Common Core State Standards (CCSS)
What is it?
The CCSS are intended to provide a degree of coherence in academic expectations for students, teachers, and the educational system that has not previously been available in American education. CCSS differ from our current standards in rigor, relevance, depth and specificity. Rigor, especially in the early grades, with evidence-based, explanatory and persuasive writing as well as elementary algebraic thinking introduced to students as early as in Kindergarten and first grade. The ever-so-popular notion that such expectations are “developmentally inappropriate”, have finally been overturned by the CCSS which claim that “writing or failing to write, computing and applying algebraic thinking by the ages of 5 or 6 are not a reflection brain development, but a CONSEQUENCE OF ADULT EXPECTATIONS.”
CCSS are rigorous, research-based, internationally bench-marked, and relevant to the real world. This set of vertically aligned and articulated content standards encourages the highest level of achievement for every student by defining the knowledge, concepts, and skills that students should acquire at each grade level to ensure success in college and career. The standards offer a refreshing emphasis on nonfiction reading and writing, and a focus on developing literacy in all subject areas through inclusion of persuasive, informative, and narrative writing across the curriculum. The success of this latest reform movement will depend largely on the implementation process and on what students will experience in every single teacher’s classroom. Whereas our former state standards due to their breadth and multitude, bred superficiality and coverage rather than practice, feedback, depth, and rigor, the new CCSS allow teachers to focus on a set of essential standards and to develop a deep and rich understanding of these standards. Teaching in the Common Core transcends subject matter and demands a re-examination of our existing system of professional learning, curricular development, assessment and accountability. Successful implementation requires strong instructional leadership in every school, and well prepared teachers in every classroom. Educators must possess a thorough understanding of what students are expected to know and be able to do, as well as having at their disposal an array of instructional strategies designed to support every student in meeting those expectations.
Common Core State Standards exist in English and Math, but transcend all subjects, hence the title CCSS for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects. The math standards focus on applying mathematical ways of thinking to real world challenges, helping students develop a depth of understanding and ability to apply mathematics to novel situations. ELA standards focus attention on helping students become competent readers, writers and thinkers, with fluency in handling literary and information texts. Proper implementation requires significant student collaboration, fluency with multimedia and technology, and the development of strong complex reasoning, problem solving, and communication skills across content areas.
CCSS are rigorous, research-based, internationally bench-marked, and relevant to the real world. This set of vertically aligned and articulated content standards encourages the highest level of achievement for every student by defining the knowledge, concepts, and skills that students should acquire at each grade level to ensure success in college and career. The standards offer a refreshing emphasis on nonfiction reading and writing, and a focus on developing literacy in all subject areas through inclusion of persuasive, informative, and narrative writing across the curriculum. The success of this latest reform movement will depend largely on the implementation process and on what students will experience in every single teacher’s classroom. Whereas our former state standards due to their breadth and multitude, bred superficiality and coverage rather than practice, feedback, depth, and rigor, the new CCSS allow teachers to focus on a set of essential standards and to develop a deep and rich understanding of these standards. Teaching in the Common Core transcends subject matter and demands a re-examination of our existing system of professional learning, curricular development, assessment and accountability. Successful implementation requires strong instructional leadership in every school, and well prepared teachers in every classroom. Educators must possess a thorough understanding of what students are expected to know and be able to do, as well as having at their disposal an array of instructional strategies designed to support every student in meeting those expectations.
Common Core State Standards exist in English and Math, but transcend all subjects, hence the title CCSS for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects. The math standards focus on applying mathematical ways of thinking to real world challenges, helping students develop a depth of understanding and ability to apply mathematics to novel situations. ELA standards focus attention on helping students become competent readers, writers and thinkers, with fluency in handling literary and information texts. Proper implementation requires significant student collaboration, fluency with multimedia and technology, and the development of strong complex reasoning, problem solving, and communication skills across content areas.
There are seven guiding principles that must be followed as we implement the Common Core:
- Facilitate high quality professional learning opportunities for educators to ensure that every student has access to teachers who are prepared to teach to the levels of rigor and depth required by the CCSS. This includes providing support to teachers in the use of evidence-based instructional practices that emphasize research and revision.
- Provide CCSS-aligned instructional resources designed to meet the diverse needs of all student
- Develop and transition to CCSS-aligned assessment systems to inform instruction, establish priorities for professional learning, and provide tools for accountability.
- Collaborate with parents and extended learning communities to integrate the CCSS into programs and activities beyond the K-12 setting.
- Collaborate with the postsecondary and business communities and additional stakeholders to ensure that all students are prepared for success in career and college.
- Seek, create, and disseminate resources to support stakeholders as CCSS systems implementation moves forward.
- Design and establish systems of effective communication among stakeholders to continuously identify areas of need and disseminate information.
What does it do?
The CCSS create opportunities for educators to focus on essential learnings. There will be enough time to not just cover the standards, but develop a depth of understanding that ensures students’ ability to transfer knowledge and apply it across different content areas, to solve problems and to think critically about what they are learning. The term Power Standards takes on a new meaning and significance in the context of the Common Core. One of the most powerful experiences which will transform teaching and learning is realized when teachers in their course teams get together and identify the standards they consider to be most critical for their subject. This determination is made on the basis of examining each standard as to the degree of leverage (standards in one subject support learning in another) and endurance it offers (standards that help students across the years rather than responding to the testing of a single grade level), and the degree to which it is essential to help students prepare for next level of learning.
