Best practice for teaching focuses on scaffolding instruction so our students can reach mastery; why are we ignoring best practice when it comes to our teachers and not scaffolding this shift to SBE?

In March 2010, the Federal Way School Board adopted policy 2000, which charged the superintendent to implement a standards-based instruction, assessment and reporting system at all schools throughout the district. The board determined that standards-based learning, through the establishment of challenging and appropriate learning targets in every course at each grade level, is the best approach to prepare our students with content knowledge mastery and 21st century skills. Moreover, rather than ignoring best practices, we are embracing them through the adoption of standards-based education. Our teachers have been working with standards and revising their practices for the past 10 years. And with the launch of SBE in the fall of 2011, our school district continues to strengthen its role as an innovator in our state.