Standards Based System 101

This is another post that I meant to add much sooner, because it’s important for anyone who is following my Alaskan journey to understand the method of teaching that I am working with.

My district uses a Standards Based System(SBS) which groups students by the level of standards they are at, not by which grade there are in. In the SBS, it’s all about going through the standards at each student’s pace, even if it takes a bit longer than in most traditional schools. This means students could be in 8th grade but their levels might not be; they could be in level 7 for math, 9 for reading, and 8 for science, etc. This also means students could graduate earlier or later than students at most schools in the lower 48.

Not only do we focus on the core subjects (reading, writing, math, social studies, and science), but there are others to add in. For students in 4th grade and up, we also have “employability” standards to meet; these prepare the students for life after school. Students working through their employability standards get experience with interviews, creating resumes, learning about different job industries, and a ton of opportunities that will help them as they get older. There are also technology and cultural awareness (C.A.) standards to cover throughout each level (employability, tech, and C.A. would all be part of 21st century themes in traditional lower 48 schools).

The SBS is a great system to work with and it’s exciting to get to use a new method. However, when you’ve spent four years having one method of teaching the standards, it takes time to get into the swing of things.

It’s almost as if you’ve learned to ride a bike, and then you’ve practiced riding for a long time and have gotten really good at it. Then, all of a sudden, you get a bike with gears. You know the basics of how to ride the bike, but getting adjusted to using the gears takes time. Once you figure out how to switch gears and practice, you’re able to ride the bike just as well as you did the first time around. Wish me luck as I continue to learn how to switch gears:)