1. Common Core State Standards Standardizing What We Know Watch this short video

2. Why Were The CCSS Developed? ➔ The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were created by teachers and experts across the country to ensure preparation for: ◆ freshman-level college courses ◆ entry-level careers ◆ workforce training programs ➔ The CCSS focuses on skills students will need to be successful: ◆ critical-thinking ◆ problem-solving ◆ analytical skills ➔ The CCSS are standardized across states: ◆ 43 states and the District of Columbia are adopting and implementing these new standards

3. CCSS Focus on Math and English The CCSS focus less on content and more heavily on skills students need to be successful in the world of college and career. The Common Core standards have a different focus than previous state standards in math and English: ★ What Does Common Core Look Like For English/Language Arts? ○practice with complex texts and academic language - staircase approach to texts ○reading and writing grounded in evidence ○building knowledge through non-fiction ★ What Does Common Core Look Like For Math? ○greater focus and depth on fewer topics ○linking topics and thinking across grades - integration or “looping” ○rigor: increasing conceptual understanding - not just “doing the problem”

4. Natomas Charter and CCSS Natomas Charter’s Educational Approach Is Already Aligned With CCSS! ●Thematic curriculum that emphasizes relevancy, rigor, skills and creativity ●Deep understanding of key concepts fundamental to achieving higher level skills ●Engaging curriculum focused on student interest and college and career goals

5. Resources For Parents http://www.corestandards.org/what-parents-should-know/http://www.corestandards.org/what-parents-should-know/ - A general guide for parents to the Common Core State Standards http://www.pta.org/parents/content.cfm?ItemNumber=2583http://www.pta.org/parents/content.cfm?ItemNumber=2583 - a more detailed view of what students will be learning at each grade level as Common Core is implemented http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/ca/http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/ca/ - Review of new state testing system in California - CAASPP - California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress

6. Common Core State Standards (CCSS) English Language Arts

7. English CCSS: Key Shifts (from http://www.corestandards.org/other-resources/key-shifts-in-english-language-arts/)http://www.corestandards.org/other-resources/key-shifts-in-english-language-arts/ ●Reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence from texts, both literary and informational ● Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction

8. English CCSS: Other Differences ●Specific standards that address literacy in courses other than English: o History/Social Studies o Science & Technical Subjects

9. CCSS Example: Research Standards CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

10. CCSS Sample Literacy Standards for History and Science History/Social Studies CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.9 Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources. Science CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.11-12.9 Synthesize information from a range of sources (e.g., texts, experiments, simulations) into a coherent understanding of a process, phenomenon, or concept, resolving conflicting information when possible.

11. CCSS in Action at PFAA Single-Use Plastics Project ●Students in Biology are researching and analyzing the impact of plastics on the environment. ●As part of Biology class, students are creating a campaign to persuade a targeted audience to reduce its use of single-use plastic ●Students will be required to demonstrate knowledge of rhetorical appeals, learned in 9th-grade English class to construct their proposals

12. CCSS in Action at PFAA American Artist Research Project ●Junior students conduct a year-long project, which requires them to choose an influential American artist, research the artist, and write an argumentative essay ●To be successful, students must do more than just summarize research; they must construct an original argument that relies on evidence from their research