effective and engaging standards-based instruction

Effective and Engaging Standards-based Instruction

Pennsylvania Department of Education

Table of ContentsIntroduction ............................................................................................................... 3

Navigating the Standards ......................................................................................... 3

Cross-Curricular Alignment....................................................................................... 5

Eligible Content ........................................................................................................ 7

Pennsylvania System of School Assessments and Keystone Exams ...................... 8

Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 8

References ............................................................................................................... 9

At time of publishing, all of the website information was accurate. Due to the nature of the internet, some of the website information may have changed or become unavailable. Please see the references section of the corresponding online module for the most up-to-date information.

© 2021 Pennsylvania Department of Education. All rights reserved. 3

IntroductionStandards provide teachers and students with information about the knowledge and skills students need to be academically successful. They produce clear and uniform goals that hold both students and teachers accountable for attaining specific learning outcomes.

Phillips & Wong (2012), noted educational and political leaders,strongly endorse some form of national standards, with the expectation that a common set of rigorous standards helps more students reach higher levels of achievement. Teacher, principal, and superintendent surveys indicate that the majority of educators generally support the Common Core standards (O’Brien, 2014).

The State Board adopted Common Core Standards in July 2010. Since that time, a group of Pennsylvania educators crafted a set of Pennsylvania (PA) Core Standards tailored to meet the state’s specific needs in English Language Arts and Mathematics, as well as for Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies and Science/Technical Subjects. The PA Core Standards were designed to mirror the academic rigor of the Common Core State Standards.

According to the PA Core Standards Teacher Fact Sheet (2013), the transition to the PA Core impacted teachers and students in the following ways:

• A shift toward college and career readiness; • An increase in instruction with nonfiction texts (50% at the elementary level

and 75% at the high school level); • Classroom instruction must actively engage students toward mastery of

content; • Emphasis on application and higher-order thinking skills; • Depth of content covered instead of breadth; and • Vertically aligned curriculum K-12

By establishing a common framework for student knowledge and ability, standards assist teachers in providing rigorous instruction. The Common Core and PA Core Standards can be used to develop engaging instructional activities and promote successful learning experiences for all students.

Navigating the Standards International benchmarking of the Common Core standards ensured they were created through an analysis of performance rates, models, and data of successful countries around the world (Common Core State Standards Initiative, 2019). Yet, the standards-based reform movement has drawn criticism from educators,


politicians, parents, and the public since its inception. Some believe the current set of standards are too numerous and too vague.

The Standards Aligned System directly addresses the concerns of opponents to standards-based education. By properly aligning standards with other elements supporting student success, SAS provides a consistent curriculum for all students, without losing sight of the educational needs for individuals. Standards are a compass to guide learning, but each student must follow his or her own path. SAS enables educators to align the six elements that support student success, to keep students on track with their educational goals.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education has developed Assessment Anchors and Eligible Content statements within the standards to more effectively guide instruction and fairly assess student performance. All of this information is systematically organized and easily accessible through the SAS Portal.

(Pennsylvania Department of Education Standards Aligned System, n.d.)

The infographic above illustrates an area of the Standards section of the SAS Portal. This example shows how easily a math teacher can locate the standards, aligned assessment anchor(s) and anchor descriptor, and eligible content that identifies what students will need to know and be able to demonstrate for state assessment success.

http://www.pdesas.org/Standard/

http://www.pdesas.org/Standard/


Cross-Curricular AlignmentBecause our lives require us to integrate what we have learned in an interdisciplinary manner, teaching children through merged disciplines better prepares them for applying new knowledge and experience (Aslan, 2016). Students who are able to see knowledge as interdependent and connected are better equipped to develop critical thinking and collaborative skills (Catapano, n.d.).

According to Frances Smith, cross-curricular lessons may be identified as a “multidisciplinary curriculum...teach(ing) one topic through different subjects. For this method, learning may happen in two ways: team teaching or subject collaboration. Teachers share time and classrooms to link their subject to a lesson idea, or a few teachers collaborate on a project that includes students performing activities from multiple disciplines (n.d.).”

