, of the
corporation as of the end of the fiscal year immediately
preceding the date of the report;

(b) The principal changes in assets and liabilities including trust
funds, during the year immediately preceding the date of
the report;

(c) The revenue or receipts of the corporation, both unrestricted
and restricted to particular purposes, for the year
immediately preceding the date of the report, including
KEY HSD 000806

8
separate data with respect to each trust fund held by or for
the corporation;

(d) The expenses or disbursements of the corporation, for both
general and restricted purposes, during the year
immediately preceding the date of the report, including
separate data with respect to each trust fund held by or for
the corporation;

(e) The capital budget and the operating budget for the
corporations current fiscal year;

(f) A schedule of proposed major activities for the current fiscal
year; and

(g) A summary of the corporations compliance with the laws
and regulations of federal, state and local governmental
agencies and with the standards, rules and regulations of the
various accrediting and approval agencies.

3.10.4 Quorum. At any meeting of the Board of Trustees a quorum for the
conduct of business by the Board of Trustees shall consist of a
majority of the directors then in office.

3.10.5 Action of Vote. When a quorum is present at a meeting of the
Board of Trustees, a majority of the Trustees present and voting
shall decide any question including election of officers, unless
otherwise provided by law or these bylaws, including but not
limited to, Section 3.10.7, 3.10.9 and 3.12.

3.10.6 Conference Telephone Meetings. One or more persons may
participate in a meeting of the Board of Trustees or of a committee
of the Board of Trustees by means of conference telephone or
similar communications equipment by means of which all persons
participating in the meeting can hear each other. Participation in a
meeting pursuant to this Section 3.10.6 shall constitute presence in
person at such meeting.

3.10.7 Optional Provisions Not Required by Law. An affirmative vote of
the majority of the members of the Board of Trustees then in office
shall be required in order to take each of the following actions:

KEY HSD 000807

9
(a) adopting a school calendar, provided that any calendar must
provide for 990 hours or 180 days of instruction for students
in grades 7 through 12 and 900 hours or 180 days of
instruction for students in grades 1 through 6;

(b) adopting textbooks;

(c) appointing or dismissing school administrators;

(d) adopting or amending the annual budget;

(e) purchasing or selling land;

(f) locating new buildings or changing the locations of
previously used buildings;

(g) creating or increasing any indebtedness;

(h) adopting courses of study;

(i) designating depositories for Charter School funds;

(j) entering into contracts of any kind where the amount
involved exceeds $500;

(k) fixing salaries or other compensation of administrators,
teachers, or other employees of the Charter School; and

(l) entering into contracts with and making appropriations to
an intermediate unit, school district, or Area
Vocational/Technical School for the Charter Schools
proportionate share of the cost of services provided or to be
provided by any such entity.

3.10.8 Sunshine Act. All meetings of the Board of Trustees of the Charter
School (with the exception of those meeting which may be held in
executive session under the Sunshine Act) shall be held as public
meetings as described in the Sunshine Act, 65 Pa. C.S. 701 et seq.
(the Sunshine Act). Notices of all meetings shall be given in the
manner described in the Sunshine Act.

3.10.9 Real Estate Transactions. A vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the
members in office of the Board of Trustees duly recorded showing
KEY HSD 000808

10
how each member voted shall be required in order to take action on
the following subject: purchase of real property or the sale,
mortgage, lease or other disposal of real property.

3.11 Public Officials.

3.11.1 Trustees of the Charter School shall be public officials as that terms
is defined in the Public Official and Employee Ethics Act, 65 Pa.
C.S. 1101 et seq.

3.11.2 Trustees shall serve as Trustees without receiving any
compensation for their services as Trustees.

3.11.3 Voting on any matter involving a conflict of interest shall be
governed by the Public Official and Employee Ethics Act.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, common interested Trustees may
be counted in determining the presence of a quorum at a Board
meeting in which a transaction described above is authorized,
approved, or ratified.

3.11.4 Trustees shall not engage in any of the restricted activities listed in
the Public Official and Employee Ethics Act except as permitted by
the terms of that act.

3.11.5 Every trustee of the Charter School shall file with the Charter
School completed statements of financial interests for the preceding
calendar year no later than May 1 of each year that the trustee
serves as a trustee and of the year that he or she ceases to be a
trustee.

3.12 Reservation of Powers. None of the following actions may be taken by the
Charter School without the prior approval of not less than two-thirds
(2/3) of the Board of Trustees then in office:

(a) to amend the Articles of Incorporation of the Charter School or
these Bylaws;

(b) to dissolve or liquidate the Corporation;

(c) to merge or consolidate the Corporation; and

(d) to convey, sell or transfer substantially all the Corporations
assets.
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Section 4. Officers and Agencies

4.1 Number and Qualification. The Officers of the Charter School shall be a
President, a Vice President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. The President,
Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer shall be members of the Board of
Trustees.

4.2 Election. The officers shall be elected annually by the Board of Trustees at
the annual meeting held pursuant to the provisions of Section 3.10.3 of
these bylaws. If at any other time a vacancy exists in these offices, an
officer may be elected to fill a vacancy for the remainder of the term at any
special or regular meeting of the Trustees.

4.3 Term of Office. The President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer
shall hold office for one year, until his or her qualified successor is chosen
at the next annual meeting of the Board of Trustees.

4.4 President. The President of the Board of Trustees shall preside at all
meetings of the Trustees, except as the Trustees shall otherwise determine;
and shall have such other powers and duties as may be determined by the
Trustees.

4.5 Vice President. The Vice President of the Board of Trustees shall have and
exercise all the powers and duties of the President in his or her absence.
The Vice President shall have such other powers and duties as may be
determined by the Board of Trustees.

4.6 Secretary. The Secretary shall record and maintain records of all
proceedings of the Trustees in a book or series of books kept for that
purpose. These books shall be open at all reasonable times to the
inspection of any member of the Board of Trustees of the Charter School.
Such book or books shall also contain the original or attested copies of the
Articles of Incorporation, these bylaws and the names and residence
addresses of all members of the Board of Trustees.

4.7 Treasurer. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the Charter Schools
financial affairs, funds, securities, and valuable papers and shall keep full
and accurate records thereof. The Treasurer shall supervise the Chief
Executive Officer with regard to those fiscal matters assigned to the Chief
Executive Officer.

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4.8 Other Officers. The Board of Trustees may elect or appoint such other
officers as it deems useful for the proper operation of the Charter School.

4.9 Chief Executive Officer. The Chief Executive Officer shall be the
administrative head of the Charter School. He or she shall serve in an
advisory capacity to the Board and shall report to the Board on all matters
relative to his or her duties. The Chief Executive Officer shall be
responsible for routine fiscal matters, including receipt of funds (including
local, state, federal, and privately donated funds), payment of invoices
and contracts as approved by the Board of Trustees, general bookkeeping
and accounting, as well as assistance to the Certified Public Accountant
assigned to audit the books of the Charter School. The Chief Executive
Officer will serve as a non-voting member of the Board.

4.10 Bonding of Officers and Employees. The Secretary and Treasurer of the
Charter School shall furnish a bond in such amount and with such surety
as may be required, from time to time, by the Board. At the direction of
the Board, any other officer or employee shall furnish a bond in such
amount and with such surety as may be required by the Board. The
expense of furnishing any such bond shall be paid by the Charter School.

4.11 Standard of Care for Officers and Trustees. Trustees and Officers have a
fiduciary relationship to the Charter School, including in their capacity as
members of a committee. Each Trustee and Officer has an obligation to
act in good faith, in a manner he or she reasonably believes to be in the
best interest of the School, and with such care, including reasonable
inquiry, skill and diligence, as a person of ordinary prudence would use
under similar circumstances. In performing their duties Trustees and
Officers shall be entitled to rely in good faith on information, opinions,
reports or statement, including financial statements and other financial
data, in each case prepared or presented by:

1. One or more officers or employees of the School whom the
Trustee or Officer reasonably believes to be reliable and
competent in the matters presented;

2. Counsel, public accountants or other persons as to matters
which the Trustee or Officer reasonably believes to be within
the scope of professional competence; or

3. A committee of the Board upon which he or she does not serve,
duly acting under the authority of the Board of Trustees.

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Section 5. Parental Involvement

Parental involvement and input in decision-making will be insured through the
participation by the parents on designated committees and in special events sponsored
by the Charter School. Parents are defined as the parents or guardians of students
enrolled in and attending the Charter School.

Section 6. Community Involvement

Community involvement and input in decision-making will be insured through
the participation by community members on designated committees and in special
events sponsored by the Charter School. A community member is defined as a resident
of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania who is not a parent, student, nor a faculty or
staff member of the Charter School.

Section 7. Dues

The Trustees shall not be required to pay any dues or membership fees.

Section 8. Removal of Officers and Trustees

8.1 Officers. Any elected or appointed officer may be removed from office for
failure to perform or conduct detrimental to the Charter School by a two-
thirds vote of the Board of Trustees then in office, excluding the officer
who is the subject of the vote.

8.2 Trustees. The entire Board of Trustees may remove a Trustee, with or
without cause by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Board of Trustees then in
office (excluding the Trustee who is the subject of the vote). In addition, if
so decided by the Board of Trustees, it may remove any Trustee for the
following conduct (list is not all inclusive):

(a) Failure to attend two consecutive meetings without
reasonable justification; and/or

(b) Failure to attend more than three meetings in one fiscal year
without reasonable justification.

(c) Failure to timely file required Statements of Financial
Interest.

For conduct detailed in (a) and (b) above, if decided, the Board of Trustees
KEY HSD 000812

14
shall only remove such Trustee by a two-thirds (2/3) vote at the next
scheduled meeting of the Board of Trustees.

Section 9. Personal Liability

9.1 Definitions. For purposes of this Article:

(a) Charter School means the charter school named at the beginning
of these Bylaws, and if it is involved in any consolidation or
merger, each constituent corporation absorbed in, and each
surviving or new corporation surviving or resulting from, such
consolidation or merger;

(b) Liability means any compensatory, punitive or other damages,
judgment, amount paid in settlement, fines, penalty, excise tax
assessed with respect to an employee benefit plan, and cost or
expense of any nature whatsoever, including without limitation,
attorneys fees and costs of proceedings;

(c) Indemnified Capacity means any and all past, present and future
service by a Representative in one or more capacities:

(i) as a trustee, officer, employee or agent of the Charter School;
or

(ii) at the request of the Charter School, as a trustee, officer,
employee, agent, director, or fiduciary of another
corporation or any partnership, joint venture, trust,
employee benefit plan, or other entity, enterprise or
undertaking, including service as a representative that
imposes duties on or involves service by the representative
with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants or
beneficiaries;

(d) Proceeding means any threatened, pending or completed action,
suit, appeal or other proceeding of any nature, whether civil,
criminal, administrative or investigative, whether formal or
informal, and whether brought by or in the right of the
Corporation, or otherwise; and

(e) Representative means any person who: (i) serves or has served
as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation; or (ii)
has been expressly designated by the Board as a Representative of
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the Corporation for purposes of and entitled to the benefits under
this Section 9.

9.2 Indemnification. Subject to the subsequent provisions of this Section 9.2
and of Section 9.3, the Corporation shall indemnify a Representative
against any Liability actually and reasonably incurred by the
Representative in connection with any Proceeding in which he or she may
be involved as a party or otherwise by reason of the fact that the
Representative is or was serving in an Indemnified Capacity, including
without limitation, any Liability resulting from an actual or alleged breach
or neglect of duty, error, misstatement or misleading statement,
negligence, gross negligence, or act or omission giving rise to strict or
products liability, except to the extent: (a) the conduct of the
Representative is determined by a court to have constituted willful
misconduct or recklessness; (b) the conduct of the Representative is based
upon or attributable to his or her receipt from the Corporation of a
personal benefit to which the person is not legally entitled; (c) the liability
of a Representative is with respect to the administration of assets held by
the Corporation in trust pursuant to Section 5547 of the Pennsylvania
Nonprofit Corporation Law of 1988, as amended; or (d) such
indemnification is expressly prohibited by applicable law or otherwise is
unlawful.

The Corporation shall indemnify a Representative under the
preceding provisions of this Section 9.2 only if the Representative acted in
good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in, or not
opposed to, the best interests of the Corporation and, with respect to any
criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct
was unlawful. The termination of any Proceeding by judgment, order,
settlement or conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent,
shall not of itself create a presumption that the person did not act in good
faith and in a manner that he or she reasonably believed to be in, or not
opposed to, the best interests or the Corporation and, with respect to any
criminal proceedings, had reasonable cause to believe that his or her
conduct was unlawful. Action with respect to an employee benefit plan
taken or omitted in good faith by a Representative in a manner that he or
she reasonably believed to be in the best interests of the participants and
beneficiaries of the plan shall be deemed to be action in a manner that is
not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation.

The Corporation shall not indemnify a Representative under the
preceding provisions of this Section 9.2 with respect to any claim, issue or
matter as to which the Representative has been adjudged to be liable to
KEY HSD 000814

16
the Corporation in a Proceeding brought by or in the right of the
Corporation to procure a judgment in its favor, unless (and then only to
the extent that) the court of common pleas of the judicial district
embracing the county in which the Corporations registered office is
located or the court in which the action was brought determines upon
application that, despite the adjudication of Liability but in view of all of
the circumstances of the case, the Representative is fairly and reasonably
entitled to indemnification from the Corporation for the expenses that
such court deems proper.

Unless ordered by court, any indemnification of a Representative
under preceding provisions of this Section 9.2 shall be made by the
Corporation only upon a determination made in the specific case that such
indemnification of the Representative is proper in the circumstances
because he or she has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in
the preceding provisions of this paragraph. Such determination shall be
made the Member.

To the extent that a Representative has been successful on the
merits or otherwise in defense of any proceeding referred to in Section
5741 or Section 5742 of the Pennsylvania Nonprofit Corporation Law of
1988, as amended, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, such
Representative shall be indemnified by the Corporation against expenses
(including without limitation attorneys fees and costs of Proceedings)
actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection therewith.

If a Representative is entitled to indemnification under this Section
9.2 in respect of a portion, but not all, of a Liability to which the
Representative is subject, the Corporation shall indemnify the
Representative to the maximum extent for such portion of the Liability.

9.3 Limitation on Indemnification. Notwithstanding any other provision of
this Section 9, the Corporation shall not indemnify a Representative under
this Section 9 for any Liability incurred in a Proceeding which was
initiated by the Representative (which shall not be deemed to include
counter-claims or affirmative defenses) or in which the Representative
participated as an intervener or amicus curiae, unless such initiation of or
participation in the Proceeding is authorized, either before or after its
commencement, by the Board of Trustees.

9.4 Advancement of Expenses. The Corporation shall pay, in advance of the
final disposition of a Proceeding described in Section 9.2 or the initiation
of or participation in a Proceeding authorized under Section 9.3, the
KEY HSD 000815

17
expenses (including without limitation attorneys fees and costs of
Proceedings) incurred in good faith in connection with such Proceeding
by the Representative who is involved in the Proceeding by reason of the
fact that he or she is or was serving in an Indemnified Capacity. Such
advancement of expenses shall be made by the Corporation upon its
receipt of an undertaking, satisfactory to the Corporation, by or on behalf
of the Representative to repay to the Corporation the amounts advanced
by the Corporation in the event it is ultimately determined that the
Representative is not entitled to indemnification under this Section 9.

9.5 Insurance. To effect, secure or satisfy the indemnification and
contribution obligations of the Corporation, whether under this Section 9
or otherwise, the Corporation from time to time may self-insure, obtain
and maintain insurance or letters of credit, create a reserve, trust, escrow,
cash collateral or other fund or account, enter into indemnification
agreements, pledge or give a mortgage upon or a security interest in any
property of the Corporation, or use any other mechanism or arrangement,
in such amounts, at such costs, and upon such other terms and conditions
as and when the Board shall determine. Absent fraud, the determination
of the Board with respect to such matters shall be conclusive against all
security holders, officers and directors, and shall not be subject to
avoidance or voidability.

9.6 Payment of Expenses. A person who is entitled to indemnification or
advancement of expenses from the Corporation under this Section 9 shall
receive such payment or advancement promptly after the persons written
request therefore has been delivered to the Secretary of the Corporation.

9.7 Interpretation. The provisions of this Section 9 shall constitute and be
deemed to be a contract between the Corporation and its Representatives,
pursuant to which the Corporation and each such Representative intend
to be legally bound. Each person serving as a Representative shall be
deemed to be doing so in reliance upon the rights provided by this Section
9. The rights granted by this Section 9 shall not be deemed exclusive of
any other rights to which persons seeking indemnification, advancement
of expenses or contribution under this Section 9 may be entitled under any
statute, agreement, vote of Directors or disinterested Directors, or
otherwise, both as to action in an Indemnified Capacity and as to action in
any other capacity. The rights to indemnification, advancement of
expenses and contribution provided by this Section 9 shall continue as to a
person who no longer serves as a Representative, and shall inure to the
benefit of his or her heirs and personal and legal representatives.

KEY HSD 000816

18
9.8 Proper Reliance. An Indemnified Representative shall be deemed to have
discharged his or her duty to the Charter School if he or she relied in good
faith on information, advice or an opinion, report or statement prepared
by:

(a) one or more officers or employees of the Charter School whom
such Indemnified Representative reasonably believes to be reliable
and competent with respect to the matter presented;

(b) legal counsel, public accountants or other persons as to matters the
Indemnified Representative reasonable believes are within the
professional expert competence of such persons; or

(c) a committee of the Board of Trustees on which he or she does not
serve as to matters within its area of designated authority, which
committee he or she reasonably believes to merit confidence.

9.9 Binding Effect. All rights to indemnification under this Section 9 shall be
deemed a contract between the Charter School and the Indemnified
Representative pursuant to which the Charter School and each
Indemnified Representative intent to be legally bound. Any repeal,
amendment or modification of this Section 9 shall be prospective only and
shall not affect any right or obligations then existing.

9.10 Non-exclusive Remedy. The indemnification of Indemnified
Representatives, as authorized by this Section 9, shall not be deemed
exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification or
advancement or expenses may be entitled under any statute, agreement,
vote or disinterested Trustees or otherwise, both as to action in an official
capacity and as to action in any other capacity. The indemnification and
advancement of expenses provided by or granted pursuant to this Section
9 shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be an Indemnified
Representative in respect of matters arising prior to such time, and shall
insure to the benefit of the heirs, executors, administrators and personal
representatives of such person.

9.11 Indemnified Representative. Each person who shall act as an Indemnified
Representative of the Charter School shall be deemed to be doing so in
reliance upon the rights of indemnification provided by this Section 9.

Section 10. Execution of Instruments

KEY HSD 000817

19
10.1 General. All contracts, deeds, leases, bonds, notes, and other instruments
authorized to be executed by an Officer of the Charter School shall be
signed by the President or Vice President and by the Secretary or
Treasurer of the Board of Trustees, except as the Trustees may generally or
in particular cases otherwise determine. Any recordable instrument
purporting to affect an interest in real estate, executed in the name of the
Charter School by the Board of Trustees shall be binding on the school in
favor of a purchaser or other person relying in good faith on such
instrument, notwithstanding any inconsistent provision of the Charter,
bylaws, or votes of the Board of Trustees.

10.2 Guarantees. The Charter School shall make no contracts of guarantee
without the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members of the Trustees
then in office.

Section 11. Dissolution

Upon revocation or non-renewal of the Charter Schools Charter, such revocation
or non-renewal date being when all administrative and judicial remedies have been
exhausted, the Charter School shall be dissolved. After disposition of or making
provision for the payment of all liabilities and obligations of the Charter School, any
remaining assets shall be distributed in accordance with the Articles of Incorporation.

Section 12. Amendments

These bylaws may be altered, amended, repealed and replaced by new bylaws
by a vote of not less than two-thirds (2/3) of the Board of Trustees at any annual,
regular or called special meeting of the Board of Trustees provided, however, that
notice shall be given in the notice of the meeting to the Trustees that a change to the
bylaws will be proposed at that meeting. Failure of a Trustee to object to the lack of
such notice shall constitute waiver of the notice requirement.

