Standards+Aligned+Systems

The Standards Aligned System (SAS) was designed by the Pennsylvania Department of Education in an effort to help raise student achievement. There are 6 areas addressed to help raise student achievement: clear standards, fair assessments, curriculum framework, instruction, materials & resources, and interventions. All aspects of SAS can benefit teachers and support the use of data to improve instruction. The following is a plan to begin integrating SAS into your school culture:

1. Utilize faculty meetings. Faculty meetings are an excellent time for in-service training. Beginning with an overview and some PDE website "play," utilize the monthly faculty meeting to learn about and discuss each aspect of SAS. Use small group discussions for staff to talk about how each aspect can improve what is being done at the school.

2. Use the tools. At common planning and/or data meetings, model and encourage staff to use the tools provided on the SAS website. The standards are all on the website. In addition, there are instructional videos, descriptions of strategies, tons of resources, and an assessment builder (to name a few) that are great tools for any educator.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education Standards Aligned System website may be found here:

PDE SAS