Curriculum and Assessment
International Baccalaureate
The Fridley School District is committed to providing a high quality, challenging, international education through the International Baccalaureate Programmes for students in grades K-12. Hayes Elementary, Stevenson Elementary, Fridley Middle School, and Fridley High School are authorized IB World Schools. For information about learning though the IB, please visit the Fridley IB webpages.
District Assessment
The Fridley School District uses multiple assessments to provide teachers with information about their students in order to plan effective instruction and identify students who may need additional intervention or extension. Some assessments are required by state or federal legislation while others are used to meet state or federal program requirements. The schedule provided indicates the district-wide or whole-school testing. Teachers may administer additional subject or course related tests and assessments to measure individual student progress. The school district strives to maximize instructional time and create a balanced schedule throughout the school year.
Link: Fridley District Assessment Schedule 2024-2025
Statewide Testing
For more information on statewide testing, please visit the MN Department of Education Statewide Testing site. This site includes Frequently Asked Questions, Parent Fact Sheets, and a Parent/Guardian Guide to Statewide Testing.
District and School Performance Data
The Minnesota Department of Education has created the Minnesota Report Card which provides performance data for the school district and for individual schools. The Report Card includes information on student demographics, academic performance on state tests, progress of English language learners, graduation rates, college enrollment, staff qualifications, and the North Star Accountability System.
CONTACT
Harold Scott
Senior Officer of Academics & Innovation
Phone: 763-502-5005
Fax: 763-502-5040
hscott@isd14.org
Kirsten Wickman
Curriculum Coordinator
Phone: 763-502-5014
wickman@isd14.org
Kathy Backstrom
Secretary
Phone: 763-502-5021
backstrom@isd14.org
In This Section
Grading and Reporting
GRADING AND REPORTING
Fridley Public Schools uses a standards-based philosophy for grading and reporting student achievement and progress. This approach reports grades as an indicator of a student's level of mastery of a standard or learning objective, instead of assigning grades based on work completion or individual assignments. Standards-based practices are rooted in a belief that grades are:
- Fair - students with the same performance receive the same grade
- Accurate - grades reflect the actual academic performance of the student
- Specific - students and parents know exactly what learning is required for students to improve
ELEMENTARY
The purpose of the report card is to provide a summary of student progress to parents and families. All student outcomes were developed directly from current Minnesota Academic Standards.
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Fridley Middle School grading and reporting is based on the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) framework. Objectives for each subject area are established by the IB and align with state and national standards. Teachers work collaboratively to design rigorous assessments that measure mastery of the knowledge, skills and processes for each course. In addition to scores for each of the objectives, students will receive separate scores for approaches to learning skills. These are skills that support learning across all subject areas.
Middle School Grading and Reporting Parent Guide
HIGH SCHOOL
Fridley High School grading and reporting is based on the objectives of the IB Middle Years, Diploma, and Career-related Programmes. Objectives for each subject area are established by the IB and align with state and national standards. Teachers work collaboratively to design rigorous assessments that measure mastery of the knowledge, skills and processes for each course. In addition to scores for each of the objectives, students will receive separate scores for approaches to learning skills. These are skills that support learning across all subject areas.
High School Grading and Reporting Parent Guide
Grading and Reporting Practices Handout
Further information on homework, incompletes, and course credit
Mathematics
MATHEMATICS
Fridley Public Schools is committed to providing an engaging and developmentally appropriate learning environment for your child to learn and master the skills and concepts of math. Our district is committed to math instruction that allows students to excel in the skills they need to succeed in college and the workplace. We advocate instruction that engages students in understanding mathematics, computing fluently, applying strategies to solve problems, reasoning logically, and connecting and communicating mathematical ideas through the standards for mathematical practice. Our curriculum and instruction is coherent, focused and consistent with research in the field where every student is empowered by the opportunities mathematics affords. The instructional program is built on the IB Framework and embeds the MN Academic Standards in Mathematics.
Mathematics Instruction Continuum
The Primary Years Programme (PYP) for Grades K-4 provides teaching and learning experiences to challenge students to be curious, ask questions, explore and interact with the environment physically, socially and intellectually to construct meaning and refine their understanding. The use of structured inquiry is a precursor to the problem-solving and inquiry-based approach of Middle Years Programme (MYP) in Grades 5-10 mathematics. Students continuing on to the IB Diploma Programme (DP) will have developed not only an inquiring and reflective approach to mathematics learning but also critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, which they will be able to apply and extend in further DP mathematics courses. This continuum of instruction is designed to accommodate the range of needs, interests and abilities of students, and to ensure that students are college and career ready.
Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards in Mathematics
The Minnesota Academic Standards in Mathematics set the expectations for achievement in mathematics for K-12 students in Minnesota. The standards are grounded in the belief that all students can and should be mathematically proficient. All students should learn important mathematical concepts, skills, and relationships with understanding. The standards and benchmarks describe a connected body of mathematical knowledge that is gained through the processes of problem solving, reasoning and proof, communication, connections, and representation.
The Minnesota Academic Standards in Mathematics are organized by grade level into four content strands:
- Number and Operation
- Algebra
- Geometry and Measurement
- Data Analysis and Probability
Instructional Materials
Teachers utilize multiple resources to provide differentiated learning experiences in their classrooms designed to meet the diverse needs of students. To support a coherent and consistent curriculum, the school district provides the following as primary resources for instruction.
Grade-level Mathematics
Grade K-6
Grades K-6: Math Expressions
Math Expressions is a comprehensive, standards-based K-6 mathematics resource that offers a balanced approach to teaching and learning mathematics. Math Expressions uses manipulatives, visual models, conceptual language, and real-world situations to help students build deep mathematical understanding.
Math Expressions Education Place for Students and Families
Grade 7-8
Grade 7-8: Core Connections (College Preparatory Math)
Grades 7 and 8 will use the Core Connections Course 2 and Course 3 for pre-algebra and algebra classes. The Core Connections courses emphasize the connected nature of mathematics. Each course consistently weaves strands of topics together so that the connections emerge naturally and can facilitate deeper understanding. Through the use of challenging problems, accelerated students are pushed to learn more and are not lost to boredom, while traditionally struggling students are actively engaged in the work of developing solution plans and executing them. At the same time, to support students with and learning gaps, these courses build the conceptual foundation slowly with an emphasis on manipulatives and looking at problems in multiple ways. The mastery over time approach helps struggling students build understanding over time and accommodates different learning styles.
CPM Core Connections Principles of Design
Grade 9-12
Grades 9-12: Key Curriculum Press
To meet graduation requirements, a student must complete three years of math. It is recommended that students planning to attend a 4-year college or university take a fourth year of math. There are multiple math pathways for students designed to support student learning and ensure that all students have the opportunity to meet the math academic standards for college and career readiness.
Four-Year Math Pathways
Algebra 2→Pre-Calculus→DP Math SL Yr 1→DP Math SL Yr 2
Algebra 2→Pre-Calculus→Functions/Statistics/Trigonometry→DP Math SL Yr 1
Algebra 2→Functions/Statistics/Trigonometry→Pre-Calculus→DP Math SL Yr 1
Geometry→Algebra 2→Math Studies Yr 1→Math Studies Yr 2
Geometry→Algebra 2→Functions/Statistics/Trigonometry→Math Studies Yr 1
Geometry→Algebra 2→Functions/Statistics/Trigonometry→Pre-Calculus
Geometry→Algebra 2→Functions/Statistics/Trigonometry→DP Math SL Yr 1
Geometry→Intermediate Algebra→Algebra 2→Math Studies Yr 1
Geometry→Intermediate Algebra→Algebra 2→Functions/Statistics/Trigonometry
Resources for high school math: Kendall Hunt High School Math
Reading and Literacy
READING AND LITERACY
Link: Local Literacy Plan
In Fridley Public Schools, we define competency in language arts as the ability to independently write, read, and understand textual material that is appropriate to the age and grade level of the student. The goal is proficiency for all students by implementing research-based core reading and writing instruction. Students are assessed using school-wide screening measures and rubrics to identify student proficiency levels.
The goal of literacy and reading instruction within the IB Programme is as a means to communicate understanding and gather information. To this end, all teachers have a role in teaching and supporting literacy in all disciplines. There is a strong focus on students' abilities to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, as well as comprehend language through listening, reading and viewing. All students need to be able to communicate effectively and be critical readers and writers. The K-12 instructional program builds on experiences in language learning that students have gained in each previous year. Knowledge, conceptual understanding and skills will be developed through reading, writing, listening, speaking and investigations. All instruction is aligned with the MN Academic Standards for English Language Arts.