Section 13. Rules of Procedure

The proceedings and deliberations of the Charter School shall be in accordance
with rules adopted and amended by the Board of Trustees. All matters not governed
by such rules shall be governed by the parliamentary practices established by Roberts
Rules of Order, Newly Revised.

KEY HSD 000818

20
Section 14. Nondiscrimination

In administering its affairs, including admissions, hiring, and operation, the
Board and the Charter School shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion,
national or ethnic origin, disability, sex, sexual orientation or age.

Adopted this ____ Day of __________, 2014.

KEY HSD 000819
Petrosino, Patricia

Curriculum Vitae
Of
Patricia B. Petrosino

1545 Hillcroft Lane Home Telephone: (717) 845-8979
York, Pennsylvania Mobile Telephone: (717) 542-4573
E-mail: javafox@hotmail.com

Educational Information:

Undergraduate College-
Hampton Institute, Hampton, VA. Graduated- June 1969. B.S.
Home Economics Education

Graduate School-
Coppin State College, Baltimore, MD. Certification in Special
Education, 9/1987

Professional Training-
BCPSS Professional Training Masters Equivalency, June1993

Graduate School-
Loyola College of Maryland. M.Ed. Administration & Supervision, June 2002

Certifications Held: Regular Educator
Special Educator
Endorsement-Advanced Professional
Administrator 1
Currently: Retired January 1, 2011

Relevant Coursework:
I have completed the entire program of study for a Masters Degree in
Administration and Supervision. The coursework focused on the latest theories in the
area of working with staff, students, parents and community leaders in an administrative
capacity. High School Reform, Assessment Techniques and Staff Development
procedures were areas of concentration for this degree.
I have also completed several levels for computer competency/mastery with
Baltimore City Public School with special focus on the new Maryland On-Line IEP.
Additionally, mastery in the use of a variety of computer programs, including word
processing, Micro Soft Power Point, and some EXCEL programming are included as
professional competencies.
Furthermore, I have completed all phases of certification in The Performance-
Based Evaluation System; I am a qualified observer and have drawn upon the training I
received in order to assist school principals in teacher development.

KEY HSD 000820
Petrosino, Patricia

Employment History and Relevant Work Experiences:
I have spent my entire professional career as a Baltimore City Public School
professional employee and have had the opportunity to function in a variety of positions
with a myriad of responsibilities. Each has had its challenges and rewards resulting in
professional growth.
I have developed and written curriculum for Home Economics for BCPSS; this
curriculum continues to be used today wherever Home Economics is offered in Baltimore
City Public Schools in the areas of Foods and Nutrition I and 2, and Foreign Cookery. I
continue to maintain my certification in this area.
As a classroom teacher for special education, I have taught reading, English,
mathematics, social studies and career education on all three instructional planes.
Throughout my teaching career, emphasis has been placed on teaching reading across the
curriculum, writing strategies and using mathematics in real-world situations.
Differentiated instruction strategies have always been my approach to helping my
students achieve academic success.
I have served as Special Education Department Head on the high school level
prior to taking on the role as an ARD Manager/Instructional/IEP Associate on both the
middle and high school levels. In my capacity as a Department Head of Special
Education my role was to support and counsel teachers in the use of various strategies to
insure student success. I have given workshops for teachers on developing and writing
sound units of instruction, developing quality IEPs, record keeping as well as dealing
with the hard-to-reach student in terms of classroom management.
As an Instructional Associate for nine years, I chaired schools IEP teams. My
duties have focused on bringing the office into, and maintaining compliance, according to
the federal, state and local regulations. Computer skills were necessary, as the citys
former SETS (Special Education Tracking System) had to be kept updated for all
students and their services. As the Citys computer system evolved into the Maryland
State Computer Program tracking special education students and their services, my skills
continued to strengthen and multiply.
I serve as an Educational Specialist in the Office of Student Learning Support, in
the division of Teacher and Learning, focusing on secondary instruction as it reflects the
requirements of Maryland Voluntary State Curriculum. I provided the link between
general educations Office of Curriculum and Instruction, with the Office of Instructional
Support for the Special Needs Population. My focus has been on improving instructional
practices, which will, in turn, lead to increase AYP (Annual Yearly Progress) for
students. For over five years, I provided teachers and administrators with research-based
strategies in the area of Differentiated Instruction and effectively providing
accommodations to students with disabilities. My study of adult pedagogy has been
beneficial in my efforts to demonstrate how one size does not fit all as an approach for
our very diverse students of today.
In 2009, I was promoted to the position of Student Support Liaison in The
Network for BCPS. This was a carefully selected group of professionals representing all
phases of support staff. Our focus was to address the needs of school administrators and
teachers; our schools general and special needs populations, as well as budgetary issues
KEY HSD 000821
Petrosino, Patricia

were addressed by The Network. In my role as the Student Support Liaison, I was
responsible for working closely with school administrators to improve the instructional
practices of teachers working with the special education students in both the general
(inclusive setting) and in self-contained classrooms. My focus was on bringing said
students to increased AYP while using Differentiated Instruction and the Maryland State
Voluntary Curriculum. Providing professional development sessions, demonstration
lessons, strategies for effective classroom management, and conflict resolution within the
classroom were all provided on a group and/ or individual basis for instructional staff and
administrators. Performance data was collected and reviewed for areas of improvement
and continued need. As a result of this data mining, identified areas requiring further
attention for improvement were targeted in additional professional development; specific
teachers were also identified as needing directed and specific support in my capacity as
an instructional resource.
My responsibilities have included the following tasks:
Designing and developing training modules on teaching strategies for
the diverse learning and the development of quality IEPs;
Administering formal and informal educational assessments;
Writing educational assessments reports according to BCPSS quality
standards (Best Practices);
Advocating for specific students to secure their recommended Special
Education services;
Developing and providing instructional materials for teachers and
students;
Participating in the newly developed curriculum for Algebra 1 and
Geometry, Social Studies and Science
Writing the accommodations and modifications for instruction
throughout both curricula listed above;
Participating in inclusion planning meetings wherein action plans are
devised and participated in the review of data to monitor the
programs.
Planning with the High School Area staff in the review of inclusion
data to determine where additional action should be focused;
Documenting the provision of Special Education students via
computer programming and manual record keeping;
Counseling Child Study Teams regarding compliance procedures;
Collaborating with The Fund for Educational Excellence, community
resources and administrators on high school reform by observing
instructional programs in other school districts, and reviewing data to
make recommendations for the reform efforts of BCPSS;
Creating modules for presentation/training to teachers and
administrative staff based upon the most recent research on techniques
to increase student achievement; using multimedia to augment
professional development activities;
Coordinating the Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic
R
, Learning
through Listening
TM,
an audio text program used 36 Baltimore City
schools. The systems adopted textbooks are recorded on CDs for
KEY HSD 000822
Petrosino, Patricia

students who are experiencing reading comprehension difficulties.
Students with print difficulties or comprehension weaknesses are able
to maintain working in the general curriculum, as do their peers. My
efforts have involved providing instructional workshops for Lead
Teachers in the program assisting them in showing teachers in their
schools how to infuse RFB&D into their regular lesson planning. My
efforts continued to provide assistance while monitoring for the
quality of instruction through classroom observation and data
collection from pre and post testing. Johns Hopkins University took
an active part in this program and used BCPSs participation in their
publication of the RFB&D audio program results. Their professional
publication demonstrated how the program can, and does, yield
improved student performance and academic growth.
Working on several committees during textbook adoption periods to
ensure the chosen publications have included provisions for the
diverse learner in their textbooks;
Providing professional development for the new Maryland On-Line
IEP;
Providing instructional support and guidance with high schools
development and maintenance of the Bridge Program. This has been
especially rewarding as these schools have seen a successful
functioning of their individual programs resulting in students
completion of hundreds of graduation projects. My special focus has
been in assisting the schools with provide close monitoring and
support to the students with disabilities as they progress through their
requirements for Bridge.
My Philosophy of Special Education
Today, we must take all of our children to their own, personal limits. No
Child Left Behind requires us to re-affirm our responsibility to provide highly qualified
teachers whose instructional practices provide students with academic rigor, opportunities
for critical thinking, as well as real-world decision-making. We must prepare our
students for their futures, for we all share in the reality of tomorrow. Our students are
diverse both in the background knowledge they bring to the table, as well as how they
learn and progress toward their future. We must approach our task with high
expectations tempered with care and professional judgment.
Tomorrow will come.

References: Provided upon requst

KEY HSD 000823
Petrosino, Patricia

KEY HSD 000824
Shannon Kertzel
321 Folkstone Way
York, Pa 17402
phone: (717) 755-5149
email: shannonkertzel@gmail.com

EXPERIENCE
Giant Food Store, 2415 East Market St. York
Pharmacy Tech, Cashier, November, 2008 & 2009
Assists the Pharmacist in filling prescriptions, maintaining stock and keeping an accurate inventory of
Prescription and/or over the counter medications.

York Hospital, 1001 South George St
CNA, September, 2002 & October 2006
Taking vital signs
Help with some medical procedures
Assist patients entering or leaving their beds
Assist patients walking
Tidy patient's rooms
Answer call lights
Make beds
Deliver messages
Monitoring patients and reporting changes
Collecting samples for testing
Provide patient hygiene
Feeding patients
Monitoring food and liquid input/output

F&S Transportations, 37 S Main St Manchester
Van Driver, August, 2002
Transport student to and from school

Stillmeadow Nazarene C.C.C., 400 Stillmeadow Lane
Preschool Teacher, August 1999 & October 2001
Implementing, planning and supervising the program for the class, establishing curriculum and developing
units.

EDUCATION
Eastern High School, P.O. Box 2002 Cool Creek Road Wrightsville
High School diploma, June 1987

York County School of Technology , 2197 South Queen St York
CNA, 2002

KEY HSD 000825
CURRICULUM VITAE

Vincent J oseph Petrosino Ed D
301 Chestnut Street Ste. 1812 - Harrisburg, PA 17101
1-717-236-7537 portlygent47@gmail.com

QUALIFICATIONS

Conscientious, enthusiastic, perceptive, realistic multilingual retired educator
with expertise in teaching minority students, writing and developing curricula
especially geared toward instructing children in an urban setting, administration
in urban education and educational leadership roles in the higher education
community. Professional activities include serving on the Maryland State
curriculum writing team for classical languages, developing the curriculum for
special education children in Spanish, past president of the Maryland Foreign
Language Association and CEO of Maryland Association for the Bilingual
Education and Co-chairman for the American Foreign Language Teachers
Association Conference.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2008/2012 Presidential Campaign for President Barack Obama
. Neighborhood Team Leader
. Developing campaign strategy and policy for LGBT youth, Urban children and
Disabled children
. Maintaining local campaign office and directing phone banking volunteers

. Curriculum writer for classical language for MD. State Dept. of Ed. 1976
. Curriculum developer and writer for reading program BCPS 1977
. Curriculum writer, developer, staff trainer for foreign language instruction for
special education children 1979
. Educational Specialist for Bilingual Education in BCPS 1985 -1987
. President, Maryland Foreign Language Association 1988-87
. Member, Phi Delta Kappa, Professional Educators Fraternity 1986 - 1999

. Administrator in the BCPS at the following schools:
. Chinquapin Middle School 1993-1996
. Baltimore Polytechnic HS Summer - 1995
. Brehms Lane Elementary School 1996-1997
. Hazelwood Elementary/Middle School 1997 -1999

KEY HSD 000826

. Department Head and Chairperson in the BCPS at the following schools:
. Northern High School 1975-1979, 1986-1993
. Calverton J unior High School 1982 1984
. Southwestern High School 1984 1985

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Instructor in foreign languages, reading and English at the following schools in
the state of Maryland:

. Hamilton J unior High School 1968 1974
. Northern High School 1974 1979, 1986 1993
. City College High School 1979 1980
. Baltimore School For The Arts 1980 1982
. Catonsville Community College 1980 1983
. Calverton J unior High School 1982 1984
. Southwestern Nigh School 1984 1985

EDUCATION

Manhattan College, Bronx, New York 1964 1968
Bachelor of Arts Degree
.major in French with minors in German, Italian, Spanish

J ohns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 1968 1970
Masters of Arts In Teaching

Loyola College of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland 1977 1982
Masters of Education
.concentration in teaching and administering reading programs

Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 2003 2006
Doctor of Education
. concentration in Educational Leadership and Policy
. Dissertation: LGBT Adult and Youth Perceptions of School Safety In Central Pennsylvania

KEY HSD 000827

HONORS and AWARDS

Full Scholarship for MAT program, J ohns Hopkins University 1968 1970
Financial Award for Dissertation Research, Temple University 2006

Baltimore City Teacher of The Year finalist 1990
Chinquapin Administrator of The Year 1994
Mayor's Citation - 1995
Northern High School Teacher of Year - 1975

.

