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Common Core State Standards CCSS. What Parents & Board Members Need to Know. Perspective on Common Core State Standards. College and career readiness standards developed in summer 2009 Based on the college and career readiness standards, K-12 learning progressions developed
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Common Core State StandardsCCSS What Parents & Board Members Need to Know
Perspective on Common Core State Standards • College and career readiness standards developed in summer 2009 • Based on the college and career readiness standards, K-12 learning progressions developed • Multiple rounds of feedback from states, teachers, researchers, higher education, and the general public • Final Common Core Standards released on June 2, 2010 • Key component of Race to the Top applications
The Importance of CCSS • Preparation: The standards articulate college-and-career-readiness. They will help ensure that students acquire the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in post-secondary education and training. • Competition: The standards are internationally benchmarked. Common standards will help ensure our students are globally competitive. • Clarity: The standards are focused, coherent, and clear. Clearer standards help students (and parents and teachers) understand what is expected of them.
What the Standards do NOT define: • How teachers should teach • All that can or should be taught • The nature of advanced work beyond the core • The interventions needed for students well below grade level • The full range of support for English language learners and students with special needs • Everything needed to be college and career ready • Definition of college and career ready: • Ready for first-year credit-bearing, • postsecondary coursework in mathematics and English without the need for remediation.
English Language Arts • Reading • Combination of literature and informational texts • Text complexity increased • Writing • Emphasis on argument/informative • Evidence-based writing • Speaking and Listening • Inclusion of accountable talk • Referencing discussion points made by others
English Language Arts (2) • Language • Focus on general academic and domain-specific vocabulary • Emphasis on usage, less on rules • What’s different? • Emphasis on research and using evidence • Spiral curriculum for mastery • 1O ELA anchor standards K-12
Mathematics • Understanding numbers and quantities • Algebraic thinking • Less quantity—deeper understanding • Modeling—real life applications • Proofs, justification, mastery • Increased use of statistics and probability • Emphasis on mathematical practice & real life experiences Approach • 3 Integrated Math courses (formerly Algebra I, II, and Geometry) • One higher-level math course
Assessments • PARCC—Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career • SMARTER—Balanced Assessment Consortium • For NAD schools: Iowa Assessment (formerly ITBS)
Why CCSS? • 90% of fastest growing jobs require at least 2 years of education beyond high school. • 80% of all jobs require some training beyond high school. • 10% is the percentage of increase in college graduates needed to meet job demand
What to do at home… • Read the English-Language Arts standards and Math standards at commoncore.org • As your children complete homework, help them hone in on the most important aspects and core concepts • When you read with your child, ask in-depth why and how questions • Build your child’s home library with high-quality informational text • Encourage your child to research a topic of interest using informational texts and original documents • Ask your child to explain or show you how she’s solving problems • Ask your child how someone might use what he’s working on in real life • Stay in contact with your child’s teacher
What to do at board meetings… • Read English-Language Arts standards and the Math standards at commoncore.org • Set clear and high expectations (students need to know and do) • Create conditions for success (PD for teachers, update technology) • Hold systems accountable (monthly success reports—teacher evaluations should reflect success level) • Create public will to succeed (short-term and long-term goals) • Learn together as a board (board training, partnerships, community discussions)
Caution: • Despite commonality of the CCSS, students still need to do the following: • -write across the curriculum • -attend school regularly • -read increasingly difficult material • -read to build knowledge in all content areas • -memorize times tables • -explain formulas, rules, and procedures
Caution: • Despite commonality of the CCSS, teachers still need to do the following: • -individualize/differentiate instruction • -find additional time for some students • -enrich higher performing students • -believe that all children will learn • -select materials for instruction
Caution: Where is all this heading? • Despite the intentions of the government to align America’s students more closely to higher performing students in the world, there are concerns with the CCSS: • Expensive: technology, online testing, PD • Not addressing childhood poverty • Standards mean “like everybody else” • What happens to innovation • America in lock-step formation