LM1+Course+Introduction+&+Orientation+to+SAS


 * Learning Module 1: Introduction and Orientation to Pennsylvania Department of Education's Standards Aligned System (SAS)**



//Figure 1: Standards Aligned System// Retrieved june 6, 2010 from pdesas.org

**Goals:**

In Learning Module 1, participants will learn about the Standards Aligned System, why it was created and how it can help increase student achievement. Participants will reflect on the components of a Standards Aligned System along with the current level of implementation of these components in their classroom. Participants will become a registered user of SAS and engage in a scavenger hunt to learn about the features about the My Website capabilities. Participants will review the requirements and template that will be used for the Final Project.


 * Objectives:**


 * Participants will become a registered user of SAS by creating an account
 * Participants will participate in a scavenger hunt to learn about the My Website capabilities in SAS
 * Participants will review the requirements of the Final Project


 * 3. Topics**

__Topic 1: What is Standards Aligned System?__

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 Assessment, Curriculum Framework, Instruction, Materials & Resources, and Interventions.

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 students for the PSSA. The metaphor of an anchor signals that the Assessment Anchors clarify the relationship between state Standards and our assessment system. 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.
 * Clear Standards**

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.  The 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 Components:
 * Fair Assessments**
 * Summative Assessment: Seeks to make an overall judgment of progress made at the end of a defined period of instruction. They may occur at the end of a school level, grade, or course, or are administered at certain grades for purposes of state or local accountability. These are considered high-stakes assessments and the results are often used in conjunction with No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). They are designed to produce clear data on the student’s accomplishments at key points in his or her academic career.
 * Formative Assessment: Used by teachers and students during instruction to provide feedback, to adjust ongoing teaching and learning,and to improve students’ achievement of intended instructional outcomes. In Pennsylvania, we are defining formative assessment as classroom based assessments that allow teachers to monitor and adjust their instructional practices in order to meet the individual needs of their students.
 * Diagnostic Assessment: Ascertains, prior to instruction, each student’s strengths, weaknesses, knowledge, and skills. Establishing these permits the instructor to remediate students and adjust the curriculum to meet their unique needs.
 * Benchmark Assessment: Measures achievement of important grade level content periodically during the year in order to provide feedback about how students are progressing toward demonstrating proficiency.
 * Curriculum Framework**

 Aligned Instruction comprises the following activities: Materials and Resources ** Materials and Resources includes 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). 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 courses are Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, World History (1450 – present), US History (1590 – present), Civics and Government, English Composition and Literature.
 * 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.
 * Instruction**
 * Teaching topics 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.
 * <span style="font-family: tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">

Interventions ensure students are provided with 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**

To learn more about what the Standards Aligned System, watch the following presentation given by former Secretary of Education Dr. Gerald Zahorchak - [] (46 minutes)

Please download the following questions for reflection throughout the video. You will be asked to submit these as part of the assignments for learning module 1.



__**Topic 2: Creating an Account in SAS**__ There are 2 types of users in SAS, registered users and unregistered users. Registered users have access to all the features in SAS, therefore it is essential for you to become a registered user. In order to become a registered user, you must create an account.

Assignment: Your assignment for this activity is to become a registered user of SAS. In order to create an account on SAS, you can: media type="custom" key="6331231"
 * Read [[image:http://www.wikispaces.com/i/mime/32/application/pdf.png width="32" height="32" link="http://sasmathcourse.wikispaces.com/file/view/Creating+a+SAS+Account.pdf"]] [|Creating a SAS Account.pdf]
 * Watch the video

__Topic 3: Becoming Familiar with the Website Features in SAS__ The following scavenger hunt will familiarize you with the website component on SAS. You will be using the website to post your weekly assignments. Video tutorials will walk you through the process of how to use the ePortfolio and website. You can always contact your course facilitator for help.

Assignment: Complete the scavenger hunt found at [|http://websites.pdesas.org/shunt]

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">__Topic 4: Reviweing the Final Project__

The Final Project for this course will be the creation of a Unit Plan that incorporates all features of a Standards Aligned System - Clear Standards, Fair Assessments, Curriculum Framework, Instruction, Materials and Resources and Interventions. Each week, parts of the unit plan will be completed. Participants will be required to implement lessons, assessments, instructional strategies and interventions in their classrooms and reflect on the implementation throughout the course. The following Unit Plan template will be compiled at the completion of every week by filling in the information that was the focus of the week's learning module. Since participants will be implementing the various components of Standards Aligned System, you will want to choose a topic that you will be teaching in the upcoming weeks, particularly in weeks 5 though 9 of this course. You are encouraged to begin to think about the content for your Unit Plan.This plan will be created throughout the course and you will begin submissions at the completion of week 2. Please review the Unit Plan template and save the document to your computer.


 * Assignments:

Discussion**

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">__Introductions & Learning about Course Participants__ We will be spending the next 9 weeks exploring an Pennsylvania Department of Education's Standards Aligned System website. Let's take a minute and get to know each other. WItihin the discussion forum, please post a short biography of yourself including your name, where you teach, what you teach, how long you have been in education, and what you hope to gain from taking this course. This biography can be posted on the discussion board. Looking forward to meeting all of you!

1. Please submit your reflection questions related to the former Secretary Zahorchak's speech to the assignment dropbox. 2. Complete the scavenger hunt found here: [|Http://websites.pdesas.org/shunt] 3. Save the Unit Plan Template to your computer. You will be retrieving and entering information into this document in the next learning module. [|SAS Unit Template.doc]
 * Assignments**: