Understanding Common Core State Standards

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Background

College and career readiness standards developed in summer 2009

Common Core State Standards are based on the college and career readiness standards and present a K-12 learning progression in Language Arts and Mathematics

Final Common Core State Standards released June 2, 2010

Common Core State Standards Evidence Base

Standards from individual high-performing countries and provinces were used to inform content, structure, and language. Writing teams looked for examples of rigor, coherence, and progression.

Mathematics

1. Belgium (Flemish)2. Canada (Alberta)3. China4. Chinese Taipei5. England6. Finland7. Hong Kong8. India9. Ireland10. Japan11. Korea12. Singapore

English language arts

1. Australia• New South Wales• Victoria

2. Canada• Alberta• British Columbia• Ontario

3. England4. Finland5. Hong Kong6. Ireland7. Singapore

Forty-eight states, two territories, and the District of Columbia participated in the development of the Standards (only Alaska and Texas opted out but both have indicated an interest in participating at some point)

State led – coordinated by the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) not the U.S. Department of Education

States must adopt the Standards as written without any changes. To see the states that have adopted the Standards, click here.

Background

Why are they important?

Aligned with college and work expectations rather than commonalities found in the state standards

Include rigorous content and application of knowledge through higher-order skills

Internationally benchmarked by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA)

Currently, states have very different standards which results in students learning different concepts and at varying levels of thinking; adoption will ensure consistent expectations of learning across states

Students must be prepared to compete internationally

Benefits for States and Districts

Allows collaborative professional development to be based on best practices

Allows the development of common assessments and other tools

Enables comparison of policies and achievement across states and districts

Creates potential for collaborative groups to get more mileage from:

Curriculum development, assessment, and professional development

Benefits for States and Districts

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 A curriculum

The Process: Organizational Structure

Examine the organizational structure of the Common Core State Standards Identify the Domains used in the Common Core

State Standards

Design and Organization - ELA

The English Language Arts domains are:Reading: LiteratureReading: Informational TextWritingSpeaking and ListeningLanguageReading: Foundational Skills (K-5)

Media requirements are built in(technology and multi-media are incorporated as part of the expectations)

Video on implications for teachers and

administrators

Design and Organization - ELA

Two categories of Standards: College and Career Readiness (CCR)

Broad expectations consistent across grades and content areas

Based on evidence about college and workforce training expectations

Range and content statements (statements about what students need to know and be able to do to be proficient)

K-12 Standards Grade specific end-of-year expectations Developmentally appropriate One-to-one correspondence with CCR standards

Literacy Standards for History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Complement – not replace – content standards

Responsibility of the teachers in science, social studies, history, and technology not the Language Arts teachers

This will be a huge change for teachers in these areas, requiring professional development and changes in both instruction and assessment.

Common Core State Standards

Important but insufficient to be effective in improving education and getting all students ready for college or the work force.

Must be partnered with a content-rich curriculum and robust assessments, both aligned to the Standards.

The Standards will require a great deal of work on the part of schools and districts to construct a comprehensive curriculum around the Standards. Schools and districts will also need to build units of instruction that incorporate strategies and interventions for specific groups of students. Curriculum Mapper and Instruction Planner are two tools that will greatly enhance your ability to build both.

Design and Organization -Mathematics

High School – Conceptually Organized Two models

Traditional sequence (algebra, geometry, algebra II with some data, probability and statistics)

Integrated sequence(3 courses each treating aspects of algebra, geometry, data and probability and statistics

States can select which of the two models they want to adopt.

The implications are enormous as schools and districts build new mathematics curricula around either of the two models, especially if they choose the integrated sequence.

Design and Organization

Domain - Highest level of organization in a grade level

Clusters - Standards (define what students must know and be able to do)

Standards for Mathematical Practices– identifies what students should do, are meant to highlight the processes, proficiencies, and dispositions that should be woven through the mathematical content standards at each grade level, and are meant to be assessed.

Focal Points at each grade level (based on NCTM) - These are the REALLY important things

for each grade level.

Key Features

Focus and coherence Focus on key topics at each grade level Progression across grade levels

Balance of concepts and skills Require both conceptual understanding and

procedural fluency Mathematical practices

Promote reasoning and sense-making College and career readiness

Ambitious but achievable

Frequently Asked Questions

Will there be a “common assessment?” Two consortia are currently working on this. Funding is coming from the USDOE Race to the Top Funds.

