Implementation of the Common Core Learning Standards

BOE Meeting PresentationMay 22, 2012

Last week we looked at:

6 shifts in Literacy EducationReading Informational StandardsUnpacking the standards at grade levelsHow the complexity went up very

specifically from grade to gradeThe 13 steps in designing a unit to ensure

it’s alignment to the Common Core State Standards

This week I want to show some examples of how we will do this for the other two literary areas:

•Writing Standards• Reading Literature Standards

As you look at Grades K, 2, &4 of Literary Standards, three themes come up to generalize teacher attentions:

Students will:• Use text to answer focused questions• Use text to compare, argue, and debate

(not “I think” or “I feel”• Make personal connections to the text

and your life

These skills are not just (ELA) skills, it is the expectation that

all subjects use these shifts.

Social Studies needs to use evidence from text to compare, contract, analyze, and debate

According to Mike Schmoker, the most important action in schools

today should be that students have daily, multiple exposures to close

reading and analyzing rich text with attention to the standards.

• Think with Evidence•Write with Evidence• Compare & Contrast with Evidence• Judge or Draw Conclusion with Evidence

Science is no different – Use text in content area to

address the standards.

Writing is also connected the same way!

Grade 5 writing standards:

Look at the writing rubric, you can see the evidence that

teachers will look to develop and assess.

Level 1 – Well below grade standard

Level 2 – Approaching grade standard

Grade Level - Performance Indicators

Level 4 - Exceeds Grade Standard

This is a living, breathing tool that students, teachers, parents, and PLC’s will use to inform

the next steps in instruction.

Grading – Workshop Model

• Students - Use, edit, helps guide• Parents – Clear Focus• Teachers – Use as teaching tool and evaluation tool• PLC – Use student writing (evidence) of progress

We are moving towards standards-based grading

Continuing actions towards implementation of the

Common Core StandardsTeacher Training:

2 Superintendent’s Conference Days (11/12)8 teachers went to a 6-day training during the year (11/12)20 teachers in grades K-8 will be focused on curriculum writing of

the units with facilitator Brian GreenBrian Green will train the entire K-8 staff on our Superintendent’s

Conference Day in September (12/13)5 teachers from Dover Elementary School are attending the

readers and writers workshop (1 week) training at Columbia Teachers College by Lucy Calkins. They will turnkey train within the District.

Establish Literacy Council in Grades K-8 that will oversee implementation, recommend program, training, assessments, etc. Starts May 30th (25 have signed up).

DRA II Training for all K-5 Teachers with focus on comprehension piece (June ½ day planned).

PLC’s have started deconstructing some of the standards in anticipation of summer work (done)

Establish an electronic format to keep the curriculum units on file for easy access for everyone (centralize and viable) – (not yet done)

We are confident that this structure will:

• Align our curriculum• Align our assessments• Focus on the right work• Enhance PLC work• Improve academic services• Improve parent understanding of expectations• Increase student results• Increase all teachers’ capacity of the Common

Core State Standards with attention to the shifts.

It will also allow for teachers to still have personal choices and decisions on how and what they teach.