Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 44, November 2, 2024
(a)
School entities may develop, expand or improve existing academic standards in
the following content areas:
(1) The following
apply:
(i)
Through June 30,
2025: Science and technology. Study of the natural
world and facts, principles, theories and laws in the areas of biology,
chemistry, physics and earth sciences. Technology is the application of science
to enable societal development, including food and fiber production,
manufacturing, building, transportation and communication. Science and
technology share the use of the senses, science processes, inquiry,
investigation, analysis and problem solving strategies. The Pennsylvania Core
Standards for Reading in Science and Technology and the Pennsylvania Core
Standards for Writing in Science and Technology will be an appendix to the
Commonwealth's academic standards for Science and Technology upon publication
in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.
(ii)
Effective July 1, 2025:
Pennsylvania Integrated Standards for Science, Environment, Ecology,
Technology and Engineering (Grades K-5). Guide the elementary-level
study of the natural and human-made world through inquiry, problem-solving,
critical thinking and authentic exploration. The integration of these
disciplines in the elementary grades highlights the interconnectedness of
scientific study and the integral relationship between humans and the
environment.
(2) The
following apply:
(i)
Through June 30,
2025: Environment and ecology. Understanding the
components of ecological systems and their interrelationships with social
systems and technologies. These components incorporate the disciplines of
resource management, agricultural diversity, government and the impact of human
actions on natural systems. This interaction leads to the study of watersheds,
threatened and endangered species, pest management and the development of laws
and regulations.
(ii)
Effective July 1, 2025: Pennsylvania Integrated
Standards for Science, Environment and Ecology (Grades 6-12). Utilize
a three-dimensional approach to guide the study of physical sciences, life
sciences, and earth and space sciences at the middle and high school levels.
The standards highlight the critical intersections of these disciplines with
environmental science, ecology, and agriculture. These three-dimensional
standards integrate disciplinary core ideas, practices in science and
engineering, and crosscutting concepts into coherent learning progressions
across the grade bands.
(iii)
Effective July 1, 2025: Pennsylvania Technology and
Engineering Standards (Grades 6-12). Define the knowledge, skills, and
abilities necessary for establishing literacy in technology and engineering
literacy. Students develop a practical understanding of how humans are
influenced by science and technology. Four core disciplinary standards describe
practices in technology and engineering and include specific benchmarks for
students in grade bands 6-8 and 9-12.
(3)
Social studies.
(i)
History. Study of the
record of human experience including important events; interactions of culture,
race and ideas; the nature of prejudice; change and continuity in political
systems; effects of technology; importance of global-international
perspectives; and the integration of geography, economics and civics studies on
major developments in the history of the Commonwealth, the United States and
the world.
(ii)
Geography.
Study of relationships among people, places and environments, of
geographic tools and methods, characteristics of place, concept of region and
physical processes.
(iii)
Civics and government. Study of United States constitutional
democracy, its values and principles, study of the Constitution of the
Commonwealth and government including the study of principles, operations and
documents of government, the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, how
governments work and international relations.
(iv)
Economics. Study of how
individuals and societies choose to use resources to produce, distribute and
consume goods and services. Knowledge of how economies work, economic reasoning
and basic economic concepts, economic decision making, economic systems, the
Commonwealth and the United States economy and international trade.
(v)
Appendix. The
Pennsylvania Core Standards for Reading in History and Social Studies and the
Pennsylvania Core Standards in Writing for History and Social Studies will be
an appendix to the Commonwealth's academic standards for History upon
publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.
(4)
Arts and humanities.
Study of dance, theatre, music, visual arts, language and literature including
forms of expression, historical and cultural context, critical and aesthetic
judgment and production, performance or exhibition of work.
(5)
Career education and
work. Understanding career options in relationship to individual
interests, aptitudes and skills including the relationship between changes in
society, technology, government and economy and their effect on individuals and
careers. Development of knowledge and skill in job-seeking and job-retaining
skills and, for students completing career and technical education programs,
the skills to succeed in the occupation for which they are prepared.
(6)
Health, safety and physical
education. Study of concepts and skills which affect personal, family
and community health and safety, nutrition, physical fitness, movement concepts
and strategies, safety in physical activity settings, and leadership and
cooperation in physical activities.
(7)
Family and consumer science.
Understanding the role of consumers as a foundation for managing
available resources to provide for personal and family needs and to provide
basic knowledge of child health and child care skills.
(8)
Through June 30, 2013: Reading,
writing, speaking and listening.
(i)
Reading. The application of phonemic awareness, phonics and
word study, vocabulary, fluency and text comprehension in reading critically
across subject areas; the interpretation and analysis of literary expression
with analysis of the origins and structures of the English language and
learning how to search a variety of texts to conduct research.
(ii)
Writing. Narrative,
informational and persuasive formal writing for an audience, including spelling
and editing skills; and informal writing to capture and organize information
for individual use.
(iii)
Speaking and listening. Participation in conversation and
formal speaking presentations.
(iv)
English Language Arts. Upon publication in the
Pennsylvania Bulletin, following full implementation of a
transition plan to be developed by the Department in collaboration with
education stakeholders, academic standards will be based on the Pennsylvania
Core Standards for English Language Arts.
(9)
Mathematics. The
understanding of fundamental ideas and the development of proficient
mathematical skills in numbers, computation, measurement, statistics and data
analysis, probability and predictions, algebra and functions, geometry,
trigonometry and concepts of calculus. Using this content, students will learn
to think, reason and communicate mathematically. Students will learn to model
real-world situations by creating appropriate representations of numerical
quantities and plan and implement problem-solving strategies to answer the
question in the context of the situation. Upon publication in the
Pennsylvania Bulletin, following implementation of a
transition plan to be developed by the Department in collaboration with
education stakeholders, academic standards will be based on the Pennsylvania
Core Standards for Mathematics.
(b) In designing educational programs, school
entities shall provide for the attainment of the academic standards under
subsections (a) and (c) and any additional academic standards as determined by
the school entity. Attaining the academic standards in this section requires
students to demonstrate the acquisition and application of knowledge.
(c) School entities shall prepare students to
attain academic standards in mathematics and English Language Arts in Appendix
A-2 and incorporated here by reference and additional standards as may be
adopted by the Board and promulgated as amendments to this chapter.
(d) A school entity's curriculum shall be
designed to provide students with planned instruction needed to attain these
academic standards.
(e) School
entities shall apply academic standards for students in all areas described
under subsections (a) and (c). The local assessment plan under §
4.52 (relating to local assessment
system) must include a description of how the academic standards will be
measured and how information from the assessments is used to assist students
having difficulty meeting the academic standards.
(f) School entities shall assess the
attainment of academic standards developed under subsections (a) and (c) and
any other academic standards that they develop under §
4.52(c) for
purposes of high school graduation and strategies for assisting students to
attain them. Plans for assessment developed by school entities must take into
account that academic standards in subsections (a) and (c) may be attained by
students in various ways and shall be assessed in various ways. Children with
disabilities may attain the academic standards by completion of their
individualized education programs under the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act and this part.
(g) In
planning any revision of the academic standards in subsection (a) content
areas, the Secretary will consult with educators, business and community
leaders and parents.
(h) School
entities are responsible under subsections (a), (c) and (f) for assessing
individual student attainment of academic standards and for assisting those
students having difficulty attaining them. Upon request by a school entity, the
Department will provide the requestor with technical assistance in the
development of academic standards and assessments that are sufficient to assure
that students are making progress toward the attainment of standards required
for high school graduation under subsection (f).
(i) No sooner than every 5 years and no later
than every 10 years, the Board will review the State academic standards and
State assessments under this section to determine if they are appropriate,
clear, specific and challenging, and will make revisions as necessary by
revising this chapter.
(j) The
Department may not expand the collection of student data and, in accordance
with section 444 of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974
(20 U.S.C.A. §
1232g), regarding family educational and
privacy rights, may not collect personal family data due to the implementation
of Pennsylvania Core Standards in Appendix A-2.
The provisions of this §4.12 amended under the Public
School Code of 1949 (24 P.S. §§ 1-101-27-2702).
This section cited in 22 Pa. Code §
4.3 (relating to definitions); 22
Pa. Code §
4.4 (relating to general
policies); 22 Pa. Code §
4.11 (relating to purpose of
public education); 22 Pa. Code §
4.26 (relating to ESOL); 22 Pa.
Code §
4.31 (relating to career and
technical education); 22 Pa. Code §
4.51 (relating to State assessment
system); 22 Pa. Code §
4.51a (relating to Pennsylvania
System of School Assessment); 22 Pa. Code §
4.52 (relating to local assessment
system); and 22 Pa. Code §
4.82 (relating to
exceptions).
