Describe what success looks like.
When learning goals are clearly defined by teachers, classroom assessment strategies are powerful tools for monitoring student progress toward the learning expectations defined in the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards. 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/or grade-levels.
Success criteria describes evidence of student proficiency of grade-level knowledge and skills.
In addition to setting clear expectations for learning (learning goals), it is critical to define how you will know if students have successfully met the learning goal(s).
In collaboration with educators, the Minnesota Department of Education has developed Achievement Level Descriptors and Benchmark Achievement Level Descriptors. These descriptors use the knowledge and skills defined in the K-12 Academic standards and benchmarks to describe grade-level student performance observed on the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) across four achievement levels.
The resources below can be used by educators to develop more detailed success criteria for classrooms assessments, projects, and tasks.
Watch the training module below to learn how to use the Benchmark ALDs to evaluate the rigor of classroom assessments and instructional materials:
Educators have requested more detailed descriptions of the knowledge, skills, and abilities demonstrated by students across the four achievement levels on the MCA, beyond what the traditional Achievement Level Descriptors (ALDs) offer. In response to this, MDE staff collaborated to outline more specific descriptions: Benchmark ALDs for Mathematics and Reading in grades 3–8 and high school. The purpose of the Benchmark ALDs is to:
All grades are available for download by grade level below. Educators may find this format useful for lesson and unit planning, as it shows all the benchmarks and the descriptions of student achievement across each achievement level within a grade level.
Reading | Math |
---|---|
Grade 3 | Grade 3 |
Grade 4 | Grade 4 |
Grade 5 | Grade 5 |
Grade 6 | Grade 6 |
Grade 7 | Grade 7 |
Grade 8 | Grade 8 |
Grade 10 | Grade 11 |