KEY HSD 000828
Name of Proposed School: ___________________________________________________ Key Charter School
Fiscal Year: 2014-15
Avg Salary
Number of
Positions Total Salary
Cost of Medical
Insurance (Note
1)
PSERS or
other
retirement plan
(Note 1)
FICA and all other
benefits (Note 1)
Total Cost of
Position
60,000 $ 34 2,040,000 $ 442,000 $ 306,000 $ 218,939 $ 3,006,939 $
25,000 $ 7 175,000 $ 91,000 $ 26,250 $ 23,883 $ 316,133 $
60,000 $ 4 240,000 $ 52,000 $ 36,000 $ 25,758 $ 353,758 $
65,000 $ 1 65,000 $ 13,000 $ 9,750 $ 6,872 $ 94,622 $
25,000 $ 2 50,000 $ 26,000 $ 7,500 $ 6,824 $ 90,324 $
75,000 $ 1 75,000 $ 13,000 $ 11,250 $ 7,737 $ 106,987 $
110,000 $ 1 110,000 $ 13,000 $ 16,500 $ 10,764 $ 150,264 $
75,000 $ 1 75,000 $ 13,000 $ 11,250 $ 7,737 $ 106,987 $
30,000 $ 1 30,000 $ 13,000 $ 4,500 $ 3,844 $ 51,344 $
9. Office Assistant 20,000 $ 1 20,000 $ 13,000 $ 3,000 $ 2,979 $ 38,979 $
200,000 $ 2 400,000 $ 26,000 $ 60,000 $ 37,099 $ 523,099 $
75,000 $ 1 75,000 $ 13,000 $ 11,250 $ 7,737 $ 106,987 $
60,000 $ 1 60,000 $ 13,000 $ 9,000 $ 6,439 $ 88,439 $
60,000 $ 1 60,000 $ 13,000 $ 9,000 $ 6,439 $ 88,439 $
14. Instructional Coach 75,000 $ 1 75,000 $ 13,000 $ 11,250 $ 7,737 $ 106,987 $
70,000 $ 1 70,000 $ 13,000 $ 10,500 $ 7,304 $ 100,804 $
1,085,000 $ 60.00 3,620,000 $ 780,000 $ 543,000 $ 388,093 $ 5,331,093 $
10,000 $ 765 $ 10,765 $
40,000 $ 3,060 $ 43,060 $
45,000 $
Contracted Services
Professional Services 60,000 $
Lease Equipment
Insurance (liability, fire, etc) 25,000 $
Audit 25,000 $
Student Management System 20,000 $
Other - Payroll, Legal 11,000 $
Consumable Supplies 139,716 $
Travel/Transportation 30,000 $
Books/Instructional Materials 180,000 $
20,000 $
15,000 $
5,000 $
Software 50,000 $
Advertising 8,000 $
Employee Recruitment 5,000 $
Subscription 8,000 $
Office Supplies 25,000 $
Express Mail 500 $
Postage 3,700 $
Equipment Purchases 300,000 $
Furniture 460,000 $
Site Costs
Lease 240,000 $
Utilies (if separate) 30,000 $
Cleaning 100,000 $
Phone/Mobile Services 9,600 $
Alarm 1,200 $
Grounds 10,000 $
Repairs 500,000 $
Interest Expense
Other - Reserve/District cost 550,419 $
8,262,053 $
Note 1: See Employee Benefit Worksheet attached
8. Assistant Principal
1. Teacher
2. Paraeduator
3. Teacher - Special Education
4. IEP Team Associate
5. Special Education Paraeducator
6. Technology Manager
Subtotal
7. Principal
8. Secretary
10. CEO and CAO
11. Director of Operations
12. Guidance Counselor
13. Librarian
5. Budget Form for Charter School Applications
Professional Development/Training
Position Title
15. Athletic Director
Substitute Service
Extra-curricular/Overtime Pay
Paper
Printed Materials
Promotional Items
TOTAL
KEY HSD 000829
Name of Proposed School: ___________________________________________________
Salaries 3,620,000.00 $
PSERS Rate 15%
Total PSERS Amount 543,000.00 $
Salaries (Note 1) 3,110,000.00 $
FICA Rate 6.20%
FICA Subtotal 224,440.00 $
Medicare Salaries (Note 2) 510,000.00 $
Medicare Rate 1.45%
Medicare Subtotal 52,490.00 $
Total FICA Amount 276,930.00 $
# Employees 60.00
Average Cost (Note 3) 13,000.00 $
Total Cost of Medical Insurance 780,000.00 $
Unemployment Compensation 35,962.50 $
Workers' Compensation 36,200.00 $
Salary Continuation
Life Insurance 39,000.00 $
Other
Total Cost of Other Benefits 111,162.50 $
1,711,092.50 $
Notes
(1) Do not include individual salary amounts over $87,900
(2) Balance of salaries in excess of $87,900
(3) Includes medical, dental, vision, and prescription plans
Retirement
TOTAL COST OF EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
Charter School Application Employee Benefit Worksheet
Other Benefits
Medical Insurance
FICA
KEY HSD 000830
July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb March April May June
School District(s)
Non-Special Education 611,886 $ 611,886 $ 611,886 $ 611,886 $ 611,886 $ 611,886 $ 611,886 $ 611,886 $ 611,886 $ 611,886 $ 611,886 $
Special Education 116,483 $ 116,483 $ 116,483 $ 116,483 $ 116,483 $ 116,483 $ 116,483 $ 116,483 $ 116,483 $ 116,483 $ 116,483 $
Start-up Loan 250,000 $
Fees
Other
Total Receipts 250,000 $ 728,368 $ 728,368 $ 728,368 $ 728,368 $ 728,368 $ 728,368 $ 728,368 $ 728,368 $ 728,368 $ 728,368 $ 728,368 $
Salaries 59,167 $ 323,712 $ 323,712 $ 323,712 $ 323,712 $ 323,712 $ 323,712 $ 323,712 $ 323,712 $ 323,712 $ 323,712 $ 323,712 $
Medical 6,500 $ 70,318 $ 70,318 $ 70,318 $ 70,318 $ 70,318 $ 70,318 $ 70,318 $ 70,318 $ 70,318 $ 70,318 $ 70,318 $
PSERS/Retirement 8,875 $ 48,557 $ 48,557 $ 48,557 $ 48,557 $ 48,557 $ 48,557 $ 48,557 $ 48,557 $ 48,557 $ 48,557 $ 48,557 $
FICA 4,526 $ 25,216 $ 24,834 $ 25,216 $ 24,834 $ 25,216 $ 24,834 $ 25,216 $ 24,834 $ 25,216 $ 24,834 $ 25,981 $
Other Benefits 1,216 $ 9,995 $ 9,995 $ 9,995 $ 9,995 $ 9,995 $ 9,995 $ 9,995 $ 9,995 $ 9,995 $ 9,995 $ 9,995 $
Substitute Service 909 $ 909 $ 909 $ 909 $ 909 $ 909 $ 909 $ 909 $ 909 $ 909 $ 909 $
Extra-curricular and OT 5,000 $ 5,000 $ 5,000 $ 5,000 $ 5,000 $ 15,000 $
Professional Development 10,000 $ 5,000 $ 15,000 $ 15,000 $
Contracted Services 33,273 $ 8,273 $ 8,273 $ 8,273 $ 8,273 $ 8,273 $ 8,273 $ 8,273 $ 8,273 $ 8,273 $ 33,273 $
Consumable Supplies 39,716 $ 9,091 $ 9,091 $ 9,091 $ 9,091 $ 9,091 $ 9,091 $ 9,091 $ 9,091 $ 9,091 $ 9,091 $ 9,091 $
Travel/Transportation 7,500 $ 7,500 $ 7,500 $ 7,500 $
Books/Instructional Matls 20,000 $ 6,665 $ 14,545 $ 14,545 $ 14,545 $ 16,876 $ 12,214 $ 14,331 $ 22,639 $ 13,831 $ 15,259 $ 14,545 $
Paper 1,818 $ 1,818 $ 1,818 $ 1,818 $ 1,818 $ 1,818 $ 1,818 $ 1,818 $ 1,818 $ 1,818 $ 1,818 $
Printed Materials 3,000 $ 2,000 $ 3,000 $ 4,000 $ 3,000 $
Promotional Items 1,500 $ 1,500 $ 2,000 $
Software 25,000 $ 25,000 $
Advertising 2,000 $ 1,000 $ 1,000 $ 4,000 $
Employee Recruitment 2,500 $ 2,500 $
Subscription 2,667 $ 2,667 $ 2,666 $
Office Supplies 2,273 $ 2,273 $ 2,273 $ 2,273 $ 2,273 $ 2,273 $ 2,273 $ 2,273 $ 2,273 $ 2,273 $ 2,273 $
Express Mail 45 $ 45 $ 45 $ 45 $ 45 $ 45 $ 45 $ 45 $ 45 $ 45 $ 45 $
Postage 336 $ 336 $ 336 $ 336 $ 336 $ 336 $ 336 $ 336 $ 336 $ 336 $ 336 $
Equipment 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 20,000 $ 30,000 $ 50,000 $ 25,000 $ 25,000 $ 50,000 $
Furniture 60,000 $ 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 25,000 $ 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 25,000 $ 50,000 $ 50,000 $
Site Costs 82,573 $ 82,573 $ 80,073 $ 80,073 $ 80,073 $ 80,073 $ 80,073 $ 80,073 $ 80,073 $ 82,573 $ 82,573 $
Other - District Cost 15,000 $ 15,000 $ 15,000 $ 15,000 $ 15,000 $ 15,000 $ 15,000 $ 15,000 $ 15,000 $ 15,000 $
Other - Reserve Acct 30,920 $ 33,922 $ 34,540 $ 31,089 $ 31,375 $ 30,920 $ 30,920 $ 35,495 $ 30,920 $ 35,375 $ 74,941 $
Total Disbursements 250,000 $ 728,368 $ 728,368 $ 728,368 $ 728,368 $ 728,368 $ 728,368 $ 728,368 $ 728,368 $ 728,368 $ 728,368 $ 728,368 $
0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Charter School Cashflow Projections
Beginning Cash Balance
Ending Cash Balance
Plus Receipts:
Less Disbursements
KEY HSD 000831
School District(s)
Non-Special Education832,964 $ 832,964 $ 832,964 $ 832,964 $ 832,964 $ 832,964 $ 832,964 $ 832,964 $ 832,964 $ 832,964 $ 832,964 $ 832,964 $
Special Education 163,723 $ 163,723 $ 163,723 $ 163,723 $ 163,723 $ 163,723 $ 163,723 $ 163,723 $ 163,723 $ 163,723 $ 163,723 $ 163,723 $
Fees
Other
Total Receipts 996,687 $ 996,687 $ 996,687 $ 996,687 $ 996,687 $ 996,687 $ 996,687 $ 996,687 $ 996,687 $ 996,687 $ 996,687 $ 996,687 $
Salaries 400,192 $ 400,192 $ 400,192 $ 400,192 $ 400,192 $ 400,192 $ 400,192 $ 400,192 $ 400,192 $ 400,192 $ 400,192 $ 400,192 $
Medical 87,295 $ 87,295 $ 87,295 $ 87,295 $ 87,295 $ 87,295 $ 87,295 $ 87,295 $ 87,295 $ 87,295 $ 87,295 $ 87,295 $
FICA 30,615 $ 31,264 $ 30,754 $ 31,264 $ 30,754 $ 31,264 $ 30,754 $ 31,264 $ 30,754 $ 31,264 $ 30,754 $ 32,029 $
Other Benefits 12,340 $ 12,340 $ 12,340 $ 12,340 $ 12,340 $ 12,340 $ 12,340 $ 12,340 $ 12,340 $ 12,340 $ 12,340 $ 12,340 $
Substitute Service 1,818 $ 1,818 $ 1,818 $ 1,818 $ 1,818 $ 1,818 $ 1,818 $ 1,818 $ 1,818 $ 1,818 $ 1,818 $
Contracted Services 38,417 $ 8,417 $ 8,417 $ 8,417 $ 8,417 $ 8,417 $ 8,417 $ 8,417 $ 8,417 $ 8,417 $ 8,417 $ 33,417 $
Books/Instructional Matls14,167 $ 14,167 $ 14,167 $ 14,167 $ 14,167 $ 14,167 $ 14,167 $ 14,167 $ 14,167 $ 14,167 $ 14,167 $ 14,167 $
Paper 2,917 $ 2,917 $ 2,917 $ 2,917 $ 2,917 $ 2,917 $ 2,917 $ 2,917 $ 2,917 $ 2,917 $ 2,917 $ 2,917 $
Software 25,000 $ 25,000 $
Advertising 2,000 $ 1,000 $ 1,000 $ 4,000 $
Subscription 3,333 $ 3,333 $ 3,333 $
Office Supplies 5,000 $ 5,000 $ 5,000 $ 5,000 $ 5,000 $ 5,000 $ 5,000 $ 5,000 $ 5,000 $ 5,000 $ 5,000 $ 5,000 $
Express Mail 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $
Postage 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $
Equipment 25,000 $ 25,000 $ 25,000 $ 25,000 $ 25,000 $ 25,000 $
Furniture 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 25,000 $ 50,000 $ 25,000 $
Site Costs 138,467 $ 138,467 $ 135,967 $ 135,967 $ 135,967 $ 135,967 $ 135,967 $ 135,967 $ 135,967 $ 135,967 $ 138,467 $ 138,467 $
Other - District Cost 12,500 $ 12,500 $ 12,500 $ 12,500 $ 12,500 $ 12,500 $ 12,500 $ 12,500 $ 12,500 $ 12,500 $ 12,500 $ 12,500 $
Other - Reserve Acct 106,900 $ 94,433 $ 101,776 $ 115,933 $ 124,943 $ 148,933 $ 147,443 $ 167,766 $ 212,443 $ 171,266 $ 170,610 $ 167,001 $
(0.00) 0.00 (0.00) 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 (0.00) 0.00 (0.00) (0.00) (0.00) Ending Cash Balance
Year 2 Cashflow Projection
Plus Receipts:
Less Disbursements
KEY HSD 000832
School District(s)
Non-Special Education 1,101,089 $ 1,101,089 $ 1,101,089 $ 1,101,089 $ 1,101,089 $ 1,101,089 $ 1,101,089 $ 1,101,089 $ 1,101,089 $ 1,101,089 $ 1,101,089 $ 1,101,089 $
Fees
Other
Total Receipts 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $
Salaries 494,098 $ 494,098 $ 494,098 $ 494,098 $ 494,098 $ 494,098 $ 494,098 $ 494,098 $ 494,098 $ 494,098 $ 494,098 $ 494,098 $
Medical 107,760 $ 107,760 $ 107,760 $ 107,760 $ 107,760 $ 107,760 $ 107,760 $ 107,760 $ 107,760 $ 107,760 $ 107,760 $ 107,760 $
FICA 37,799 $ 38,645 $ 38,007 $ 38,645 $ 38,007 $ 38,645 $ 38,007 $ 38,645 $ 38,007 $ 38,645 $ 38,007 $ 39,410 $
Other Benefits 15,347 $ 15,347 $ 15,347 $ 15,347 $ 15,347 $ 15,347 $ 15,347 $ 15,347 $ 15,347 $ 15,347 $ 15,347 $ 15,347 $
Professional Development 10,000 $ 15,000 $ 15,000 $ 15,000 $ 15,000 $
Paper 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $
Printed Materials 3,750 $ 3,750 $ 3,750 $ 3,750 $ 3,750 $ 3,750 $ 3,750 $ 3,750 $ 3,750 $
Software 25,000 $ 25,000 $
Advertising 2,000 $ 1,000 $ 1,000 $ 4,000 $
Subscription 4,000 $ 4,000 $ 4,000 $
Office Supplies 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $
Express Mail 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $
Postage 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $
Equipment 25,000 $ 25,000 $ 25,000 $ 25,000 $ 25,000 $ 25,000 $
Furniture 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 25,000 $ 50,000 $ 25,000 $
Site Costs 158,467 $ 158,467 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 158,467 $ 158,467 $
Total Disbursements 1,298,031 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,031 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,031 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,031 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,031 $
0.00 (0.00) (0.00) (0.00) 0.00 (0.00) 0.00 (0.00) 0.00 (0.00) (0.00) 0.00
Less Disbursements
Ending Cash Balance
Plus Receipts:
KEY HSD 000833
School District(s)
Fees
Other
Total Receipts 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $
Salaries 503,980 $ 503,980 $ 503,980 $ 503,980 $ 503,980 $ 503,980 $ 503,980 $ 503,980 $ 503,980 $ 503,980 $ 503,980 $ 503,980 $
Medical 109,920 $ 109,920 $ 109,920 $ 109,920 $ 109,920 $ 109,920 $ 109,920 $ 109,920 $ 109,920 $ 109,920 $ 109,920 $ 109,920 $
FICA 38,554 $ 39,401 $ 38,763 $ 39,401 $ 38,763 $ 39,401 $ 38,763 $ 39,401 $ 38,763 $ 39,401 $ 38,763 $ 40,166 $
Other Benefits 15,446 $ 15,446 $ 15,446 $ 15,446 $ 15,446 $ 15,446 $ 15,446 $ 15,446 $ 15,446 $ 15,446 $ 15,446 $ 15,446 $
Paper 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $
Software 25,000 $ 25,000 $
Advertising 2,000 $ 1,000 $ 1,000 $ 4,000 $
Subscription 4,000 $ 4,000 $ 4,000 $
Office Supplies 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $
Express Mail 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $
Postage 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $
Equipment 25,000 $ 25,000 $ 25,000 $ 25,000 $ 25,000 $ 25,000 $
Furniture 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 25,000 $ 50,000 $ 25,000 $
Site Costs 158,467 $ 158,467 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 158,467 $ 158,467 $
0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 (0.00) 0.00 (0.00) 0.00 (0.00) 0.00 0.00 (0.00)
Less Disbursements
Ending Cash Balance
Plus Receipts:
KEY HSD 000834
School District(s)
Fees
Other
Total Receipts 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $
Salaries 513,862 $ 513,862 $ 513,862 $ 513,862 $ 513,862 $ 513,862 $ 513,862 $ 513,862 $ 513,862 $ 513,862 $ 513,862 $ 513,862 $
Medical 112,120 $ 112,120 $ 112,120 $ 112,120 $ 112,120 $ 112,120 $ 112,120 $ 112,120 $ 112,120 $ 112,120 $ 112,120 $ 112,120 $
FICA 39,310 $ 40,157 $ 39,519 $ 40,157 $ 39,519 $ 40,157 $ 39,519 $ 40,157 $ 39,519 $ 40,157 $ 39,519 $ 40,922 $
Other Benefits 15,545 $ 15,545 $ 15,545 $ 15,545 $ 15,545 $ 15,545 $ 15,545 $ 15,545 $ 15,545 $ 15,545 $ 15,545 $ 15,545 $
Paper 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $
Software 25,000 $ 25,000 $
Advertising 2,000 $ 1,000 $ 1,000 $ 4,000 $
Subscription 4,000 $ 4,000 $ 4,000 $
Office Supplies 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $
Express Mail 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $
Postage 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $
Equipment 25,000 $ 25,000 $ 25,000 $ 25,000 $ 25,000 $ 25,000 $
Furniture 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 25,000 $ 50,000 $ 25,000 $
Site Costs 158,467 $ 158,467 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 158,467 $ 158,467 $
(0.00) 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 (0.00) 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Less Disbursements
Ending Cash Balance
Plus Receipts:
KEY HSD 000835
Avg Salary
Number of
Positions Total Salary
Cost of Medical
Insurance (Note
1)
PSERS or
other
retirement plan
(Note 1)
FICA and all other
benefits (Note 1)
Total Cost of
Position
60,000 $ 34 2,040,000 $ 442,000 $ 306,000 $ 218,939 $ 3,006,939 $
25,000 $ 7 175,000 $ 91,000 $ 26,250 $ 23,883 $ 316,133 $
60,000 $ 4 240,000 $ 52,000 $ 36,000 $ 25,758 $ 353,758 $
65,000 $ 1 65,000 $ 13,000 $ 9,750 $ 6,872 $ 94,622 $
25,000 $ 2 50,000 $ 26,000 $ 7,500 $ 6,824 $ 90,324 $
75,000 $ 1 75,000 $ 13,000 $ 11,250 $ 7,737 $ 106,987 $
110,000 $ 1 110,000 $ 13,000 $ 16,500 $ 10,764 $ 150,264 $
75,000 $ 1 75,000 $ 13,000 $ 11,250 $ 7,737 $ 106,987 $
30,000 $ 1 30,000 $ 13,000 $ 4,500 $ 3,844 $ 51,344 $
9. Office Assistant 20,000 $ 1 20,000 $ 13,000 $ 3,000 $ 2,979 $ 38,979 $
200,000 $ 2 400,000 $ 26,000 $ 60,000 $ 37,099 $ 523,099 $
75,000 $ 1 75,000 $ 13,000 $ 11,250 $ 7,737 $ 106,987 $
60,000 $ 1 60,000 $ 13,000 $ 9,000 $ 6,439 $ 88,439 $
60,000 $ 1 60,000 $ 13,000 $ 9,000 $ 6,439 $ 88,439 $
14. Instructional Coach 75,000 $ 1 75,000 $ 13,000 $ 11,250 $ 7,737 $ 106,987 $
70,000 $ 1 70,000 $ 13,000 $ 10,500 $ 7,304 $ 100,804 $
1,085,000 $ 60.00 3,620,000 $ 780,000 $ 543,000 $ 388,093 $ 5,331,093 $
10,000 $ 765 $ 10,765 $
40,000 $ 3,060 $ 43,060 $
45,000 $
Contracted Services
Professional Services 60,000 $
Lease Equipment
Insurance (liability, fire, etc) 25,000 $
Audit 25,000 $
Student Management System 20,000 $
Other - Payroll, Legal 11,000 $
Consumable Supplies 139,716 $
Travel/Transportation 30,000 $
Books/Instructional Materials 180,000 $
20,000 $
15,000 $
5,000 $
Software 50,000 $
Advertising 8,000 $
Employee Recruitment 5,000 $
Subscription 8,000 $
Office Supplies 25,000 $
Express Mail 500 $
Postage 3,700 $
Equipment Purchases 300,000 $
Furniture 460,000 $
Site Costs
Lease 240,000 $
Utilies (if separate) 30,000 $
Cleaning 100,000 $
Phone/Mobile Services 9,600 $
Alarm 1,200 $
Grounds 10,000 $
Repairs 500,000 $
Interest Expense
Other - Reserve/District cost 550,419 $
8,262,053 $
Note 1: See Employee Benefit Worksheet attached
8. Assistant Principal
1. Teacher
2. Paraeduator
3. Teacher - Special Education
4. IEP Team Associate
5. Special Education Paraeducator
6. Technology Manager
Subtotal
7. Principal
8. Secretary
10. CEO and CAO
11. Director of Operations
12. Guidance Counselor
13. Librarian
5. Budget Form for Charter School Applications
Professional Development/Training
Position Title
15. Athletic Director
Substitute Service
Extra-curricular/Overtime Pay
Paper
Printed Materials
Promotional Items
TOTAL
KEY HSD 000836
Name of Proposed School: ___________________________________________________
Salaries 3,620,000.00 $
PSERS Rate 15%
Total PSERS Amount 543,000.00 $
Salaries (Note 1) 3,110,000.00 $
FICA Rate 6.20%
FICA Subtotal 224,440.00 $
Medicare Salaries (Note 2) 510,000.00 $
Medicare Rate 1.45%
Medicare Subtotal 52,490.00 $
Total FICA Amount 276,930.00 $
# Employees 60.00
Average Cost (Note 3) 13,000.00 $
Total Cost of Medical Insurance 780,000.00 $
Unemployment Compensation 35,962.50 $
Workers' Compensation 36,200.00 $
Salary Continuation
Life Insurance 39,000.00 $
Other
Total Cost of Other Benefits 111,162.50 $
1,711,092.50 $
Notes
(1) Do not include individual salary amounts over $87,900
(2) Balance of salaries in excess of $87,900
(3) Includes medical, dental, vision, and prescription plans
Retirement
TOTAL COST OF EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
Charter School Application Employee Benefit Worksheet
Other Benefits
Medical Insurance
FICA
KEY HSD 000837
School District(s)
Non-Special Education 611,886 $ 611,886 $ 611,886 $ 611,886 $ 611,886 $ 611,886 $ 611,886 $ 611,886 $ 611,886 $ 611,886 $ 611,886 $
Special Education 116,483 $ 116,483 $ 116,483 $ 116,483 $ 116,483 $ 116,483 $ 116,483 $ 116,483 $ 116,483 $ 116,483 $ 116,483 $
Start-up Loan 250,000 $
Fees
Other
Total Receipts 250,000 $ 728,368 $ 728,368 $ 728,368 $ 728,368 $ 728,368 $ 728,368 $ 728,368 $ 728,368 $ 728,368 $ 728,368 $ 728,368 $
Salaries 59,167 $ 323,712 $ 323,712 $ 323,712 $ 323,712 $ 323,712 $ 323,712 $ 323,712 $ 323,712 $ 323,712 $ 323,712 $ 323,712 $
Medical 6,500 $ 70,318 $ 70,318 $ 70,318 $ 70,318 $ 70,318 $ 70,318 $ 70,318 $ 70,318 $ 70,318 $ 70,318 $ 70,318 $
FICA 4,526 $ 25,216 $ 24,834 $ 25,216 $ 24,834 $ 25,216 $ 24,834 $ 25,216 $ 24,834 $ 25,216 $ 24,834 $ 25,981 $
Other Benefits 1,216 $ 9,995 $ 9,995 $ 9,995 $ 9,995 $ 9,995 $ 9,995 $ 9,995 $ 9,995 $ 9,995 $ 9,995 $ 9,995 $
Substitute Service 909 $ 909 $ 909 $ 909 $ 909 $ 909 $ 909 $ 909 $ 909 $ 909 $ 909 $
Contracted Services 33,273 $ 8,273 $ 8,273 $ 8,273 $ 8,273 $ 8,273 $ 8,273 $ 8,273 $ 8,273 $ 8,273 $ 33,273 $
Paper 1,818 $ 1,818 $ 1,818 $ 1,818 $ 1,818 $ 1,818 $ 1,818 $ 1,818 $ 1,818 $ 1,818 $ 1,818 $
Software 25,000 $ 25,000 $
Advertising 2,000 $ 1,000 $ 1,000 $ 4,000 $
Subscription 2,667 $ 2,667 $ 2,666 $
Office Supplies 2,273 $ 2,273 $ 2,273 $ 2,273 $ 2,273 $ 2,273 $ 2,273 $ 2,273 $ 2,273 $ 2,273 $ 2,273 $
Express Mail 45 $ 45 $ 45 $ 45 $ 45 $ 45 $ 45 $ 45 $ 45 $ 45 $ 45 $
Postage 336 $ 336 $ 336 $ 336 $ 336 $ 336 $ 336 $ 336 $ 336 $ 336 $ 336 $
Equipment 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 20,000 $ 30,000 $ 50,000 $ 25,000 $ 25,000 $ 50,000 $
Furniture 60,000 $ 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 25,000 $ 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 25,000 $ 50,000 $ 50,000 $
Site Costs 82,573 $ 82,573 $ 80,073 $ 80,073 $ 80,073 $ 80,073 $ 80,073 $ 80,073 $ 80,073 $ 82,573 $ 82,573 $
Other - District Cost 15,000 $ 15,000 $ 15,000 $ 15,000 $ 15,000 $ 15,000 $ 15,000 $ 15,000 $ 15,000 $ 15,000 $
Other - Reserve Acct 30,920 $ 33,922 $ 34,540 $ 31,089 $ 31,375 $ 30,920 $ 30,920 $ 35,495 $ 30,920 $ 35,375 $ 74,941 $
0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Ending Cash Balance
Plus Receipts:
Less Disbursements
KEY HSD 000838
School District(s)
Non-Special Education832,964 $ 832,964 $ 832,964 $ 832,964 $ 832,964 $ 832,964 $ 832,964 $ 832,964 $ 832,964 $ 832,964 $ 832,964 $ 832,964 $
Fees
Other
Total Receipts 996,687 $ 996,687 $ 996,687 $ 996,687 $ 996,687 $ 996,687 $ 996,687 $ 996,687 $ 996,687 $ 996,687 $ 996,687 $ 996,687 $
Salaries 400,192 $ 400,192 $ 400,192 $ 400,192 $ 400,192 $ 400,192 $ 400,192 $ 400,192 $ 400,192 $ 400,192 $ 400,192 $ 400,192 $
Medical 87,295 $ 87,295 $ 87,295 $ 87,295 $ 87,295 $ 87,295 $ 87,295 $ 87,295 $ 87,295 $ 87,295 $ 87,295 $ 87,295 $
FICA 30,615 $ 31,264 $ 30,754 $ 31,264 $ 30,754 $ 31,264 $ 30,754 $ 31,264 $ 30,754 $ 31,264 $ 30,754 $ 32,029 $
Other Benefits 12,340 $ 12,340 $ 12,340 $ 12,340 $ 12,340 $ 12,340 $ 12,340 $ 12,340 $ 12,340 $ 12,340 $ 12,340 $ 12,340 $
Books/Instructional Matls14,167 $ 14,167 $ 14,167 $ 14,167 $ 14,167 $ 14,167 $ 14,167 $ 14,167 $ 14,167 $ 14,167 $ 14,167 $ 14,167 $
Paper 2,917 $ 2,917 $ 2,917 $ 2,917 $ 2,917 $ 2,917 $ 2,917 $ 2,917 $ 2,917 $ 2,917 $ 2,917 $ 2,917 $
Software 25,000 $ 25,000 $
Advertising 2,000 $ 1,000 $ 1,000 $ 4,000 $
Subscription 3,333 $ 3,333 $ 3,333 $
Office Supplies 5,000 $ 5,000 $ 5,000 $ 5,000 $ 5,000 $ 5,000 $ 5,000 $ 5,000 $ 5,000 $ 5,000 $ 5,000 $ 5,000 $
Express Mail 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $
Postage 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $
Equipment 25,000 $ 25,000 $ 25,000 $ 25,000 $ 25,000 $ 25,000 $
Furniture 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 25,000 $ 50,000 $ 25,000 $
Site Costs 138,467 $ 138,467 $ 135,967 $ 135,967 $ 135,967 $ 135,967 $ 135,967 $ 135,967 $ 135,967 $ 135,967 $ 138,467 $ 138,467 $
(0.00) 0.00 (0.00) 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 (0.00) 0.00 (0.00) (0.00) (0.00) Ending Cash Balance
Plus Receipts:
Less Disbursements
KEY HSD 000839
School District(s)
Fees
Other
Total Receipts 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $
Salaries 494,098 $ 494,098 $ 494,098 $ 494,098 $ 494,098 $ 494,098 $ 494,098 $ 494,098 $ 494,098 $ 494,098 $ 494,098 $ 494,098 $
Medical 107,760 $ 107,760 $ 107,760 $ 107,760 $ 107,760 $ 107,760 $ 107,760 $ 107,760 $ 107,760 $ 107,760 $ 107,760 $ 107,760 $
FICA 37,799 $ 38,645 $ 38,007 $ 38,645 $ 38,007 $ 38,645 $ 38,007 $ 38,645 $ 38,007 $ 38,645 $ 38,007 $ 39,410 $
Other Benefits 15,347 $ 15,347 $ 15,347 $ 15,347 $ 15,347 $ 15,347 $ 15,347 $ 15,347 $ 15,347 $ 15,347 $ 15,347 $ 15,347 $
Paper 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $
Software 25,000 $ 25,000 $
Advertising 2,000 $ 1,000 $ 1,000 $ 4,000 $
Subscription 4,000 $ 4,000 $ 4,000 $
Office Supplies 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $
Express Mail 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $
Postage 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $
Equipment 25,000 $ 25,000 $ 25,000 $ 25,000 $ 25,000 $ 25,000 $
Furniture 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 25,000 $ 50,000 $ 25,000 $
Site Costs 158,467 $ 158,467 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 158,467 $ 158,467 $
0.00 (0.00) (0.00) (0.00) 0.00 (0.00) 0.00 (0.00) 0.00 (0.00) (0.00) 0.00
Less Disbursements
Ending Cash Balance
Plus Receipts:
KEY HSD 000840
School District(s)
Fees
Other
Total Receipts 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $
Salaries 503,980 $ 503,980 $ 503,980 $ 503,980 $ 503,980 $ 503,980 $ 503,980 $ 503,980 $ 503,980 $ 503,980 $ 503,980 $ 503,980 $
Medical 109,920 $ 109,920 $ 109,920 $ 109,920 $ 109,920 $ 109,920 $ 109,920 $ 109,920 $ 109,920 $ 109,920 $ 109,920 $ 109,920 $
FICA 38,554 $ 39,401 $ 38,763 $ 39,401 $ 38,763 $ 39,401 $ 38,763 $ 39,401 $ 38,763 $ 39,401 $ 38,763 $ 40,166 $
Other Benefits 15,446 $ 15,446 $ 15,446 $ 15,446 $ 15,446 $ 15,446 $ 15,446 $ 15,446 $ 15,446 $ 15,446 $ 15,446 $ 15,446 $
Paper 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $
Software 25,000 $ 25,000 $
Advertising 2,000 $ 1,000 $ 1,000 $ 4,000 $
Subscription 4,000 $ 4,000 $ 4,000 $
Office Supplies 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $
Express Mail 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $
Postage 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $
Equipment 25,000 $ 25,000 $ 25,000 $ 25,000 $ 25,000 $ 25,000 $
Furniture 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 25,000 $ 50,000 $ 25,000 $
Site Costs 158,467 $ 158,467 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 158,467 $ 158,467 $
0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 (0.00) 0.00 (0.00) 0.00 (0.00) 0.00 0.00 (0.00)
Less Disbursements
Ending Cash Balance
Plus Receipts:
KEY HSD 000841
School District(s)
Fees
Other
Total Receipts 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $ 1,298,032 $
Salaries 513,862 $ 513,862 $ 513,862 $ 513,862 $ 513,862 $ 513,862 $ 513,862 $ 513,862 $ 513,862 $ 513,862 $ 513,862 $ 513,862 $
Medical 112,120 $ 112,120 $ 112,120 $ 112,120 $ 112,120 $ 112,120 $ 112,120 $ 112,120 $ 112,120 $ 112,120 $ 112,120 $ 112,120 $
FICA 39,310 $ 40,157 $ 39,519 $ 40,157 $ 39,519 $ 40,157 $ 39,519 $ 40,157 $ 39,519 $ 40,157 $ 39,519 $ 40,922 $
Other Benefits 15,545 $ 15,545 $ 15,545 $ 15,545 $ 15,545 $ 15,545 $ 15,545 $ 15,545 $ 15,545 $ 15,545 $ 15,545 $ 15,545 $
Paper 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $ 4,167 $
Software 25,000 $ 25,000 $
Advertising 2,000 $ 1,000 $ 1,000 $ 4,000 $
Subscription 4,000 $ 4,000 $ 4,000 $
Office Supplies 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $ 6,250 $
Express Mail 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $ 42 $
Postage 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $ 308 $
Equipment 25,000 $ 25,000 $ 25,000 $ 25,000 $ 25,000 $ 25,000 $
Furniture 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 25,000 $ 50,000 $ 25,000 $
Site Costs 158,467 $ 158,467 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 155,967 $ 158,467 $ 158,467 $
(0.00) 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 (0.00) 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Less Disbursements
Ending Cash Balance
Plus Receipts:
KEY HSD 000842
ARM Project 08361
November 2008
1129West Governor Road, P.O.Box797,-Hershey,PA17033-0797
Voice: (717)533-8600 Fax:(717)533-8605
E-mail:info@armgroup.net
ARMGroupInc.
EarthResourceEngineersandConsultants
Phase I
Environmental Site Assessment
Prepared for:
Kurowski & Wilson, LLC
470 Friendship Road, Suite 100
Harrisburg, PA17111
BishopMcDevittHighSchool
2200MarketStreet
CityofHarrisburg
DauphinCounty, Pennsylvania
KEY HSD 000843

