Checklist for High-Quality Standards

Measurable

 Do the standards and indicators start with an action verb at the appropriate level in the relevant learning domain (cognitive, affective, or psychomotor)?

 Can an assessment of learning be designed from the indicator?

 Do the standards/indicators emphasize what students will learn or demonstrate as opposed to how they will learn or demonstrate?

Appropriately Challenging

 Are the standards and indicators developmentally appropriate for the intended group of learners?

 Do the standards and indicators prepare students for higher levels of thinking, feeling, or doing?

 Are the standards and indicators written at the highest level of thinking, feeling, or doing for the intended group of learners?

Connected

 Are the standards and indicators connected to future learning?

 Have the Nebraska Career Readiness Standards been embedded, when appropriate?

 Do the standards and indicators allow for connections to other content areas (e.g. English Language Arts, Mathematics, etc.)

Clearly Worded

 Do the standards and indicators start with an action verb?

 Are the standards and indicators written concisely? Is consistent language used?

 Does the writing of the standards and indicators follow appropriate conventions of writing and grammar?

 Does each indicator include only one topic or thought?

 Has the use of multiple topics or thoughts in one indicator been avoided (e.g. double-barreled statements)?

Scaffolded

 Does the content in the standards and indicators reflect a content-based learning progression?

 Does the content in the standards and indicators build off of previously mastered content or concepts?

 Is the content in the standards and indicators a prerequisite for future learning?

 Is the learning progression free of gaps?

 Does the verb level the standard reflects the highest level of thinking, feeling, and doing (i.e. The verb level of the indicator should not supersede the verb level of the standard)?

Specific

 Do the indicators provide a benchmark for identifying student mastery of the standard?

 Can the standard/indicator be made less ambiguous or less obscure?

 Are the standards and indicators measurable?