Aligning CLL with Measuring Student Achievement

Aligning CLL with National and Local Standards and Benchmarks

Every CLL lesson correlates with national standards and benchmarks in at least one subject matter area. The standards and benchmarks are either listed separately or written into the objectives on the first page of each lesson. Growing in the Garden and Where We Live lessons were developed using national and local standards and benchmarks collected and compared from up to six Iowa school districts.

For more information about national standards and benchmarks, please refer to these websites:

All Subjects
www.mcrel.org/compendium/browse.asp

Science
www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/nses/html/3.html
www.sciencenetlinks.com/benchmark_index.htm

Social Studies
www.ncss.org/standards
www.socialstudies.org

Language Arts/Reading
www.ncte.org/about/over/standards/110846.htm

Math
http://standards.nctm.org/


For more information about local standards and benchmarks and how the lessons correlate, please click on one of the following subject matter areas
            Reading       Science       Social Studies        Math

To look at examples of standards and benchmarks from CLL curricula, please click here


Aligning CLL with Iowa Test of Basic Skills
The Iowa Test of Basic Skills is developed at the University of Iowa. It is a nationally recognized student achievement test that is also used as a standard for classroom accountability and the No Child Left Behind precedence. The test measures content (knowledge and thinking skills) and context (the ability to glean information from a variety of formats such as charts, maps, poetry, and cartoons.) All three CLL curricula have been correlated to the 3rd, 4th, and 8th grade science, social studies, reading, and math tests. Results indicate that in almost all subject areas, CLL curricula lessons correlate with more than 50% of the ITBS questions for content and context.

For more information about the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, please refer to this website: www.education.uiowa.edu/itp/itbs.

To see examples of the correlations, please click on one of the following subject areas:  
                  Reading       Science       Social Studies        Math


Aligning CLL with Thinking, Character-Building, or Life Skills
Every CLL lesson provides an opportunity for students to develop at least one thinking, character-building, or life skill. The skills are listed at the beginning of the lessons. Educators using CLL curricula remark how well the lessons go with their character-building programs.

Growing in the Garden and Where We Live lessons were developed using the Target Life Skills (TLS) Model by P.A. Hendricks for Iowa State University Extension 4-H. Life skills are charted into age-appropriate categories so that curriculum writers and program leaders can focus on skills that students are able to understand and implement.

To see the Targeting Life Skills Model, please click here.

To look at examples of the thinking, character-building, or life skills, please click here.


Aligning CLL with Experiential Learning
Every CLL and FLP lesson provides hands-on experiences so students will understand and remember what they learn. Research shows that this is a method to reach more students and their learning styles and to enhance student test performance. It is important to do the entire lessons as it is presented in order for students to process what they have done and be able to apply it to other situations.

Growing in the Garden and Where We Live lessons were developed using the Experiential Learning Model created by the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES). Every lesson has a DO, REFLECT, and APPLY section complete with instructions for hands-on activities, questions and answers to share and process the experience, and methods to apply what was learned to similar or different situations.

To see the Experiential Learning Model, please click here.

To look at examples of the Experiential Learning Model, please click here.

Aligning CLL with Measuring Student Achievement
Every CLL and FLP lesson provides opportunities to observe or test students to see if the stated objectives were accomplished. An indicator is listed at the beginning of most lessons. Student activity sheets or assignments are other ways to evaluate student impact. Plans are underway to correlate test scores with CLL curricula.

For examples of evaluation tools, please click here.