Wrap-Up

Reflect back to your initial thoughts for the following questions:

  • What are standards?

  • How does your child show their grade-level understanding?

  • Have you heard about standards-based learning? If so, what have you heard about standards-based learning?

Jot down the new learning you have gained to these questions. You can revisit the Perspectives and Resources section if needed.

Now let's add some clarifying details to the questions posed in the challenge or scenario video. This will wrap up your learning from the module.

At the beginning of this module, you are introduced to Lily a student who was able to quickly answer multiplication facts. You may have realized that she just memorized her facts. Student grades can be misleading and you are often left asking, "What does my student need to do to improve?" Standards-based learning gives a clear and concise answer to the question, "What does my student need to do to improve?" Standards-based learning focuses on the standards and breaks them down into learning goals to help teachers, students, and parents know exactly what needs to be done to reach mastery of a standard.

Now think back to Evie in the scenario, she quickly solved if they had enough ice pops for each cousin to have four. You probably realized that she understood how to solve one-step problems using multiplication and division. With standards-based learning, students focus on the standards and use learning goals to help them understand what they need to know and be able to do in order to reach mastery.

The ice pop dilemma in the scenario required the girls to have their multiplication facts memorized and be able to apply that knowledge to a real-life task.

Lily received a 93 in math. Historically grades had been based on additional factors beyond student academic performance. This grade could be based on active participation in class, attendance, homework completion, and extra credit. Her quick responses to called multiplication facts showed she had mastered the standard requiring memorization of the facts. However, we now realize that she did not master the standard for applying those facts in a real-life task.

Evie received a 75 in math. This grade could be based on active participation in class, attendance, homework completion, and extra credit. Her quick responses to solving the problem showed she has an understanding of multiplication facts and is able to apply those facts in a real-life task. Evie, however, is quiet in class and has trouble turning in her homework, which could be the reason for her score of a 75 in math.

Next, you will complete a quick questionnaire.

The learning cycle featured in this project is based on the STAR Legacy Cycle developed by the IRIS Center (2013; http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu), and based on the work of Dr. John Branford and colleagues (National Research Council, 2000).