PHASE I
ENVIRONMENTAL SITE ASSESSMENT

Bishop McDevitt High School
2200 Market Street
City of Harrisburg
Dauphin County, Pennsylvania

Prepared for:

Kurowski & Wilson, LLC
470 Friendship Road, Suite 100
Harrisburg, PA 17111

By:

ARM Group Inc.
1129 West Governor Road
P.O. Box 797
Hershey, PA 17033-0797

October 31, 2008

ARM Project 08361

Respectfully submitted:

Mark J. Heisey, C.E.M., C.E.S.
Project Manager
Property Assessment

Reviewed by:

Stephen B. Fulton, P.G., P.E.
Vice President
Environmental Services
KEY HSD 000844

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY................................................................................................. i

1.0 INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Purpose........................................................................................................... 1
1.2 Scope ............................................................................................................ 1
1.3 Significant Assumptions ................................................................................ 2
1.4 User Reliance ................................................................................................. 2
1.5 User-Provided Information............................................................................ 2

2.0 SITE DESCRIPTION.............................................................................................. 2
2.1 Location and General Description................................................................. 2
2.2 Current Use of the Site .................................................................................. 2
2.3 Description of Site Improvements ................................................................ 2
2.4 Current Use of Adjoining Properties ............................................................. 3

3.0 GEOLOGY, SOILS, TOPOGRAPHY AND HYDROLOGY............................. 3
3.1 Site Geology................................................................................................... 3
3.2 Site Soils ........................................................................................................ 3
3.3 Site Topography and Hydrology.................................................................... 3

4.0 HISTORICAL INFORMATION ........................................................................... 4
4.1 Site History.................................................................................................... 4
4.1.1 Aerial Photographs ............................................................................. 4
4.1.2 Topographic Maps ............................................................................. 4
4.2 Adjoining Properties History......................................................................... 5
4.2.1 Aerial Photographs ............................................................................. 5
4.2.2 Topographic Maps ............................................................................. 5

5.0 INTERVIEWS.......................................................................................................... 5
5.1 Current Owner................................................................................................ 5
5.2 Local Official................................................................................................. 5
5.3 State Official .................................................................................................. 6

6.0 REGULATORY DATABASE REVIEW.............................................................. 6
6.1 Project Site ..................................................................................................... 7
6.2 Off-Site Facilities ........................................................................................... 7

7.0 SITE INSPECTION................................................................................................. 8
7.1 Methodology and Limiting Conditions.......................................................... 8
7.2 General Site Setting ....................................................................................... 8
7.3 Observations................................................................................................... 9

KEY HSD 000845

TABLE OF CONTENTS
(continued)

Page
7.3.1 Potable Water, Wells, and Wastewater Disposal............................... 9
7.3.2 Heating/Cooling................................................................................. 9
7.3.3 Storage Tanks .................................................................................... 9
7.3.4 Hazardous and Regulated Substances/
Hazardous and Regulated Wastes / Petroleum Products ................... 9
7.3.5 Surface Releases of Hazardous and Regulated Substances
Hazardous and Regulated Wastes/Petroleum Products ..................... 9
7.3.6 Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) .................................................... 10
7.3.7 Pits, Ponds, Lagoons ......................................................................... 10
7.3.8 Solid Waste / Debris .......................................................................... 10
7.3.9 Other Remarkable Conditions or Features......................................... 10

8.0 FINDINGS ............................................................................................................... 10

9.0 OPINIONS ............................................................................................................... 11

10.0 CONCLUSIONS ...................................................................................................... 11

11.0 LIMITATIONS........................................................................................................ 12

12.0 ENVIRONMENTAL PROFESSIONALS STATEMENT................................. 12

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1 Site Location Map........................................................................ Following Text
Figure 2 Site Plan....................................................................................... Following Text

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1 Regulatory Database Review Summary .......................................................... 6

LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix A Resumes of ARM Staff ................................................................ Following Text
Appendix B Historical Documents................................................................... Following Text
Appendix C Conversation Records .................................................................. Following Text
Appendix D Database Review Report .............................................................. Following Text
Appendix E Selected Site Photographs ............................................................ Following Text

KEY HSD 000846

ARM Project 08361 i October 31, 2008
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

At the request of Kurowski & Wilson, LLC (K&W) (i.e., the User), ARM Group Inc. (ARM)
(i.e., the Preparer) has completed a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) of Bishop
McDevitt High School, located at 2200 Market Street, City of Harrisburg, Dauphin County,
Pennsylvania. ARM performed this assessment in accordance with the American Society for
Testing and Materials (ASTM) Standard E-1527-05, Standard Practice for Environmental Site
Assessments: Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Process. As applicable, this assessment
is intended to satisfy the All Appropriate Inquiry (AAI) requirements of the Small Business
Liability Relief and Revitalization Act of 2002. The purpose of the assessment was to identify
conditions of potential environmental liability at the site and, where appropriate, to characterize
those conditions as current or historic recognized environmental condition(s) (REC/HREC), or
business environmental risk (BER). This assessment does not address environmental issues
beyond the presence of petroleum products or hazardous substances, except for comments
regarding the potential presence of asbestos-containing materials (ACMs), lead-based paint
(LBP), wetlands, and radon.

The subject site consists of an approximately 8-acre irregular-shaped property located along the
northern side of Market Street in the City of Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. The
site is currently occupied by Bishop McDevitt High School and an athletic field. Bishop
McDevitt High School is a private school for grades 9 through 12 operated by the Diocese of
Harrisburg. The school consists of an approximately 45,000-square foot, multi-story, brick
building, situated on the southern portion of the site. The on-site building is serviced by public
water, public sewer, and natural gas.

The prior use of the site and the adjoining properties has been reconstructed from reviews of
historic aerial photographs and Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps. According to these sources, the
portion of the site that is currently occupied by the school and athletic field was undeveloped
land prior to the construction of the school in the late 1920s, and the portion of the site that is
currently occupied by the macadam parking lot was occupied by a residential structure from the
early 1900s until the early 1990s when it was razed and the parking lot was constructed. Since at
least 1929 the adjoining properties have consisted of: Reservoir Park to the north and east;
residential property to the west; and Market Street followed by residential property to the south.

Based on the information obtained during this investigation, this assessment has revealed the
following suspect environmental conditions (i.e., conditions representing potential
environmentally related liability) in connection with the site:

a 1,000-gallon and two 300-gallon heating oil aboveground storage tanks (ASTs) are
located on the site;

ACMs/LBP are located in and/or on the on-site structure; and

the site is located in an area of high radon propensity (i.e., there is a potential for subsurface
structures and poorly ventilated spaces to have radon concentrations of 4 picocuries per liter
[pCi/L] or higher).
KEY HSD 000847

ARM Project 08361 ii October 31, 2008

Based on the information obtained during this investigation, and present scientific judgment, our
professional opinions regarding the environmental conditions addressed by this study are as
follows:

The presence of the ASTs is not considered to be a REC because there were no indications
of an existing release, a past release, or the material threat of a release. However, they are
considered to be a BER because, if taken out of service, the tanks and any residual product
will need to be disposed of in accordance with all applicable regulations.

The presence of ACMs and LBP in and/or on the on-site structure is a BER because the
presence of ACMs and LBP presents potential business risks to the future and/or current
property owner. Potential risks could include costs for abatement prior to
demolition/renovation activities, increased costs for the disposal of demolition/renovation
debris, and specific health and safety requirements for workers completing
demolition/renovation activities.

The location of the site in an area of high radon propensity (i.e., 4 pCi/L or higher) is
considered to be a BER because radon mitigation measures (e.g., sub-slab ventilation) may
be appropriate for the below- grade areas of the on-site structure. No radon test was
conducted as part of this ESA, and radon concentrations resulting from the site conditions
could be less than 4 pCi/L within any existing or future structure constructed on the site.

This Executive Summary is presented for convenience only, and ARM makes no warranties,
express or implied, as to the completeness of the information presented in this summary. The
full scope, findings, and limitations of this assessment are presented in the report that follows.

KEY HSD 000848

ARM Project 08361 1 October 31, 2008
1.0 INTRODUCTION

At the request of Kurowski & Wilson, LLC (K&W) (i.e., the User), ARM Group Inc. (ARM)
(i.e., the Preparer) has completed a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) of Bishop
McDevitt High School, located at 2200 Market Street, City of Harrisburg, Dauphin County,
Pennsylvania (Figure 1). ARM performed this assessment in accordance with the American
Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Standard E-1527-05, Standard Practice for
Environmental Site Assessments: Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Process. As
applicable, this assessment is intended to satisfy the All Appropriate Inquiry (AAI)
requirements of the Small Business Liability Relief and Revitalization Act of 2002. Resumes of
ARM individuals performing this assessment are attached in Appendix A.

1.1 Purpose

The purpose of the assessment was to identify conditions of potential environmental liability at
the site and, where appropriate, to characterize those conditions as current or historic recognized
environmental condition(s) (REC/HREC), or business environmental risk (BER). According to
ASTM Standard E-1527-05, an REC is defined as the presence or likely presence of any
hazardous substance or petroleum product on a property under conditions that indicate an
existing release, a past release, or material threat of a release into the structures on the property,
or into the ground, groundwater, or surface water of the property. A material threat includes an
observable condition that is threatening and might result in impact to public health or the
environment. De minimis conditions that generally do not present a material risk of harm to
public health or the environment, and that generally would not be the subject of an enforcement
action if brought to the attention of appropriate governmental agencies, are not considered to be
RECs. An HREC is any previous REC that was addressed or remedied in such a way as to no
longer be considered an REC. BER is defined as any material, environmental, or
environmentally driven impact on the business associated with the current or planned usage of
the site.

1.2 Scope

The scope of this assessment included: a thorough evaluation of the site setting and history as
reported from the sources referenced herein; a review of applicable and available regulatory
database records as provided by InfoMap Technologies Inc. (InfoMap); a review of information
provided by, or on behalf of, the User to ARM; interview(s) with the current site owner, local
officials, and state officials; and an inspection of current conditions at the site.

This assessment does not address environmental issues beyond the presence of petroleum
products and hazardous substances, except for comments regarding the potential presence of
asbestos-containing materials (ACMs), lead-based paint (LBP), wetlands, and radon. These
comments are provided for informational purposes only, and are based solely upon visual
observations and information collected during the course of this assessment. Assessment of
additional non-scope issues, which could represent potential environmental liabilities or BERs,
was beyond the scope of this assessment.
KEY HSD 000849

1.3 Significant Assumptions

During the course of this assessment, information was obtained from secondary sources, as
referenced herein. This information was assumed to be correct and no independent validation as
to the accuracy of the information acquired from these sources was performed by ARM.
However, any noted inconsistencies are reported within this report.

