In 2010, most school districts in the United States adopted the Common Core National Standards. These standards detailed what Kg–12th grade students throughout the United States should know in English Language Arts and Mathematics at the conclusion of each school grade. The main emphasis was on developing 21st century college and job readiness skills. While the goal of preparing the next generation of highly skilled workers is very commendable, ultimately the rigid structure of the Common Core left many students behind, especially those that had different learning needs.
In 2015, New York State began the process of revisiting the idea of what teaching and learning should look like in the classroom. The education officials wanted to create a set of standards that included quality learning opportunities for ALL learners regardless of their strengths or struggles, and thus the new NY State Learning Standards (NYSLS) was adopted.
At Ignite, keeping in-line with Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s vision for education in Dubai, we believe that is essential to use the NYSLS to guide the teaching and learning expectations in our school’s community. In our classrooms, our teachers provide ample opportunities for students to not only acquire necessary skills but to also apply said skills in a meaningful way. We also believe that we should expand our idea of the ways that we ask students to show their learning. This means that at Ignite, your child will have less paper-based exams and more authentic assessments such as, performance tasks, projects, and presentations. Our ultimate goal is to create rigorous learning environments that is also responsive to all learning needs, and we will use the NYSLS to help us achieve that goal.
