Common Core State Standards

1. Common Core State Standards

3. Making a better “20th Century School” is not the answer.

4. Three Key Questions Are the skills of the past all we need to be successful? Are we using the most current knowledge to guide our work? Is the goal of learning really understood?

5. What does it mean to be a connected learner with a well developed network? What are the advantages or drawbacks? How is it a game changer? Photo credit: Alec Couros

6. United States on the International Scale:Percentage of Students at an Advanced Level of Math Source: PISA Results

7. Transitioning to the Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Assessments

8. Common Core Standards Criteria • Aligned with college and work expectations • Rigorouscontent and application of knowledge through high-order skills • Teachable and learnableProvide sufficient guidance for the design of curricula and instructional materials. The standards must be reasonable in scope, instructionally manageable, and promote depth of understanding. • Measurable Student attainment of the standards should be observable and verifiable and the standards can be used to develop broader assessment frameworks

9. Standards Criteria • Coherent and focusedThe standards should convey a unified vision of the big ideas and supporting concepts within a discipline and reflect a progression of learning that is meaningful and appropriate. • Grade by grade standards The standards will have limited repetition across the grades or grade spans to help educators align instruction to the standards. • Internationally benchmarkedThe standards will be informed by the content, rigor, and organization of standards of high-performing countries so that all students are prepared for succeeding in our global economy and society. • State led – coordinated by NGA Center and CCSSO

10. Why is this important? • Currently, every state has its own set of academic standards, which means public education students in each state are learning at different levels. • All students must be prepared to compete with not only their American peers in the next state, but with students from around the world. • Fordham Institute Evaluation – 37 states inferior in ELA and 39 inferior in Math standards

11. Why is a common core of state standards good for parents? Helps parents understand exactly what students need to know and be able to do Helps parents support their children and educators by making expectations clear and goals high Provides equal access to a high quality education Provides opportunities to meaningfully engage parents From Dr. Alexa Posney’s May 2009 presentation “Common Core Standards”

12. Why is a common core of state standards good for educators? Allows for more focused pre-service and professional development Assures that what is taught is aligned with assessments including formative, summative, and benchmarking Provides the opportunity for instructors to tailor curriculum and teaching methods Informs the development of a curriculum that promotes deep understanding for all children From Dr. Alexa Posney’s May 2009 presentation “Common Core Standards”

13. Why is a common core of state standards good for students? It will help prepare students with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in college and careers Expectations will be consistent for all students and not dependent on a student’s zip code Clearer standards will help students understand what is expected of them and allow for more self-directed learning by students From Dr. Alexa Posney’s May 2009 presentation “Common Core Standards”

14. Standards Fewer Clearer Higher

15. What the “common core standards” look like: Fewer, clearer, and higher Articulate to parents, teachers, and the general public expectations for what students will know and be able to do, grade by grade, and when they graduate from high school Internationally benchmarked Research and evidence based Ready for states to adopt (PA already has…)

16. Design and Organization • Content standards define what students should understand and be able to do • Clusters are groups of related standards • Domains are larger groups that progress across grades

17. Common Core State Standards for Mathematics Key design considerations: Individual grade levels in K-8 Solid foundation for grades K-5 in whole numbers, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, and decimals Solid foundation for grades 6-8 in geometry, algebra, and probability and statistics Conceptual categories such as algebra, functions and modeling in grades 9 - 12 17

18. Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects Key design considerations: Sections divided by Strands for K-5 and 6-12 Reading Writing Speaking and Listening Language 18

19. Key Advances Reading • Balance of literature and informational texts • Text complexity Writing • Emphasis on writing argumentative, informative/explanatory, and narrative texts • Emphasis on research Speaking and Listening • Inclusion of formal and informal talk Language • Value of general academic and domain-specific vocabulary • Emphasis on the conventions of English and the effective use of language

20. Reading Writing Communica-tion (includes Speaking and Listening) Media & Tech Language Current Standards --Grades K-12 Common Core ELA Standards – Grades K-12 OSPI Common Core Information Sessions Sept. & Oct. 2010

21. CCSS give you a leg up! • IT’S WHAT WE DO ALREADY!! • Start with the standards • Consider how each student can learn them • Consider the content, product & process • Student choice • Authentic • Higher Order Thinking • Formative Assessment

22. The primary aim of education is not to enable students to do well in school, but to help them do well in the lives they lead outside of school.

23. TEAMWORK