Barnes (2015) further defines cross-curricular learning as having the intention to “connect or combine, often creatively. New learning in two subject disciplines is put together to generate an original and valued product, presentation or idea (p. 273).”

Aslan (2016) identifies advantages of thematic teaching that enables students to:

• Use prior knowledge of the world and past experiences with language and text

• Acquire, communicate, and investigate worthwhile knowledge in depth • Make choices, interact, collaborate, and cooperate • Apply what they learn in meaningful and “real world” contexts • Informally assess their understanding and application of what they are

learning • Participate and learn, regardless of ability, level of language development,

or background

Assessment AnchorsAccording to the Pennsylvania Department of Education (2014), The Assessment Anchors clarify the standards assessed on the PSSA and can be used by educators to help prepare their students for the PSSA). In other words, assessment anchors are specific to what students need to know and be able to do to perform well on the PSSA as well as the Keystone exams. This is a critical first step in helping a teacher determine instruction to deliver to students.

The purpose of Assessment Anchors is to solidify or “anchor” the state examinations and the curriculum and practices within the Commonwealth’s Schools. The Assessment Anchors correlate with the Eligible Content, which further specifies how deeply the content and knowledge needs to be taught to prepare students for the PSSA and Keystone Exams.


Anchors were developed for Mathematics, Reading/English Language Arts, and Science.

• PDE worked to develop Anchors that would be: • Clear (Anchors are designed to be easy to read and user-friendly); • Focused (Anchors identify a core set of standards that can reasonably be

assessed on large-scale assessment); • Aligned (Anchors align directly to the state’s standards); • Organized to support a curricular flow (Assessment Anchors were

developed in Grades 3 through 8 and 11 to encourage a curricular spiral that builds each year to the next);

• Rigorous (Anchors are used to continue the use of performance tasks to assess higher reasoning and problem-solving skills); and

• Manageable (PDE placed an emphasis on identifying a manageable set of expectations from the curricular view).

The Assessment Anchors, like the Standards, are dynamic documents, and are adjusted periodically.


Within the SAS portal the anchor and an anchor descriptor can be displayed. There are two instances where an anchor or anchor descriptor may not appear as an option to unpack:

1. If an anchor does not have a descriptor, it will not display as an option to unpack. For example, a subject or grade level that is not on the state assessments will not have an anchor.

2. If there are no content skills associated with a descriptor, an anchor or anchor descriptor may not appear. For example, a skill that is not on the state assessments will not have an anchor.

Eligible ContentThe SAS Portal allows teachers to drill down from the Assessment Anchors to the Eligible Content. Assessment Anchors represent categories of subject matter (skills and concepts) that anchor the content of the PSSA. Anchor descriptors add a level of specificity to the content covered by the Assessment Anchor. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education eligible Content is, “...the most specific description of the skills and concepts assessed on the PSSA. This level is considered the assessment limit and helps educators identify the range of the content covered on the PSSA” (2014b, p.2). This information provides teachers with the specific content that must be taught to fully prepare students to succeed on state assessments.

Establishing the minimum content necessary helps teachers make more informed choices in the content they teach, enables them to strike a better balance between topics they would like to cover and topics they are required to cover. When teachers know how deeply they need to cover a particular topic, they can effectively prepare students for state exams and the next grade level. Eligible content also helps teachers identify necessary steps to prepare students for other subjects.

For example, Mathematics, Grade 06:

Pennsylvania Department of Education (2014a, p.3)


Pennsylvania System of School Assessments and Keystone Exams

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education (n.d.), Pennsylvania System of School Assessments (PSSA) are administered to every student in grades 3-8 for Math and English Language Arts and every student in grades 4 and 8 for Science.

Individual scores are reported to the child’s schools, and can be used to help teachers identify students who may be in need of additional educational opportunities. School scores provide information to schools and districts to support curriculum and instruction improvement discussions and planning.

The Keystone Exams are one component of Pennsylvania’s methodology used to assess high schooler’s subject-level competency. The exams, which are end of course assessments in Algebra I, Literature, and Biology, were designed to help school districts guide students toward meeting state standards—standards aligned with expectations for success in college and the workplace.

