EdFOCUS helps teachers translate state content standards into measurable academic performances that indicate student mastery. These Power Indicators (aka Key Learning Outcomes, etc.) achieve the following:

• Reflect both the content and cognitive demand of the standards
• Flow developmentally across the grades (K-12) in each subject
• Reference the 21st Century Workplace skills - the newest federal and state priority for ensuring student employability for the global economy
• Prioritize those standards shown by the district's test scores to be in greatest need
• Are adopted by the district Board as the district's official achievement targets and drive the entire instructional program, including day-to-day instruction in every classroom; professional development for the academic staff; the purchase of classroom materials and equipment; and what is reported on grade-cards

EdFOCUS assists with the development of assessments, or traditional paper-pencil tests and teacher observations that measure some or all of the Power Indicators for the Unit. Both formative (interim tests and quizzes that inform instruction during the Unit) and summative (end-of-Unit tests), these tests are selective, in that they ‘dip-stick' representative skills and concepts. To parallel the high-stakes tests, these assessments consist of multiple choice and 2- and 4-point extended response items; there are a limited number of correct answers.

Culmination tasks are authentic or performance assessments that ask each student to construct an original document, solve a problem, or develop a product - similar to what he and she would be required to do in real-life. These tasks require students to independently apply one or more of the Power Indicators, and students are given options to complete the task. There are multiple ‘correct' ways to proceed, and the final product is evaluated using a rubric, the criteria for which are drawn from the Power Indicators featured in the Unit.