Every grade level in the state of West Virginia has content standards and objectives: the skills and information that teachers are to cover during a school year for a particular grade level. For preschool, these content standards and objectives (CSOs) are started in the Early Learning Standards Framework. This framework is set up a little differently from the CSOs used in other grade levels. There are six domains, each of which has several domain areas, and under each domain area, there are different standards. The six domains are:
Social and Emotional Development -- This domain's areas and standards look at the social and emotional development of the students: Are they making and maintaining friendships? Do they express their wants and needs? Do they show growing independence in tasks? Do they understand family and community roles?
Language and Literacy -- In the language and literacy domain, the standards are designed to teach and improve students' emerging literacy and language skills. They cover concepts of print, purpose of print, letter/word recognition, and writing skills, among many other things.
Mathematics -- The mathematics domain builds early mathematics skills, such as one-to-one correspondence, patterns, shapes, recording and reading data in graphs, and the basics of mathematical operations (addition and subtraction).
Science -- This domain builds students' skills in questioning and observing the world around them.
The Arts -- The arts domain provides foundations for creative self-expression through music, both two and three dimensional art, dance, and dramatic play.
Physical Health and Development -- This domain focuses on healthy practices such as hand-washing and healthy eating as well as physical activity.
Example: [taken from Early
Learning Standards Framework: Content Standards and Learning Criteria for West Virginia Pre-Kinderdarten (WV Pre-K) (2520.15)]
Domain: Science
1. Domain Area:
Science as Inquiry
Foundational Knowledge of Scientific Inquiry 1. Expresses wonder and asks questions about the world around them. 2. Observes and discusses similarities and differences among objects and materials, including cause and effect 3. Investigates and problem solves through active exploration of the environment. 4. Progresses in ability to describe and discuss predictions, explanations, and generalizations. Utilization of Inquiry 5. Uses senses and a variety of tools to gather information, investigate materials, and observe processes and relationships 6. Collects, describes, and records information through a variety of means to lead to new understanding of the world around them.
2. Domain Area:
Scientific Knowledge
Understanding the living and physical world 1. Observes and describes the immediate and familiar world, such as the natural world, materials, living things, and natural processes. 2. Shows increased awareness and beginning understanding of changes in materials and cause-effect relationships, such as recognize that materials can exist in several physical states. 3. Demonstrates expanding knowledge of and respect for the environment.
Early Learning Standards Framework
Every grade level in the state of West Virginia has content standards and objectives: the skills and information that teachers are to cover during a school year for a particular grade level. For preschool, these content standards and objectives (CSOs) are started in the Early Learning Standards Framework. This framework is set up a little differently from the CSOs used in other grade levels. There are six domains, each of which has several domain areas, and under each domain area, there are different standards. The six domains are:
Example: [taken from Early
Learning Standards Framework: Content Standards and Learning Criteria for West Virginia Pre-Kinderdarten (WV Pre-K) (2520.15)]
Science as Inquiry
1. Expresses wonder and asks questions about the world around them.
2. Observes and discusses similarities and differences among objects and materials, including cause and effect
3. Investigates and problem solves through active exploration of the environment.
4. Progresses in ability to describe and discuss predictions, explanations, and generalizations.
Utilization of Inquiry
5. Uses senses and a variety of tools to gather information, investigate materials, and observe processes and relationships
6. Collects, describes, and records information through a variety of means to lead to new understanding of the world around them.
Scientific Knowledge
1. Observes and describes the immediate and familiar world, such as the natural world, materials, living things, and natural processes.
2. Shows increased awareness and beginning understanding of changes in materials and cause-effect relationships, such as recognize that materials can exist in several physical states.
3. Demonstrates expanding knowledge of and respect for the environment.