The Common Core State Standards “Managing the Transition” Joseph Casillas Elementary School

It’s all about making sure our students can compete in the World’s marketplace.

Why We’re Behind…  What do the top nations teach their students, but we don’t?  Which countries perform the highest on international tests?  Why are we so far behind? (Turn and talk to your neighbor)

PISA Rankings (Programme for International Student Assessment)

Number of class hours proposed below shows the minimum number of hours of 34 school weeks as the National Basic Education Period. (S. Korea)

Other High-Performing Countries  Singapore  Canada  New Zealand  Japan  Australia  Netherlands  Belgium  Norway  Switzerland 2009 Top Rankings 1.Shanghai - China 2.Korea 3.Finland 4.Hong Kong

*High Achieving Countries Don’t Narrow The Curriculum!  Our students lagged behind their peers in Finland by two full grade levels in  The average scores in all industrialized countries were 530 in both math and science.  American students scored 489 for their average scores.  The amount of time devoted to reading instruction is U.S. elementary schools is more than four times that devoted to science and social studies.

*High-performing countries have very specific content standards in a wide range of liberal arts subjects.  A shared belief of these countries is that the mastery of basic literacy and math skills is NOT sufficient for defining a well-rounded curriculum.  For example, in Finland and Canada, students must learn to play instruments and read music.  High-achieving countries have high school exit exams that feature questions about world history, science, and classic literature with an emphasis on analysis and interpretation.

A question on a high-school exit exam from Switzerland. What do you think this cartoon means? Can you back up your opinion with evidence?

The implementation of Common Core Standards nationwide is an attempt to help our students gain more well-rounded educations.  The CCSS standards build upon each other from grade level to grade level in complexity (progressions)  Mastered thinking skills become more rigorous combined with a wealth of background knowledge from subject areas like history, social studies, politics, science, art, music, prose, classics, etc.

Are the Common Core State Standards really THAT different?  Yes and No.  When analyzing the old CA State Standards from your grade level, you will see that some learning goals are the same as the new CCSS.  Some standards have been moved to different grade levels.  Other standards have been eliminated altogether OR made more specific.  The texts used by teachers to teach the CCSS will introduce more specific content and be more complex for students to build meaning. (see text exemplars)

Text Complexity is a New Issue  “Just Right” or “Just Too Easy”  A new debate begins – See the new book by Fisher, Frey, and Lapp.

More of a Number Sense Focus in the Earlier Grades.

What does that mean for us?  We must know our students (data).  We must know which standards will need to be taught more often for enduring understandings (Priority Standards).  We must know which resources we have that may be used or “tweaked” and which materials need to be eliminated.  We must think of effective methods to tie content knowledge from other areas together with literacy and math instruction (units or themes).  We must understand how the standards change in specificity from grade level to grade level.

Common Core Standards Laid Out

Domain, Standard, Cluster…

Math Domains

Know Our Students  Choose assessments that truly inform instruction.  Agree as grade levels which assessments work best for measuring students’ progress in regard to achievement in the Common Core.

Complexity (ugh…rigor)  Bloom’s Taxonomy can help teachers ensure that instruction is rigorous.

Cognitive Rigor Matrices – ELA/Math  Karin Hess created a matrix that blends Bloom’s Cognitive Process Dimensions with Webb’s Depth of Knowledge. 1. Math/Science Matrix 2. English Language Arts Matrix *See handouts for curricular examples.

What About Units or Themes?  The standards tell us WHAT to teach, not HOW to teach.  Plan from the Standards, not textbooks.  Prioritize Standards based on:  Readiness (for next level of learning)  Endurance (concepts that last a lifetime)  Leverage (crossover application into areas)  External Exams (Data)

Unit of Study Definition  A series of specific lessons, learning experiences, and related assessments – based on designated Priority Standards and related supporting standards – for a topical, skills- based, or thematic focus that may last anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks The Leadership and Learning Center

TOPICAL Units of Study Examples  Science: Solids, Liquids, and Gases.  Math: Estimation  Reading: Story Elements The Leadership and Learning Center

SKILLS-BASED Units of Study Examples:  Math: Converting Fractions to Decimals  Reading: Making Text Connections  Writing: Editing and Revising The Leadership and Learning Center

THEMATIC Units of Study Examples:  Science: Life cycles  Social Studies: Impact of War  Visual Arts: Art and Multimedia The Leadership and Learning Center

The Human Body Metaphor

How to Begin Planning a Unit? 1. Prioritize the Standards 2. Name the Units of Study 3. Assign the Standards Visit: For examples of Units of Study for grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8