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Course-level standards are the major concepts students are expected to learn in a course. They are defined by performance indicators which specifically detail what teachers should teach and students must learn in order to possess the standards.

A complete set of curriculum standards for all grades, K-12, in these 15 subjects:

Free Samples

Click on each subject above to download or view sample pages.

Samples are in PDF files; Download free Adobe Acrobat Reader® software to view.

The Manual Includes

• Course-level standards for fifteen subject areas.
• Standards for each course on a single page.
• Articulated (sequenced) K-12
• Written in student-friendly language
• Consistent format for all subjects
• Ten or fewer standards per course
• Defined by performance indicators
• An explanation of standards, how to use them, and their benefits.
• Transparencies for presenting standards to the staff.

Bonus Diskette:

The entire model curriculum comes on a diskette so you can easily adapt it to your own needs. The diskette is included FREE with the manual.

How The Standards Were Developed

We studied research from around the country including national standards, state requirements, the recommendations of experts, and sample standards from various districts. Using this research, we conducted more than 150 workshops where teachers critiqued, revised, and refined the standards until we had a set of clear, consistent, and carefully articulated standards which are easily adapted to the needs of most districts.

Benefits of Standards In the Classroom

• Standards provide clear guidelines for what should be taught.
• Standards define what it takes for students to be successful.
• Standards reduce stress for teachers and students.
• Standards promote student responsibility.
• Standards promote integration and sharing among teachers.
• Standards make designing performance assessments easier.

Benefits of Standards At the School or District Level

• Standards provide a consistent format between subjects.
• Standards give districts a means of gaining control of their curriculum without a great expenditure of time and money.
• Standards provide more consistent and professional communication between school and parents.
• Standards are the basis for implementing many new practices.

Becoming Performance-Based: How Standards Fit Into the Bigger Picture

In the performance-based world . . .

• Every teacher has quality STANDARDS identified for each of their courses.
• Students are completing PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENTS and learning to produce quality work.
• INSTRUCTION focuses on preparing students to succeed on the assessments.
• GRADING AND PROMOTION of students is based on their ability to demonstrate possession of the standards.

Identifying Standards is the First Step!

From the Authors

We have worked with schools all across the country and found very few differences in their curricular needs. Our standards seem to provide an excellent starting point for districts regardless of their location. Many schools spend hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars trying to develop standards from scratch. You can save those high costs by starting with TEN SIGMA's standards which are ready to use as they are, or make an excellent springboard to developing your own.

Clyde Birkholz and John D. Wessels, Ph.D.

To order

Course Standards by Grade Level, manual and diskette

Order item # 2000 . . . $ 300.00