Standard+Aligned+System+(SAS)

Secretary of Education Gerald L. Zahorchak, D.Ed.
 * "Every child by name reaching core academic proficiency in core academic disciplines regardless of zip code, economic status, race, ethnicity, or disability."**

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[[image:Clear_Standards.png width="96" height="87"]]**Standards**
Pennsylvania Standards describe what students should know and be able to do; they increase in complexity and sophistication as students progress through school. Using this tool, you can locate specific standards, anchors, and eligible content based on subject area and grade level or course. Select the subject area and grade level, or select the course to view the related standards. The Assessment Anchors clarify the standards assessed on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) and can be used by educators to help prepare their students for the PSSA. For more information visit: []

**Anchors**
The Assessment Anchors are one of the many tools the Pennsylvania Department of Education has developed to better align curriculum, instruction and assessment practices throughout the state. PDE first released the Assessment Anchors for Mathematics and Reading in the spring of 2004. The Assessment Anchors, like the Standards, are dynamic documents and will be adjusted periodically. For information on Anchors visit: []

Arts and Humanities Standards:

[[image:Fair_Assessmens.png width="97" height="80"]]**Fair Assessment**
is a process used by teachers and students before, during, and after instruction to provide feedback and adjust ongoing teaching and learning to improve student achievement. Fair Assessment is then broken down into four categories of assessment: Summative, Formative, Benchmark, and Diagnostic.
 * Summative Assessment**: Seeks to make an overall judgment of progress made at the end of a defined period of instruction.

For more information visit: []
 * Formative Assessment**: Used by teachers and students during instruction to provide feedback to adjust ongoing teaching and learning to improve students’ achievement of intended instructional outcomes.
 * Benchmark Assessment:** Designed to provide feedback to both the teacher and the student about how the student is progressing towards demonstrating proficiency on grade level standards.
 * Diagnostic Assessment:** Ascertains (learn with certainty or assurance), prior to instruction, each student’s strengths, weaknesses, knowledge, and skills.

[[image:Curriculum_Framework.png width="98" height="98"]]**Curriculum Framework:**
specifies what is to be taught for each subject in the curriculum. In Pennsylvania, Curriculum Frameworks include Big Ideas, Concepts, Competencies, and Essential Questions aligned to Standards and Assessment Anchors and, where appropriate, Eligible Content.


 * Curriculum Framework Definitions:**

When searching under Curriculum Framework, you may search by subject area. Once the subject area is listed, you may search, or select a grade level. Once these two processes are done, a list of **Big Ideas** will appear. Click on one of interest and listed across the will be your **Concept, Competencies, Essential Question, and Standards/ Eligible Content**. i.e: For more information visit: []
 * **•** || **Big Ideas:** Declarative statements that describe concepts that transcend grade levels. Big Ideas are essential to provide focus on specific content for all students. ||
 * **•** || **Concepts:** Describe what students should know (key knowledge) as a result of this instruction specific to grade level. ||
 * **•** || **Competencies:** Describe what students should be able to do, key skills, as a result of this instruction, specific to grade level. ||
 * **•** || **Essential Questions:** Questions connected to the SAS framework and are specifically linked to the Big Ideas. They should frame student inquiry, promote critical thinking, and assist in learning transfer. ||

There are also resources for teachers once you sign in a make a profile such as a website builder, e-portfolio, and personal profile.

All information has been used from the SAS website at: []

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[[image:Instruction.png width="120" height="100"]]Instruction
Aligned instruction comprises the following activities: To view an effective instructional strategy, click on the link below to for videos and document titles: [] Along with the videos there are activities in which you can implement the ideas that are suggested and described in each video. Here are some examples:
 * Teaching topics that are aligned with the standards.
 * Ensuring the right level of challenge.
 * Focusing teaching based on the learning needs of each student.
 * Implementing instructional strategies to increase student achievement.

[[image:Materials_and_Resources.png width="124" height="103"]]Materials and Resources
include Voluntary Model Curriculum (VMC), incorporating learning progressions, units, lesson plans, and content resources aligned to the Pennsylvania standards in curriculum frameworks for the four major content areas (mathematics, science, social studies, reading-writing-speaking-listening). Enter in keywords and select a subject and grade level or course to find related materials and resources. After a search it is broken down into: For more information and to search for lesson plans, videos, assents, etc, visit: []

[[image:Interventions.png width="105" height="101"]]Interventions
The purpose of interventions is to ensure students are provided with the standards based supports they need to meet/exceed grade level standards. A comprehensive system of interventions involves a graduated set of safety nets aligned to specific student needs and standards. Interventions is sources with resources that are linked to website that hold more information on intervention and educational help. Here are a few examples:

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