Pamela T. Moore Executive Director, PK-12 Core Curriculum Pinellas County Schools Common Core State Standards Presentation Monday, March 4, 2013

Improving Instruction Today; Preparing for Tomorrow

What are Common Core State Standards? Who is participating? Why are we, the State of Florida, engaged in this initiative? When is all of this happening? How will we know if this is working? What are the implications for teachers and students with this transition? How can I help as a parent? Purpose for this evening:

So what is the big deal? Common Core Overview

Are we preparing our students? Student achievement is drastically low. Our nation is at a moment of crisis when it comes to preparing our students for the rigors of college and the demands of the increasingly global workplace. Source: 11/pdf/ConditionofCollegeandCareerReadiness 11/pdf/ConditionofCollegeandCareerReadiness 2011.pdf

Low Levels of Rigor Lack of clarity Inconsistencies Different states Different districts Different classrooms Why do we need Common Standards?

Video

Increased complexity of texts Focus on foundational math skills and application in real-world situations A return to depth as opposed to breadth Increased focus on justifying and presenting results and methods Critical reading and writing infused in all curricular areas Re-ordering of math content to reflect research- based path to college and career readiness How are Common Core Standards different?

Preparation: The CCSS will prepare students for both college and the workplace and emphasizes higher-order skills instead of knowledge and recall. Benefits of Common Core

Competition: The CCSS are internationally- benchmarked, ensuring that our students are prepared to be competitive in the global job market. Benefits of Common Core

Equity: The Common Core will foster consistent expectations not dependent on state or zip code. We will hold all students to high academic expectations. Benefits of Common Core

Clarity: The Common Core are focused, coherent, and clear standards. Everyone knows what is expected of our students. Benefits of Common Core

Collaboration: CCSS will be a foundation for teachers, states, and districts to work together from the same blueprints. This will facilitate the sharing of best practices. Benefits of Common Core

New rigorous standards for Mathematics and English Language Arts, K-12; Literacy in Content Areas (6-12) Fully implemented & assessed in –Current 9th grade students will be the first to be assessed in 11 th grade as a graduation requirement –Current 1 st grade students will be the first elementary students assessed in grade 3 46 states have currently adopted CCSS So what are the standards?

CCSS and PARCC assessments will provide a valid comparison to other states, and even districts in other states. Promotion Graduation College Admission What are the implications?

What? – P artnership for the A ssessment of R eadiness for C ollege and C areers –Significantly more sophisticated assessments Who? –Current 9 th graders and younger will take PARCC –Grades 3-11 will be assessed with PARCC When? – PARCC Assessment

FCAT v. PARCC Reading & Writing

1)PK – 5: Balancing Informational Text and Literature 2)6-12: Building Knowledge in the Disciplines 3)Staircase of Complexity 4)Text-based Answers 5)Writing from Sources 6)Academic Vocabulary Shifts in English Language Arts

Attention to Text Complexity Emphasis on Student Tasks (especially writing) Responsibility for Reading & Writing Instruction - Every Teacher, Every Subject Instructional CHANGES

NGSSS v. CCSS Mathematics

Standards for Mathematical CONTENT (Familiar) Define what students should know and be able to do (The What) Standards for Mathematical PRACTICE (New and Different) Describe ways in which the mathematical content standards should be approached (The How) Mathematics

Promote deep student discussion on the content Emphasis on Student Tasks (performance- tasks) Include PRACTICE Standards at all grade levels Expand use of technology Instructional CHANGES in Math

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. Mathematical Practice Standards

Is the Common Core State Standards Initiative the first step of a federal take-over of our education system? Frequently Asked Questions

Are these standards dictating a national curriculum for our schools? Frequently Asked Questions

Resources: Parent Guides to Student Success By grade level Sample of what your child will be working on Activities to support at home How can I help?

Other useful websites to search for information: Additional Resources

Pam Moore, Pinellas County Schools For More Information……