Standards Based Learning Goals

The standards are a starting point for educational equity.

By defining the knowledge and skills all students are expected to learn in school by grade level and content domain, Minnesota’s K-12 Academic Standards and Early Childhood Indicators of Progress (ECIPs) provide a foundation for educational equity across the state.

School districts are required to put standards in place so all students have access to high-quality content and instruction. Schools and districts determine how their students will demonstrate mastery of the standards by developing courses, curriculum, assessments, and instructional materials.

The expectations for learning are the foundation of assessment.

The standards define broad learning goals for grade-level learning. More specific learning goals and targets must be crafted for units and lessons of instruction to achieve the broader goals articulated in the standards. Together, these goals are the backbone for interpreting assessment results and making valid claims about where students are in their learning. 

Learning goals (also called learning targets or objectives) identify what students will be able to know and do by the end of one or a group lessons. Learning progressions identify essential questions and key understandings students should know across units of instruction and grade-levels within a content domain.

• Progress toward long-term goals and progressions across grades are best measured by summative assessments and/or interim assessments aligned to the standards at the classroom or school level, administered after a unit of instruction. 
• Learning goals that are smaller in scope should be articulated for all lessons based on the standards. Measurement of learning at this smaller grain size is typically accomplished by formative assessment during learning.
• Learning expectations must be clear and transparent for students. Communicating learning goals effectively involves outlining success criteria, so all students understand what success looks like in relation to the content domain.