1.4 User Reliance

This report was prepared for K&W and may be relied upon by the Diocese of Harrisburg. No
part of, or any copy of, this report may be used by any other person or entity, for any purpose,
without the written authorization of ARM.

1.5 User Provided Information

ARM was not provided with any information pertaining to the presence of any environmental
liens and/or activity and use limitations that are in place at the site and/or that have been filed or
recorded in a registry under federal, tribal, state, or local law. Based on the experience and
knowledge of the User related to the site, and ARMs direct questioning of the User, the User
was not aware of any obvious indicators that point to the presence or likely presence of
environmental liabilities at the site and has no specialized knowledge of any environmental
concerns at the site or nearby properties.

2.0 SITE DESCRIPTION

2.1 Location and General Description

northern side of Market Street in the City of Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania (Figure
1). The site is currently occupied by Bishop McDevitt High School and an athletic field. Bishop
building, situated on the southern portion of the site (Figure 2). The on-site building is serviced
by public water, public sewer, and natural gas.

2.2 Current Use of the Site

The site is currently occupied by Bishop McDevitt High School and an athletic field. Bishop
Harrisburg.

2.3 Description of Site Improvements

As previously mentioned, the site is currently occupied by an approximately 45,000-square foot
multi-story building and an athletic field. The on-site building is situated on the southern
KEY HSD 000850

portion of the site and the athletic field is situated on the northern portion of the site. A
macadam driveway runs along the eastern side of the building and a paved parking area is
situated between the school and the athletic field. An additional macadam parking lot is situated
to the east of the school and is accessed via a separate driveway of Market Street. The building
is serviced by public water, public sewer, and natural gas.

2.4 Current Use of Adjoining Properties

The site is located in an area of mixed land usage. The site is bordered by: Reservoir Park to the
north and east; residential property to the west; and Market Street followed by residential
property to the south.

3.0 GEOLOGY, SOILS, TOPOGRAPHY AND HYDROLOGY

3.1 Site Geology

Based on a review of geologic mapping contained in the document entitled Atlas of Preliminary
Geologic Quadrangle Maps of Pennsylvania, dated 1981, published by the Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental Resources (PADER), the bedrock underlying the site is classified
as the Hamburg Sequence phyllitic shale. This formation is described in the document ent itled
Engineering Characteristics of the Rocks of Pennsylvania, dated 1982, published by the
PADER, as being a medium gray phyllitic shale that is moderately well bedded with thin beds.
The joints of the formation exhibit a seamy to platy pattern and are well developed, highly
abundant, variably spaced, open, and steeply dipping. The formation is described as moderately
resistant to weathering with a moderate secondary porosity and permeability. The Hamburg
Formation also exhibits a fair cut slope stability and is considered a good quality foundation for
heavy structures when excavated to sound material.

3.2 Site Soils

Soils mapping supplied in the United States Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation
Service (SCS) report entitled Soil Survey of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, describes the soils
of the site as belonging to the Berks Series. Berks Series soils are reported to consist of
moderately deep, nearly level to sloping, well-drained, medium textured soils on rounded and
dissected uplands. These soils are reportedly derived from material weathered from shale,
siltstone, and fine grained sandstones. Berks Series soils are reportedly moderately to rapidly
permeable and low in available moisture capacity.

3.3 Site Topography and Hydrology

The 7.5- minute United States Geological Survey (USGS) topographic quadrangle map
(Figure 1) of Harrisburg East, Pennsylvania, indicates that the site has an approximate elevation
of 500 feet above mean sea level (amsl). Based on a review of the USGS topographic
quadrangle map, groundwater beneath the site is estimated to occur between 20 and 40 feet
below ground surface (bgs). Based on the topography surrounding the site, the regional
KEY HSD 000851

groundwater flow is presumed to be generally to the west-southwest. Local fracture patterns and
any groundwater pumping effects may alter the natural groundwater elevation and flow
direction.

4.0 HISTORICAL INFORMATION

4.1 Site History

The prior use of the site has been reconstructed from reviews of historic aerial photographs and
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps. Copies of these documents are provided in Appendix B.
According to these sources, the portion of the site that is currently occupied by the school and
athletic field was undeveloped land prior to the construction of the school in the late 1920s, and
the portion of the site that is currently occupied by the macadam parking lot was occupied by a
residential structure from the early 1900s until the early 1990s when it was razed and the parking
lot was constructed.

4.1.1 Aerial Photographs

Low-altitude, black and white aerial photographs were reviewed at the Pennsylvania Department
of Conservation and Natural Resources (PADCNR) office in Middletown, Pennsylvania.
Photographs of the site for the years 1937, 1949, 1956, 1963, 1970, 1983, 1987, 1993, and 1999
were reviewed.

A review of the 1937 photograph indicates that the site was occupied by the school and athletic
field, and the portion of the site that currently consists of the macadam parking lot was occupied
by a residential structure. The 1949 photograph appeared similar to the 1937 photograph with
the exception of what appeared to be the construction of an addition off of the western end of the
building. The 1956 photograph appeared similar to the 1949 photograph with the exception of
what appeared to be the construction of an addition off of the eastern end of the building. The
1963 photograph appeared similar to the 1956 photograph with the exception of what appeared
to be the construction of an addition off of the northeastern corner of the building. The 1970,
1983, 1987, 1993, and 1999 photographs appeared similar to 1963 photograph with the
exception of the demolition of the residential construction.

4.1.2 Sanborn Fire I nsurance Maps

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps for the site and surrounding properties were obtained from
InfoMap Technologies, Inc. There were three maps available, which were dated 1929, 1950,
and 1956. The maps suggest that the portion of the site that is currently occupied by the school
and athletic field was undeveloped land in 1929, and the portion of the site that is currently the
paved parking lot was occupied by a residential structure and outbuilding. The 1950 map
indicates that sometime between 1929 and 1950 an addition was constructed off the western end
of the school. The 1956 map appeared similar to the 1950 map.

KEY HSD 000852

4.2 Adjoining Properties History

The historical use of the adjoining properties has been reconstructed from reviews of historic
aerial photographs and historic topographic maps. Copies of these documents are provided in
Appendix B. According to these sources, since at least 1929, the adjoining properties consisted
of: Reservoir Park to the north and east; residential property to the west; and Market Street
followed by residential property to the south.

4.2.1 Aerial Photographs

Low-altitude, black and white aerial photographs were reviewed at the PADCNR office in
Middletown, Pennsylvania. Photos of the properties adjoining the site for the years 1937, 1949,
1956, 1963, 1970, 1983, 1987, 1993, and 1999 were reviewed.

A review of the 1937 photograph indicated that the adjoining properties consisted of: Reservoir
Park to the north and east; residential property to the west; and Market Street followed by
residential property to the south. The 1949, 1956, 1963, 1970, 1983, 1987, 1993, and 1999
photographs appeared similar to the 1937 photograph.

4.2.2 Sanborn Fire I nsurance Maps

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps for the site and surrounding properties were obtained from
InfoMap Technologies, Inc. There were three maps available, which were dated 1929, 1950,
and 1956. The maps suggest that, since at least 1929, the adjoining properties consisted of:
Reservoir Park to the north and east; residential property to the west; and Market Street followed
by residential property to the south.

5.0 INTERVIEWS

5.1 Current Owner

On Friday, October 31, 2008, an interview was conducted with Mr. Dorsey White, the building
and grounds superintendent for Bishop McDevitt High School. A copy of the conversation
record is included in Appendix C. Mr. White stated that the original on-site building was
constructed in 1929, the west wing was constructed in 1950, the east wing was constructed in
1959, and the north wing was constructed in 1962. Mr. White stated that, to the best of his
knowledge, there are no environmental issues associated with the site.

5.2 Local Official

ARM made several attempts to contact a representative with the City of Harrisburg, however, as
of the date of this report, ARM was unable to speak with a representative of the City of
Harrisburg. This is not considered to be a significant data gap because ARM was able to speak
with an owner representative and a PADEP representative.

KEY HSD 000853

5.3 State Official

On Thursday, October 30, 2008, a telephone interview was conducted with Ms. Cherie
Campbell, PADEP Environmental Cleanup Program. A copy of the conversation record is
included in Appendix C. Ms. Campbell stated that, according to her records, there are two tanks
located on the site consisting of a 600- gallon heating oil tank and a 1,000-gallon heating oil tank.
Ms. Campbell reported that the tanks are reported to be underground storage tanks but are
exempt from the PADEP Storage Tank Regulations (25 Pa Code Chapter 245) due to their size
and use. Ms. Campbell stated that, according to her records, there have been no releases from
the tanks. It should be noted that based on the site inspection, these tanks are aboveground
storage tanks (ASTs), not USTs.

6.0 REGULATORY DATABASE REVIEW

ARM conducted a site-specific review of computerized environmental databases that are
recommended by ASTM Standard E-1527-05, a summary of which is outlined in Table 1. The
complete database review is provided in Appendix D. InfoMap was subcontracted to perform
the search and compile the data for ARMs review. The databases listed in Table 1 were
accessed and reviewed in order to identify potential RECs at the site or on properties located
within required search radii as set forth by ASTM Standard E-1527-05.

Table 1
Regulatory Database Review Summary
LIST
ASTM/AAI
SEARCH
RADIUS
SITES IDENTIFIED
WITHIN RADIUS
National Priority List (NPL) of Federal Superfund Sites; current &
delisted sites
1.0 mile None
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and
Liability Information System (CERCLIS) list
0.5 mile None
CERCLIS No Further Remedial Action Planned (NFRAP) list 0.5 mile None
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Corrective
Actions (CORRACTS) Facilities list
1.0 mile None
RCRA Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facilities (TSDs) list 0.5 mile None
RCRA Hazardous Waste Generators list
Property or
Adjoining Property
None
State Sites 1.0 mile None
Solid Waste Facility/Landfill Site (SWL) list 0.5 mile None
Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) list 0.5 mile
Parkview Apartments
(listed 2X)
Lincoln Auto
PA DGS Garage
Commonwealth Garage
Registered Storage Tank list
Property or
Adjoining Property
Bishop McDevitt HS
Emergency Response Notification System (ERNS) list
Property or
Adjoining Property
None
KEY HSD 000854

Table 1
Regulatory Database Review Summary
Brownfields (Engineering and Institutional Controls) 0.5 mile
PPL Pole 25009S34460 80
PPL Pole 24869S34513 81
Controlled Substances
Property or
Adjoining Property
No Controlled Substances
Records available in PA
Tribal Records
Property or
Adjoining Property
No Tribal Records
available in PA

6.1 Project Site

According to the InfoMap report, the project site was identified on the Registered Storage Tank
list. No additional information was provided such as the location, type, or number of tanks. Ms.
Cherie Campbell, with the PADEP, reported that according to her records, there are two tanks
located on the site consisting of a 600- gallon heating oil tank and a 1,000-gallon heating oil tank.
Ms. Campbell reported that the tanks are reported to be underground storage tanks but are
exempt from the PADEP Storage Tank Regulations (25 Pa Code Chapter 245) due to their size
and use. Ms. Campbell stated that, according to her records, there have been no releases from
the tanks. It should be noted that based on the site inspection, these tanks are ASTs, not USTs.

6.2 Off-Site Facilities

A total of 8 off- site facilities were identified by the InfoMap report. Of these, 6 were determined
to be located within the radii for one or more of the databases that are recommended by ASTM
Standard E-1527-05. These facilities are listed on Table 1 and include the following:

Parkview Apartments, located at 2400 Market Street (approximately 0.21 mile to the
northeast of the subject site), was identified twice on the Leaking Underground Storage
Tank (LUST) list. Based on the information provided, the two listings appear to be for
the same release. According to the InfoMap report, this facility reported a release of
petroleum to the PADEP. Remedial activities associated with this release were
reportedly completed on June 27, 1995. Based on the crossgradient location of this
facility, this release is not anticipated to have impacted the subject site.

Lincoln Auto, located at 2315 Walnut Street (approximately 0.35 mile to the northeast of
the subject site), was identified on the LUST list. According to the InfoMap report, this
facility reported a release of petroleum to the PADEP. Remedial activities were
reportedly completed on February 15, 2000. Based on the crossgradient location of this
facility, and the reported completion of remedial activities, this release is not anticipated
to have impacted the subject site.

PA DGS Garage, located at 2221 Forester Street (approximately 0.45 mile to the
northwest of the subject site), was identified on the LUST list. According to the InfoMap
report, this facility reported a release of petroleum to the PADEP. Remedial activities
were reportedly completed on February 26, 1996. Based on the downgradient location of
this facility, and the reported completion of remedial activities, this release is not
anticipated to have impacted the subject site.
KEY HSD 000855

Commonwealth Garage, located at 22
nd
and Forester Street (approximately 0.48 mile to
the northwest of the subject site), was identified on the LUST list. According to the
InfoMap report, this facility reported a release of petroleum to the PADEP. No
additional information was provided, such as the date of the release or the status of
remedial activities. Based on the downgradient location of this facility, this release is not
anticipated to have impacted the subject site.

PPL Pole 25009S34460 80, located at 2309 Walnut Street (approximately 0.33 mile to
the northeast of the subject site), was identified on the Brownfield list. According to the
InfoMap report, this facility reported a release of PCBs. Remedial activities associated
with this release have reportedly been completed and an Act 2 release of liability has
been issued by the PADEP. Due to the reported completion of remedial activities, this
release is not anticipated to have impacted the subject site.

PPL Pole 24869S34513 81, located at 22
nd
and Forester Street (approximately 0.48 mile
to the northwest of the subject site), was identified on the Brownfield list. According to
the InfoMap report, this facility reported a release of PCBs. Remedial activities
associated with this release have reportedly been completed and an Act 2 release of
liability has been issued by the PADEP. Due to the reported completion of remedial
activities, this release is not anticipated to have impacted the subject site.

7.0 SITE INSPECTION

7.1 Methodology and Limiting Conditions

ARM completed a site visit on Friday, October 31, 2008. During this visit, the site was
inspected for signs of potential environmental impairment. The entire site was accessible at the
time of the site inspection; however, dense vegetation and parked cars limited the inspection of
the ground surface of portions of the site. Selected photographs taken during the site inspection
are included in Appendix E.

7.2 General Site Setting

northern side of Market Street in the City of Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. The
site is currently occupied by Bishop McDevitt High School and an athletic field. Bishop
building, situated on the southern portion of the site. The on-site building is serviced by public
water, public sewer, and natural gas.

KEY HSD 000856

7.3 Observations

7.3.1 Potable Water, Wells, Wastewater Disposal

The on-site building is serviced by public water and public sewer. No groundwater supply
wells, groundwater monitoring wells, or on-site septic systems were observed on the site at the
time of the site inspection.

7.3.2 Heating/Cooling

The on-site structure is heated by natural gas fired furnaces that can also be run on heating oil in
the case of an emergency that results in the disruption of the availability of natural gas. The
building is not currently cooled.

7.3.3 Storage Tanks

There were no indications of the current presence of USTs observed on the site at the time of the
site inspection. Indications of USTs would include vent pipes, fill pipes, and/or product
dispensers.

Three ASTs were observed on the site at the time of the site inspection. The ASTs consisted of a
1,000-gallon tank located along the northern exterior wall of the building between the building
and the athletic field, and two 300- gallon tanks (connected in series) located in the mechanical
room in the north wing.

7.3.4 Hazardous and Regulated Substances/Hazardous and Regulated Wastes/
Petroleum Products

During the site inspection, several 55- gallon drums of cooking grease were observed along the
northern exterior wall in the macadam parking area between the building and the athletic field.
These drums are removed on an as- needed basis by a third-party contractor. In addition to the
55-gallon drums of cooking grease, various consumer-end-packaged paints, greases, oils, and
cleaning products were observed in various locations within the building.

7.3.5 Surface Releases of Hazardous and Regulated Substances/Hazardous and Regulated
Wastes/Petroleum Products

During the site inspection a small spill of cooking grease was observed in the macadam parking
area between the building and the athletic field. The spill was limited to the macadam, and
appeared to be less than 1-gallon, and therefore is considered to be de-minimus. There were no
other indications of a release of hazardous and regulated substances, hazardous and regulated
wastes, or petroleum products observed at the time of the site inspection. Such indications
would include stained and/or discolored soils, stressed vegetation, and/or discarded and leaking
containers.

KEY HSD 000857

7.3.6 Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)

Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-containing dielectric fluid has historically been used in
electrical transformers manufactured prior to 1982 and in some hydraulic oils. During the site
inspection, several electrical transformers were observed within the mechanical rooms of the on-
site building and an elevator is located in the eastern portion of the on-site building. Due to the
age of the building, the transformers and hydraulic equipment associated with the elevator are
suspected to be PCB-containing.

7.3.7 Pits, Ponds, Lagoons

No pits, ponds, or lagoons were observed on the subject site at the time of the site inspection.

7.3.8 Solid Waste/Debris

Solid waste / debris generated at the site is disposed of in several on-site dumpsters located in
the macadam parking area between the building and the athletic field. The solid waste and
debris appeared to consist of municipal solid waste (MSW).

7.3.9 Other Remarkable Condi tions or Features

ACMs and LBP are frequently found in and/or on structures constructed prior to the early 1980s
and in debris piles from the demolition of such structures. The current on-site structure was
constructed prior to 1980; therefore, ACMs and LBP, are suspected to be present in and/or on
the on-site structure. The school maintains an Asbestos Management Plan in accordance with
the regulations promulgated under the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA).
The Asbestos Management Plan for the school was reviewed at the time of the site inspection
and indicates that asbestos floor tile, plasters, and pipe insulation is present within the building.

Radon is a naturally occurring colorless, odorless, tasteless radioactive gas that is formed from
the normal radioactive decay of uranium. Uranium is present in small amounts in most rocks
and soil. Currently, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has set a
guideline of 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) for radon in air inside homes. Based on the USEPA
map entitled, Map of Radon Zones, the site is located in an area of high radon propensity (i.e.,
there is a potential for subsurface structures and poorly ventilated spaces in some locations to
have radon concentrations of 4 pCi/L or higher). However, no radon tests were conducted as
part of this ESA, and it is possible that radon is not a potential concern at the site.

8.0 FINDINGS

Based on the information obtained during this investigation, this assessment has revealed the
following suspect environmental conditions (i.e., conditions representing potential
environmentally related liability) in connection with the site:

a 1,000-gallon and two 300-gallon heating oil ASTs are located on the site;
KEY HSD 000858


ACMs/LBP are located in and/or on the on-site structure; and

structures and poorly ventilated spaces to have radon concentrations of 4 pCi/L or higher).

9.0 OPINIONS

Based on the information obtained during this investigation, and present scientific judgment, our
professional opinions regarding the environmental conditions addressed by this study are as
follows:

The presence of the ASTs are not considered to be a REC because there were no indications
of an existing release, a past release, or the material threat of a release. However, they are
considered to be a BER because, if taken out of service, the tanks and any residual product
will need to be disposed of in accordance with all applicable regulations.

The presence of ACMs and LBP in and/or on the on-site structure is a BER because the
presence of ACMs and LBP presents potential business risks to the future and/or current
property owner. Potential risks could include costs for abatement prior to
demolition/renovation activities, increased costs for the disposal of demolition/renovation
debris, and specific health and safety requirements for workers completing
demolition/renovation activities.

The location of the site in an area of high radon propensity (i.e., 4 pCi/L or higher) is
considered to be a BER because radon mitigation measures (e.g., sub-slab ventilation)
may be appropriate for the below-grade areas of the on-site structure. No radon test was
conducted as part of this ESA, and radon concentrations resulting from the site
conditions could be less than 4 pCi/L within any existing or future structure constructed
on the site.

