Academics

Common Core State Standards

Educational standards describe what students should know and be able to do in each subject in each grade. In California, the State Board of Education decides on the standards for all students, from kindergarten through high school.

Since 2010, a number of states across the nation have adopted the same standards for English and math. These standards are called the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Having the same standards helps all students get a good education, even if they change schools or move to a different state. Teachers, parents, and education experts designed the standards to prepare students for success in college and the workplace.

The California Department of Education helps schools make sure that all students are meeting the standards. Below you will find information about the standards and the CCSS-related activities taking place in California.


 

English Language Arts

History / Social Science

Mathematics

 


Physical Education

Physical education significantly contributes to students’ well-being; therefore, it is an instructional priority for California schools and an integral part of our students’ educational experience. High-quality physical education instruction contributes to good health, develops fundamental and advanced motor skills, improves students’ self-confidence, and provides opportunities for increased levels of physical fitness that are associated with high academic achievement.

PE teaches students how their bodies move and how to perform a variety of physical activities. Students learn the health-related benefits of regular physical activity and the skills to adopt a physically active, healthy lifestyle. The discipline provides learning experiences that meet the developmental needs of students. A standards-based PE program also provides an excellent opportunity to ensure that students develop positive social skills, cooperate with others, and accept responsibility for their own actions.


Science

Next-Gen Science Standards

Next Generation Science Standards for Today’s Students and Tomorrow’s Workforce:  Through a collaborative, state-led process managed by Achieve, new K–12 science standards have been developed that are rich in content and practice and arranged in a coherent manner across disciplines and grades to provide all students an internationally-benchmarked science education. The NGSS are based on the Framework for K–12 Science Education developed by the National Research Council.

WHY

Science—and therefore science education—is central to the lives of all Americans.

A high-quality science education means that students will develop an in-depth understanding of content and develop key skills—communication, collaboration, inquiry, problem solving, and flexibility—that will serve them throughout their educational and professional lives. (NGSS.org)


Visual and Performing Arts

The arts are a dynamic presence in our daily lives, enabling us to express our creativity while challenging our intellect. Through the arts, children have a unique means of expression that captures their passions and emotions and allows them to explore ideas, subject matter, and culture in delightfully different ways. Achievement in the arts cultivates essential skills, such as problem solving, creative thinking, effective planning, time management, teamwork, effective communication, and an understanding of technology.

District VAPA Program


World Languages

Studying a foreign language completes and improves a student’s education while providing the foundation for further personal enrichment, scholastic achievement, and economic opportunities. The need for California students to learn and understand a foreign language is more evident today than in times past. In recent years California has been transforming its education system so that children, the state’s future leaders, are able to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century. This framework seeks to improve foreign language education by relying on the guidelines of the Language Learning Continuum.


Exploring Computer Science

The “Exploring Computer Science” middle school course for the Sweetwater Union High School District is based upon CSTA’s Computer Science Standards for grades 6 -9. The five standards or five “big ideas” students will learn about are:
1. Computational Thinking.
2. Collaboration.
3. Computing Practice and Programming.
4. Computers and Communications Devices.
5. Community, Global, and Ethical Impacts.

Guidelines for the 2018 California Computer Science Standards | DOC
On July 12, 2017 the State Board of Education approved guidelines to direct the work of the CSSAC.

Introduction (DOCX)
California K–12 Computer Science Standards (XLSX)
Appendices and Glossary (DOCX)
Computer Science Standards K–12 Progression (XLSX)