1. Common Core Standards in Mathematics
Parent Presentation
October 3, 2013
Carol A. McCarville, Director of Curriculum and Instruction

2. About Me
24 years of experience in education; 20 years in the classroom at grades K-6
15 years in inclusion classrooms
Certified Reading Teacher, Elementary Educator and Administrator
3 years as a Lead Teacher for Inquiry Mathematics at the University of Rochester’s Warner School of Education
4 years as a BOCES Staff Specialist for Instruction and trained at state-wide sessions and Common Core Standards, as well as on the math modules

3. Who is in the room?
P-2
3-5
6-8
9-12

4. Materials on the tables
Index Cards for Questions
Post-it Notes for the Parking Lot
Hand outs
Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kisses

5. What has changed?
The Standards have changed; implementation began in 2011 in K-2.
The Grade 3-8 assessments have changed as of 2013.
The Grade 11 English Regent’s and the Grade 9 Algebra Regent’s will change this year.
Instructional materials have changed.

6. What are the Common Core Standards?

7. “These Standards are not intended to be new names for old ways of doing business. They are a call to take the next step… It is time to recognize that standards are not just promises to our children, but promises we intend to keep.”
-- The Common Core State Standards in Math, page 5
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8. Tonight’s Objectives
Help parents understand what college readiness is and why it matters.
Introduce parents to the new standards and help them understand what to look for and how to help their children at home.

9. Activity: What is college readiness?
At your table, discuss:
What does college-readiness look like?
When is a student is ready for college?
What do children need to learn to be ready for college?
How can parents help?

10. So? What does it mean?
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11. College and Career Readiness
The new standards will get students ready for success in college and the workforce.
…but what does that mean?
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12. College Readiness
College readiness means that graduates have the skills they need to do well in college.
“College” doesn’t just mean a four-year degree. It can mean any program that leads to a degree or certificate.
Being “ready” means that students graduate from high schools with strong skills in English and mathematics.
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13. Career Readiness
Career readiness means that high school graduates are qualified for and able to do well in long-term careers.
“Career” doesn’t just mean a job. It means a profession that lets graduates succeed at a job they enjoy and earn a competitive wage.
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14. Why does this matter? Because it’s what our students need
For every 100 ninth graders…
65 graduate from high school
37 enter college
24 are still enrolled in sophomore year
12 graduate with a degree in six years

15. … and only 6 get a good job after graduation
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16. The new standards will…
Prepare students to succeed in college and the workforce
Ensure that every child—regardless of race, ethnicity or zip code—is held to the same high standards and learns the same material
Provide educators with a clear, focused roadmap for what to teach and when
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17. What are the Common Core Standards?
A single set of clear standards for English language arts and mathematics
A tool to help students and parents set clear and realistic goals for success
A first step in providing young people with the high-quality education that will prepare them for success in college and careers
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18. Where did they come from?
The standards were developed by the National Governor’s Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers in collaboration with:
Teachers
Administrators
Experts
46 states and the District of Columbia have adopted the new standards
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19. What’s different in the new standards?
English Language Arts/Literacy:
Focus on non-fiction, careful reading
Discuss reading and write using evidence
Increase academic vocabulary
Mathematics
Learn more about fewer concepts
Focus on skill building, speed and accuracy
Use of real world examples to better understand concepts
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20. Math Test Question: Pre-Common Core
7.G04
Determine the surface area of prisms and cylinders, using a calculator and a variety of methods.
In order to solve this problem, students need to:
Calculate the surface area with the given dimensions. Then, calculate the surface area given a different dimension. Then, find the difference (to the nearest hundredth) between the two measurements.

21. Math Test Question: Post Common Core
6.G.1
Find the area of right triangles, other triangles, special quadrilaterals, and polygons by composing into rectangles or decomposing into triangles and other shapes; apply these techniques in the context of solving real-world and mathematical problems.
6.RP.1
Understand the concept of a ratio and use ratio language to describe a ratio relationship between two quantities. For example, “The ratio of wings to beaks in the bird house at the zoo was 2:1, because for every 2 wings there was 1 beak.” “For every vote candidate A received, candidate C received nearly three votes.”
In order to solve this problem, students need to:
First find the area of the triangle using the measurements given. Then, use the area of the triangle and create a ratio of triangle ABE with ADE, or other equivalent ratio, then find the ratio of the triangle CDE (students have to know that CDE is the same as ABE) with the total rectangle.
How these problems are different:
1. Old problem uses only surface area in isolation with basic operations (subtraction) to find the difference between two surface areas; new problem requires that students calculate area and relate it to ratios (multi-standard)
2. Old problem is multi-step, but again simple steps that really require fluency, whereas, the new problem requires multi-steps of different concepts (both area and ratio) and pushes kids to create ratios given different information and shapes within the diagram. This new problem forces kids to use ratio language to describe a ratio relationship between two quantities.
3. Old problem is rote use of the standard algorithm for finding surface area (fluency) whereas new problem requires that students decompose a polygon and the information given to determine the area of a part of the polygon.

