SAS Curriculum Pathways can play an important role in improving student learning and increasing student achievement. Research-validated instructional techniques and acknowledged best practices guide our innovative integration of standards-based content and web technology. The instructional design of the lessons, learning activities, tools, and simulations supports effective teaching and enhances student engagement and understanding.

Research shows that learning improves when effective teaching qualities are combined with (and supported by) learner-centered, interactive, relevant web-based resources that provide a variety of assessments and are integrated into the curriculum through professional-development initiatives. Our attention to each of these attributes is described below. A more detailed discussion of these issues—with citations from the research literature—is available in our white paper (PDF Format).

	Employs a learner-centered approach The product Is structured and guided yet allows for choice and control Is leveled so students of varying abilities can better understand a concept or use a skill Permits learners to choose "just-in-time" support, hyperlinked explanations, animations, glossaries, rollover definitions, ancillary materials Motivates learners Is carefully sequenced-providing advanced organizers; introducing and demonstrating concepts; enabling students to experiment; offering opportunities for application, evaluation, and synthesis Consistently targets higher-order thinking skills rather than drill and practice Provides the appropriate medium for the learning objectives and outcomes
	Is interactive InterActivities and Web Inquiries Require a student action and response with each step in the learning process Provide layers of support: directions, connections, and questions to guide the student Offer tools, simulations, models, and examples for student manipulation and interaction Allow students to manipulate information, variables, cause-and-effect, and graphs Ask students to explore and experiment in order to learn Provide multi-step tasks that require sustained effort Allow students to repeatedly practice skills in various contexts and difficulty levels Can be used flexibly: classroom demonstrations, group work, individual interaction Encourage active, collaborative, and cooperative learning Encourage students to be critical thinkers and to make connections among ideas Enable instructors and learners to work in teams where appropriate Provide offline activities for synthesis, analysis and application, or evaluation Let students repeat interactions but make different choices or choose different paths Require a written response to a final question or problem
	Is relevant We provide Simulations and real data drawn from the web and presented in learning activities that permit students to experience and understand real-world applications Authentic tasks and real-world issues or problems Opportunities for learners to test a hypothesis and validate conclusions Opportunities for learners to construct their understanding using interactive web sites Opportunities for learners to apply learning in other contexts Opportunities for learners to bring external learning into the classroom Access to external sources (primary and secondary) and experts to validate learning Access to carefully selected, annotated, and maintained web sites to support teaching and learning
	Incorporates formative as well as summative assessments All lesson plans, Web Inquiries, and InterActivities have measurable outcomes, requiring the application, evaluation, or synthesis of student learning. Formative assessment is built into the learning process of InterActivities. InterActivities provide several means of final assessment. The teacher can tailor outcomes to meet student needs. Answer sheets or rubrics are provided to teachers. Online activities and resources with formative assessment can be accessed repeatedly in preparation for summative assessments, such as end-of-course tests. For instance, students can repeat virtual labs before a unit test. Mathematics InterActivities provide flexible assessments; students can practice an unlimited number of problems. Web Resources provide teachers with additional topic-specific online tools to assess learning, such as quizzes, tutorials, and calculators.
	Integrates content and technology to empower instruction, learning, and access The product Adheres to proven instructional strategies and techniques Ensures rigor through "backwards design" (outcomes and objectives first) of learning activities Details prerequisites and expected learning outcomes for learning activities Maintains resources for accuracy, up-to-date information, and appropriateness Integrates primary-source materials Provides broad (holistic) context for specific learning concepts and skills Presents information in graphic formats: visual models, images, diagrams, graphic organizers Offers audio recordings of literary excerpts, poetry, dialogues, and historical documents Features narrated and captioned videos Bridges specific learning concepts and skills to learner experiences Enables students to extend learning in a topic Supports interdisciplinary connections through the breadth and depth of resources Provides web-based, meaningful learning environments
	Supports professional-development efforts to integrate technology and the curriculum The design is consistent across all five disciplines. Thus, mathematics teachers can discuss ways to use the product with teachers in English or social studies. Students become familiar with the resources and translate that familiarity across disciplines. Each lesson or InterActivity models the effective integration of technology by providing a teacher with planning materials; these detail the purpose, prerequisites, objectives, materials, time requirements, procedures, and assessment methods. All resources are complete learning activities. Although teachers can select portions or change instructions to meet student needs or curriculum requirements, each resource can be used just as it is. Therefore, teachers do not need to spend time imagining where an activity might be useful and how it might be used. Assessments immediately confirm that objectives align with the curricula; teachers spend more time with students, knowing the assessments are appropriate and comprehensive. The Search feature enables teachers to locate additional resources in a variety of topics, categories, or disciplines. Web-based resources can be accessed from any Internet connection. Assigning activities is quick and easy. Teachers use the unique number associated with the resource and assign it to students. Students access materials through a separate gateway. Information is organized, relevant, up-to-date, and accurate; thus, students spend less time searching for information and more time evaluating, analyzing, and using what they find. Web-based resources, organized by topics, increase the likelihood that teachers will integrate them and that students will manage their own learning. The range and flexibility of resources help teachers organize instruction and student learning.