CCSS for Business Leaders

Understanding the Higher Standards: What Every Business Leader Needs to Know

Woodinville Rotary 4.22.14 Northshore School District: Jeanne Flahiff, MA, NBCT

Patty Stephens, MEd., NBCT

WHAT IS THE NEED FOR HIGHER STANDARDS?

•  Student performance is too low •  Current standards are too low

What is the NEED for Higher Standards? Student performance is too low

Thirty percent of high school graduates can’t pass the U.S. military entrance exam focused just on basic reading and math skills.


The United States has more than 600,000 manufacturing jobs vacant because there aren’t enough qualified people to fill them.


A McKinsey & Company survey found that 87 % of educational institutions thought they had prepared their students well for employment… but only 49 % of employers agreed that their new employees had the training they needed.


A Deloitte survey found that 63% of life science and aerospace firms report shortages of qualified workers. Many executives fear this problem will accelerate as 60 % of the existing workforce in the defense and aerospace industries reaches retirement age in the coming decade.


According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), only: •  35% of U.S. 4th grade students are

proficient in reading •  36% of U.S. 8th grade students are

proficient in math


80% of entering college freshmen are not prepared academically for first-year courses, according to ACT.

What is the NEED for Higher Standards? Current Standards are too low

A 2010 report by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute showed that Common Core State Standards are clearer and more rigorous than standards used by 39 states in math and 37 states in reading.

In 33 states, the new standards are superior in both math and reading.

Who: National Governors Association Council of Chief State School Officers Educators and experts from states across the nation

What: Nationally Benchmarked Standards

When: Released 2010 Why: Disparity in State Standards

Recognition that many students graduate unprepared for college and careers.

Development of the Standards: “Better, Fewer, Deeper”

Adoption: Standards Across the Nation

By 2011, 46 states and the District of Columbia (80% of K–12 student population) adopted the Common Core standards as their own.

Adoption: Standards Across the Nation

Some states have rebranded the CCSS as state standards (i.e. NY) and have added additional standards not mentioned in the CCSS (i.e. handwriting).

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http://vimeo.com/51933492

What are the Common Core State Standards?

The Common Core Standards ARE:

Replacements of existing State Standards Grade-by-grade K-12 standards •  Mathematics •  English Language Arts and Literacy

in History, Science, and Technical Subjects

The Common Core Standards ARE:

Based on learning progressions Created to preparing students for success in college and career Better, Fewer, Deeper

What Improvements Can We Expect in Student Learning?

Students will …

Enter college taking credit bearing class rather than remedial ones Enter career options with high literacy and numeracy skills to begin specialized training immediately

How does CCSS affect state testing?

•  New CCSS tests aligned to college and career readiness standards in Math and in ELA will replace the old tests in Spring 2015

•  Emphasis on both content and application

•  Passing 11th Grade Test = College and Career Ready

How Will CCSS Change Teaching?

74% of all teachers in Common Core states say implementation will require them to make changes in their teaching practice.

MAJOR CHANGES: The Shifts in Mathematics

1. Focus: Focus strongly where the standards focus

2. Coherence: Think across grades, and link to major topics

3. Rigor: In major topics, pursue conceptual understanding, procedural skill and fluency, and application with equal intensity

MAJOR CHANGES: The Shifts in ELA/Literacy

1. Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction

2.  Reading, writing and speaking grounded in evidence from text, both literary and informational

3.  Regular practice with complex text and its academic language

Common Core: It Takes All of Us

•  Students •  Teachers •  Parents •  Community Business Members •  Colleges and Universi8es •  Technical Training Programs

Questions and Answers:

Additional Business Resource • Business Center for a College- and Career- Ready America – The GE Foundation and AT&T, with Chevron and the Prudential and Travelers foundations, collaborated with Achieve to create resources to help businesses support college and career readiness for all students.

http://www.businessandeducation.org • Conservatives for Higher Standards – Website by Foundation for Excellence in Education to highlight the conservative arguments in favor of the Common Core.

http://highercorestandards.org • TheCommonCore.com – A business-led effort by ExxonMobil with The Business Roundtable and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce connects supporters of the Common Core directly with state legislators and provides alerts when new or increased opposition to the standards emerges.

http://thecommoncore.com • The Hunt Institute’s Box.com – File-sharing site offers a variety of tools, resources, and information to help with communicating about the Common Core, including resources featuring supportive quotes and favorable arguments put forward by business leaders.

https://app.box.com/s/4m7gjixj3pt1dgja16im • UpGrade America Toolkit – The Business Coalition for Student Achievement offers template materials, talking points, and supporting facts to help business leaders make the economic case for meaningful education reform. http://www.biz4achievement.org/files/Upgrade_%20America_Communications_Toolkit_2013.pdf • U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Common Core E-Toolkit – Toolkit designed to help business leaders communicate with peers, employees and others about the new standards and assessments. The toolkit includes background materials to help users better understand and advocate for the standards.

http://www.businessforcore.org/