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= What does the move to 'standards based' mean for us? =

// Eventually we will be looking at... //

 * standards based instruction
 * standards based learning
 * standards based grading

== However we first need __standards__ for each course. Eventually, the standards will drive instruction. Right now, we instruct and then we extrapolate the standards based on our instructions or activities. Generally, we only do this if we are writing curriculum, taking a course, or participating in a workshop. For us, this move to standards based thinking is a real mindshift. ==

== First, we have to examine our choices. We can use any combination of the Massachusetts Frameworks, the Common Core standards for Literacy in Social Studies, and the National Center for History in the Schools standards. It is likely that a combination of the three will best meet our needs in most of our courses. ==

==From those standards, which will we consider power standards? Power standards help us boil our classes down to the essentials and avoid getting distracted by the minutia that we often feel we have to cover. They represent the non-negotiables for student learning. They drive instruction and assessment.==

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The integration of technology in our instruction and the explosion of technology available to students to create digital content will likey be instrumental in helping us manage this process. How can we best harness it?=====