Common Core State Standards:Changing the Game

Lucille E. Davy, Senior AdvisorJune 27, 2011

Welcome to the world of the 21st century digital native learner:

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Can Common Standards Really Change the Game?

• Challenging content standards• Instructional materials – including open source• Assessment systems with very different items• Aligned teacher preparation• High quality professional development

Why Common Standards?• Disparate standards across states• Changing demands of entry level workers –

jobs that are growing require more skills• Too many students leaving high school

unprepared for college and career• Opportunity for better instructional materials,

assessments and professional development

Important Distinction

Standards ≠ Curriculum

• Standards are statements of skills

• Curriculum is the roadmap used to teach

Criteria for Common Standards

• Fewer and clearer• Aligned with college and workforce

expectations• Based on research, evidence and the best

state work

Advances in the ELA Standards

• Explicit reference to text complexity

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Advances in the ELA Standards

• Clear vertical progressions across grades• Balance of literature and informational

texts • Building background knowledge• Literacy standards for history/social studies

science and technical subjects – content teachers also responsible for literacy skills

Advances in the ELA Standards

• Beyond the narrative: writing to persuade or inform using evidence

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Advances in the ELA Standards

• Speaking and listening skills• Media and

technology integrated throughout

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Advances in the Math Standards

• Eliminate the “mile wide – inch deep” approach

• Require conceptual understanding and computational fluency

• Focus in the early grades on arithmetic, operations, properties and fractions

• Clear progressions across grades

Advances in the Math Standards

• Math facts matter

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Advances in the Math Standards

• High school focus on applying math to solve complex and real world problems

• Develop understanding of real world applications and data in middle and high school years

• Optional path described for students interested in STEM-focused college programs and careers

Advances in the Math Standards

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•Algebra is required for all students regardless of career path

Implementation Alignment

• Curriculum• Instructional materials• Assessments• Professional development• Pre-service preparation• Accountability

Implementation – Teacher Preparation and Professional Development

• Professional development to support teaching of the Common Core – new expectations

• Attention to the needs of all learners – including students with disabilities and English language learners

• Transformation of teacher education programs

Changing Assessments

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Two Assessment Consortia

• Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium– “governing” states include NC, WA, OR, CA, MI – common summative– formative tools teachers can use for

informal ongoing assessment– online adaptive with phase-in

• PARCC

Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium

• Summative tests include performance tasks requiring application of knowledge and skills

• Capitalize on the strength of computer adaptive testing

• Teachers involved in developing and scoring constructed response and performance tasks

• Accurate measure of progress towards college and career ready

Transition

• New standards may have a different cognitive demand

• Tests will be aligned and will measure higher order skills

• Accountability will be based upon new expectations

What may be different in classrooms?

• New emphasis on more informational texts• Attention to increasing text complexity• Writing that goes beyond narratives• Application of math skills to real world

problems• Focus on critical thinking and analysis

The 21st century learner will make this challenging

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Critical Partnerships

• DPI and K-12 educators• Higher education• Parents and local school boards• Government elected officials • Business community• Advocacy organizations

Resources

• www.hunt-institute.org• www.corestandards.org• http://www.k12.wa.us/SMARTER/• www.ccsso.org• http://illustrativemathematics.org• http://goo.gl/m6kli (math curriculum analysis

tool)• http://goo.gl/nZ1gKwww (J. Confrey paper)