Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School

English Language Arts is the umbrella for literacy instruction which includes Reading, Writing, Language, and Speaking & Listening. The Massachusetts Frameworks outline the grade-level expectations for each strand of high-quality, rigorous literacy instruction. A deliberate and collaborative effort is made to meet the needs of ALL students by providing a cohesive and consistent approach to reading and writing instruction that is developmentally appropriate, standards-driven, outcome specific, explicit, and research-based.

The goal of the district’s comprehensive Literacy program is to ensure that students are able to read, understand, express, and create concepts and ideas through a variety of media for various purposes. In doing so, students will become independent contributors to society and capable of engaging civically, socially, emotionally, and academically. The district recognizes that the diverse needs of our students demand diverse approaches. Instruction must always be authentic and responsive to student needs, keeping the learner in mind.

The English Language Arts program is designed to develop 21st century skills in communication, critical and creative thinking, reading, and writing, speaking, and listening. Students are provided with the essential tools to analyze, discuss, and write for a variety of purposes. The selection of texts for all students is designed to provide students with exposure to a wide variety of genres, including fiction, nonfiction, drama, poetry, and short stories.

• 6-8 Literacy Standards- Content Areas
• 8-12 Standards

Rationale

The challenge of educating our students for the world beyond the walls of our classrooms is a daunting one. We are essentially preparing students for careers that have not even been created yet. In addition, our students come to us from a variety of social, economic, cultural, religious, and ethnic backgrounds with various life experiences. While we cannot account for each and every individual variable, it is our responsibility to provide our students with a rich, rigorous, and robust educational experience.

Literacy is the foundation of a high quality education. Being an independent, critical, and literate contributor to the community and world at large is a key factor in determining one’s success. No matter the path chosen, the ability to communicate effectively is paramount.

The 2017 ELA Literacy Framework is a cumbersome document which can be overwhelming when trying to narrow the scope for planning purposes. The function of this tool is to break down the fundamental elements of literacy instruction in order to inform planning, instruction, and assessment to ensure the success of ALL students.
 

Power Standards Defined

“If everything is important, then nothing is.” –Patrick Lencioni
 

Rationale for Prioritizing Standards

The key is “prioritization” not “elimination”. By giving priority to certain standards, teachers can provide in-depth instruction and target their support for students. Dr. Douglas Reeves of the Leadership and Learning Center, refers to those standards and indicators that are critical for student success as “those standards, that once mastered, give a student the ability to use reasoning and thinking skills to learn and understand other curriculum objectives and integrate present learning with prior knowledge.” Power standards are a carefully selected subset of the complete list of standards and indicators within each grade level and content area that students need for success.

Identifying Power Standards does not relieve teachers of the responsibility for teaching all the standards and indicators in the grade level or curricular area they have been assigned to teach. What is necessary is to make the important distinction- which standards are critical for student success, and which other ones can be given less emphasis, taught and assessed as they relate to the concepts and skills within the identified Power Standards.

Benefits to Prioritizing Standards

• Gain clarity around what the students are expected to have learned upon leaving their grade level/course
• Requires teachers to look at the standards vertically which allows teachers to identify important prerequisite skills
• Lends itself to higher quality assessments which are aligned, purposeful, and essential in identifying those students in need of intervention, remediation, or enrichment
• Makes it easier for teachers to choose high quality resources to support their students’ learning
• Rather than broad coverage of material, teachers can focus on deepening students’ understanding of essential content, strategies, and skills
   

Criteria for Selection of Power Standards

Endurance

When the standard represents learning that goes beyond one course or grade level and is representative of a concept or skill that is important in life, it has endurance.

• Does this standard have value beyond one single test date?
• Will this standard endure beyond the test?
• Will the knowledge and skills be important beyond this unit?
   

Leverage

When the standard represents learning that is applied both within the content area and in other content areas, it has leverage.

• Does this standard have multidisciplinary connections?
• Is this standard relevant in other disciplines?
   

Readiness

When the standard represents learning that is essential for success in a new unit, course of study, or grade level, it has readiness.

• Does this standard contain prerequisite content and/or skills necessary for the next unit, course of study, or grade level?
   

How to Use the Power Standards

For easy identification, the power standards have been highlighted in yellow in this resource. Please remember that it is about prioritization, not elimination. As educators, we are responsible for teaching all of the standards to all of our students.  

The power standards are the building blocks for every unit. Learning targets, resources, instructional strategies, and assessments (formative and summative) should be created with the power standards as the focal point. The supporting standards should be incorporated where appropriate to deepen and extend student learning.

• Reading - Literature
• Reading - Informational
• Writing