WHAT FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES NEED TO KNOW ABOUT NEW

LEARNING STANDARDS

Common Core State Standards:

School’s Out Washington and Ready Washington

June 21, 2014

Expecting the Best

School’s Out Washington provides services and guidance for community organizations to ensure that all students have a safe place to learn and grow when not in school.

Ready Washington is a coalition of state and local education agencies, associations and advocacy organizations that support preparing all students for career, college and life.

Agenda What is Common Core?

Why Common Core?

Group activity: Family communications

What is different?

Survey: About what you learned today

Questions and Answers

What is Common

Core?

What is Common Core?

The Common Core State Standards:Set learning expectations for all

students.Standards in math and English

language arts (math, reading & writing).

Provide teachers with tools to help students learn.

WhyCommon

Core?

Why Common Core?Currently in Washington State:Employers report graduating students are

not prepared enough for jobs.Less than half of our high school

graduates are ready for 2-year or 4-year college.

Nearly half graduates entering community college and must take remedial courses.

Why Common Core?

By 2018, 2 out of 3 jobs in WA will require technical training or a college degree.

Diverse students and families are greatly impacted by not being prepared for employment, technical school or college.

Group Activity

Family and Community EngagementBarriers: What do you see as barriers

to communicating Common Core to families? (5 min.)

Worksheets: Write down your answers in English or Spanish.

Common Core: What’s

Different?

Common Core: What’s Different?1. Consistent learning expectations for all students.

2. Big change in the way students learn.

3. Clear standards that focus on deeper understanding.

4. Students learn skills they will need in a job.

5. New exams/tests will be given in 2015.

What’s Different?

1. Consistent learning expectationsBefore Common Core, all 50 states had

different learning expectations for students.

Common Core provides consistent learning standards and expectations for all students, no matter where they live.

What’s Different?2. Big change in the way students learn Students gain knowledge in academic

areas.Also gain skills in ways to think, to

manage self and to transition to college and career opportunities.

Skills like: critical thinking, problem-solving, persistence, and working together

What’s Different?3. Clear standards focus on deeper understandingGoes into fewer topics and focuses on

deepening students’ understanding of concepts

They allow students to apply the skills they learned to real-life situations.

More opportunities for hands-on and experiential learning

What’s Different?

4. Critical skills for the job marketCommon Core focuses on building real-

world skills in learning.

Prepares students with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in education, training and work after high school.

What’s Different?

5. New testing in 2015Different test to support Common Core –

Smarter Balanced.

Technology-based test

What’s Different?

Because a different test and different bar:Test scores will be initially lower, compared to

previous state exams scores.

Research shows students work hard to meet raised learning expectations.

There is shared understanding that raising learning standards is important for our students’ futures.

SURVEY

Please fill out the survey about what you learned today.

Questions/Answers

Thank You!

Questions, Comments, Suggestions?

Support for Real Learning for Real Life campaign is brought to you in part by College

Spark Washington