SAS+&+ATLAS

[|SAS Website] [|ATLAS Curriculum Mapping Website]


 * __[|Clear Standards:]__** Pennsylvania Standards describe what students should know and be able to do; they increase in complexity and sophistication as students progress through school. Using this tool, you can locate specific standards, anchors, and eligible content based on subject area and grade level or course. Select the subject area and grade level, or select the courtse to view the related standards.

__**[|Fair Assessment:]**__Fair Assessment is a process used by teachers and students before, during, and after instruction to provide feedback and adjust ongoing teaching and learning to improve student achievement and to provide appropriate challenge for all students at their instructional levels.


 * __[|Curriculum Framework:]__** The Curriculum Framework specifies what is to be taught for each subject in the curriculum. In Pennsylvania, Curriculum Framework includes Big Ideas, Concepts, Competencies, and Essential Questions aligned to Standards and Assessment Anchors and, where appropriate, Eligible Content.
 * Big Ideas: Declarative statements that describe concepts that transcend grade levels. Big ideas are essential to provide focus on specific content for all students.
 * Concepts: Describe what students should know (key knowledge) as a result of this instruction, specific to grade level.
 * Competencies: Describe what students should be able to do (key skills) as a result of this instruction, specific to grade level.
 * Essential Questions: Questions connected to the SAS framework and are specifically linked to the Big Ideas. They should frame student inquiry, promote critical thinking, and assist in learning transfer.

To view an effective instructional strategy, click on one of the video categories or a video or document title within each category.
 * __[|Instruction:]__** Aligned instruction comprises the following activities
 * Teaching topics that are aligned to the standards.
 * Ensuring the right level of challenge.
 * Focusing teaching based ont he learning needs of each student.
 * Implementing instructional strategies to increase student achievement.


 * __[|Materials & Resources:]__** Materials and resources include Voluntary Model Curriculum (VMC) incorporating learning progressions, units, lesson plans, and content resources aligned to the Pennsylvania standards in curriculum frameworks for the four content areas included in the Keystone Exams (mathematics, science, social studies, reading-writing-speaking-listening). Enter in keywords and select a subject and grade level or course to find related materials and resources.

__**[|Interventions:]**__An intervention is a systematic attempt by educators to provide students with research-based supports that ensure meaningful access to the general education curriculum. These data based interventions ensure students are provided with supports they need to meet and exceed grade-level standards. Interventions should be conducted in addition to grade level standards based core instruction.

A comprehensive system of research-validated interventions includes a graduated set of safety nets aligned to specific student needs as evidenced by assessment data that is directly linked to student performance. Research-validated interventions are implemented based on the type, level, and intensity of student need. Often these interventions are tiered and are based upon student assessment data (See Pennsylvania's Response to Instruction and Intervention Model).

Information above from [|www.pdesas.org]