PARCC

Smarter Balanced

Realistic, complex performance tasks, immediate feedback, and incorporate accommodations for a range of students

Better measure of higher-order thinking skills so vital to success in the global economy of the 21st century

Students must analyze and solve complex problems, communicate clearly, synthesize information, apply knowledge, and generalize learning to other settings

Next Generation of Assessments

Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC)

Key Features of PARCC’s Assessment Proposal States in PARCC will adopt common assessments and

performance standards The Partnership’s assessment system will be anchored in

college and career readiness Students will take parts of the assessment at key times during

the school year, closer to when they learn the material PARCC assessments will be computer based PARCC assessments will include sophisticated items and

performance tasks to measure the standards more effectively

Key Points

SBAC will create state-of-the-art adaptive online exams, using “open source” technology.

The online system will provide accurate assessment information to teachers and others on the progress of all students, including those with disabilities, English language learners and low- and high-performing students.The system will include:1. the required summative exams (offered twice each school year); 2. optional formative, or benchmark, exams; and 3. a variety of tools, processes and practices that teachers may use in

planning and implementing informal, ongoing assessment.

SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC)

Frequently Asked Questions

Must a state adopt the Common Core as written?Adoption is voluntary and may look very different in each state, including the timeline for implementation (must be adopted word-for-word)

Frequently Asked Questions

Will all states have exactly the same set of Standards?State adopts 100% of the common core K-12 standards in ELA and mathematics (word for word), with option of adding up to an additional 15% of standards on top of the core.

Frequently Asked Questions Will there be additional Standards?

At this time Science frameworks are being created which will be the basis for science standards but this is not a part of the CCSSO or the NGA. Work began on the Social Studies Common Core in October 2010.

References

General References on the Common Core http://corestandards.org/ http://www.edexcellence.net/publications-is

sues/publications/now-what-imperatives-and.html

References

Science:http://www.nsta.org/about/standardsupdate.aspxhttp://scienceblogs.com/tfk/2010/07/national_science_standards_dra.php Social Studies:http://www.socialstudies.org/commonstandardshttp://www.socialstudies.org/draft_common_standards_elicit_kudos_and_criticism

Assessment Consortiums

PARCChttp://www.achieve.org/PARCC

Smarter Balancedhttp://www.k12.wa.us/smarter/

For additional professional development information

Collaborative Learning Inc.1s660 Midwest Rd, Suite 310Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181800.318.4555markt@clihome.com support@clihome.comwww.clihome.com

Founded in 1908, the National Governors Association (NGA) is the collective voice of the nation’s governors and one of Washington, D.C.’s most respected public policy organizations. Its members are the governors of the 50 states, three territories and two commonwealths.NGA provides governors and their senior staff members with services that range from representing states on Capitol Hill and before the Administration on key federal issues to developing and implementing innovative solutions to public policy challenges through the NGA Center for Best Practices. For more information, visit www.nga.org.

National Governors Association

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Council of Chief State School Officers

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) is a nonpartisan, nationwide, nonprofit organization of public officials who head departments of elementary and secondary education in the states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and five U.S. extra-state jurisdictions.CCSSO provides leadership, advocacy, and technical assistance on major educational issues. The Council seeks member consensus on major educational issues and expresses their views to civic and professional organizations, federal agencies, Congress, and the public.

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12 Governing States Arizona Arkansas District of Columbia Florida (Fiscal Agent) Georgia Illinois Indiana Louisiana Maryland Massachusetts (Board Chair) New York Rhode Island Tennessee

PARCC States 14 Participating States

◦ Alabama◦ California◦ Colorado◦ Delaware◦ Kentucky◦ Mississippi◦ New Jersey◦ North Dakota◦ Ohio◦ Oklahoma◦ Pennsylvania◦ South Carolina

17 Governing States Connecticut Hawaii Idaho Kansas Maine Michigan Missouri Montana Nevada New Mexico North Carolina Oregon Utah Vermont Washington (lead state) West Virginia Wisconsin

SMARTER Balanced Assessment States

14 Advisory States◦ Alabama◦ Colorado◦ Delaware◦ Iowa◦ Kentucky◦ New Hampshire◦ New Jersey◦ North Dakota◦ Ohio◦ Oklahoma◦ Pennsylvania◦ South Carolina◦ South Dakota◦ Wyoming