These components are directly
linked and continually interact with each other to inform practice and ensure high level student perfor-
mance.
Standards
Our standards tell us exactly what our students are expected to know (knowledge) and be able to do
(skills). They are organized by grade level from Kindergarten through grade 12 for English Language
Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Foreign Language, Health, Music and Art. Accomodations for
English Language Learners have also been developed. As before, benchmarks define performance
expectations in each of the subject areas.
Knowledge and Skills Core
Required content that is essential to achieving each standard is carefully sequenced and organized to
spiral in rigor from grade level to grade level. Content selections are made for the purpose and intent of
providing a common set of learnings that every Providence student is expected to receive regardless of
the school they attend or who they have as a teacher. Content requirements have been carefully matched
to the required standards for each subject area and grade level and are integrated into student work
products. The content has been drawn from national databases for each discipline and is organized to
prepare students for the next level of rigor in their learning sequence. Teachers are expected and required
to use a variety of resources in the instructional process including commercial programs, specific trade
books, novels and primary sources. A carefully researched bibliography of required as well as recom-
mended resources will be included in the reference appendices of this guide.
Instructional Strategies
Instructional strategies have been selected to provide optimal support for teachers in their efforts to create
rigorous and stimulating lessons that assist students in meeting standards. Strategies are based on the
Principles of Learning, Balanced and Disciplinary Literacy, and the Habits of Mind.
Student Work
Specific work products are required as observable and measurable evidence of students working to meet
the standards and benchmarks for each subject area at each grade level.
Assessment
Student work is collected and evaluated throughout the school year and is the focus of principals,
teachers, coaches, lead teams, and department heads as they seek to establish assessment criteria and
improve their instructional practices. Decisions regarding teaching, learning and professional develop-
ment are guided by student work.
overview
1 a Points of Focus
2003-2004



Designing rigorous and engaging lessons that support the
frameworks and scope and sequence



Reviewing and assessing student work every nine weeks using
standards and benchmarks as assessment criteria



Receiving feedback from teachers and others about the
frameworks and scope and sequence



Reflecting and revising field test documents using feedback
received from teachers and others



Developing tools for assessing student work



Developing accomodations for Special Education and
strengthening the proposed accomodations for English
Language Learners
.
2 a about this publication
T
his Scope and Sequence Binder has been organized to provide teachers with a
curriculum framework for teaching and learning that:
1. Organizes teaching and learning into nine week quarters or semester blocks
for each grade level Kindergarten through grade 12;
2. Is based on clearly defined standards for both content and performance;
3. Spirals in rigor from quarter to quarter and grade level to grade level;
4. Offers challenging student work products that require active use of knowledge;
5. Is grounded in high level thinking strategies;
6. Results in student products that meet or exceed the district standards.
Feedback is welcomed on both field test and revised documents.
This year teachers will continue to be supporteed by such innovative District Initiatives as:
New Elementary Coaching Model
Middle School Re-Design
High School Re-Design
Literacy-Numeracy Summer Program
Parent-Focused Grade by Grade Expectations
We would like to publicly acknowledge the many teachers, coaches, administrators, district
resource specialists and clerks for the enormous amount of time and dedicated efforts contrib-
uted in the creation, revision, and editing processes for this document. They are to be com-
mended for their professionalism, diligence, and commitment to this effort and can be proud of
the significant role they have played in moving this initiative forward.
acknowledgements
3 a
Providence Schools Standards Scope & Sequence glossary
Providence Schools Standards Scope & Sequence
Organizing
for Effort
Clear
Expectations
Fair and
Credible
Evaluations
Recognition of
Accomplishment
Academic Rigor
in a Thinking
Curriculum
Organizing for Effort
Clear and high expectations.
Fair and credible evaluations.
Recognition of accomplishment.
Curriculum geared to students.
Clear Expectations
Standards available and discussed.
Models of student work.
Students judge their own and others work.
Intermediate expectations satisfied.
Families and community informed.
Fair and Credible Evaluations
Exams referenced to standards.
Curriculum and assessments aligned.
Grading against absolute standards, not curve.
Reporting system makes clear how students are progressing toward expected standards.
Public accountability systems and instructional assessments aligned.
Recognition of Accomplishment
Frequent recognition of student work.
Recognition for real accomplishment.
Clearly demarcated progress points.
Celebration with family and community.
Employers and colleges recognize accomplishments.
Academic Rigor in a Thinking Curriculum
Commitment to a Knowledge Core
-An articulated curriculum that avoids needless repetition and progressively deepens
concepts.
-Curriculum and instruction organized around major concepts.
-Teaching and assessment focus on mastery of core concepts.
High Thinking Demand
-Students expected to raise questions, to solve problems, to reason.
-Challenging assignments in every subject.
-Explanations and justification expected.
-Reflection on learning strategies.
Active Use of Knowledge
-Synthesize several sources of information.
-Test understanding by applying and discussing concepts.
-Apply prior knowledge.
-Interpret texts and construct solutions.
©
2000 University of Pittsburgh
P
RINCIPLES

OF
L
EARNING
4 a glossary
Providence Schools Standards Scope & Sequence
Accountable
Talk
Socializing
Intelligence
Self-management
of Learning
Learning as
Apprenticeship
Accountable Talk
Accountability to the Learning Community
-Students actively participate in classroom talk.
-Listen attentively.
-Elaborate and build on each others ideas.
-Work to clarify or expand a proposition.
Accountability to Knowledge
-Specific and accurate knowledge.
-Appropriate evidence for claims and arguments.
-Commitment to getting it right.
Accountability to RigorousThinking
-Synthesize several sources of information.
-Construct explanations and test understanding of concepts.
-Formulate conjectures and hypotheses.
-Employ generally accepted standards of reasoning.
-Challenge the quality of evidence and reasoning.
Socializing Intelligence
Beliefs
-I have the right and obligation to understand and make things work.
-Problems can be analyzed and I am capable of that analysis.
Skills
-A toolkit of problem-analysis skills (metacognitive strategies) and good intuition
about when to use them.
-Knowing how to ask questions, seek help, and get enough information to solve
problems.
Dispositions
-Habits of mind.
-Tendency to actively try to analyze problems, ask questions, get information.
Self-management of Learning
Metacognitive stratigies explicitly modeled, identified, discussed, and practiced.
Students play active role in monitoring and managing the quality of their learning
Teachers scaffold student performance during initial learning; gradually to remove
supports.
Students become agents of their own learning.
Learning as Apprenticeship
Students create authentic products and performances for interested, critical
audiences.
Experts critique and guide student work.
Finished work meets public standards of quality.
Learning strategies are modeled.
P
RINCIPLES

OF
L
EARNING
5 a glossary
Providence Schools Standards Scope & Sequence
A compilation of information and activities which students must know and be able to do to
succeed in science learning. They were written and organized by the American Association for
the Advancement of Science, Project 2061.
A fundamental principle of the Principles of Learning is that students must be exposed to
rigorous thinking tasks which will call upon them to develop and use their higher order critical
thinking/problem-solving skills and habits of mind.
One of the ways to show ones thinking is to talk with others. Accountable talk requires that
participants stay committed to building upon the ideas of others to deepen understanding.
Learning from a master or skilled practitioner the expert demonstrates and the students observe
and practice with the goal of imitating. Difficulty and complexity levels increase as skills are
acquired and made public in authentic products and performances. In the classroom, the
teacher models and coaches; students practice and demonstrate steps toward mastery.
A program designed to provide elementary students with a variety of reading an