Academic standards define expectations for the educational achievement of Minnesota’s public school students in grades K-12. The standards and benchmarks are important because: 1) They identify the knowledge and skills that all students must achieve by the end of a grade level or grade band; 2) They help define the course credit requirements for graduation; and 3) They serve as a guide for the local adoption and design of curricula. Student mastery of the standards is measured though state and local assessments.

Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards are in place for English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies and Physical Education. State standards are also available in the Arts, or districts may choose to develop their own. Local standards must be developed by districts for Health and World Languages.

JOIN US! Introductory Webinar on the Revised Social Studies Standards
A one-hour webinar will take place on Monday, April 16, from 3:30-4:30.  The webinar will give a basic overview of the newly revised K-12 Academic Standards in Social studies. If you are interested, please email mde.academic-standards@state.mn.us

Social Studies standards draft ready for rulemaking. After a year-long review process, the proposed revision of the 2004 social studies is now complete. The Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards in Social Studies and a frequently asked questions document related to the standards review process are available on in the Social Studies section of the K-12 Academic Standards page, available at left.

 

Early Learning Standards

A large and growing body of research supports the critical relationship between early childhood experiences and successful learning outcomes. Early learning standards express shared expectations for young children's learning and provide a common language for measuring progress.

 

English Learner Standards

The Minnesota Department of Education joined the World-Class Instructional Design and Asessment (WIDA) consortium in 2011. The department is adopting the WIDA English Language Development standards. The WIDA ACCESS for ELLs (R) test will be administered to students who qualify for English learner services. The standards are grounded in scientifically based research and best practices in English as a Second Language (ESL) and bilingual education.

These standards, along with their performance indicators and related framework, will provide Minnesota schools with a national model representing social, instructional and academic language guidelines.