Nevada Ready What are we talking about?

2. Nevada ReadyWhat are we talking about? A statewide communication campaign that will address Nevada’s standards and assessments, and other topics in education Goal is to execute a new information campaign • Most Americans know very little about Common Core Standards • 73% of teachers view standards favorably (Scholastic, 2013) Central focus of campaign is to communicate benefits, not rebut misinformation

3. Get Connected For More Information Website NevadaReady.gov Email NevadaReady@doe.nv.gov Vimeo videovimeo.com/nevadaready Social media @NevadaReady on Twitter Nevada Ready on Facebook

4. Why is this important? The Nevada Ready! campaign will: • Help parents and others understand what college and career readiness is and why it matters • Explain standards and assessments and the transition to new standards and assessments in Nevada • Help parents understand how to help their children at home

6. Rationale for the Common Core State Standards • Declining US competitiveness with other developed countries • NAEP performance that is largely flat over the past 40 years in 8th grade and only a slight improvement at the 4th grade level • High rates of college remediation

7. The Common Core State Standards are: • State led – coordinated by NGA and CCSSO • Aligned with college and work expectations • Internationally benchmarked so that all students are prepared to succeed in our global economy and society • Build upon strengths and lessons of current state standards • Based on evidence and research • Robust and relevant to the real world • Focused and coherent

8. Why are common core state standards good for students? College & Career Focus. It will help prepare students with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in college and careers Consistent. Expectations will be consistent for all kids and not dependent on a students zip code Mobility. It will help students with transitions between states Student Ownership. Clearer standards will help students understand what is expected of them and allow for more self-directed learning by students

9. Why are common core state standards good for parents? Clarity. Helps parents understand exactly what students need to know and be able to do Support. Helps parents support their children and educators by making expectations clear and goals high Equity. Provides equal access to a high quality education Involvement. Provides opportunities to meaningfully engage parents

10. Strengths of the New Standards Source: www.corestandards.org

11. Nevada Academic Content Standards for ELA/Literacy Key Shifts

12. Key Shifts for ELA Shift #1: Building Knowledge Through Content-Rich Nonfiction Shift #2: Reading, Writing & Speaking Grounded in Literary & Informational Evidence Shift #3: Regular Practice with Complex Text and its Academic Language

13. Nevada Academic Content Standards for MathematicsKey Shifts

14. Shift #1: Focus Strongly where the Standards Focus • Significantly narrow the scope of content and deepen how time and energy is spent in the math classroom. • Focus deeply on what is emphasized in the standards, so that students gain strong foundations.

15. Shift #2: CoherenceThink Across Grades, and Link to Major Topics Within Grades • Carefully connect the learning within and across grades so that students can build new understanding on foundations built in previous years. • Begin to count on solid conceptual understanding of core content and build on it. Each standard is not a new event, but an extension of previous learning.

16. Shift #3: RigorIn Major Topics, Pursue Conceptual Understanding, Procedural Skill and Fluency, and Application • The CCSS-M require a balance of: • Solid conceptual understanding • Procedural skill and fluency • Application of skills in problem solving situations • Pursuit of all three requires equal intensity in time, activities, and resources

17. Current Practice Place the value, in cents, next to the coins shown below.

18. Future Practice Your mother sends you in to the store to buy something she wants. She tells you that the item costs somewhere between 1 cent and 99 cents. You only have pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters in the money jar. What is the least number of coins you can take with you to make change without going over $1.00?

19. Standards vs. Curriculum • Definition of STANDARD • Something established by authority, custom, or general consent as a model or example  • Something set up and established by authority as a rule for the measure of quantity, weight, extent, value, or quality • What a child needs to know and do at each grade. Adopted by the Nevada State Board of Education in a public meeting • Definition of CURRICULUM • The courses offered by an educational institution • A set of courses constituting an area of specialization • How the child is taught, including the materials used to teach. • Adopted by local district governing boards in a public meeting

20. These Standards Don’t: • Define how teachers should teach (not a curriculum) • Define all that can or should be taught • Define interventions needed for student well below grade level • Give range of support for English language learners and students with special needs • Provide everything needed for college and career readiness

21. Remember = Local Control of Standards • While the state sets academic standards, local districts have the flexibility to build on these standards. • Districts also choose the curriculum: tools to help teachers teach the standards in the classroom.

22. Nevada Ready! • It’s important to remember why Nevada joined this effort. • The Skills Gap 58% = By 2020, jobs in Nevada requiring a career, certificate or college degree 28% = Nevada adults who currently have an associate degree or higher 30% = The Skills Gap • Student Readiness Measured by Assessments Nevada students under-perform on National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Overall proficiency levels are not suited to 21st Century needs • Remediation Rate Historically, one-third of recent high school graduates enroll in a remedial course ; however, new data on placement rates indicates over 50 percent of recent high school graduates need remediation. According to Complete College America, for students who start in remediation, fewer than 1 in 10 graduate from community colleges within three years and little more than a third complete bachelor’s degrees in six years.

23. What Do We Need From You? • Be a Nevada Ready! messenger. Share information with educators, parents, community groups or other connections you may have. • Identify forums or events where Nevada Ready! presentations can reach a broad audience. • Endorsement as a partner/supporter

24. Questions?