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Learning Standards


Learning Standards

The Washington State Adult Learning Standards are used to:

  • Provide a common language that defines educational sucess for students, teachers, partners, funders, and others
  • Design local curricula, course outlines, and lesson plans
  • Engage departments in planning for outcomes and alignment between levels
  • Communicate to students the skills and strategies taught and performance expected in any particular class
  • Facilitate student goal-setting
  • Assess student progress
  • Encourage faculty professional development and collegial dialog
  • Articulate with other educational partners (i.e. WorkFirst, vocational/technical programs) and help students transition (i.e. to college classes, vocational training)

Background:

In 2006, after a two year design process, the Washington State Learning Standards were approved by ABE directors in the Council for Basic Skills (CBS). The Washington Standards are adapted from the Equipped for the Future (EFF) Content Standards.

Learning Standards attempt to answer the real life outcomes question, “What do adults need to know and be able to do in order to carry out their roles and responsibilities as workers, parents, family members and citizens/community members?” Learning standards set high expectations for learners, while providing support to teachers to help learners meet those expectations.

As you work with the Learning Standards, please notice the meanings embedded in their format. Each standard has three parts. The top consists of a set of descriptors that remains common to all levels of that standard. The indicators which follow are an elaboration of what performance of those skills looks like at the completion of the indicated level. Finally a summary narrative describes how fluently and independently and in what range of settings a student can be expected to perform the skills. Please remember that the indicator descriptors describe what EXIT skills from that level look like.

Statewide standards professional development to support implementation, in the form of a cadre of standards trainers and various on-line tools, have been offered since 2007.

LEARNING STANDARDS DOCUMENTS (posted 2009)

After three years use in the field, the learning standards are benefiting from the input of practitioner wisdom. Suggested changes have been incorporated into updated 2009 versions of the Indicators of the WA Adult Learning Standards. The indicators play an important role in the standards system by describing the KEY knowledge, skills, and strategies that learners should be able to demonstrate at each level in performing the standard. Since they describe student performance, the indicators are a key tool for designing both instruction and assessment. The indicators show up in several Washington ABE documents on this web page: the Washington State Learning Standards, the WA Curriculum Frameworks in each content area, and the WA Indicator Continua in each content area. Below is a link listing the exact places in those documents where changes in language have been made.

New!Washington State Learning Standards has a Googlesite! Posted here are sample curriculum and materials for local development processes, including student writing samples WA ABE Learning Standards.

*List of Changes to 2009 Learning Standards Documents
learning Standards
  

Washington State Learning Standards

Washington State Learning Standards

WA ABE Read with Understanding Curriculum Framework - 2009

WA ESL Read with Understanding Curriculum Framework - 2009

WA Math Curriculum Framework

ABE RWU Indicators

ESL RWU Indicators

Math Indicators

WA ABE Convey Ideas in Writing Curriculum Framework - 2011

WA ESL Convey Ideas in Writing Curriculum Framework - 2011

WA ABE Writing Indicators

WA ESL Writing Indicators

WA ABE & ESL Writing Teaching and Learning Objectives

WA ESL Speaking Indicators

WA ESL Listening Indicators

Learning Standards Implementation at the Program Level:  Milestones

Templates & Training Tools
  

WA ABE Learning Standards Google site "a resource for local programs"

RWU Templates - EFF-Trawick

RWU Lesson Plan Template

Math Templates - adapted from EFF-Trawick

Math Lesson Plan Template

Standards Based Lesson Examples - Reading
  

RWU - ABE Lesson Level 4

RWU - ABE Lesson Level 4-5

RWU - ESL Lesson Level beginning

RWU - ESL Lesson Level 1

RWU - ESL Lesson Level 2

RWU - ESL Lesson Level 3

RWU - ESL Lesson Level 4

RWU - ESL Lesson Level 5

RWU - ESL Lesson Level 5

RWU - ESL Lesson Level 5, handout

RWU - ESL Lesson Level 6

RWU - ESL Lesson Level 6

Standards Based Lesson Examples - Math
  

Math Lesson Level 2

Math Lesson Level 2 & 3

Handout #1 for above Math Activity - Where does the time go?

Handout #2 for above Math Activity - An Average Non-School Week

Handout #3 for above Math Activity - Time Tracker for...

Handout #4 for above Math Activity - Time Tracker Table

Handout #5 for above Math Activity - Time Tracker Worksheet

Math Lesson - ABE Level 4

Math Lesson - ABE Level 4

Math Lesson - ABE Level 4-5-6

Standards Based Lesson Examples - Writing
  

Writing Lesson - ABE Level 3

Writing Lesson - ABE Level 4

Writing Lesson - ABE Level 4

Writing Handout - ABE Level 6

Writing Lesson - ESL Levels 4 - 6

Writing Lesson - ESL Levels 5 - 6

Writing Handout - ESL Levels 5 - 6

Writing Lesson - ESL Levels 5 & 6

Writing Handout #1 - ESL Levels 5 & 6

Writing Handout #2 - ESL Levels 5 & 6

Writing Handout #3 - ESL Levels 5 & 6

EFF Toolkit and Sample Lessons
  

EFF Teaching & Learning ToolKit

Oregon Reading Initiative: Sample Eff Standards-Based Lessons

 

 

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