Common Core Standards Universal Design for Learning

Common Core provides a clear and rigorous set of learning targets aimed toward what students must learn. The CC standards are designed to help students to develop deep understanding of topics with connections to authentic, real world scenarios. The standards aim to engage students in building knowledge and skills needed for success in college and careers.

UDL a research-based framework addressing learner diversity. UDL principles address how we teach, how students engage in learning, and how we measure what students learn. UDL allows for flexibility in all aspects of instruction.

The Common Core and Universal Design for Learning work together! In teaching the Common Core Standards, educators should provide multiple ways to access resources and content so learners are given the opportunity to take charge of their own learning. Common Core UDL

“Start with the goal and the content. What do you want to teach?” - David Rose, CAST

Curricula (goals, methods, materials, and assessments) designed using UDL put an emphasis on creating effective, flexible goals, and the Common Core Standards provide an important framework for thinking about what goals should be taught. UDL emphasizes that an effective goal must be flexible enough to allow learners multiple ways to successfully accomplish the goal. Standards should not embed the means (the how) with the goal (the what) How does Common Core align with UDL?

“apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication and division and of fractions to multiply and divide rational numbers.” (Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, Grade 7, The Number System, 7.NS, item 2, p.48) This standard is flexible enough that all learners can meet this goal because it does not specify how it must be done. The standard should not embed the means (the how) with the goal (the what)

What barriers exist in the Common Core? Some areas of the Common Core Standards that present barriers include standards written with a specific assessment in mind. NOTE: UDL cautions educators: Do not confuse the means and the goals.

“Tell and write time in hours and half-hours using analog and digital clocks” (Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, Grade 1, Measurement and Data, 1.MD, item 3, p.16) This standard requires students to write time. This presents some learners with a barrier because the act of writing is difficult for them. In this case, “express” would be more appropriate than “write” as it allows flexibility and avoids confounding the expectation with tasks that are superfluous to the actual goal.

“Tell and write time in hours and half-hours using analog and digital clocks” (Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, Grade 1, Measurement and Data) Suggested Learning Targets I can identify a digital and an analog clock. I can identify the hours and minutes on a digital and analog clock. I can tell how many minutes are in an hour. I can explain why 30 minutes is a half-hour. I can look at the time on an analog clock (when the hour hand is points to 12 or 6), say what time it is, and write the time as it would appear on a digital clock. I can look at the time on a digital clock (when the minutes is displayed as :00 or :30), say what time it is, and write the time as it would appear on a digital clock. I can write the time and draw in the hands on an analog clock when someone tells me what time it is (when the time is stated as "_ o'clock" or "_thirty" or "half past _). Suggested Learning Targets I can identify a digital and an analog clock. I can identify the hours and minutes on a digital and analog clock. I can tell how many minutes are in an hour. I can explain why 30 minutes is a half-hour. I can look at the time on an analog clock (when the hour hand is points to 12 or 6), say what time it is, and write the time as it would appear on a digital clock. I can look at the time on a digital clock (when the minutes is displayed as :00 or :30), say what time it is, and write the time as it would appear on a digital clock. I can write the time and draw in the hands on an analog clock when someone tells me what time it is (when the time is stated as "_ o'clock" or "_thirty" or "half past _).