10.0 CONCLUSIONS

ARM has completed this Phase I ESA of the Bishop McDevitt High School, located at 2200
Market Street, City of Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, in conformance with the scope
and limitations of ASTM Standard E-1527-05. This assessment has revealed no RECs. However,
the following BERs were identified:

Three heating oil ASTs are located on the site;

ACMs/LBP are located in and/or on the on-site structures; and

structures and poorly ventilated spaces to have radon concentrations of 4 pCi/L or higher).
KEY HSD 000859

11.0 LIMITATIONS

This report was prepared for K&W and may be relied upon by the Diocese of Harrisburg. No
part of, or any copy of, this report may be used by any other person or entity, for any purpose,
without the written authorization of ARM.

In preparing this report, ARM has utilized information derived from secondary sources and
personal interviews. Except as set forth in this report, ARM has made no independent
investigation as to the accuracy or completeness of the information derived from these sources,
and has assumed that such information was accurate and complete.

The scope of work for this Phase I ESA did not include environmental sampling (soil, sediment,
water, ACMs, LBP, mold and/or PCB sampling), wetland delineation or indoor air quality/radon
surveillance, or any other activities not specifically mentioned. It is possible that conditions of
potential environmental concern could be identified in the future in association with site
development, intrusive activities, inspections, and other circumstances that are beyond the scope
of this assessment. In addition, this assessment does not address issues outside the scope of
ASTM Standard E-1527-05 (i.e., lead in drinking water, cultural and historic resources,
industrial hygiene, health and safety, ecological resources, endangered species, and high voltage
power lines).

All findings, opinions, and conclusions stated in this report are based upon facts and
circumstances as they existed at the time that this report was prepared. A change in any fact or
circumstance upon which this report is based, or the discovery or availability of new or different
information, may significantly alter the findings, opinions, and conclusions expressed in this
report.

No implied warranty, merchantability, or fitness for a particular purpose shall apply. ARM
makes no representation or warranty that the findings, opinions, conclusions or
recommendations of this assessment will enable the User to take actions that will result in
compliance with applicable law, or avoidance of environmental liability. No environmental site
assessment can wholly eliminate uncertainty regarding the potential for environmental liability
in connection with a property. Information presented within this assessment is intended to
reduce, but not eliminate, uncertainty regarding the potential for environmental liability in
connection with a property.

12.0 ENVIRONMENTAL PROFESSIONALS STATEMENT

Through issuance of this report, we declare that to the best of our professional knowledge and
belief we meet the definition of an Environmental Professional as defined in Section 312.10 of
40 CFR 312. We have the specific qualifications based on education, training, and experience to
assess a property of the nature, history, and setting of the subject property. We have developed
and performed the All Appropriate Inquires in conformance with the standards and practices set
forth in 40 CFR Part 312.

KEY HSD 000860

FIGURES

KEY HSD 000861
ARMGroupInc.
1129WestGovernorRoadHershey,PA17033
November2008
08361
BishopMcDevittHigh School
2200MarketStreet,CityofHarrisburg
DauphinCounty,Pennsylvania
BaseMapfromtheUSGS7.5MinuteTopographicQuadrangleofHarrisburgEast,Pennsylvania
Figure1
SiteLocationMap
Scale
1:24,000
KEY HSD 000862
ARMGroupInc.
1129WestGovernorRoadHershey,PA17033-0797
November2008
08361
ParkingLot
AthleticField
Figure2
SitePlan
NOTTOSCALE
=ApproximatePropertyBoundary/
Limit ofAssessment
BishopMcDevitt
HighSchool
Limit ofAssessment
BishopMcDevittHigh School
2200MarketStreet,CityofHarrisburg
DauphinCounty,Pennsylvania
KEY HSD 000863

APPENDIX A

Resumes of ARM Staff

KEY HSD 000864

MARK J. HEISEY, C.E.M., C.E.S.
PROJECT MANAGER-PROPERTY ASSESSMENT SERVICES

EDUCATION

B.S., Public Health and Environmental Science, West Chester University, 1997
West Chester, Pennsylvania

PROFESSIONAL LICENSING/CERTIFICATIONS

Certified Environmental Manager
Certified Environmental Specialist
Certified Asbestos Inspector (PA License No. 024830)
Certified Lead Inspector (PA License No. 00841)
OSHA 40-Hour Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response

SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS

Mr. Heisey has over seven years experience in the completion of due diligence investigations on
industrial, commercial and agricultural properties. He has conducted more than 300 due diligence
investigations (Phase I Environmental Site Assessments in accordance with ASTM Designation E-1527
and Phase II ESAs in accordance with ASTM Designation E-1903) for a diverse client group that includes
financial institutions, attorneys, developers, industrial entities, engineers, and local and regional
government agencies. Mr. Heisey is a licensed asbestos inspector and a licensed lead inspector and has
completed numerous such projects. In addition, Mr. Heisey has experience in the completion of NPDES
permits, PADEP Form U disposal permits, SPR and SPCC plans, and indoor air quality assessments. He
has also completed compaction testing of soils and oversight of contaminated soil removal, and
environmental sampling of soils and groundwater.

PROJECT EXPERIENCE

Due Diligence, Rite Aid Expansion Program, Various Locations, United States
Conducted Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs), Asbestos Containing Material (ACM)
surveys, and Lead Based Paint (LBP) surveys in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, Delaware, New
York, Kentucky, New J ersey, and West Virginia as part of Rite Aids Expansion Program. Performed all
aspects of field reconnaissance, research, and report preparation for Due Diligence Reports on proposed
Rite Aid Store sites. Interfaced with client regarding the findings of each study and made
recommendations and developed cost estimates for additional studies (i.e., Phase II ESAs) when
necessary.

Due Diligence, Autozone Expansion Program, Various Locations, United States
Conducted Phase I Environmental Assessments (ESAs) in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and
Pennsylvania as part of the Autozones Expansion Program. Performed all aspects of field
reconnaissance, research, and report preparation for Due Diligence Reports on proposed Rite Aid Store
sites. Interfaced with client regarding the findings of each study and made recommendations and
developed cost estimates for additional studies (i.e., Phase II ESAs) when necessary.

KEY HSD 000865

MARK J. HEISEY PAGE 2
Due Diligence, Rite Aid Sale Leaseback Program, Various Locations, United States
Conducted Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs) in Alabama, California, Colorado, Georgia,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia,
Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming as part of Rite Aids Sale Leaseback Program. Performed all
aspects of field reconnaissance, research, and report preparation for Due Diligence Reports on proposed
Rite Aid Store sites. Interfaced with client regarding the findings of each study and made
recommendations and developed cost estimates for additional studies (i.e., Phase II ESAs) when
necessary.

Due Diligence, (Phase I and Phase II ESAs) International Steel Group, Steelton, Pennsylvania
Conducted numerous Phase I and Phase II ESAs for International Steel Group as part of their divesture of
their facility located in Steelton Pennsylvania. Worked closely with the client to identify and
charachterize any Recognized Environmental Conditions (RECs) on parcels which they wished to divest.
Performed all aspects of field reconnaissance, research, and report preparation.

Due Diligence, (Phase I and Phase II ESAs) Arcadia Properties, Various Locations, Pennsylvania
Conducted numerous Phase I and Phase II ESAs for this regional commercial and residential developer.
The purpose of each Phase I ESA was to identify any Recognized Environmental Conditions (RECs)
prior to the developers purchase of the property. Performed all aspects of field reconnaissance, research,
and report preparation, and when applicable, made recommendations and developed work scopes and cost
estimates for Phase II ESA activities.

Due Diligence (Phase I ESAs), Keystone Custom Homes, Various Locations, Pennsylvania
Conducted more than 20 Phase I ESAs in Pennsylvania for this residential developer. The purpose of each
Phase I ESA was to identify any Recognized Environmental Conditions (RECs) prior to the developers
purchase of the property. Performed all aspects of field reconnaissance, research, and report preparation,
and when applicable, made recommendations and developed work scopes and cost estimates for Phase II
ESA activities.

Due Diligence (Phase I ESAs), Community Banks, Various Locations, Pennsylvania
Conducted more than 25 Phase I ESAs in Pennsylvania for this regional banks commercial lending
department. The purpose of each Phase I ESA was to identify any Recognized Environmental Conditions
(RECs) at properties which the bank was providing financial assistance to the purchaser. Performed all
aspects of field reconnaissance, research, and report preparation, and when applicable, made
recommendations and developed work scopes and cost estimates for Phase II ESA activities.

Due Diligence (Phase I ESAs), Waypoint Bank, Various Locations, Pennsylvania
Conducted more than 25 Phase I ESAs in Pennsylvania for this regional banks commercial lending
department. The purpose of each Phase I ESA was to identify any Recognized Environmental Conditions
(RECs) at properties which the bank was providing financial assistance to the purchaser. Performed all
aspects of field reconnaissance, research, and report preparation, and when applicable, made
recommendations and developed work scopes and cost estimates for Phase II ESA activities.

Due Diligence (Phase I ESAs), Wengers Feed Mill, Inc., Various Locations, Pennsylvania
Conducted Phase I ESAs on 6 industrial feed mill properties owned by Wengers Feed Mill, Inc. to
support refinancing. The purpose of each Phase I ESA was to identify any Recognized Environmental
Conditions (RECs) at each property that could pose an environmental liability to the financial institution
providing the refinancing. Performed all aspects of field reconnaissance, research, and report preparation,
and when applicable, made recommendations and developed work scopes and cost estimates for Phase II
ESA activities.

KEY HSD 000866

MARK J. HEISEY PAGE 3
Due Diligence (Phase I ESAs), Binkley and Ober, Inc., Various Locations, Pennsylvania
Conducted Phase I ESAs on 6 industrial properties owned by Binkley and Ober, Inc. to support
refinancing. The purpose of each Phase I ESA was to identify any Recognized Environmental Conditions
(RECs) at each property that could pose an environmental liability to the financial institution providing
the refinancing. Performed all aspects of field reconnaissance, research, and report preparation, and when
applicable, made recommendations and developed work scopes and cost estimates for Phase II ESA
activities

Due Diligence (Phase I and Phase II ESAs), Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company,
Hershey, Pennsylvania Performed Phase I and Phase II ESAs of an Amusement Park located in
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The purpose of the Phase I ESA was to identify Recognized
Environmental Conditions (RECs) per the ASTM E1527-00 standard prior to the purchase of the subject
property. Several RECs were identified; therfore, a Phase II ESA was completed. The Phase II ESA
included the collection of soil sample, and the collection of groundwater samples from existing wells at
the property. On behalf of the client, ARM recommended remedial actions that were subsequently
addressed by the seller prior to the clients purchase of the property.

Due Diligence (Phase I and Phase II ESAs), Dauphin County Library System, Lykens,
Pennsylvania Performed Phase I and Phase II ESAs of this Dauphin County Library System proposed
site located in the Borough of Lykens, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. The purpose of the Phase I ESA
was to identify Recognized Environmental Conditions (RECs) per the ASTM E1527-00 standard prior to
the purchase of the subject property. Several RECs were identified, and a Phase II ESA was subsequently
completed. The Phase II ESA included the collection of shallow soil samples, the installation of
temporary groundwater monitoring points and the collection of groundwater samples. Results of the
analysis indicated that the site did not require further investigation.

Due Diligence (Phase I ESAs), Various Clients, Various Locations, Pennsylvania
Conducted more than 200 Phase I ESAs in Pennsylvania for various clients, including private
businessmen, realtors, developers, and banks to support property transactions and related business
activities. The purpose of each Phase I ESA was to identify Recognized Environmental Conditions
(RECs) per the ASTM E1527-00 prior to the sale or purchase of the property. Performed all aspects of
field reconnaissance, research, and report preparation, and when applicable, made recommendations and
developed work scopes and cost estimates for Phase II ESA activities.

Due Diligence (Phase II ESAs), Various Clients, Various Locations, Pennsylvania
Conducted numerous Phase II ESAs in Pennsylvania for various clients, including private businessmen,
realtors, developers, and banks to support property transactions and related business activities. The
purpose of each Phase II ESA was to characterize the Recognized Environmental Conditions (RECs) that
were identified at each property during the completion of a Phase I ESA. Performed all aspects of field
reconnaissance, research, and report preparation

KEY HSD 000867

STEPHEN B. FULTON, P.E., P.G.
VICE PRESIDENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES AND
PRINCIPAL ENGINEER/GEOLOGIST

EDUCATION

M.S. in Civil/Geotechnical Engineering, Drexel University 1994
B.S. in Geological Sciences, Lehigh University 1989
B.S. in Civil Engineering, Lehigh University 1989
M.B.A., West Chester University 2001

PROFESSIONAL LICENSING/CERTIFICATION

Professional Engineer - PA
Professional Geologist - PA
OSHA-certified for Hazardous Waste Operations
Member: American Society of Civil Engineers

SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS

Mr. Fulton has more than 14 years of technical experience in the fields of environmental and geotechnical
engineering. He has been Project Manager for more than 40 large site remediation projects, and over 100
smaller site remediation and related projects. His project experience has included the development of
investigation and sampling programs, investigation and remediation of manufactured gas plant (MGP)
sites, ground water recovery system design, in-situ and ex-situ soil and ground water treatment system
design and implementation, environmental and geotechnical site investigations, groundwater flow
analysis, closure designs for various waste management units, landfill design, cost estimating, stormwater
management, soil and sludge stabilization, slope stability analysis, and site remediation. He has prepared
numerous feasibility studies and remedial designs for CERCLA, RCRA and state-run remediation
projects addressing contaminated soils, groundwater, sludges, solid waste and other contaminated media.
Mr. Fultons regulatory expertise includes significant work under Pennsylvanias Act 2 land Recycling
Program, and New J erseys Technical Requirements for Site Remediation. He has provided engineering
oversight and support during implementation of numerous site remediation projects. Several of his
projects have included the use of innovative technologies and designs to provide cost-effective
approaches to construction and/or remediation.

PROJECT EXPERIENCE

Project Manager, Manufactured Gas Plant Site, Dover, NJ -- Completed supplemental investigation,
developed remediation plans and managed the implementation of remedial activities for this former
manufactured gas plant (MGP) site. Conducted air emission sampling within the homes of neighboring
residents. Remedial activities included removal of gas holders, tars and impacted soils, emission controls,
and stream lining and rehabilitation. Designed flood control and waste containment systems. Completed
all permit applications and obtained all permits, including soil erosion and sedimentation control, stream
encroachment, freshwater wetlands disturbance, discharge to ground water, and stormwater. The site
design included capping residual materials with an asphalt cover, and redevelopment of the site as a Park-
N-Ride facility.
KEY HSD 000868

STEPHEN B. FULTON, P.E., P.G. PAGE 2
Project Engineer, Broadhead Creek Superfund Site, PA -- Supported completed of a Feasibility
Study for this former manufactured gas plant (MGP) site in Pennsylvania. Reviewed and evaluated
alternatives for the remediation of soil, groundwater and surface water impacts associated with the former
site operations. Supported the attainment of a Technical Impracticability (TI) waiver from the EPA in
which the EPA acknowledged the technical impracticability of remediating dense non-aqueous-phase
liquids from within and below the creek bed. Later supported the development of institutional controls
and deed restrictions for impacted property.

Senior Engineer, Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP) Site, Atlantic Highlands, NJ -- Completed
supplemental investigation of soils and groundwater at this former manufactured gas plant site along the
New J ersey coast. Supported completion of a Remedial Alternatives Analysis and Remedial Action
Work Plan for the remediation of the coal tars detected at the site and along a tidal channel. Remediation
activities included the removal of coal tars from hot-spot areas, in-place containment of residual materials
with a sheet-pile wall and low-permeability cap, and in0situ groundwater treatment.

Project Manager, Formal Affairs Property, Paoli, PA -- Supported the client with cleanup of
impacted soils and ground water at a former dry cleaning operation. Completed evaluation of existing
ground water recovery and air stripping treatment system, and recommended shut down based on limited
effectiveness after 10 years of operation. Conducted supplemental investigation and treatability studies,
and designed and initiated implementation of an innovative butane gas injection system for the
biostimulation and in-situ treatment of ground water impacted by chlorinated solvents. The butane
injection system is expected to significantly reduce remediation costs and duration as compared to
competing alternatives.

Project Engineer, Tysons Superfund Site, Norristown, PA -- Completed detailed evaluation of large
soil vapor extraction (SVE) and ground water recovery and treatment systems at this Superfund site and
former quarry. Designed and implemented system and operation enhancements to optimize SVE system
performance and vapor recovery. Successful enhancements included additional extraction and passive
injection wells, in-situ soil heating, cover placement on the ground surface, intermittent operation, and
limited soil mixing.

Project Manager, TCE Release Site, Collegeville, PA -- Conducted detailed evaluation of large
ground water recovery and treatment system, and design system improvements for improved ground
water capture and treatment. Completed air emission estimates and design recommendations for on-site
air stripping towers. Performed ground water modeling to support a capture area evaluation. Supported
analysis and testing of in-situ soil vapor extraction system that was constructed within the facility.
Numerous interactions with the EPA and the State on this RCRA project.

Project Manager, Superfund Site and Former Quarry, Elkton, MD -- Completed Feasibility Study
for the remediation of impacted soils and ground water at this site. Managed bench and field-pilot
remediation studies involving dual-phase vacuum extraction with a liquid-ring pump and in-situ chemical
oxidation. Evaluated and provided design recommendations for an existing ground water recovery and
treatment system at the site involving collection trenches, recovery wells, a slurry wall, and a shallow-tray
air stripper.

Project Manager, Pfister Chemical, Ridgefield, NJ -- Prepared feasibility study and closure design for
the remediation of a wastewater sludge lagoon. The design included a multi-layer low-permeability cap,
a perimeter soil-bentonite slurry wall, and a ground water recovery and treatment system. Mr. Fulton
developed performance-based specifications for the barrier wall construction so as to foster more
KEY HSD 000869

competition and achieve the lowest construction price for the Client. The wall was keyed into a shallow
clay layer, and recovery sumps were installed within the boundary of the wall. Low-strength sludges
were drained and dewatered by surcharge loading prior to cap construction.

Project Manager, Railroad Fueling Facility, NJ -- Developed characterization and remediation plan
for the recovery of free-phase petroleum. Designed and installed free-product recovery wells, and
designed an impermeable baffle-type wall with collection sumps to prevent further migration of an
existing free-product plume.

Project Manager, Manufacturing Plant, PA -- Designed an interceptor trench for the collection and
removal of contaminated groundwater. Performed and analyzed slug tests to estimate design flow rates
for the trench. Developed recommendations for excavation dewatering during construction, and
excavation bracing within the glacial till materials.

Project Manager, Act 2 Closure, Dry Cleaner Facility, Philadelphia, PA -- This project involved the
investigation and remediation of a solvent (tetrachloroethylene or PCE) spill associated with the
operations of a dry cleaner at a commercial facility in Philadelphia. Mr. Fulton coordinated with the
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) to expedite the approval of the
investigation and remediation plans for this project. Mr. Fulton managed the remedial investigation of
soils and ground water at the site, as well as the subsequent remediation and reporting. Based on the
investigation, a Remedial Investigation Report, Risk Assessment and Cleanup Plan were prepared and
submitted to the PADEP, along with the required Notice of Intent to Remediate (NIR). Based on the
elevated levels of PCE detected in soil and ground water, a Site-Specific cleanup approach was selected
for the on-site soils. The risk assessment confirmed that acceptable protection would be achieved through
the prevention of direct contact risks with an asphalt cover over the impacted area. Ground water
monitoring indicated that there were no exceedances of the non-use aquifer standards at the downgradient
property boundary (i.e., the point of compliance), and fate and transport modeling was conducted to help
demonstrate that such levels would likely never be exceeded at the point of compliance. Based on the
absence of local ground water users, a non-use aquifer determination request was prepared, and this
request was subsequently approved by the PADEP. A Deed Notice was also developed, approved by the
PADEP, and recorded with the property deed. Following the completion of two years (eight quarters) of
ground water monitoring, a Final Report was prepared and submitted to the PADEP to demonstrate
compliance with the provisions of the Cleanup Plan and Act 2 requirements. The Final Report was
approved by the PADEP, confirming the liability protection afforded by Act 2.

