Implementing the

Common Core State

Standards

POLS Conference

January 17, 2013

Valley Lutheran High School

Com

mon C

ore

Sta

te S

tandard

s Philosophical ChangeNationally AcceptedMove Toward 21st Century SkillsTransformational

Because the CCSS will

require deep-level,

organizational change,

the leader is going to be

a primary factor in the

success or failure of this

change.

John P

. Kott

er

Leadin

g C

hange

1995

“Leaders establish

the vision for the future and set the

strategy for getting

there; they cause change. They motivate and inspire others to go

in the right direction and they,

along with everyone

else, sacrifice to get

there.”

Kott

er’

s O

rganiz

ati

onal

Change M

odel

1. C

reate

a

sense

of

urg

ency

Behaving urgently to help

create great twenty-first

century organizations

demands patience, too…The

right attitude might be called

“urgent patience”…It means

acting each day with a sense

of urgency but having a

realistic view of time.”

John Kotter (2008)

A Sense of Urgency

To create a strong and lasting commitment to

the CCSS, to ensure solid “buy in”, you must firmly establish

the need for the CCSS.

What w

ill esta

blish

that n

eed???

46 States have

Adopted

Perceived (or real)

educational crisis

Competitive global

environment

Rapidly changing world

So teachers, parents, students,

church, community see the

need to fully implement the

CCSS.

What w

ill esta

blish

the n

eed???

New (and rapidly

approcahing)

assessments

Stronger demands from

colleges and employers

Greater need for

students to have 21st

Century Skills

So teachers, parents, students,

church, community believe in the

need to fully implement the CCSS.

In the end, I believe that you will get the strongest commitment from people if you can convince them that this change is simply good for kids.

2. B

uild

a

guid

ing te

am

Two are better than

one, because they have

a good return for their

work. Though one may

be overpowered, two

can defend themselves.

A cord of three strands

is not quickly broken.”

Ecclesiastes 4: 9, 12

Because the greatest impact on student achievement comes

from direct interaction from teachers, this change must start at the classroom level.

Who a

re yo

ur

teach

er le

aders???

“Get” the big picture

Instructional models

Respected by peers

Positive motivators

Strong enough to take

risks and challenge the

“status quo”

Large team is important – the Professional Learning Community (PLC) culture lays a solid groundwork for the type of work that needs to be done with the CCSS.

Small teams are also important – created to provide each other with support and encouragement within a comfortable, safe context.

3. C

reatin

g th

e

vision

A well-articulated,

inspiring vision clears

away distractions and

aligns the

resources… to the

ultimate goal.”

John Kotter

Begin

wit

h t

he e

nd

in m

ind .

Ste

phen C

ove

y What will your school

(classroom, teacher,

student) look like in 5

years as a result of your successful transition to the Common Core?

Cra

ft a visio

n

state

ment.

We are a school

that…..”

Our students are….”

We will keep working

on implementing the

CCSS until….”

In our classrooms….”

In order to be successful in creating the vision that will effectively guide your teachers, you must have a deep understanding of the philosophical and instructional shifts that are being instituted by the CCSS (and others).

Englis

h

Language A

rts

(ELA

) Shifts

Comprehensive, integrated program of

reading, writing, speaking and listening,

and language Intentional progression

of text complexity Move to informational

text Move to argument and

explanatory writing

Math

em

ati

csShifts

Reduced number of standards Concentrated focus in

each grade Multiple applications to

varied contexts Emphasis on deep-level

conceptual understanding 8 mathematical practices

Sci

ence

Shifts

Next Generation Science Standards

Inquiry, investigation,

and development of skills Crosscutting concepts

across all domains Disciplinary core ideas

across all grade levels

Soci

al S

tudie

sShifts

College, Career, and Civic

Life (C3) Developing questions and

planning investigations

Applying disciplinary

concepts and tools Gathering, evaluating, and

using evidence Working collaboratively

and communicating conclusions

Rig

or

Move From…

Passive

Content

Answers

Knowledge

Teacher-centered

Compartmental-

ized Learning

Memorized

processes

What is taught

To…

Active

Skills

Questions

Application

Learner-centered

Cross-curricular

learning

Conceptual

Understanding

What is learned

“Organizations whose leaders have no vision are doomed to work under the burden of mere tradition.”

Snyder & Graves (1994)

4. C

om

munica

ting

the visio

n “Good communication

does not mean that you

have to speak in

perfectly formed

sentences and

paragraphs. It isn't about

slickness. Simple and

clear go a long way.”

John Kotter

Usi

ng e

very

ve

hic

le p

oss

ible

. How will you communicate to teachers, students, parents, church, community?? Communication occurs

through words, actions, and images.

