New standards will help us help students

Next school year we will be implementing the new Idaho Core Standards in all of our classrooms in the Lake Pend Oreille School District. These standards are considerably higher than the previous standards Idaho had in place for mathematics and English language arts. Our teachers have been working diligently all year reviewing these new standards to prepare for implementation. Overall, we are thrilled with the greater emphasis on writing, higher level thinking skills, and application of mathematics to real world situations. We are confident these new standards will even better prepare our students for life after high school.

The Lake Pend Oreille School District will continue to have local control when it comes to selection of instructional materials and teaching practices. We will also have the ability to add on to the new standards if we choose to do so. The difference will be that these new rigorous standards will require our students to demonstrate their learning in a more in-depth manner than the current state assessments.

If you have questions about the new standards, please ask an educator or go to the State Department of Education website. The standards are clearly posted. Take the opportunity to compare the new standards with the old. I am confident you will see improved standards that will better help us meet the needs of our students.

SHAWN WOODWARD

Sandpoint

Superintendent

Lake Pend Oreille School District