All student will be able to:
- use language as a vehicle for thought, creativity, reflection, learning, self-expression and social interaction
- develop the skills involved in listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing and presenting in a variety of contexts
- develop critical, creative and personal approaches to studying and analyzing literary and non-literary works
- engage in literature from a variety of cultures and representing different historical periods
- explore and analyze aspects of personal, host and other cultures through literary and non-literary works
- engage with information and communication technology in order to explore language
- develop a lifelong interest in reading widely
- apply language skills and knowledge in a variety of real-life contexts
Science
science
Science is the active study of the natural and man-made world, including processes, structures, designs, and systems. Science students use their senses and tools to observe, record and analyze data about the world and to make conclusions based on evidence. Scientifically literate young people can understand basic science concepts, use skills for doing scientific investigations, solve technical problems, and design technologies for today’s world.
The Science Continuum
The main approach to teaching and learning sciences in the Primary Years Programme (Grades K-4) is through structured inquiry. PYP students are encouraged to investigate science by formulating their own questions and finding the answers to those questions, including through research and experimentation. In turn, students construct meaning and create models of how the world works through the development of scientific knowledge, conceptual understanding and skills. Scientific inquiry is central to teaching and learning science in the Middle Years Programme (Grades 5-10). It enables students to develop a way of thinking and a set of skills and processes that allows them to acquire knowledge and understanding. Science and its methods of investigation offer a way of learning that contributes to the development of an analytical and critical way of thinking. Inquiry is at the heart of MYP sciences and aims to support students’ understanding of sciences by providing them with opportunities to independently investigate relevant issues through both research and experimentation. The MYP sciences curriculum must be relevant to the interests of students, providing them with opportunities to explore the connections between science and everyday life. It is anticipated that students will become interested in and engaged with the role of science in the world. Through the investigation of real examples of the application of science, the “one world” objective allows students to gain insight into the tensions and dependencies between science and societal, environmental and ethical factors. Fridley High School offers multiple electives in science including various options for the Diploma Programme (Grades 11-12).
K-12 Science Key Topics
Elementary (K-4)
Kindergarten
- Life Science: characteristics of living and non-living things
- Earth Science: season and weather
Grade 1
- Earth Science: rocks and minerals
- Life Science: animals and life cycles (Springbrook partnership)
- Nature of Science: observation and recording data
Grade 2
- Physical Science: force and motion
- Physical Science: physical states of matter
- Earth Science: meteorology and weather
- Life Science: insects/plants and life cycles (Springbrook partnership)
- Nature of Science: measurement and data collection
Grade 3
- Earth Science: astronomy and the solar systems
- Nature of Science: measurement and data collection
Grade 4
- Earth Science: rocks and minerals
- Earth Science: water
- Physical Science: electricity and magnets
- Nature of Science: investigation and measurement
- Nature of Science: collecting data and communicating results
Middle School (5-8)
Grade 5
- Physical Science: force and motion
- Earth Science: landforms
- Physical Science: ecosystems and biological change over time (Springbrook partnership)
- Nature of Science: creating hypothesis and testing for variables
Grade 6
- Nature of Science: design and modeling
- Nature of Science: scientific method
- Physical Science: solar energy
- Physical Science: energy, machines and motion
- Physical Science: inventions, models and designs
- Physical Science: levers and pulleys
- Physical Science: mixtures and solutions
Grade 7
- Nature of Science: investigation
- Nature of Science: history and human interaction
- Life Science: cells and biochemistry
- Life Science: viruses, bacteria, fungus and disease
- Life Science: scientific classification
- Life Science: survival and hypothermia (Springbrook partnership)
- Life Science: ecology and ecosystems
- Life Science: animals-invertebrates and vertebrates
Grade 8
- Nature of Science: inquiry and reasoning
- Nature of Science: science and technology
- Earth Science: composition of the earth
- Earth Science: rock cycle, fossils, and natural forces
- Earth Science: water cycle and oceans
- Earth Science: atmosphere, climate, and weather
- Earth Science: solar system and the universe
- Earth Science: storms and natural disasters
High School (9-12)
Student Data Privacy
Protecting student data
Fridley Public Schools uses a variety of digital tools to support student learning.
Depending upon the particular educational technology being used, our district may need to collect different types of student data, which is then shared with educational technology vendors through their online sites, services, and/or applications. Under Minnesota’s Student Data Privacy Act, educational technology vendors are prohibited from selling or renting a student's information or from engaging in targeted advertising using a student's information. Such vendors may only disclose student data for K-12 school purposes and other limited purposes permitted under the law. This act also requires districts to provide timely notice of the tool used, data collected, and contact information.
Download a spreadsheet that catalogs the full library of evaluated resources. If you have any questions or concerns about any digital resources used by your child, please contact your child’s teacher.