It may be a good use of time to develop “elevator statements” with your faculty.

In 30 seconds or less, how would you describe the importance, the idea, the shifts of the Common Core State Standards to….

….a student?….a parent?….a board member?….a teacher?….a community member?

Com

munica

te, co

mm

unica

te,

com

munica

te, re

peat…

So often, because we have worked

so hard on the vision, we assume

that our team knows and owns it

just as much as we do – that is

usually not the case at all! It is

critical that leaders continually

share the vision. A rule of thumb is

just about the time you are sick of

saying it, people are just then

starting to get it. So hang in there

and communicate,

communicate, and communicate

vision!! Daniel Harkavy (2007)

Becoming a Coaching Leader

5. E

mpow

er o

thers

to a

ct on visio

n“An empowered

organization is one in

which individuals have

the knowledge, skill,

desire, and opportunity

to personally succeed in

a way that leads to

collective organizational

success.”

Addit

ions

Encourage Risk taking Non-traditional ideas Collaboration Research Activity and action

Addit

ions

Provide Time to think Time to plan Time to share Time to evaluate Time to revise Time to get feedback

Any/all needed resources

Subtr

act

ions

Change systems or structures that seriously undermine the vision.

Subtr

act

ions

Get rid of obstacles.What might those obstacles to a full

implementation of the CCSS be for

your school?….people?….attitudes?….time?

….money?….focus?

Com

ple

te co

mm

itment

by th

e le

ader.

Most obstacles melt

away when we make

up our minds to walk

boldly through them.”

Orison Swett Marden

6. C

reate

short-

term

win

s In successful change efforts,

empowered people create short-

term wins – victories that nourish

faith in the change effort,

emotionally reward the hard

workers, keep the critics at bay,

and build momentum. Without

sufficient wins that are visible,

timely, unambiguous and

meaningful to others, change

efforts inevitably run into serious

problems.”John Kotter (2002)

The Heart of Change

Don’t

leave

to

chance

.

Plan for visible, noticeable improvements.

Do whatever it takes to

create those improvements.Intentionally look for

improvements to occur.Recognize and reward

those who achieve any

improvements regardless

of size.

Celebrate!!

Why a

re sh

ort te

rm

win

s so im

porta

nt???

It’s not so much that we’re

afraid of change or so in

love with the old ways, but

it’s that place in between

that we fear… It’s like

being between trapezes.

It’s Linus when his blanket

is in the dryer. There’s

nothing to hold on to.

Marilyn Ferguson

The Aquarian Conspiracy

7. D

on’t le

t up

Resistance is

always ready to

rear its ugly head

again.”John Kotter

Acc

ounta

bili

ty

Create a rolling timeline

(at least 2 – 3 years out)

Set deadlines for short

term goals Plan time to look at data

Plan PD time to meet

current needs Evidence walk throughs

Build your vision into

the regular expectations

Don’t

let

go o

f th

e b

ig p

ictu

re.

Continue to change systems and structures

that do not support the

visionHire, promote, develop

teachers who can continue to promote

the vision Periodically reinvigorate the process by taking things to the next level

“After the first set of short-term wins, a change effort will have direction and momentum. In successful situations, people build on this momentum to make the vision a reality by keeping urgency up and a feeling of false pride down; by eliminating unnecessary, exhausting and demoralizing work; and by not declaring victory prematurely.”

John Kotter (2002)The Heart of Change

8. M

ake

it stick

People who are making

an effort to embrace

the future are a

happier lot than those

who are clinging to the

past.”John Kotter

Anch

or

the

change t

o t

he

cult

ure

.

Rebuild your culture

around the vision.

“This is who we are….”

It’s

all

about

the

cult

ure

….

“Tradition is a powerful force.

Leaps into the future can slide

back into the past. We keep a

change in place by helping to

create a new, supportive, and

sufficiently strong organizational

culture. A supportive culture

provides roots for the new ways

of operating. It keeps the

revolutionary technology, the

globalized organization, the

innovative strategy, or the more

efficient processes working to

make you a winner.”John Kotter

Joel 1

:3

Tell the Good News to

your children and let

your children tell it to

their children, and

their children to the

next generation.”

It’s all about preparing your students

in faith and skills to be the Christian

leaders of the next generation.

Resources

Harkavy, D. (2007). Becoming a coaching leader.

Kotter, J. (2002). The heart of change.

Kotter. J. (1995). Leading change.

Kotter, J. (2008). A sense of urgency.

989-7

90-1

676

Lisa H. Meyers, Ed.D.

Academic Dean

Valley Lutheran High

School

3560 McCarty Rd.

Saginaw, MI 48603

lmeyers@vlhs.com