What is the goal of Standards Based Education (SBE)?
SBE is a unique approach to learning where an entire system is organized around engaging students in 21st century skills working at their performance level and advancing when they have demonstrated proficiency of the skills.

What is a level? What does it mean?
A level is a performance level that defines the skills and knowledge on which the student is working at that time.  Parents can see the progression of the skills and knowledge that  students have already mastered (the previous level) , and what they will be working on next (the next higher level).

How does a student transition in and out of District 50 (D50)?
Coming into D50:  Students' transcripts will be evaluated and students will take a placement test.  Appropriate placements will be made based on the classes that have been successfully completed and the skills and knowledge demonstrated on the placement test.

Leaving D50: The performance levels will be translated back into grade level equivalents and a description of the kind of learning in which our students are involved will be included with the transcript.

Is this about children or to get the District off academic watch with the State?
It's about the students! When we began this journey, we realized our students were not engaged in their learning and we needed to hold them accountable for the standards taught at each grade level.  We needed to focus our efforts to provide relevant curriculum, give students more ownership of their learning, and be allowed to move at their appropriate pace. The State Department is very supportive of the efforts D50 is undertaking.

What do I do if I don't like SBE?
If parents or students aren't happy with the new system, they need to express their concerns to their principal.  We are embarking on 1st implementation and if there are practices that aren't working we need to know as soon as possible so we can do something about it if we can. We encourage parents to come in to see how it is working for their student.

How will teaching look different?
In many ways, when you observe in a SBE classroom you will still see some of the same best practices. Teachers will engage students in whole group, small group and individual instruction.  The big difference will be that students will be given more responsibility for their own learning.  Students will be given a voice in the decisions of the classroom in the shared vision and code of conduct  through tools and processes.  They will move at their own pace and when the teacher and the student decide he/she has reached proficiency. The student will take a district test when they show evidence that they are proficient on the measurement topics.

What skills are at each level?
The description of skills about each level is available on the Wiki. Advise parents and students to visit the Wiki (the directions are provided on the postcard provided for the parent conferences this spring.)  This will outline the learning targets that students will be expected to be proficient or advanced for each level and content.

How often will students move levels?
Students will move levels when they show they are proficient on their current level.  They must show proficiency in ALL of the learning targets at that performance level prior to moving onto the next performance level.

What will grade reporting look like?
Report cards will look different.  Parents will access to their child's progress on-line (or receive hard copies) whenever they would like review their child's progress.  Parents will be helping to design the new report card.   Students will receive proficiency scores of 1-4 (with 3 being proficient and 4 being advanced).  They will also be able to see how many learning targets the child has mastered in each content and level.

Why are we converting to a learner-centered standards-based system (SBS)?
Our current official graduation rate is 66% for 2007. Our approach has been unable to meet all the needs of our students through rigor, relationships, relevance or causing students to take responsibility for their own learning. We need to ensure our students; staff, parents, and community understand what is expected of our students at each level and the criteria to achieve proficiency on each standard at each level. We are creating a system in which the students partner with their teachers to reach that proficiency.

What are the components of a learner-centered standards-based system (SBS)?
A learner-centered standards-based system is where the system focuses on the individual student to ensure he/she learns what he/she should learn. The system is flexible enough for students to learn at their own rate to meet their educational standards. The components of a learner-centered standards-based system are: Leadership, Shared Vision, Standards Based Education and Continuous Improvement. Leadership involves all citizen groups of our community to work together for the benefit of our students. This includes developing a shared vision of what we hope to build together so that graduates are proficient. The design of a standards-based educational system involves aligning curriculum, instruction, and assessment and ensuring an accessible recording and reporting systems for teachers, students, and parents. In order to create a sustainable system, the district is developing continuous improvement policies and procedure to monitor the quality of this implementation.

What is the timeline for this implementation?
The implementation phase of SBS is targeted to begin in fall 2009 for preschool through 8th grade and in the fall of 2010 beginning with the freshman class. The first graduating class to graduate under this system will be the class of 2014. How are we informing the community?

