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ArkansasEd.org - Arkansas Department of Education Web Site.

The Pennsylvania Standards Aligned System (SAS) is a collaborative product of research and good practice that identifies six distinct elements which, if utilized together, will provide schools and districts a common framework for continuous school and district enhancement and improvement. Much research has been conducted as to what makes a great school. There are many intangible components; however, research supports the notion that great schools and school systems tend to have six common elements that ensure Student Achievement: Clear Standards, Fair Assessments, Curriculum Framework, Instruction, Materials & Resources, and Interventions. CLEAR STANDARDS - Pennsylvania Standards describe what students should know and be able to do; they increase in complexity and sophistication as students progress through school. 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. We use the metaphor of an anchor because we want to signal that the Assessment Anchors anchor both the state assessment system and the curriculum/instructional practices in schools. Assessment Anchors are further elaborated with Eligible Content. Eligible Content identifies how deeply an Anchor should be covered and specifies the range of the content to best prepare students for the PSSA. Not all of the Eligible Content is assessed on the PSSA, but it shows the range of knowledge from which we design the test. FAIR ASSESSMENTS - 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. In Pennsylvania the four types of assessment are summative, formative, benchmark, and diagnostic. For more information on assessments and to view the definitions of the four types of assessments, please visit About Assessments. CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK - A curriculum framework specifies what is to be taught for each subject in the curriculum. In Pennsylvania, curriculum frameworks include big ideas, concepts, competencies, essential questions, academic vocabulary, and exemplars aligned to standards and anchors and, where appropriate, eligible content. INSTRUCTION - Aligned instruction comprises the following activities:<br>Teaching topics that are aligned with the standards.<br>Ensuring the right level of challenge.<br>Focusing teaching based on the learning needs of each student.<br>Implementing instructional strategies to increase student achievement. MATERIALS & RESOURCES - 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).<br><br>Learning progressions span grades K-12 and include what all students should know and be able to do as a result of successfully moving through grades K-8 and by taking specific courses in grades 9-12. The 9-12 courses are Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, World History (1450 – present), US History (1890 – present), Civics and Government, Composition, and Literature. 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.