Standards and Assessments

Beyond "alignment with the Common Core"

Lots of curricula claim to be “aligned” with the new standards. Zoom In helps teachers see exactly where students are demonstrating CCSS and C3 skills, where they are not, and most important — how to help students improve. Each lesson is keyed to specific Common Core Reading and Writing standards in the Social Studies. Using a built-in rubric, teachers assess and give students feedback on those specific skills.

Looking for a way to jump-start powerful professional development in your school? Having teachers complete a Zoom In lesson during a department meeting is a great way to explore potential adaptations that could be made to your existing curriculum.

Smart preparation for the new assessments

The PARCC, Smarter Balanced, and new AP U.S. History exams consist of more complex tasks, where students must read and synthesize multiple documents, construct extended writing responses to a theme or prompt, and use evidence to support their ideas. In Zoom In online mini-units, teachers and students perform these more complex tasks, but with supports and scaffolds that help them build the skills they need to be successful on their own.

While Zoom In is specifically concerned with social studies, these skills are exactly those that students are being asked to do in ELA, with a host of nonfiction texts, including science-based texts.