Priority Standards: Accelerate Teaching and Learning
Educators are facing undeniable challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic on a daily basis. Not only are we tasked with closing the educational gaps it created but also doing so in an environment that is short-staffed with certified professionals. However, amidst these challenges lies a strategy that could change the game: the approach of focusing on "priority standards." This method could be especially beneficial for educators who may not have traditional teaching credentials, as well as those teaching multilingual learners. Priority standards, especially in reading informational text, offer educators a focused path that can lead to rapid advancement in both teacher and student learning in the post Covid 19 era.
The Benefits of Focusing on Priority Standards
Priority standards are those key educational objectives that are foundational and non-negotiable for student success. In the context of the pandemic's disruptions, they become an educational North Star, guiding both teachers and students toward academic recovery and proficiency. Here's why this approach is essential:
1. Efficient and Targeted Teaching: In a world with limited instructional time, educators must be strategic in their approach. Priority standards allow teachers to focus on the most critical concepts and skills, ensuring that students receive the education they need most urgently.
2. Clarity and Consistency: These standards offer a crystal-clear vision of what students should know and be able to do. This clarity aids teachers in aligning their instruction and assessments, providing students with a consistent and structured learning experience.
3. Remediation and Personalization: For students who may have fallen behind during the pandemic, priority standards help teachers identify specific learning gaps. This enables them to provide targeted support and remediation, tailoring their approach to meet individual needs.
4. Confidence and Motivation: Mastering priority standards can boost students' confidence and motivation, as they experience success in fundamental areas. A sense of accomplishment encourages them to engage with more advanced content and academic language development.
5. Preparedness for High-Stakes Assessments: Many standardized tests and state assessments are closely aligned with priority standards. By focusing on these key objectives, educators are preparing students for success in these evaluations. These assessments are necessary to be able to measure equitable learning outcomes for the most vulnerable students.
The Common Core RI.1, RI.2, RI.3, and RI.6 as Priority Standards
When teaching reading informational text, the Common Core State Standards offer a set of priority standards that serve as a strong scaffold for teachers and students. These standards include:
RI.1 (Reading Informational Text Standard 1): This standard emphasizes the ability to ask and answer questions about key details in a text. It's a foundational skill that underpins comprehension, making it an essential building block for all students. Then students transition into justifying their inferences about the content using explicit phrases from the text.
RI.2 (Reading Informational Text Standard 2): RI.2 focuses on identifying the main topic and retelling key details in a text. It provides a framework for understanding the central ideas within informational texts, which is vital for academic success. When students are 5th graders, they are expected to use the main ideas and key details to summarize the topic.
RI.3 (Reading Informational Text Standard 3): Describing connections between individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text is the core of this standard. This skill is crucial for analyzing and synthesizing information from diverse sources.
RI.6 (Reading Informational Text Standard 6): Standard RI.6 focuses on students' ability to determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed. At different grade levels, students will be expected to analyze how the author's viewpoint or purpose influences the content and style of the text.
These Common Core standards are deemed "priority" for several reasons. First, they address fundamental reading skills necessary for success in all subjects. Second, they foster academic language development, which is particularly important for Multilingual Learners. Third, they encourage critical thinking, comprehension, and the ability to analyze information, making them indispensable tools for students seeking to access grade-level content. Students can use these skills to make sense of new content in any subject area and any grade level. These standards are the skills essential to be able to accomplish standards RI.7 (integrating information from various sources), RI.8 (analyzing the author's argument, claims, and the evidence provided to support those claims), and RI.9 (analyzing two or more texts on the same topic.)
In conclusion, priority standards, especially when focusing on Common Core RI.1, RI.2, RI.3, and RI.6, provide a robust scaffold for teachers and students navigating the educational landscape post-COVID. By concentrating on these foundational standards, educators can efficiently accelerate learning, bridge learning gaps, and foster academic language development, ultimately preparing students for academic success while simultaneously building upon their capacity to teach students to access grade-level texts.
Reflective Questions for Teachers:
How do I already use the priority standards in areas such as science and social studies?
What specific student outcomes would I assess when using the priority standards?
Why is it beneficial for students to apply the priority standards in different content areas?
Reflective Questions for Coaches and Administrators:
How can we provide comprehensive support for non-certified teachers to effectively understand and teach the identified priority standards?
What are the specific advantages of using priority standards as a foundational approach for non-certified teachers, and how might it impact student learning outcomes and classroom success?
Why is it crucial for our site to embrace priority standards as a scaffold for non-certified teachers, particularly in the context of post-COVID educational challenges?
