Standards

Pennsylvania’s Academic Standards define what students should know and be able to do as a result of instruction.

Assessment

Assessment offers tools and resources to support the process of assessing, evaluating and documenting student learning in order to improve professional practice and increase student achievement.

Curriculum Framework

Drawn from the Academic Standards, the Curriculum Framework is a set of teaching topics by subject and grade level, further defined via Big Ideas, Concepts, Competencies, Essential Questions, and Vocabulary.

Instruction

Pennsylvania has adopted Charlotte Danielson's Framework for Teaching as the overarching vision for effective instruction in the Commonwealth. The model focuses the complex activity of teaching by defining four domains of teaching responsibility:

• Planning and preparation
• Classroom environment
• Instruction
• Professional responsibilities

Materials & Resources

Materials and Resources support standards aligned instruction and include Voluntary Model Curriculum, learning progressions, units, lesson plans and multi media content examples for use in planning and delivering instruction.

• 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.

Safe and Supportive Schools

Safe and Supportive Schools supplies resources and exemplars to promote active student engagement in a safe and positive learning environment. Areas within the element include the following:

• Engagement
• Safety
• Environment