NDTAC Webinar January 20, 2011 Carrie Heath Phillips Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO)

 State-led and developed common core standards for K-12 in English/language arts and mathematics  Initiative led by Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and National Governors Association (NGA) Common Core State Standards Initiative

What are educational standards? Why do they matter?

Why do we need common standards? Why now?  Disparate standards across states  Global competition  Today’s jobs require different skills  For many young people, a high school degree isn’t preparing them for college or a good job

Why is This Important for Students, Teachers, and Parents?  Prepares students with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in college and work  Ensures consistent expectations regardless of a student’s zip code  Provides educators, parents, and students with clear, focused guideposts  Offers economies of scale

Foundation for the Standards Aligned with college and work expectations  Prepare students for success in entry-level, credit-bearing, academic college courses (2- and 4- year postsecondary institutions)  Prepare students for success in careers that offer competitive, livable salaries above the poverty line, opportunities for career advancement, and are in growing or sustainable industries

Standards Development Process  College- and career-readiness standards for English/language arts and mathematics developed summer of 2009  Based on the college and career readiness standards, K-12 standards for each grade were developed  Continual input throughout the process from educators and business and higher education leaders  Public comment period with nearly 10,000 responses  Final standards released on June 2, 2010

As of January 20 th, 40 states and DC have fully adopted the Common Core State Standards; 3 states have provisionally adopted the standards; and 1 state has adopted the ELA standards only.

What’s in the Standards

Intentional design limitations The standards do NOT define:  How teachers should teach  All that can or should be taught  The nature of advanced work beyond the core  The interventions needed for students well below grade level  The full range of support for English learners and students with special needs  Everything needed for students to be college and career ready

Applications  Applications for English language learners  Learn academic content while learning English. English proficiency is not a prerequisite to students achieving the goals laid out in the standards.  Application for students with disabilities  “Students with disabilities are a heterogeneous group with one common characteristic: the presence of disabling conditions that significantly hinder their abilities to benefit from general education.” (IDEA 34 CFR §300.39, 2004) Therefore, how these high standards are taught and assessed is of the utmost importance in reaching this diverse group of students. “Promoting a culture of high expectations for all students is a fundamental goal of the Common Core State Standards.”

STANDARDS FOR ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS (ELA) & LITERACY IN HISTORY/SOCIAL STUDIES, SCIENCE, AND TECHNICAL SUBJECTS

Design and Organization Introduction  Description of capacities of a literate student (e.g., demonstrate independence, come to understand other perspectives and cultures) Three main sections  K−5 cross-disciplinary  6−12 English language arts  6−12 literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects Three appendices A: Research and evidence; glossary of key terms B: Reading text exemplars; sample performance tasks C: Annotated student writing samples

In developing knowledge and skills in English/language arts, learners:  Demonstrate independence  Build strong content knowledge  Respond to the varying demands of audience, task, purpose, and discipline  Comprehend as well as critique  Value evidence  Use technology and digital media strategically and capably  Come to understand other perspectives and cultures "Habits of mind" fostered by the Common Core State Standards

Design and Organization Four strands:  Reading  Writing  Speaking and Listening  Language An integrated model of literacy Media requirements blended throughout

ELA Key Advances Reading  Balance of literature and informational texts  Text complexity Writing  Emphasis on argument and informative/explanatory writing  Writing about sources Standards for reading and writing in history/ social studies, science, and technical subjects  Complement rather than replace content standards in those subjects  Responsibility of teachers in those subjects

MATHEMATICS STANDARDS

Design and Organization Standards for Mathematical Practice  Carry across all grade levels  Describe habits of mind of a mathematically expert student Standards for Mathematical Content  K-8 standards presented by grade level  High school standards presented by conceptual theme Appendix  Designing high school math courses based on the Common Core State Standards

In developing knowledge and skills in mathematics, learners:  Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them  Reason abstractly and quantitatively  Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.  Model with mathematics  Use appropriate tools strategically  Attend to precision  Look for and make use of structure  Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning "Habits of mind" fostered by the Common Core State Standards

Math Key Advances  Focus in early grades on number (arithmetic and operations) to build a solid foundation in math  Evened out pace across the grades  Focus on using math and solving complex problems, similar to what would see in the real world in high school  Emphasize problem-solving and communication

What’s Next?  States are implementing the standards now  Plans vary based on state context  Redesigning professional development in 2011  Major changes in instructional materials, graduation requirements, etc., not expected until 2013 or later  Teachers will start teaching to the Common Core State Standards in 2013 or 2014 school year

What’s Next with Testing?  New tests tied to the Common Core State Standards will be live in school year  New assessments will be computer-based and given several times throughout the year  Beyond multiple choice and more focus on application of knowledge  Two different consortia are developing assessments, so instead of every state having their own test, there will be only two different types of testing programs throughout the nation