Common Core GPS and the AKS

1. Common Core GPS and the AKS Developing Awareness and Building Confidence Office of Language Arts Gwinnett County Public Schools

2. History Common Core State Standards commissioned by the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governors Association Not a �national curriculum� Final draft released June 2, 2010 at Peachtree Ridge HS Purpose- to ensure students are college/ career ready upon high school graduation. Will allow benchmarking of student achievement against other nations

3. What makes cc different? Rigor Goes deeper than current standards More critical reading/writing/thinking Higher expectations for all students Apply and analyze rather than identify Relevance Heavier focus on informational text- more of what our students need What skills do our students need to be college/career ready?

4. Formatting of the document Vertical alignment is clearly evident; we will have a document similar to the CC document that illustrates this alignment. Sub-strands aligned to 21st century skill needs Reading Range of reading and level of text complexity Writing Production and distribution of writing Research to build and present knowledge

5. Implementation timeline Staff development in 2011-12 Developing awareness Just-in-time training opportunities at cluster level tentatively scheduled for Spring 2012 Webinars tentatively scheduled for Summer 2012 (will be recorded to provide flexible viewing options for our teachers) Go to www.corestandards.org for more information and related resources (standards documents, unit frameworks, charts, and skills progressions).

6. Building capacity Summer Literacy Institute Vision sessions Literacy coach meetings HS Department Chair meetings Principal meetings (draft documents have been shared) Creating/securing resources for schools CCGPS/AKS alignment in preparation for GEMS New instructional plans New instructional calendars Instructional materials needs will be identified Assessment development process already in motion

7. School year 2012-13 Implementation in 2012-13, including Transition standards Few of these in language arts Most of them in K-2 New �above and beyond� standards Will retain some of our AKS Reading Georgia authors (indicators in grade 8) Literature content standards (World, American, Brit) Other standards will be retained through iterations on calendars as they are best delivered as instructional components. Language of some standards will be revised to match language of the research behind Common Core. Examples of iterations on the calendars: HS content standards There will be more updates and tweaks to the curriculum before next year. We will keep you informed on any changes as soon as they become official. For one thing, we are still awaiting final word from the state concerning the articulation of literature content standards for high school courses (Ninth Grade, World, Am, and Brit Lit as well as Multicultural Lit).Examples of iterations on the calendars: HS content standards There will be more updates and tweaks to the curriculum before next year. We will keep you informed on any changes as soon as they become official. For one thing, we are still awaiting final word from the state concerning the articulation of literature content standards for high school courses (Ninth Grade, World, Am, and Brit Lit as well as Multicultural Lit).