1. Common Core for Parents/Families
Archdiocese of New York
Fall 2012

2. What are the Common Core Standards?
A coherent set of learning expectations in ELA and Math designed to prepare students for college and the workforce.
National standards movement – They were developed
through a collaboration of teachers, school
administrators, experts, and state leaders from the
National Governors Association Center for Best Practices
(NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School
Officers (CCSSO).

3. Teachers and principals within the Archdiocese have already been exposed to and begun receiving professional development on the Common Core Standards.
Schools in the Archdiocese will be integrating
the ELA & Literacy and Mathematics Common
Core Standards beginning this fall.

4. 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 will be transition years for these standards
The New York State Board of Regents adopted the Common Core Standards for English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics in January, 2011.
Literacy standards for History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects
and will be transition years for these standards
Schools will still be administering New York State tests during these transition years

5. ITBS will still be administered as a diagnostic test
The new ITBS exams are based on the Common Core Standards
It is anticipated that there will be a full implementation of these standards – including assessments – by the school year.

6. Why Common Core Standards?
Preparation: The standards promote college- and career-readiness.
Competition: The standards are internationally benchmarked. This will help ensure that our students are globally competitive.
Equity: Expectations are consistent.

7. Why Common Core Standards?
Clarity: The standards are focused, coherent, and clear. Clearer standards help students (and parents and teachers) understand what is expected of them.
Collaboration: The standards create a foundation to work collaboratively across states and districts to create curricular tools, professional development, common assessments, and other materials.

8. Instructional Shifts: ELA
Balancing Informational & Literary Texts
Building Knowledge in the Disciplines
Staircase of Complexity
Text-Based Answers
Writing From Sources
Academic Vocabulary

9. Highlights of the CC Standards: ELA
Emphasis on three types of writing, which are explicitly taught beginning in Prekindergarten:
Narrative (telling a story or telling
about an event)
Informative/Explanatory
(conveying information)
Opinion/Argumentation
(building a position or explanation
using valid reasoning and credible
information)
Source:

10. Further Highlights: ELA
Students will be expected to create projects and documents to demonstrate what they have learned
This includes oral/verbal demonstrations of understanding
Greater emphasis on digital reading, writing, and multi-media production

11. Instructional Shifts: Math
Focus
Coherence
Fluency
Deep Understanding
Application
Dual Intensity

12. Highlights of the CC Standards: Math
The PK4-5 standards provide students with a solid foundation in whole numbers, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, and decimals
The 6-8 standards describe robust learning in geometry, algebra, and probability and statistics
The standards for grades 7 and 8 include significant algebra and geometry content

13. What Shifts are Asking of Educators
Recognize that every subject-area teacher is a literacy teacher.
Move away from giving students
information and having
them discover it.
Move toward unit planning.

14. Common Core Resources adnyeducation.org http://www.uen.org/commoncore/
This brings us to the end of the presentation on the Common Core standards.
Does anyone have any remaining questions?
At the beginning of the presentation, I mentioned that I will be providing some links to websites that contain more detailed information about the Common Core standards. These are some of the most comprehensive websites out there.
The first website is the Archdiocese of New York Superintendent of Schools website. This is where you can find a variety of information about what’s happening in our schools. Under the PreK/Elementary tab, you can find specific information for parents about the Common Core.
The second website, sponsored by the Utah Education Network, contains links to various resources to help you further understand the Common Core standards. There is also a link to the official Common Core standards website.
The third website is sponsored by the National PTA. Among other resources, it contains a document, the Parents' Guide to Student Success, which addresses the Common Core standards. 
The last website is specific to New York state, and contains numerous resources, including videos and sample lessons targeting the Common Core standards.