David Coleman in his presentation, “Bringing the Common Core to Life”, talks about six key instructional shifts that have to occur to ensure effective teaching and learning under the Common Core. In English language Arts these shifts include: Balancing Informational and Literary Text, Building Knowledge in the Disciplines, Staircasing of Complexity (appropriate and necessary scaffolding and supports to make it possible for students reading below grade level to access the text), Text-based Answers (rich and rigorous conversations and evidentiary arguments based on a common text), Writing from Sources (use of evidence to make an argument), and Developing Academic Vocabulary. In mathematics, they include: Focus (significantly narrowing and deepening the scope by prioritizing the standards and limiting the concepts taught), Coherence (connecting learning within and across grades), Fluency (developing speed and accuracy with simple calculations), Deep Understanding (support students’ abilities to access concepts from a variety of perspectives), Application, and Dual Intensity (valuing both the need for practice and the need to develop deep understanding).
David Coleman in his presentation, “Bringing the Common Core to Life”, talks about six key instructional shifts that have to occur to ensure effective teaching and learning under the Common Core. In English language Arts these shifts include: Balancing Informational and Literary Text, Building Knowledge in the Disciplines, Staircasing of Complexity (appropriate and necessary scaffolding and supports to make it possible for students reading below grade level to access the text), Text-based Answers (rich and rigorous conversations and evidentiary arguments based on a common text), Writing from Sources (use of evidence to make an argument), and Developing Academic Vocabulary. In mathematics, they include: Focus (significantly narrowing and deepening the scope by prioritizing the standards and limiting the concepts taught), Coherence (connecting learning within and across grades), Fluency (developing speed and accuracy with simple calculations), Deep Understanding (support students’ abilities to access concepts from a variety of perspectives), Application, and Dual Intensity (valuing both the need for practice and the need to develop deep understanding).
How will it be assessed?
California has joined 24 other states and signed on to work with the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC), one of two nation-wide Consortia on the development of the next generation assessment system. For California, these assessments are known as the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP). The new assessments for grades 3-8 and 11, aligned to the Common Core State Standards, are currently designated to be operational across consortium states in Spring of 2015, the first time that all 11th grade students will be required to take the SBAC test in English Language Arts and Mathematics. For a closer look, you can find resources from the SBAC website using this chart. Also, math standards and related question types as well as English Language Arts standards and questions will show how readiness for college and career will be assessed. (Thank you, Clovis Unified School District for granting permission to let us share these resources with our community.)
The new test will be using Computer Adaptive Technology which is said to have six specific benefits: faster results, shorter test length, increased precision, tailored to student ability, greater security, and mature technology. Test items include the following types: selected response, short constructed response, extended constructed responses, performance tasks, technology-enabled, and technology enhanced items. The test will be designed to measure the level of performance that the student has achieved in the core curriculum areas by adjusting the difficulty of questions throughout the assessment, e.g., a student who answers a question correctly will receive a more challenging item as the next question, while an incorrect answer will cause the system to select an easier item as the next question. To view practice problems, click on the portal button.
The new test will be using Computer Adaptive Technology which is said to have six specific benefits: faster results, shorter test length, increased precision, tailored to student ability, greater security, and mature technology. Test items include the following types: selected response, short constructed response, extended constructed responses, performance tasks, technology-enabled, and technology enhanced items. The test will be designed to measure the level of performance that the student has achieved in the core curriculum areas by adjusting the difficulty of questions throughout the assessment, e.g., a student who answers a question correctly will receive a more challenging item as the next question, while an incorrect answer will cause the system to select an easier item as the next question. To view practice problems, click on the portal button.
SBAC will be making available to schools as early as this October, various types of assessments including Diagnostic and Formative assessments for learning, Interim Assessments for learning and of learning, and Summative Assessments that measure the level of performance the student has achieved.
What kind of changes can students expect to see in the classroom?
With the implementation of the Common Core, hands-on activities and collaborative exercises will be much more prevalent, and English students will see a shift toward nonfiction texts. Media skills will be integrated into everyday lessons, writing may be shared with outside audiences and next-generation assessments will evaluate higher order thinking and problem solving processes.
Math classes will teach fewer concepts, but they will reach new depths in exploring those concepts. Students will be challenged with more real-world applications and fewer theoretical equations, and there will be greater emphasis on learning the process rather than merely providing the correct answer.
It is important to remember that the standards are not a curriculum. Standards are targets for what students should know and be able to do. Curricula typically define the scope of the content covered in each subject. Instructional plans and strategies are the means that educators use to help their students reach the expectations set out by the standards. The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are a set of shared goals for the knowledge and skills students should possess in English language arts and mathematics to be proficient in those subjects. As such, Course Teams use the standards as a basis for developing their own curricula by designing course content, choosing appropriate instructional strategies, developing learning activities, continuously gauging student understanding, and adjusting instruction accordingly.
Math classes will teach fewer concepts, but they will reach new depths in exploring those concepts. Students will be challenged with more real-world applications and fewer theoretical equations, and there will be greater emphasis on learning the process rather than merely providing the correct answer.
It is important to remember that the standards are not a curriculum. Standards are targets for what students should know and be able to do. Curricula typically define the scope of the content covered in each subject. Instructional plans and strategies are the means that educators use to help their students reach the expectations set out by the standards. The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are a set of shared goals for the knowledge and skills students should possess in English language arts and mathematics to be proficient in those subjects. As such, Course Teams use the standards as a basis for developing their own curricula by designing course content, choosing appropriate instructional strategies, developing learning activities, continuously gauging student understanding, and adjusting instruction accordingly.
