Curriculum and Instruction
Understanding Missouri’s Standards
Missouri's learning standards function as a connected system, moving from broad expectations for graduates to specific expectations for each grade level and course. The state describes the Show-Me Standards as a blueprint for local curriculum. The Show-Me Standards establish the overall design, the Missouri Learning Standards provide detailed specifications for each grade level and course, and the priority standards form the structural frame that supports all other learning. Within that framework, each district determines how to build, selecting the curriculum, materials, and instructional strategies that best serve its students.
Show-Me Standards
The Missouri State Board of Education adopted the Show-Me Standards in January 1996. They describe what every Missouri high school graduate should know and be able to do. The standards are built on the belief that students need both a solid foundation of knowledge and skills and the ability to apply what they know to the problems and decisions they will face after graduation.
The Show-Me Standards serve as a blueprint for local school districts as they write their curriculum.
Missouri Learning Standards
The Missouri Learning Standards (MLS) break the Show-Me Standards into specific expectations for each grade level and course. They outline the knowledge and skills students need for success in college, career training, and the workforce, from basic skills to higher-order skills such as problem solving and critical thinking.
The Missouri Learning Standards give students, families, teachers, and administrators a shared road map for what students should learn in each grade and course.
Priority Standards
Priority standards are the most essential Missouri Learning Standards in each grade level, content area, and course. They highlight the big ideas and lasting skills students must master to be successful in the years ahead.
Priority standards identify what students need to know, not how teachers teach it. Teachers use them to plan where each standard fits in the curriculum, when it is taught during the school year, and how it is emphasized in the classroom.
Understanding Our Grading System
The Poplar Bluff School District uses two grading systems to support student learning at every stage.
Report cards measure each student's progress toward mastering specific Missouri Learning Standards.
| Score | Level | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Exceeds the Standard | Demonstrates advanced understanding and consistently applies learning beyond grade-level expectations |
| 3 | Meets the Standard (Grade-level goal) |
Demonstrates proficiency and consistently meets grade-level expectations independently |
| 2 | Approaching Proficiency | Demonstrates partial understanding and is making progress, but needs additional support to consistently meet the standard |
| 1 | Beginning | Demonstrates limited understanding and requires significant support and additional instruction |
Why It Matters
- Measures mastery of individual skills and standards
- Emphasizes growth and continuous improvement
- Provides specific feedback to students and families
- Helps teachers target instruction to each student's needs
Students earn letter grades based on percentages earned through assignments, assessments, and other coursework.
| Grade | Plus (+) | Standard | Minus (−) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | A 96–100 |
A− 90–95 |
|
| B | B+ 87–89 |
B 83–86 |
B− 80–82 |
| C | C+ 77–79 |
C 73–76 |
C− 70–72 |
| D | D+ 67–69 |
D 63–66 |
D− 60–62 |
| F | F 59 and below |
Why It Matters
- Reflects overall course performance across the grading period
- Used for transcripts, promotion, and graduation requirements
- Prepares students for the expectations of high school, college, and careers
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Report cards measure each student's progress toward mastering specific Missouri Learning Standards.
Score Level Description 4 Exceeds the Standard Demonstrates advanced understanding and consistently applies learning beyond grade-level expectations 3 Meets the Standard
(Grade-level goal)Demonstrates proficiency and consistently meets grade-level expectations independently 2 Approaching Proficiency Demonstrates partial understanding and is making progress, but needs additional support to consistently meet the standard 1 Beginning Demonstrates limited understanding and requires significant support and additional instruction Why It Matters
- Measures mastery of individual skills and standards
- Emphasizes growth and continuous improvement
- Provides specific feedback to students and families
- Helps teachers target instruction to each student's needs
-
Students earn letter grades based on percentages earned through assignments, assessments, and other coursework.
Grade Plus (+) Standard Minus (−) A A
96–100A−
90–95B B+
87–89B
83–86B−
80–82C C+
77–79C
73–76C−
70–72D D+
67–69D
63–66D−
60–62F F
59 and belowWhy It Matters
- Reflects overall course performance across the grading period
- Used for transcripts, promotion, and graduation requirements
- Prepares students for the expectations of high school, college, and careers
Standards-Based Report Cards
Frequently Asked Questions
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Students in the primary grades benefit from feedback that focuses on mastering essential learning standards. As students move into upper elementary and secondary grades, the traditional grading system prepares them for middle school, high school, college, and careers.
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No. Standards-based scores are not equivalent to traditional letter grades and should not be converted to a percentage or letter grade. A score of 3 means a student has met the grade-level standard and is performing proficiently.
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A score of 4 means a student consistently demonstrates learning beyond the grade-level expectation by applying knowledge independently in more advanced or complex ways.
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Grade-level standards are built around proficiency, so a 3 represents full success. A 4 reflects performance beyond the standard and is not intended to be the norm on every assessment.
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The State of Missouri sets the learning standards. The Poplar Bluff School District decides how those standards are taught, including curriculum, materials, and instructional strategies.
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Yes. Federal and state requirements call for all public school students to participate in state assessments.
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No. Priority standards highlight the big ideas students must master, and supporting standards build toward them. Students continue to learn the full Missouri Learning Standards for their grade level or course.