Project Manager, Chemical Manufacturing Facility, NJ -- Prepared feasibility study and innovative
containment design for the remediation of dioxin-contaminated soils and structures. Shallow soils were
excavated and placed into an on-site basin that was lined with a geotextile filter fabric and an adsorption
barrier consisting of soil mixed with organic carbon. The basin was the capped with an asphalt cover, and
will provide for future packing or similar use. This remedy saved the Client over $6 million as compared
to the remedy initially required by the State.

Project Engineer, Confidential Appliance Manufacturer, Waste Site, IA -- Design of innovative
waste containment system utilizing slurry walls and geosynthetics. Mr. Fulton completed a geotechnical
investigation to support the design of the two slurry walls. The design completed by Mr. Fulton included
two soil-bentonite slurry walls and a low-permeability cap to be constructed of asphalt to support future
parking. A geotextile fabric was also utilized below the cap to provide for passive gas collection and
transmission.

Project Manager, Landfill Closure, Superfund Site, DE -- Prepared feasibility study and remedial
design for the closure of two solid waste landfills. Interacted closely with State and Federal government
KEY HSD 000870

officials to reach a cost-effective resolution regarding closure of the landfills. The final remedy included
the removal of buried drums, the placement of a soil cover above one landfill to improve drainage, the
placement of a leachate seep mitigation berm, and the imposition of land use restrictions. Directed long-
term monitoring of ground water and surface water, and developed conclusions to support removal of the
site from the NPL.

Project Manager, Sludge Impoundment Closure, Easton, PA -- Developed Closure Plan, design
specifications and bid package for the closure of an iron oxide sludge impoundment at this specialty
minerals manufacturing facility in Easton, Pennsylvania. Despite requests for clean closure by the State,
and much less costly in-place closure remedy was ultimately approved. Mr. Fulton performed a
geotechnical evaluation of the sludge and developed an innovative cover design to allow for future
pavement and storage use by the facility of the closed impoundment. Mr. Fulton also directed the
construction oversight and quality assurance activities, and completed the final certification report which
was approved by the PADEP.

Project Manager, Closure of Sludge Impoundments, Spring Grove, PA -- Developed Closure Plan
for the stabilization of sludges and closure of 7 large residual waste sludge impoundments at this paper
manufacturing facility. Completed geotechnical testing and performed stability analyses to support Plan
approval. Closure involved sludge stabilization using other manufacturing byproducts such as boiler ash
and lime dust.

Project Manager, Residual Waste Landfill Closure, Quakertown, PA -- Developed Closure Plan and
closure design for the in-place containment of a large residual waste pile located within a pre-existing
quarry. Mr. Fulton was able to utilize ground water monitoring data and fate and transport modeling to
demonstrate that a low-permeability cover was not required. The pile was subsequently closed and re-
used for the storage of raw materials for a local company.

Project Manager, Ft. Dix Army Base, NJ -- Managed environmental and geotechnical investigations.
To support the planning for the construction of two new on-site structures, a geotechnical and
geoenvironmental investigation was performed. Samples were collected to support foundation
recommendations, as well as for chemical analysis to ensure that contamination was not present.

Project Manager, Chemical Plant, Delaware City, DE -- Prepared remedial design for the closure of
two sludge impoundments and other RCRA solid waste management units. The closure designs included
the stabilization of mercury brine sludges in one impoundment, and the capping of both impoundments
with a low-permeability, multi-layer capping system.

Project Manager, Former Ore Processing Facility -- Developed contaminant transport model for
ground and surface water systems. Utilized model to achieve no further action for an areas suspected of
contributing unacceptable contaminant levels from the manufacturing area to the adjacent stream.

Project Manager, Cement Plants, PA and MD -- Developed and implemented solid waste
management and remediation plans for cement kiln dust (CKD) waste at various cement plants. These
plans have include leaching tests and ground water monitoring, in-place closure by capping, and the
development of marketing plans and agency approval for the beneficial re-use of CKD.

Project Manager, Petrochemical Facility, Argentina -- Performed a detailed evaluation of remedial
options for three large sludge lagoons containing API separator sludges. A detailed review of local
regulations and remediation contractors was made, and a detailed cost analysis was performed. Mr.
Fulton supported the completion and analysis of in-situ bioremediation pilot studies, as well as on-site
thermal desorption studies.
KEY HSD 000871


Project Manager, Steel Facility, PA -- Developed approved recycling plans for steel slag generated at
a steel facility. Completed a detailed analysis of the chemical and physical nature of the specific steel
slag in question, and was able to demonstrate to the State that the material was equivalent to other
commercially available products for the proposed end uses.

Project Manager, Superfund Site, AR -- Prepared remedial design for the closure of an aeration basin,
a sludge digester, sludge drying beds and related units. Following approval of the closure design, Mr.
Fulton also completed construction oversight and quality assurance certification. The project involved the
draining of sludges basins and structures, followed by the stabilization and/or gravity draining of sludges.
Solar evaporation of water from the sludges was maximized through the spreading of sludges into thin
layers, and period tilling to mix dry and wet sludges. The basin and dried sludges were ultimately capped
with a soil cover.

PUBLICATIONS AND SEMINARS

1997 ERM Excellence Award Winner, Escaping Times Beach: A Cost Effective Solution for the
Remediation of Dioxin-Contaminated Sites.

Fulton, Stephen B., 1997, and Dr. J eff Evans, Bucknell University, In-Situ Remediation of the
Geoenvironment, A two day seminar, Argentina Petrochemical Society, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

KEY HSD 000872

APPENDIX B

Historical Documents

KEY HSD 000873
KEY HSD 000874
KEY HSD 000875
KEY HSD 000876
KEY HSD 000877
KEY HSD 000878
KEY HSD 000879
KEY HSD 000880
KEY HSD 000881
KEY HSD 000882
KEY HSD 000883
KEY HSD 000884
KEY HSD 000885

APPENDIX C

Conversation Records

KEY HSD 000886
CONVERSATION / TELEPHONE LOG
Date and time: 10/31/08
Your name: Mark Heisey
Client/contact: Mr. Dorsey White
ARM Group Inc.
Earth Resource Engineers and Consultants

Phone number: NA
Company: Current Site Owner

Subject: Current Owner Interview
Proposal / Project Number: 08361

NOTES:

On Friday, October 31, 2008, an interview was conducted with Mr. Dorsey White, the building and
grounds superintendent for Bishop McDevitt High School. Mr. White stated that the original on-site
building was constructed in 1929, the west wing was constructed in 1950, the east wing was
constructed in 1959, and the north wing was constructed in 1962. Mr. White stated that, to the best of
his knowledge, ther are no environmental issues associated with the site.

Action Items Who: When:
None copy
copy
copy
copy
copy
copy
copy
copy
Follow Up: Yes No By Whom: Date:
Notes:
None
Original sent to proposal/project file.

KEY HSD 000887
CONVERSATION / TELEPHONE LOG
Date and time: 10/30/08
Your name: Mark Heisey
Client/contact: Ms. Cherie Campbell
ARM Group Inc.
Earth Resource Engineers and Consultants

Phone number: NA
Company: Derry Township Historical Society

Subject: Local Official Interview
Proposal / Project Number: 08356

NOTES:

On Thursday, October 30, 2008, a telephone interview was conducted with Ms. Cherie Campbell,
PADEP Environmental Cleanup Program. Ms. Campbell stated that, according to her records, there
are two tanks located on the site consisting of a 600-gallon and 1,000-gallon heating oil tanks. Ms
Campbell reported that the tanks are reported to be underground storage tanks but are exempt from
the PADEP Storage Tank Regulations (25 Pa Code Chapter 245) due to their size and use. Ms.
Campbell stated that, according to her records, there have been no releases from the tanks. It should
be noted that based on the site inspection, these tanks are ASTs not USTs.

Action Items Who: When:
None copy
copy
copy
copy
copy
copy
copy
copy
Follow Up: Yes No By Whom: Date:
Notes:
None
Original sent to proposal/project file.

KEY HSD 000888

APPENDIX D

Database Review Report

KEY HSD 000889
InfoMap
Technologies Incorporated
Environmental FirstSearch Report
TM
Target Property:
2200 MARKET ST
HARRISBURG PA 17103
Job Number: 08361
PREPARED FOR:
ARM Group Inc.
1129 West Governor Road, P.O. Box 797
Hershey, Pa 17033-0797
10-17-08
Tel: (610) 430-7530 Fax: (610) 430-7535
Environmental FirstSearch is a registered trademark of FirstSearch Technology Corporation. All rights reserved.
KEY HSD 000890
Environmental FirstSearch
Search Summary Report
Target Site: 2200 MARKET ST
HARRISBURG PA 17103
FirstSearch Summary
Database Sel Updated Radius Site 1/8 1/4 1/2 1/2> ZIP TOTALS
NPL Y 07-09-08 1.00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
NPL Delisted Y 07-09-08 0.50 0 0 0 0 - 0 0
CERCLIS Y 07-09-08 0.50 0 0 0 0 - 0 0
NFRAP Y 07-09-08 0.50 0 0 0 0 - 0 0
RCRA COR ACT Y 07-03-08 1.00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
RCRA TSD Y 07-03-08 0.50 0 0 0 0 - 0 0
RCRA GEN Y 07-03-08 0.25 0 0 0 - - 0 0
Federal IC / EC Y 10-01-08 0.25 0 0 0 - - 0 0
ERNS Y 07-30-08 0.25 0 0 0 - - 0 0
Tribal Lands Y 12-01-05 1.00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
State/Tribal Sites Y 07-01-08 1.00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
State Spills 90 Y NA 0.25 0 0 0 - - 0 0
State/Tribal SWL Y 04-01-07 0.50 0 0 0 0 - 0 0
State/Tribal LUST Y 07-01-08 0.50 0 0 2 3 - 0 5
State/Tribal UST/AST Y 07-01-08 0.25 1 0 2 - - 0 3
State/Tribal EC Y 05-01-08 0.25 0 0 0 - - 0 0
State/Tribal IC Y 05-01-08 0.25 0 0 0 - - 0 0
State/Tribal VCP Y NA 0.50 0 0 0 0 - 0 0
State/Tribal Brownfields Y 04-01-08 0.50 0 0 0 2 - 0 2
- TOTALS - 1 0 4 5 0 0 10
Notice of Disclaimer
Due to the limitations, constraints, inaccuracies and incompleteness of government information and computer mapping data currently available to InfoMap
Technologies, certain conventions have been utilized in preparing the locations of all federal, state and local agency sites residing in InfoMap Technologies's
databases. All EPA sites are depicted by a rectangle approximating their location and size. The boundaries of the rectangles represent NPL and state landfill the
eastern and western most longitudes; the northern and southern most latitudes. As such, the mapped areas may exceed the actual areas and do not represent the
actual boundaries of these properties. All other sites are depicted by a point representing their approximate address location and make no attempt to represent the
actual areas of the associated property. Actual boundaries and locations of individual properties can be found in the files residing at the agency responsible for
such information.
Waiver of Liability
Although InfoMap Technologies uses its best efforts to research the actual location of each site, InfoMap Technologies does not and can not warrant the accuracy
of these sites with regard to exact location and size. All authorized users of InfoMap Technologies's services proceeding are signifying an understanding of
InfoMap Technologies's searching and mapping conventions, and agree to waive any and all liability claims associated with search and map results showing
incomplete and or inaccurate site locations.
KEY HSD 000891
Site I nformation Report
Request Date: 10-17-08 Search Type: COORD
Requestor Name: Mark Heisey Job Number: 08361
Standard: ASTM-05 Filtered Report
Target Site: 2200 MARKET ST
HARRISBURG PA 17103
Demographics
Sites: 10 Non-Geocoded: 0 Population: NA
Radon: 1.3 PCI/L
Site Location
Degrees (Decimal) Degrees (Min/Sec) UTMs
Longitude: -76.853969 -76:51:14 Easting: 342364.495
Latitude: 40.271042 40:16:16 Northing: 4459279.258
Zone: 18
Comment
Comment:
Additional Requests/Services
Adjacent ZIP Codes: 1 Mile(s) Services:
ZIP
Code City Name ST Dist/Dir Sel
17104 HARRISBURG PA 0.02 SE Y
17109 HARRISBURG PA 0.56 NE Y
17110 HARRISBURG PA 0.73 NW Y
17101 HARRISBURG PA 0.98 SW N
17111 HARRISBURG PA 0.76 SE N
Requested? Date
Sanborns Yes 10-17-08
Aerial Photographs No
Historical Topos No
City Directories No
Title Search/Env Liens No
Municipal Reports No
Online Topos No
KEY HSD 000892
Sites Summary Report
Target Property:
2200 MARKET ST
JOB:
08361
HARRISBURG PA 17103
TOTAL: 10 GEOCODED: 10 NON GEOCODED: 0 SELECTED: 0
Page No. DB Type Site Name/ID/Status Address Dist/Dir Map ID
1 UST BISHOP MC DEVITT HIGH SCH 2200 KING BLVD 0.00 -- 2
22-61423 HARRISBURG PA 17103
1 LUST PARKVIEW APT 2400 MARKET ST 0.21 NE 4
3224871/CLOSED HARRISBURG PA 17103
2 LUST PARKVIEW APARTMENTS 2400 MARKET ST 0.21 NE 4
3224872 HARRISBURG PA 17103
2 UST PARK VIEW 2400 MARKET ST 0.21 NE 4
22-61819 HARRISBURG PA 17109
3 UST UNI MART 44207 2408 MARKET ST 0.22 NE 5
22-60033/ACTIVE HARRISBURG PA 17103
4 BROWNFIELD PPL POLE 25009S34460 80 2309 WALNUT ST 0.33 NE 7
ACTII-627/ACTII PENBROOK PA
5 LUST LINCOLN AUTO 2315 WALNUT ST 0.35 NE 6
0797-1525/CLOSED PENBROOK BORO PA 17103
5 LUST PA DGS GARAGE 2221 FORSTER ST 0.45 NW 1
0797-1456/CLOSED SUSQUEHANNA PA 17120
6 BROWNFIELD PPL POLE 24869S34513 81 22ND and FORSTER ST 0.48 NW 3
ACTII-635/ACTII HARRISBURG PA
7 LUST COMMONWEALTH GARAGE 22ND and FORESTER STS 0.48 NW 3
3224781 HARRISBURG PA 17103
KEY HSD 000893
Site Detail Report
Target Property:
2200 MARKET ST
JOB:
08361
HARRISBURG PA 17103
REGISTERED UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANKS
SEARCH ID: 1 DIST/DIR: 0.00 -- MAP ID: 2
NAME: BISHOP MC DEVITT HIGH SCH REV:
ADDRESS: 2200 KING BLVD ID1: 22-61423
HARRISBURG PA 17103 ID2:
STATUS:
CONTACT: PHONE:

Tanks Installed Capacity
CURRENT: 0
REMOVED: 0
PERMANENT: 0
UNKNOWN: 0
TEMP: 0
CLOSED: 0

PRODUCTS:
TANK MATERIAL:
PIPE MATERIAL:
LEAKING UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANKS
SEARCH ID: 8 DIST/DIR: 0.21 NE MAP ID: 4
NAME: PARKVIEW APT REV: 07/01/08
ADDRESS: 2400 MARKET ST ID1: 3224871
HARRISBURG PA 17103 ID2: 22-61819
STATUS: CLOSED
CONTACT: PHONE:

LUST INFORMATION
DATE OF RELEASE: 8/5/1989
TYPE: USTPT-UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANK SYSTEM CONTAINING PETROLEUM
STATUS: 4.Cleanup Completed -Removal of contaminants to applicable cleanup standards has been demonstrated to DEP.
STATUS DATE: 6/27/1995SOURCE CAUSE DESCRIPTION:

Status Date Info:Date entries for cleanup status 4 and 5 are required. For cleanup status 4 (cleanup completed), this entry represents the date that DEP
issued the No Further Action or Liability Protection letter to the responsible party. For cleanup status 5 (inactive), the entry is the date that DEP
determines the incident is low priority for corrective action.
Release Date Info:Where the date is unknown, the default date is the effective date of the Tank Act (August 5, 1989).
Site Details Page - 1
KEY HSD 000894
Site Detail Report
Target Property:
2200 MARKET ST
JOB:
08361
HARRISBURG PA 17103
NAME: PARKVIEW APARTMENTS REV:
ADDRESS: 2400 MARKET ST ID1: 3224872
STATUS:
CONTACT: PHONE:

SUBSTANCE RELEASED: UNLEADED FUEL
CLEANUP COMPLETION DATE:
CLASS: U
NAME: PARK VIEW REV:
ADDRESS: 2400 MARKET ST ID1: 22-61819
STATUS:
CONTACT: PHONE:

Tanks Installed Capacity
CURRENT: 0
REMOVED: 0
PERMANENT: 0
UNKNOWN: 0
TEMP: 0
CLOSED: 0

PRODUCTS:
TANK MATERIAL:
PIPE MATERIAL:
KEY HSD 000895
Site Detail Report
Target Property:
2200 MARKET ST
JOB:
08361
HARRISBURG PA 17103
NAME: UNI MART 44207 REV: 07/01/08
ADDRESS: 2408 MARKET ST ID1: 22-60033
STATUS: ACTIVE
CONTACT: PHONE:

TANK DETAILS

TANK NO.: 001 TANK TYPE: UST
CAPACITY: 10000 PRODUCT: GASOLINE
INSTALLATION DATE: 12/1/1988 STATUS: Currently In Use
LAST INSPECTION DATE: 10/24/2003
TYPE OF INSPECTION: Facility Operation Inspection (UST only)



KEY HSD 000896
Site Detail Report
Target Property:
2200 MARKET ST
JOB:
08361
HARRISBURG PA 17103
BROWNFIELD
NAME: PPL POLE 25009S34460 80 REV: 08/08/07
ADDRESS: 2309 WALNUT ST ID1: ACTII-627
PENBROOK PA ID2:
DAUPHIN STATUS: ACTII
CONTACT: PHONE:

ACTTII SITE INFORMATION
The PADEP has multiple lists for ACTII sites. Sites that appear multiple times have had multiple cleanups approved.The data below represents each
listing for the site.

RESPONSE DATE: 11/20/1997
SIZE: ACRES
CLEANUP STANDARD: SWH-Statewide Health Standard
CLEANUP INDICATOR CODE:
LAND DESIGNATION CODE:
CATEGORY DESCRIPTION: PCB
STATUS: COMPLETED - This is a site where the Department has approved a cleanup of a site that has been remediated to
the Background, Statewide Health or Site-Specific standard

KEY HSD 000897
Site Detail Report
Target Property:
2200 MARKET ST
JOB:
08361
HARRISBURG PA 17103
NAME: LINCOLN AUTO REV: 07/01/08
ADDRESS: 2315 WALNUT ST ID1: 0797-1525
STATUS: CLOSED
CONTACT: PHONE:

LUST INFORMATION

SEARCH ID: 6 DIST/DIR: 0.45 NW MAP ID: 1
NAME: PA DGS GARAGE REV: 07/01/08
ADDRESS: 2221 FORSTER ST ID1: 0797-1456
STATUS: CLOSED
CONTACT: PHONE:

LUST INFORMATION

KEY HSD 000898
Site Detail Report
Target Property:
2200 MARKET ST
JOB:
08361
HARRISBURG PA 17103
BROWNFIELD
NAME: PPL POLE 24869S34513 81 REV: 08/08/07
ADDRESS: 22ND and FORSTER ST ID1: ACTII-635
HARRISBURG PA ID2:
DAUPHIN STATUS: ACTII
CONTACT: PHONE:

ACTTII SITE INFORMATION
The PADEP has multiple lists for ACTII sites. Sites that appear multiple times have had multiple cleanups approved.The data below represents each
listing for the site.

RESPONSE DATE: 6/7/1996
SIZE: ACRES
CLEANUP STANDARD: SWH-Statewide Health Standard
CLEANUP INDICATOR CODE:
LAND DESIGNATION CODE:
CATEGORY DESCRIPTION: PCB
STATUS: COMPLETED - This is a site where the Department has approved a cleanup of a site that has been remediated to
the Background, Statewide Health or Site-Specific standard

KEY HSD 000899
Site Detail Report
Target Property:
2200 MARKET ST
JOB:
08361
HARRISBURG PA 17103
NAME: COMMONWEALTH GARAGE REV:
ADDRESS: 22ND and FORESTER STS ID1: 3224781
STATUS:
CONTACT: PHONE:

SUBSTANCE RELEASED: UNLEADED GASOLINE
CLEANUP COMPLETION DATE:
CLASS: U
KEY HSD 000900
KEY HSD 000901
Environmental FirstSearch Descriptions
NPL: EPA NATIONAL PRIORITY LIST - The National Priorities List is a list of the worst hazardous waste
sites that have been identified by Superfund. Sites are only put on the list after they have been scored using the
Hazard Ranking System (HRS), and have been subjected to public comment. Any site on the NPL is eligible for
cleanup using Superfund Trust money.
A Superfund site is any land in the United States that has been contaminated by hazardous waste and identified
by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a candidate for cleanup because it poses a risk to human
health and/or the environment.
FINAL - Currently on the Final NPL
PROPOSED - Proposed for NPL
NPL DELISTED: EPA NATIONAL PRIORITY LIST Subset - Database of delisted NPL sites. The
National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP) establishes the criteria that the EPA
uses to delete sites from the NPL. In accordance with 40 CFR 300.425.(e), sites may be deleted from the NPL
where no further response is appropriate.
DELISTED - Deleted fromthe Final NPL
CERCLIS: EPA COMPREHENSIVE ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSE COMPENSATION AND
LIABILITY INFORMATION SYSTEM (CERCLIS)- CERCLIS is a database of potential and confirmed
hazardous waste sites at which the EPA Superfund program has some involvement. It contains sites that are
either proposed to be or are on the National Priorities List (NPL) as well as sites that are in the screening and
assessment phase for possible inclusion on the NPL.
PART OF NPL- Site is part of NPL site
DELETED - Deleted fromthe Final NPL
FINAL - Currently on the Final NPL
NOT PROPOSED - Not on the NPL
NOT VALID - Not Valid Site or Incident
PROPOSED - Proposed for NPL
REMOVED - Removed fromProposed NPL
SCAN PLAN - Pre-proposal Site
WITHDRAWN - Withdrawn
NFRAP: EPA COMPREHENSIVE ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSE COMPENSATION AND
LIABILITY INFORMATION SYSTEM ARCHIVED SITES - database of Archive designated CERCLA sites
that, to the best of EPA's knowledge, assessment has been completed and has determined no further steps will be
taken to list this site on the National Priorities List (NPL). This decision does not necessarily mean that there is
no hazard associated with a given site; it only means that, based upon available information, the location is not
judged to be a potential NPL site.
NFRAP No Further Remedial Action Plan
P - Site is part of NPL site
D - Deleted fromthe Final NPL
F - Currently on the Final NPL
N - Not on the NPL
O - Not Valid Site or Incident
P - Proposed for NPL
R - Removed fromProposed NPL
S - Pre-proposal Site
W Withdrawn
RCRA COR ACT: EPA RESOURCE CONSERVATION AND RECOVERY INFORMATION SYSTEM
SITES - Database of hazardous waste information contained in the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
Information (RCRAInfo), a national program management and inventory system about hazardous waste
handlers. In general, all generators, transporters, treaters, storers, and disposers of hazardous waste are required
to provide information about their activities to state environmental agencies. These agencies, in turn pass on the
information to regional and national EPA offices. This regulation is governed by the Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act (RCRA), as amended by the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984.
RCRAInfo facilities that have reported violations and subject to corrective actions.
KEY HSD 000902
RCRA TSD: EPA RESOURCE CONSERVATION AND RECOVERY INFORMATION SYSTEM
TREATMENT, STORAGE, and DISPOSAL FACILITIES. - Database of hazardous waste information
contained in the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Information (RCRAInfo), a national program
management and inventory system about hazardous waste handlers. In general, all generators, transporters,
treaters, storers, and disposers of hazardous waste are required to provide information about their activities to
state environmental agencies. These agencies, in turn pass on the information to regional and national EPA
offices. This regulation is governed by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), as amended by
the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984.
Facilities that treat, store, dispose, or incinerate hazardous waste.
RCRA GEN: EPA RESOURCE CONSERVATION AND RECOVERY INFORMATION SYSTEM
GENERATORS - Database of hazardous waste information contained in the Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act Information (RCRAInfo), a national program management and inventory system about hazardous
waste handlers. In general, all generators, transporters, treaters, storers, and disposers of hazardous waste are
required to provide information about their activities to state environmental agencies. These agencies, in turn
pass on the information to regional and national EPA offices. This regulation is governed by the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), as amended by the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984.
Facilities that generate or transport hazardous waste or meet other RCRA requirements.
LGN - Large Quantity Generators
SGN - Small Quantity Generators
VGN Conditionally Exempt Generator.
Included are RAATS (RCRA Administrative Action Tracking System) and CMEL (Compliance Monitoring &
Enforcement List) facilities.
Federal IC / EC: EPA BROWNFIELD MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (BMS) - database designed to assist
EPA in collecting, tracking, and updating information, as well as reporting on the major activities and
accomplishments of the various Brownfield grant Programs.
FEDERAL ENGINEERING AND INSTITUTIONAL CONTROLS- Superfund sites that have either an
engineering or an institutional control. The data includes the control and the media contaminated.
ERNS: EPA/NRC EMERGENCY RESPONSE NOTIFICATION SYSTEM (ERNS) - Database of incidents
reported to the National Response Center. These incidents include chemical spills, accidents involving
chemicals (such as fires or explosions), oil spills, transportation accidents that involve oil or chemicals, releases
of radioactive materials, sightings of oil sheens on bodies of water, terrorist incidents involving chemicals,
incidents where illegally dumped chemicals have been found, and drills intended to prepare responders to handle
these kinds of incidents. Data since January 2001 has been received from the National Response System
database as the EPA no longer maintains this data.
Tribal Lands: DOI /BI A INDIAN LANDS OF THE UNITED STATES - Database of areas with boundaries
established by treaty, statute, and (or) executive or court order, recognized by the Federal Government as
territory in which American Indian tribes have primary governmental authority. The Indian Lands of the United
States map layer shows areas of 640 acres or more, administered by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Included are
Federally-administered lands within a reservation which may or may not be considered part of the reservation.
State/Tribal Sites: PA DEP HAZARDOUS SITES CLEANUP PROGRAM - The Hazardous Sites Cleanup
Act (HSCA) provides the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) with the funding and the authority to
conduct cleanup actions at sites where hazardous substances have been released. HSCA also provides DEP with
enforcement authorities to force the persons who are responsible for releases of hazardous substances to conduct
cleanup actions or to repay public funds spent on a DEP funded cleanup action. HSCA funds are also used to
pay the state share of costs of cleanup actions at Pennsylvania sites in the Federal Superfund Program.Under the
provisions of HSCA, most HSCA sites involve bankrupt facility owners, abandoned facilities, and inappropriate
disposal of hazardous substances. As a general rule, HSCA sites do not include active facilities with financially
viable owners.
State/Tribal SWL: PA DEP ACTIVE SOLID WASTE LANDFILL DATABASE - The Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental Protection Agency's Database of Active Solid Waste Landfill Facilities
State/Tribal LUST: PA DEP STORAGE TANK RELEASE INCIDENTS - This list represents confirmed
release incidents that have been reported to DEP since the enactment of the Storage Tank and Spill Prevention
Act (Tank Act) in July 1989. These release incidents represent leaks, spills and overfills which have occurred
from storage tank systems regulated by the Tank Act only. Releases from home heating oil tanks, which are not
KEY HSD 000903
regulated by the Tank Act, are not part of this list.
State/Tribal UST/AST: PA DEP STORAGE TANK INFORMATION DATABASE - Database of
registered storage tanks maintained by the PA DEP Bureau of Waste Management. Database includes registered,
regulated storage tanks, except tanks storing highly hazardous substances and aboveground tanks with a capacity
greater than 21,000 gallons (because of the Department's policy on sensitive information). Home heating oil
tanks are not regulated and are not part of this list.
State/Tribal EC: PA DEP ENGINEERING CONTROLS LIST - Under the Land Recycling Act (Act 2)
persons who perform a site cleanup using the site-specific standard or the special industrial area standard may
use engineering or institutional controls as part of the response action. Engineering controls include various
forms of caps, building foundations, liners, and treatment methods to create pathway elimination for regulated
substances to enter environmental media or effect human health.
State/Tribal IC: PA DEP INSTITUTIONAL CONTROLS LIST - Under the Land Recycling Act (Act 2)
persons who perform a site cleanup using the site-specific standard or the special industrial area standard may
use engineering or institutional controls as part of the response action. Institutional controls include
administrative measures, such as groundwater use restrictions, construction restrictions, property use
restrictions, and post remediation care requirements intended to prevent exposure to contaminants remaining on
site. Deed restrictions are generally required as part of the institutional controls.
State/Tribal Brownfields: PA DEP/EPA ACT II SITES AND PA SITE FINDER DATABASES - The
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Agency's Land Recycling Program Act II sites , and sites
listed on the PA Sitefinder website.
Brownfields Management System(BMS) is an analytical database designed to assist EPA in collecting, tracking,
and updating information, as well as reporting on the major activities and accomplishments of the various
Brownfield grant Programs.
RADON: NTI S NATIONAL RADON DATABASE - EPA radon data from 1990-1991 national radon
project collected for a variety of zip codes across the United States.

KEY HSD 000904
Environmental FirstSearch Database Sources
NPL: EPA Environmental Protection Agency
Updated quarterly
NPL DELISTED: EPA Environmental Protection Agency
Updated quarterly
CERCLIS: EPA Environmental Protection Agency
Updated quarterly
NFRAP: EPA Environmental Protection Agency.
Updated quarterly
RCRA COR ACT: EPA Environmental Protection Agency.
Updated quarterly
RCRA TSD: EPA Environmental Protection Agency.
Updated quarterly
RCRA GEN: EPA Environmental Protection Agency.
Updated quarterly
Federal IC / EC: EPA Environmental Protection Agency
Updated quarterly
ERNS: EPA/NRC Environmental Protection Agency
Updated semi-annually
Tribal Lands: DOI /BI A United States Department of the Interior
Updated annually
State/Tribal Sites: PA DEP The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Bureau of Waste
Management
Updated annually
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State/Tribal SWL: PA DEP The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Bureau of Waste
Management
Updated annually
State/Tribal LUST: PA DEP The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Bureau of Waste
Management
State/Tribal UST/AST: PA DEP The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Bureau of
Waste Management
State/Tribal EC: PA DEP The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Agency's Land
Recycling Program
State/Tribal IC: PA DEP The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Agency's Land
Recycling Program
State/Tribal Brownfields: PA DEP/EPA The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
Agency's Land Recycling Program
Updated when available
RADON: NTI S Environmental Protection Agency, National Technical Information Services
Updated periodically

KEY HSD 000906
Street Name Report for Streets within .25 Mile(s) of Target Property
Target Property:
2200 MARKET ST
JOB:
08361
HARRISBURG PA 17103
Street Name Dist/Dir Street Name Dist/Dir
Austin St 0.24 SW
Bellevue Rd 0.18 SE
Berkeley Pl 0.20 SW
Briar Cliff Rd 0.12 SE
Briarcliff Rd 0.15 SE
Chestnut St 0.12 SE
Crest St 0.23 NE
Elm St 0.25 NE
Ethel St 0.20 SW
Hartle Pk 0.21 SW
Heinly St 0.24 SW
Hillside Rd 0.20 SW
Market Dr 0.09 NE
Market St 0.04 SE
Midland Rd 0.16 SE
N 23rd St 0.23 NW
Oakwood Rd 0.22 SE
Parkhill Ln 0.08 SE
Parkway Blvd 0.20 NE
Pentwater Rd 0.12 SE
Rivington Ter 0.21 NE
S 21st St 0.19 SW
S 22nd St 0.11 SW
S 23rd St 0.04 SE
Taylor Blvd 0.20 SW
Thomas St 0.22 NE
Whitehall St 0.16 SW
Zarker St 0.20 SW
KEY HSD 000907
1 Mile Radius
ASTM Map: NPL, RCRACOR, STATE Sites
2200 MARKET ST, HARRISBURG PA 17103
Source: 2002 U.S. Census TIGER Files
Target Site (Latitude: 40.271042 Longitude: -76.853969) .............................
Identified Site, Multiple Sites, Receptor ..........................................................
NPL, DELNPL, Brownfield, Solid Waste Landfill (SWL), Hazardous Waste
Triballand............................................................................................................
Railroads ...........................................................................................................
Black Rings Represent 1/4 Mile Radius; Red Ring Represents 500 ft. Radius
KEY HSD 000908
.5 Mile Radius
ASTM Map: CERCLIS, RCRATSD, LUST, SWL
Triballand............................................................................................................
Railroads ...........................................................................................................
KEY HSD 000909
.25 Mile Radius
ASTM Map: RCRAGEN, ERNS, UST
Triballand............................................................................................................
Railroads ...........................................................................................................
KEY HSD 000910
.5 Mile Radius
Non-ASTM Map: Brownfield
Triballand............................................................................................................
National Historic Sites and Landmark Sites ......................................................
Railroads ...........................................................................................................
KEY HSD 000911

APPENDIX E

Selected Site Photographs

KEY HSD 000912
Photo 2 : View of the athleticfields.
Photo 1 : View of Bishop McDevitt High School from Market Street.
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Photo 3 : View of the two300-gallonASTs.
Photo 4 : View of the 1,000-gallonAST.
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Photo 5 : View of the boiler tank andsuspectACMs.
Photo 6 : View of two 55-gallon drumsof cooking grease.
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Tom sorry, but the only thing I could find in our files is that the roof on St. Johns Hall was
replaced in 2002. It has a 10 year warranty which will expire in 2012 about the same time we are
divesting ourselves of the school. Perhaps Sister has better records.

Jeff McCauslin, P.E.
Director, Buildings and Properties Office

KEY HSD 000930

Like us at Key Charter School

Opening Doors to Opportunities
and ensuring all students are career and
college ready!

K Y
K 12 Educational Experience in an Exciting New School (proposed site 2200 Market Street at
the Old Bishop McDevitt School)
FREE Public Charter School for ALL students
Free to Express Individual Style: no school uniforms
Reggio Emilia Learning Philosophy for K 2
nd
Grade Learners
Expeditionary Learning Approach for 3
rd
8
th
Grade Learners
Blended Learning Model for 9
th
12
th
Grade Learners
Prek-2 Class Size 1:20
3
rd
12
th
Class Size 1:22
Responsive Classroom Approach to Creating a Supportive Learning Environment
Facilitated Teaching Approach
21
st
Century Classroom Design: Emphasize on technology to support learning
Standards-based Student Report Cards and Student Led Conferences
Multi-year, Individual Learning Portfolios
Extracurricular Activities, including sports
Three board seats for parents of students ~ be part of the change
Pre-enroll now at www.keycharterschool.com using your IPhone, Droid, or
Computer- takes 1 minute!
For more information, contact Ken Cherry (ken.keycharter@gmail.com) or Andrea Coleman-Hill
(andrea.keycharter@gmail.com)
Follow us @KeyCharter
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KEY HSD 000993

K Y
To: All Key Charter School Employees and/or Volunteers

From: Ken Cherry, CEO

Date: November 15, 2013

RE: Background Checks

MEMO

Act 114 of 2006 specifies that all applicants for employment in public and private schools,
including employees of independent contractors, but excluding employees who do not have
direct contact with students undergo background checks. In addition, Act 114 extends the
background check requirements to include student teacher candidates. As of April 1, 2007 the
following three background checks are required:
1. Pennsylvania State Police Request for Criminal Records Check (Act 34). Applies to
individuals hired as of January 1, 1986.
2. Department of Public Welfare Child Abuse History Clearance (Act 151).
3. Federal Criminal History Record Information (CHRI) in a manner prescribed by the
Department of Education

All three background checks must be on file prior to your official start day with children.

In addition, Act 24 of 2011 (Act 24) contains a number of significant changes to the PA Public
School Code designed to enhance the safety of school children. The new law includes an
important mechanism to help ensure current school employees, who may not have been subject
to a previous background check, are now required to provide assurances they have not been
previously arrested or convicted of Section 111(e) offense. Accordingly, under Act 24, all
current school employees are required to complete and return to a designated school
administrator a form developed by PDE to report prior arrests or convictions for any offense
listed in Section 111(e). This form (PDE-6004) is now available on this page
http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/background_checks_(act_114)/7493
A hard copy of this form will also be available for you at Key Charter or the founders office.

ALL Key Charter School employees are required to do the following:
1. Complete and sign the attached form (PDE 6004)
2. Return the form to the Key Charter School foundation office
3. This must be completed and returned by January 1, 2014
4. If an employee refuses to submit the form, Act 24 allows for a school administrator to require
that the employee submit to a current background check under Section 111.

If you have questions about this issue, I encourage you to visit the PDE website regarding
Section 111(e) Act 24:
http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/background_checks_(act_114)/7493

Thanks for your prompt attention to this matter.

KEY HSD 000994

Key Charter Application 2013

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: Early literacy assessment software in English for

: Early literacy assessment software in English for

curriculum delivered on an intuitive learning

WHAT IS THE REGGIO APPROACH

WHAT IS THE REGGIO APPROACH

WHAT IS THE REGGIO APPROACH

WHAT IS THE REGGIO APPROACH

ADAPTATION OF A PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH

ADAPTATION OF A PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH

L.6.3b. Maintain consistency in style and tone.

L.6.3b. Maintain consistency in style and tone.

). The star symbol

a. Interpret parts of an expression, such as terms, factors, and

a. Factor a quadratic expression to reveal the zeros of the function it

Arithmetic with Polynomials and Rational Expressions A-APR

12. Graph the solutions to a linear inequality in two variables as a half-

6. Calculate and interpret the average rate of change of a function

Analyze functions using different representations

a. Graph linear and quadratic functions and show intercepts,

Build new functions from existing functions

6. (+) Understand that restricting a trigonometric function to a domain

Prove and apply trigonometric identities

Apply trigonometry to general triangles

Geometric Measurement and Dimension G-GMD

Visualize relationships between two-dimensional and three-

2. Apply concepts of density based on area and volume in modeling

3. Apply geometric methods to solve design problems (e.g., designing

KEY HSD 000394

Decisions or predictions are often based on datanumbers in context. These

Model continues to work in

Model works in districts like yours.

is the only scientifcally validated

authors for a validated model of sheltered instruction.

implementation plan might look like for your school or district.

is just good teaching, so I can

Model for all students. But there are

Works as a Professional Development Model

Model includes many features that are characteristic of high-quality

implementation plan might look like for your school or district.

trainers partner with

Model stands up to scientifc

Works for English Learners and Struggling Students

Model as one of the key factors in its success.

work for Brockton? It gives ALL

implementation plan might look like for your school or district.

Works for Teaching Efectiveness

Model professional development with helping teachers prepare, review, and

Works in Content Area Classrooms

Model in 2006 to help improve student performance in content area

s focus on building academic language in addition to developing English profciency.

has a great balance in that it provides

implementation plan might look like for your school or district.

Works with Multiple Funding Sources

Model funding sources include:

works with an RtI initiative)

consultants will help you design and implement a SIOP

Model and get results in

Training for Teachers

Model and strategies to implement it in their

Training for Administrators

Lesson Coaching and Modeling

implementation plan might look like for your school or district.