The Standards Blog

Teaching to the standard, made practical.

Straight-talking guides on reading the Connecticut standards, prepping for Connecticut state test, and differentiating without drowning in prep. For Connecticutteachers — not search engines.

Standards & Planning4 min read

Decoding Connecticut Standards: A Practical Guide to Reading Codes and Planning Lessons

Learn how Connecticut standards are structured and how to use standard codes effectively when designing your lesson plans.

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Assessment Prep, Vocabulary4 min read

Building Word Relationships: A First Grade Teacher's Playbook for Connecticut State Assessment Success

Concrete strategies to weave vocabulary and word relationships into daily instruction so your first graders ace the assessment.

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Standards & Planning4 min read

Cracking the Code: How to Read Connecticut Standards Like a Pro

Learn to decode Connecticut standards nomenclature so you can align your lessons, assessments, and planning with confidence.

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ELA Planning Systems4 min read

Build a Word Relationship Lesson Template That Works Year After Year

How to create one reusable planning framework for teaching L.1.5 standards that cuts prep time in half.

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Differentiation, Language Arts4 min read

One Lesson, Four Access Points: Differentiating Connecticut Standards Without Creating Four Lessons

Practical strategies for tiering vocabulary and language lessons so grade-level, below-grade, above-grade, and ELL students learn from the same text.

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Standards Planning5 min read

Your Grade 1 ELA Standards Roadmap: A Back-to-School Checklist for Language Arts Success

Organize your grade 1 classroom around Connecticut's language standards with this practical checklist for vocabulary and word relationships.

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