The Board of Trustees recognizes that content and performance standards are necessary to clarify for students, parents/guardians and staff what students are expected to know and be able to do at each grade level and in each area of study. The Board shall adopt high standards for student achievement that meet or exceed statewide standards and challenge all students to reach their full potential.
The Superintendent or designee shall provide the Board with recommended standards using a process that involves staff, students, parents/guardians and community members. Standards shall be based on a review of state model standards and an assessment of the skills that students will need in order to be successful in the workplace and in higher education including basic skills, problem-solving abilities and conceptual thinking.
The current California Common Core State Standards were adopted by the State Board of Education on August 2, 2010 and are being incorporated into the state's education and assessment system. District content standards for English language arts, English language development, mathematics, science, health education, history-social science, physical education, visual and performing arts, world languages, career technical education, and preschool education shall meet or exceed statewide model content standards adopted by the State Board of Education or the State Superintendent of Public Instruction as applicable.
The Superintendent or designee shall ensure the proper articulation of standards between grade levels and among schools, between the elementary schools and the middle school, and between the middle school and the high school district. The Superintendent or designee shall ensure the alignment of these standards with the district's vision and goals, promotion requirements, and other desired student outcomes. He/she also shall ensure that the standards are easily understandable and measurable.
(cf. 0000 - Vision)
(cf. 0200 - Goals for the School District)
(cf. 6146.5 - Elementary/Middle School Graduation Requirements)
(cf. 5148.3 - Preschool/Early Childhood Education)
(cf. 6142.2 - World/Foreign Language Instruction)
(cf. 6142.6 - Visual and Performing Arts Education)
(cf. 6142.7 - Physical Education and Activity)
(cf. 6142.8 - Comprehensive Health Education)
(cf. 6142.91 - Reading/Language Arts Instruction)
(cf. 6142.92 - Mathematics Instruction)
(cf. 6142.93 - Science Instruction)
(cf. 6142.94 - History-Social Science Instruction)
(cf. 6174 - Education for English Language Learners)
(cf. 6178 - Career Technical Education)
Staff shall annually communicate the applicable standards to students and their parents/guardians to inform them of the expectations for student learning at their grade level.
Staff shall continually assess students' progress toward meeting the standards, report each student's progress to the student and his/her parents/guardians, and shall offer remedial assistance in accordance with Board policy.
The standards shall also provide a basis for evaluating the instructional program, making decisions about curriculum and assessment, and, as required by law, evaluating teacher performance. Teachers and school administrators shall receive ongoing professional development to inform them of changes in the standards and to build their capacity to implement effective standards-based instructional methodologies.
(cf. 0500 - Accountability)
(cf. 4115 - Evaluation/Supervision)
(cf. 5121 - Grades/Evaluation of Student Achievement)
(cf. 5123 - Promotion/Acceleration/Retention)
(cf. 6141 - Curriculum Development and Evaluation)
(cf. 6143 - Courses of Study)
(cf. 6162.5 - Student Assessment)
(cf. 6190 - Evaluation of the Instructional Program)
(cf. 4131 - Staff Development)
(cf. 6179 - Supplemental Instruction)
While desiring district standards to be specific and comprehensive, the Board does not intend that these standards be so extensive as to describe everything that will be taught in the classroom. Staff shall have sufficient time and flexibility to provide instruction that supplements the standards. Staff shall also have flexibility to determine the best instructional methods to use in preparing students to meet the standards.
The Superintendent or designee shall ensure that district standards are regularly reviewed and updated as necessary. At a minimum, district standards shall be reviewed whenever applicable statewide standards are revised and in response to changing student needs.
Legal Reference:
EDUCATION CODE
44662 Evaluation of certificated employees
51003 Statewide academic standards
60605-60605.9 Adoption of statewide academically rigorous content and performance standards
UNITED STATES CODE, TITLE 20
6311 State academic standards and accountability for Title I, Part A
Management Resources:
CSBA PUBLICATIONS
Common Core Standards, Fact Sheet, August 2010
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PUBLICATIONS
World Language Content Standards for California Public Schools, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve, January 2009
California Preschool Learning Foundations, Vol. 1, 2008
Health Education Content Standards for California Public Schools, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve, March 2008
California Career Technical Education Model Curriculum Standards, Grades Seven Through Twelve, May 2005
Physical Education Model Content Standards for California Public Schools, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve, January 2005
Visual and Performing Arts Content Standards for California Public Schools, Prekindergarten Through Grade Twelve, January 2001
English-Language Development Standards for California Public Schools, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve, July 1999
History-Social Science Content Standards for California Public Schools, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve, October 1998
Science Content Standards for California Public Schools, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve, October 1998
English-Language Arts Content Standards for California Public Schools, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve, December 1997
Mathematics Content Standards for California Public Schools, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve, December 1997
WEB SITES
CSBA: http://www.csba.org
California Department of Education: http://www.cde.ca.gov
Common Core State Standards Initiative: http://www.corestandards.org
Council of Chief State School Officers: http://www.ccsso.org
National Governors Association Center for Best Practices: http://www.nga.org/center
U.S. Department of Education: http://www.ed.gov
Policy ORINDA UNION SCHOOL DISTRICT
adopted: April 7, 2008 Orinda, California
revised: September 8, 2014
revised: March 11, 2019