We began community meetings in November 2007 to help the community become aware of SBS. Our next set of meetings will begin in the winter of 2008-2009 to explain the differences between a traditional education and learner centered standards based education. We will be sending out flyers calling this session SBS Understanding. This will be followed up in the spring with a session called SBS First Implementation. This session will explain to the community how the system will be set up for the fall of 2009 for preschool through 8th grade students. To date, parents have been very receptive to SBS.

Why would you change our system for high achievers when the old one is working for them?
We currently have very few students who score "advanced" on the CSAP. A standards-based system will allow students to be responsible for the pace in which they move through the system. Students, who move through the system more quickly, will be able to take advantage of post-secondary options and enter a formal college education with credits paid for by the district and earned in high school. We will ensure that students who are college-bound will have a transcript that will be interface with any university system for admissions and scholarships.

How are students going to know that they have met proficiency on the standards?
Teachers and students will develop assignments and assessments in order to show proficiency on the standards. Students will know what they need to know and be able to do before beginning any test, project, or assignment. Any work not meeting a proficient score will be returned to the student for further instruction and revision until proficiency is met. Failure is not an option.

How will you communicate to a high school age student, that they are under performing?
We will be honest with all students and communicate the level at which they are performing. The great thing about the standards-based system is that it is designed to help them know what skills and knowledge they need to master to move to the next level.

What is in place to assist student's who are having trouble moving up to the next level?
The district will still provide interventions for students who are not succeeding just as we do now. We currently have teachers who support students with special education needs, English language learning needs, reading and writing needs through a Title 1 program.

How do we re-engage the unmotivated student?
This is an age-old problem. Every unmotivated student is a puzzle to be solved. Finding the key is usually through connecting to their interests, creating a relationship with the student, and giving the student some control over their learning. We believe SBS has the promise of all these strategies to help re-engage unmotivated students.

How will SBS affect student's college preparation?
What kind of transition preparation will be provided for students leaving our standards-based system to go to traditional colleges?
We don't expect that SBS will substantially change students college preparation from what is currently done. Based on high school students experiences in districts that have implemented SBS, there has been a smooth transition moving from high school to college. SBS districts have had to create a conversion of the SBS experience to a transcript that colleges will understand and accept for admissions. We have begun working on this process with UCD, CSU and community colleges in Colorado. We hope that high school students will complete graduation requirements in a timely manner and can begin college level course work while still in our system. Counselors will be working and building relationships with students in their career academies throughout their four years of high school and can assure them a smooth transition.

What will recording and reporting look like?
Recording and reporting student progress on standards will be stored electronically and parents and students can access hard copies as well. We are currently working on a system to work with our current student information system that will support standards-based recording (grade book) and reporting (progress reports & report cards) on each content standard for each student.

As students complete each standard, this information will also be stored in the new system. In the 2008-2009 school year, a group of students, teachers, administrators, tech services, and parents will convene to provide input on the design layout of the report card template.

How do electives fit into the standards-based education system?
We are developing 10 levels of standards in the areas of Music, PE/Health, Art, Technology and World Languages. Students will have to meet requirements in each of these areas in order to graduate. Students will move through the levels of proficiency similar to the core classes of language arts, math, science and social studies.

How do the standards relate to CSAP?
We intend to follow a curriculum that aligns with the Colorado Model Content Standards. We have included the CSAP criteria in the D50 standards.

Will classroom size change?
The student teacher ratio will remain similar to what it is now or maybe lower depending on the allocation of staffing. How does SBS look for English Language Learners (ELL) who are trying to learn English?

A more learner-centered approach is what ELLs need. Our current teacher-centered approach without support or student interaction prohibits ELLs from learning. Research shows that a combination of exposure to English and formal instruction is beneficial. How will SBS meet language and literacy needs for ELLs?

We want to develop oral language with an emphasis on vocabulary development and building background knowledge. Teachers, who specialize in ELL, can provide such support in advance of classroom teachers immersing ELLs into reading activities. These components provide a solid foundation before requiring ELLs to use strategies to read and comprehend reading material. Additionally, the SBS system places an emphasis on thematic units---such an approach helps connect language and meaning around similar themes, thus reinforcing new vocabulary and language.

What does special education support look like?
Our Special Education model with SBS will be similar to the one we have now. Students will continue to learn based on the goals on their IEPs and standards will be accommodated or modified based on those goals.