22. What works best?
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23. Traditional U.S. ApproachK
Number and Operations
Measurement and Geometry
Algebra and Functions
Statistics and Probability

24. Common Core State Standards approach
Operations and Algebraic Thinking
Expressions and Equations
Algebra →
Number and Operations— Base Ten
The Number System
Number and Operations—Fractions K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
High School

25. A Closer Look: Mathematics Shifts
Focus: learn more about less
Build skills across grades
Develop speed and accuracy
Really know it, Really do it
Use it in the real world
Think fast AND solve problems
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26. Math Shift #1: Focus: Learn more about less
Students MUST
Parents SHOULD
Keep building on learning year after year
Be aware of what your child struggled with last year and how that will affect ongoing learning
Advocate for your child and ensure that support is given for “gap” skills: negative numbers, fractions, etc.
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27. Math Shift #2: Learn skills across grades
Students MUST
Parents SHOULD
Spend more time on fewer concepts
Go more in-depth on each one
Know what the priority work is for your child at their grade level
Spend time with your child on that work
Ask your child’s teacher about his or her progress on the priority work
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28. Math Shift #3: Develop speed and accuracy
Students MUST
Parents SHOULD
Spend time practicing by doing lots of problems on the same idea
Push children to know, understand and memorize basic math facts
Know all of the fluencies your child should have; prioritize learning of the ones they still find difficult
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29. Math Shift #4: Really know it, really do it
Students MUST
Parents SHOULD
Make the math work, and understand why it does
Talk about why the math works
Prove that they know why and how the math works
Notice whether your child really knows why the answer is what it is
Advocate for the time your child needs to learn key math skills
Provide time for your child to work at math skills at home
Get smarter in the math your child needs to know
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30. Math Shift #5: Use it in the real world
Students MUST
Parents SHOULD
Apply math in real world situations
Know which math skills to use for which situation
Ask your child to do that math that comes up in your daily life
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31. Math Shift #6: Think fast and solve problems
Students MUST
Parents SHOULD
Be able to use core math facts quickly
Be able to apply math in the real world
Notice your child’s strengths and weaknesses in math
Make sure your child practices the math facts that prove most difficult
Make sure your child thinks about math in real life
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32. Activity: Finding math in everyday life
Working at your table, identify a list of ways you use math in everyday life (e.g. counting money, dividing a pie, etc.) and how you can involve your kids each day
Be creative! Think of situations that use
Addition
Subtraction
Division
Multiplication
Algebra
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33. Any ideas?
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34. So? What works best?
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35. Parent support can help students succeed
By staying involved, informed and engaged, parents can help students be successful
There are many ways to help:
Read with your children
Review and discuss their homework
Communicate with their teachers
Attend public meetings to learn more
Learn about the standards and how they affect your child’s education and school
Look through your child’s backpack each afternoon
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36. Activity: After school routines
Grab a partner and discuss your after school routines. Be specific!
Ask each other questions:
How do you help your child with homework? How closely do you review it?
How closely do you review their schoolwork?
How often do you communicate with their teachers?
How do you celebrate your child’s success in school? How do you address poor performance?
What is your favorite part of your after school routine?
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37. Backpacks: What you should see
Real-world examples that makes what students learn in English and math make more sense
Math homework that asks students to write out how they got their answer
Math homework that asks students to use different methods to solve the same problem

38. Some questions to ask your child
How did you use math today? Can you show me an example?
What math problems did you do today? How did you get your answer?

39. Activity: Talking to your kids about school
At your table, talk about strategies you use to get your kids talking about their days after school
What questions do you ask?
Do you discuss what they tell you?
How do you get them excited to talk?
What do you do when they refuse to talk?
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40. Resources for parents
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41. EngageNY
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42. Additional resources www.achievethecore.org www.pta.org/4446.htm

43. Closing discussion
What strategies did we discuss today that you think you might use with your children?
What other information would be helpful to you?
What other questions do you have?
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44. Thank you
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