Formerly, Pennsylvania required most students to pass the Keystone Exams. A 2018 law shifted the state’s reliance on high stakes testing as a graduation requirement to provide alternatives for high school students to demonstrate readiness for postsecondary success, starting with the graduating class of 2022. However, Keystone Exams remain the statewide assessment that Pennsylvania uses to comply with accountability requirements in the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Each state is expected to achieve 95 percent participation on its statewide exams. Students can meet the statewide graduation requirement in several ways as outlined in PDE’s Statewide High School Graduation Requirement website (https://www.education.pa.gov/K-12/Assessment%20and%20Accountability/GraduationRequirements/Pages/default.aspx).

In order to receive a diploma, students must also meet local district credit and attendance requirements and complete a culminating project, along with any additional district requirements.

ConclusionIn classrooms across the Commonwealth, students have access to an aligned curriculum based on standards, anchors, and eligible content. Knowing what should be taught at each grade level ensures that students are completing each year with skills that will help them be successful in the 21st Century. By properly aligning standards with other elements that support student success, SAS provides a consistent curriculum for all students, without losing sight of the educational needs of each individual. Standards are a compass that guides learning, but each student must follow his or her own path. SAS enables educators to align the six elements that support student success, so that students are not misdirected from their educational goals.

https://www.education.pa.gov/K-12/Assessment%20and%20Accountability/GraduationRequirements/Pages/default.aspx

https://www.education.pa.gov/K-12/Assessment%20and%20Accountability/GraduationRequirements/Pages/default.aspx


ReferencesAslan, Y. (January 01, 2016). The effect of cross-curricular instruction on reading

comprehension. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 4, 8, 1797-1801.

Barnes, J. (2015). An Introduction to Cross-Curricular Learning. In P. Driscoll, A. Lambirth & J. Roden (Eds.), The Creative Primary Curriculum (2nd ed., p. 273). London: Sage. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274313611_An_Introduction_to_Cross-Curricular_Learning

Catapano, J. (n.d.). Approaches to successful cross-curriculum integration. Retreived from http://www.teachhub.com/approaches-successful-cross-curriculum-integration

Common Core State Standards Initiative (2019). Myths vs. Facts. Retrieved from http://www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards/myths-vs-facts/

OBrien, A. (2014, January 28).Recent polls: Do educators support the common core? [Web log]. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/recent-polls-common-core-teachers-in-favor-anne-obrien

Pennsylvania Department of Education Standards Aligned System. (2013). PA core standards teacher fact sheet. http://static.pdesas.org/content/documents/PA%20Core%20Standards%20Fact%20Sheet%20For%20Teachers%2012.1.2013.pdf

Pennsylvania Department of Education Standards Aligned System (2017). English language arts grade 8 [PDF document]. Retrieved from https://www.education.pa.gov/Documents/K-12/Assessment%20and%20Accountability/PSSA/Assessment%20Anchors/2014%20Grade%208%20ELA%20AA.pdf

Pennsylvania Department of Education Standards Aligned System. (2014b). Mathematics grade 6. [PDF document]. Retrieved from http://static.pdesas.org/content/documents/Grade%206%20Mathematics%20Assessment%20Anchors.pdf

Pennsylvania Department of Education (n.d.). Pennsylvania system of school assessment (PSSA). Retrieved from http://www.education.pa.gov/K-12/Assessment%20and%20Accountability/PSSA/Pages/default.aspx

Pennsylvania Department of Education (2014). Assessment anchors and eligible content. Retrieved from https://www.education.pa.gov/K-12/Assessment%20and%20Accountability/PSSA/Pages/Assessment-Anchors.aspx

Phillips, V., & Wong, C. (2012). Teaching to the Common Core by DESIGN, not accident. Phi Delta Kappan, 93(7), 31-37.

Smith, F. (n.d). Cross-curricular teaching advantages & disadvantages. [Lesson transcript]. Retrieved from http://study.com/academy/lesson/cross-curricular-teaching-advantages-disadvantages.html