Academic Excellence
Academic Standards
The Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards provide the statewide expectations for student achievement in all public Minnesota K-12 schools. These standards identify knowledge and skills that all students must achieve in each content area by the end of a grade level or grade band. The academic standards are important because they focus on helping prepare students for college and career experiences, setting common expectations for all students, informing local credit requirements for graduation, and assisting in the guidance of school-developed curriculum design, review, and adoption processes.
The Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards can be accessed through the below links:
Tools for Improving Instruction, Curriculum, and Student Achievement
As we aspire to be a leader in innovative education by offering meaningful options and opportunities for our students, it is imperative that we start with the curriculum that is being used. In the Cambridge-Isanti Schools, we believe that a high-quality, standards-based curriculum implemented with effective research-based instructional strategies will produce high levels of learning in all students. The goal of the Cambridge-Isanti District Curriculum Committee is to ensure the development of a guaranteed and viable curriculum.
- “Guaranteed” means that every student is provided the opportunity to learn a core curriculum that provides them with the probability of success in school. Several educational scholars consider this to be the single most important initiative a school or district can engage in to raise student achievement.
- “Viable” means schools make sure that the necessary time is available and protected so students will be able to learn the guaranteed curriculum. To support this work benchmarks related to academic standards are prioritized to focus on helping students develop and grow essential and lifelong skills related to each content area.
- “Curriculum” refers to the specific learning standards, lessons, assignments, and materials used to organize and teach a particular course.
- “Curricular Resources” refer to the digital or print versions of units and lessons; the assignments and projects given to students; the books, materials, videos, presentations, and readings used in a course; assessments and other methods used to evaluate student learning.
Cambridge-Isanti Schools curriculum and assessment practices align with the Minnesota Department of Education Academic Standards and requirements. Professional development efforts align with Minnesota State Statutes and industry standards. Intentional alignment between academic standards, our community-developed strategic plans, student needs, and a focus on results drive the work of teacher collaboration to increase student learning. Cambridge-Isanti Schools uses a Continuous Improvement Process to review standards, curriculum, and assessment.
To ensure all staff within the organization are engaged in professional growth, using best practices, have access to current curricular resources, and are focused on student achievement, Cambridge-Isanti Schools has dedicated itself to having a toolkit for improving instruction. Below you will find core resources used for improving instruction, curricular resources, and student achievement.