Standards for Student Learning
In education, learning standards are clear and concise descriptions of what students should know and what they should be able to do as they progress through their schooling.
Standards establish shared expectations for students and teachers alike. When a curriculum is aligned to a specific set of standards, those standards set the goals for student learning, while the curriculum itself determines how those goals are achieved.
A standards-aligned curriculum ensures a consistent baseline across grade levels so that students at each level receive instruction that builds coherently upon what came before, free of academic gaps or unnecessary repetition.
Our Standards
District 401's curriculum is fully aligned to the Illinois Learning Standards (ILS), which establish goals and expectations in 10 major areas of instruction:
- Early Learning and Development
- English Language Arts
- English Learning
- Fine Arts
- Dance
- Media Arts
- Music
- Theatre
- Visual Arts
- Math
- Physical Development and Health
- Science
- Social and Emotional Learning
- Social Science
- World Languages
The ILS, in turn, incorporates standards from a variety of other sources, such as the Common Core State Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
Illinois adopted its English language arts and math standards from Common Core and its science standards from NGSS, so District 401's curriculum is aligned to the relevant standards of those organizations as well.
In addition, as part of its ongoing Technology Initiative, the District has aligned its use of technology to the globally recognized standards developed by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).
To Learn More
For additional information about the standards used by District 401, we invite you to visit the following pages listed below: