Clarity
Clarify what students are expected to learn and demonstrate by unpacking the language of academic standards into clear, student-centered learning intentions and success criteria.
A method and model for Standards-Based Teaching and Learning
Cognitive C.A.L.M.™ for Standards-Based Learning
Alignment
Align instruction, activities, and assessments to the cognitive demand of the standard so what students are taught and tested matches what they are expected to know and do.
Learning
Target instruction, tier interventions, and extend learning based on the demand of the standards and the diverse needs of students so all can rise to, reach, and exceed expectations.
Mindset
Establish a schoolwide culture where standards are not just compliance documents but a shared commitment to what every student deserves the opportunity to learn.
A Schoolwide Solution
Standards-BasedLearning Training
The Situation
Academic standards define what students must learn and be able to do. But knowing a standard exists is not the same as knowing how to teach it, assess it, or communicate it clearly to students and families. Many schools struggle with inconsistent interpretation of standards, misaligned assessments, and a lack of shared language for what proficiency actually means — leaving teachers uncertain and students underserved.
The Solution
Maverik Education's Standards-Based Learning professional development gives educators a clear, consistent, and practical framework for understanding, unpacking, and applying academic standards. Using the Cognitive C.A.L.M.™ Framework, teachers learn to translate standards into learning intentions, align instruction and assessment to the cognitive demand of the standard, and establish a shared language for proficiency across classrooms, grade levels, and content areas.
Learning Outcomes
What YouWill Learn
- Understand how standards set the instructional focus and the purpose of learning.
- Deconstruct and reconstruct the standards to clarify what exactly and how deeply students must think about and transfer their learning.
- Craft learning targets and success criteria that specify the depth and extent students comprehend and communicate their learning.
- Use Depth of Knowledge (DOK) to clarify the the complexity of learning expectations and check the degree of alignment between academic standards, activities, and assessment items.
- Design assessments that establish and evaluate student learning expectations over a range of DOK Levels leading to, through, and beyond the standards.
- Plan and provide teaching and learning experiences that are standards=based and student supportive.
Topics for Training
Understanding the Standards
Unwrapping Standards
Partition the standards into its individual parts to identify and isolate the cognition (skill), the content (subject matter), and the context (stiipulations for learning.
Deconstructing Standards
Determine the cognitive rigor of standards based on the level of thinking students must demonstrate and the level of Depth of Knowledge (DOK) demanded.
Segmenting Standards
Dissect the standards to verify how many objectives students must achieve to demonstrate proficiency in a specific subject and perform successfully at a grade level.
Unpacking Standards
Itemize the prerequisite knowledge students must learn, the conceptual understanding students must develop, and the subject-specific skills students must demonstrate.
Reconstructing Standards
Rephrase the learning expectations and individual objectives of standards into clear and measurable learning targets and success criteria.
STandards-Based learning
Establish the ceiling of assessment and range of complexity of learning experiences based on the demand of the standards.
Using the Standards
Aligning Standards
Check how closely the performance objectives of curricular activities, assessment items, and learning experiences address the learning expectation of a standard.
Prioritizing Standards
Determine which standards are essential to learn, important to understand, and "nice to know" and when each standards should be taught and tested throughout the academic year,
Standards-Based Instruction
Target instruction, tier interventions, and extend learning based on the demand of the ceiling of assessment set by the standard and the divrse needs of students.
Standards-Based Questioning
Rephrase the learning expectations of academic standards into good questions that set the instructional focus, serve as assessments, and personalize student learning.
Standards-Based PLC
Use the standards to address the critical questions that drive and guide the goals of a Professional Learning Community (PLC).
Standards-Based Grading
Develop grading practices and rubrics that evaluate student learning over a range of levels leading to, through, and beyond a specific standard.
Our Approach
Training Formats
Half-Day Session
An engaging introduction to standards-based learning — what it means, why it matters, and how to get started. Ideal for faculty meetings, PD days, or conference sessions.
Full-Day Workshop
A comprehensive deep dive into unpacking standards, writing learning intentions, aligning assessments, and building a shared language for proficiency.
Professional Learning Series
An extended series that builds standards-based learning knowledge and practice over multiple sessions, with time for implementation, reflection, and coaching support.
Train-the-Trainer
Equip instructional coaches and teacher leaders to facilitate standards-based learning professional development internally — building sustainable schoolwide capacity.
Exclusive to Maverik Education
Standards-Based Learning AI Assistant
A personalized, interactive AI assistant that uses the Cognitive C.A.L.M.™ Framework and Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Descriptors developed by Erik M. Francis to support standards-based teaching and learning:
- ✓Unpack academic standards to identify cognitive demand, content focus, and context
- ✓Write clear learning intentions and success criteria aligned to the standard
- ✓Check DOK alignment between standards, activities, assignments, and assessments
- ✓Generate standards-aligned lessons, activities, and assessments with accurate DOK levels
- ✓Receive personalized coaching on how to communicate standards clearly to students and colleagues
Don't rely on generic AI to interpret your standards. Our Standards-Based Learning AI Assistant draws from a credible knowledge source so every response is accurate, authentic, and aligned to your school's specific goals and needs.
AI Book Study Deconstructing Depth of Knowledge
- ✓Review and reflect on how DOK clarifies the cognitive demand of academic standards
- ✓Respond to on-demand discussion prompts and guiding questions chapter by chapter
- ✓Practice unpacking standards and aligning instruction using the DOK Descriptors
- ✓Receive personalized coaching on applying standards-based learning in your classroom
Earn microcredentials for completion and recertification through
Let's Build Something That Lasts
Bring Standards-Based Learningto Your Organization
Whether you are looking for a keynote, a multi-day training, or a long-term partnership to build schoolwide capacity, Maverik Education works with schools, districts, and education organizations. Let's start the conversation.