Assessments and NYS Standards

The Board of Regents approved the New York State Next Generation Learning Standards for English Language Arts. As stated by NYSED, “They are defined as the knowledge, skills and understanding that individuals can and do habitually demonstrate over time when exposed to high-quality instructional environments and learning experiences.” The standards are used to offer: guidance and support, range of student reading experiences, text complexity, English Language Learners/multilingual learners and students with disabilities.

NYS ELA follows four anchor standards from Pre-K through Grade 12: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening and Language. Anchor standards represent broad statements about the expectations for students as they prepare for high school graduation, positioning them for college and careers.

Every teacher of mathematics has an individual goal to provide students with the knowledge and understanding of the mathematics necessary to function in a world very dependent upon the application of mathematics. Instructionally, this goal is represented by three overarching components:

• Conceptual understanding
• Procedural fluency
• Mathematical Practices

According to NYSED, the New York State P-12 Science Learning Standards, (NYSP12SLS) adapted from the Next Generation Science Standards, “are a series of performance expectations that define what students should understand and be able to do because of their study of science. The NYSP12SLS are based on the Framework for K–12 Science Education developed by the National Research Council and the Next Generation Science Standards as well as guiding documents grounded in the most current research in science and scientific learning. These standards reflect the importance of every student’s engagement with natural scientific phenomena at the nexus of three dimensions of learning: Science and Engineering Practices, Disciplinary Core Ideas, and Crosscutting Concepts… The framework outlines three dimensions that are needed to provide students a high-quality science education. The integration of these three dimensions provides students with a context for the content of science, how science knowledge is acquired and understood, and how the sciences are connected through concepts that have universal meaning across the disciplines.”

The vision of the science standards is to ensure the teaching and learning of science for all students in preschool through 12^th grade by providing equitable access to exemplary teachers, science curriculum programming, instructional practices, and standards-based assessments that are reflective of research and best practices, along with quality resources and support from stakeholders at large.

The current standards more accurately reflect the world that children are growing up in today, and integrate STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and engineering skills. They support a deeper, more innovative approach to teaching, where instruction is student-centered and students engage in utilizing and developing their critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

New York State Science Standards

·         Parent’s Guide to Science Standards

·         New York State P-2 Science Learning Standards

·         New York State 3-5 Science Learning Standards

·         New York State 6-8 Science Learning Standards

New York State Science Assessments (Grades 5 and 8)

·         Science Assessment Resources

·         Elementary Science Performance Level Descriptions (3-5)

·         Intermediate Science Performance Level Descriptions (6-8)

Physical Education has the following new standards that guide all curriculum.

Standard 1: Demonstrates competency in a variety of motor skills and movement patterns.
Standard 2: Applies knowledge of concepts, principles, strategies, and tactics related to movement and performance.
Standard 3: Demonstrates the knowledge and skills to achieve and maintain a health-enhancing level of physical activity and fitness.
Standard 4: Exhibits responsible personal and social behavior that respects self and others.
Standard 5: Recognizes the value of physical activity for overall wellness, enjoyment, challenge, and/or self-expression.
Standard 6: Recognizes career opportunities and manages personal and community resources related to physical activity and fitness to achieve and maintain overall wellness.

Health Education focuses on seven developmental personal and social skills, comprised of multiple sequential subskills, which when mastered, enable individuals to enhance personal, family and community health and safety. The seven skills are: Self-Management; Relationship Management; Stress Management; Communication; Decision Making; Planning and Goal Setting; and Advocacy. 

The Arts standards were recently revised and have been updated and are divided into four different Artistic Processes.  The four Artistic Processes are: Creating; Performing, Presenting, Producing; Responding; and Connecting.  Each Process is then broken down into a series of Anchor Standards. These Anchor Standards serve as guidelines when developing curriculum in any of the five Standard Strands: Music; Visual Art; Media Arts; Theater; and Dance.

Creating Process: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work; organize and develop artistic ideas and work; refine and complete artistic work.

Performing, Presenting, Producing Process: Select, analyze, and interpret artistic work for presentation; develop and refine artistic work for presentation; convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work.

Responding Process: Perceive and analyze artistic work; interpret meaning in artistic work; apply criteria to evaluate artistic work.

Connecting Process: Relate and synthesize knowledge and personal experiences to inspire and inform artistic work; investigate ways that artistic work is influenced by the societal, cultural, and historic context and, in turn, how artistic ideas shape cultures, past, present and future.