Implementing the
Common Core State
StandardsPOLS Conference
January 17, 2013
Valley Lutheran High School
Com
mon
Cor
e St
ate
Stan
dard
s Philosophical ChangeNationally AcceptedMove Toward 21st Century SkillsTransformational
Because the CCSS will
require deep-level,
organizational change,
the leader is going to be
a primary factor in the
success or failure of this
change.
John
P. K
otte
rLe
adin
g Ch
ange
1995
“Leaders establish the vision for the future and set the strategy for getting there; they cause change. They motivate and inspire others to go
in the right direction and they, along with everyone else, sacrifice to get there.”
Kotte
r’s
Orga
niza
tiona
l Ch
ange
Mod
el
1. Create a
sense of
urgencyBehaving urgently to help
create great twenty-first
century organizations
demands patience, too…The
right attitude might be called
“urgent patience”…It means
acting each day with a sense
of urgency but having a
realistic view of time.”
John Kotter (2008)
A Sense of Urgency
To create a strong and lasting commitment to the
CCSS, to ensure solid “buy in”, you must firmly establish the need
for the CCSS.
What will establish
that need???46 States have
Adopted
Perceived (or real)
educational crisis
Competitive global
environment
Rapidly changing world
So teachers, parents, students,
church, community see the
need to fully implement the CCSS.
What will establish
the need??? New (and rapidly
approcahing)
assessments
Stronger demands from
colleges and employers
Greater need for students
to have 21st Century Skills
So teachers, parents, students,
church, community believe in the
need to fully implement the CCSS.
In the end, I believe that you will get the strongest commitment from people if you can convince them that this change is simply good for kids.
2. Build a
guiding team
Two are better than one,
because they have a
good return for their
work. Though one may
be overpowered, two
can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands
is not quickly broken.”
Ecclesiastes 4: 9, 12
Because the greatest impact on student achievement comes
from direct interaction from teachers, this change must start at
the classroom level.
Who are your
teacher leaders??? “Get” the big picture
Instructional models
Respected by peers
Positive motivators
Strong enough to take
risks and challenge the
“status quo”
Large team is important – the Professional Learning Community (PLC) culture lays a solid groundwork for the type of work that needs to be done with the CCSS.
Small teams are also important – created to provide each other with support and encouragement within a comfortable, safe context.
3. Creating the vision
A well-articulated,
inspiring vision clears
away distractions and
aligns the
resources… to the
ultimate goal.”John Kotter
Begi
n wi
th th
e en
d in
m
ind
.St
ephe
n Co
vey What will your school
(classroom, teacher, student) look like in 5 years as a result of your successful transition to the
Common Core?
Craft a vision
statement.
We are a school
that…..”
Our students are….”
We will keep working
on implementing the
CCSS until….”
In our classrooms….”
In order to be successful in creating the vision that will effectively guide your teachers, you must have a deep understanding of the philosophical and instructional shifts that are being instituted by the CCSS (and others).
Engl
ish
Lang
uage
Arts
(E
LA) S
hifts
Comprehensive, integrated program of reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language Intentional progression
of text complexity Move to informational
text Move to argument and explanatory writing
Math
emat
icsSh
ifts
Reduced number of standards Concentrated focus in
each grade Multiple applications to varied contexts Emphasis on deep-level
conceptual understanding 8 mathematical practices
Scie
nce
Shift
s
Next Generation Science Standards
Inquiry, investigation, and development of skills Crosscutting concepts
across all domains Disciplinary core ideas
across all grade levels
Socia
l Stu
dies
Shift
s
College, Career, and Civic
Life (C3) Developing questions and
planning investigations Applying disciplinary
concepts and tools Gathering, evaluating, and
using evidence Working collaboratively and
communicating conclusions
RigorMove From…
Passive
Content
Answers
Knowledge
Teacher-centered
Compartmental-
ized Learning
Memorized
processes
What is taught
To… Active
Skills
Questions
Application
Learner-centered
Cross-curricular
learning
Conceptual
Understanding
What is learned
“Organizations whose leaders have no vision are doomed to work under the burden of mere tradition.”
Snyder & Graves (1994)
4. Comm
unicating
the vision “Good communication
does not mean that you
have to speak in perfectly
formed sentences and
paragraphs. It isn't about
slickness. Simple and
clear go a long way.”
John Kotter
Usin
g ev
ery
vehi
cle p
ossib
le. How will you communicate to
teachers, students, parents, church, community?? Communication occurs
through words, actions, and images.
It may be a good use of time to develop “elevator statements” with your faculty.
In 30 seconds or less, how would you describe the importance, the idea, the shifts of the Common Core State Standards to….
….a student?….a parent?….a board member?….a teacher?….a community member?
Comm
unicate, comm
unicate,
comm
unicate, repeat…
So often, because we have worked
so hard on the vision, we assume
that our team knows and owns it
just as much as we do – that is
usually not the case at all! It is
critical that leaders continually
share the vision. A rule of thumb is
just about the time you are sick of
saying it, people are just then
starting to get it. So hang in there
and communicate, communicate,
and communicate vision!!
Daniel Harkavy (2007)
Becoming a Coaching Leader
5. Empower others
to act on vision“An empowered
organization is one in
which individuals have
the knowledge, skill,
desire, and opportunity
to personally succeed in
a way that leads to
collective organizational
success.”
Addi
tions
Encourage Risk taking Non-traditional ideas Collaboration Research Activity and action
Addi
tions
Provide Time to think Time to plan Time to share Time to evaluate Time to revise Time to get feedback Any/all needed resources
Subt
ract
ions
Change systems or structures that seriously undermine the vision.
Subt
ract
ions
Get rid of obstacles.What might those obstacles to a full
implementation of the CCSS be for
your school?….people?….attitudes?….time?….money?….focus?
Complete com
mitm
ent
by the leader.
Most obstacles melt
away when we make
up our minds to walk
boldly through them.”
Orison Swett Marden
6. Create short-
term wins
In successful change efforts,
empowered people create short-
term wins – victories that nourish
faith in the change effort,
emotionally reward the hard
workers, keep the critics at bay,
and build momentum. Without
sufficient wins that are visible,
timely, unambiguous and
meaningful to others, change
efforts inevitably run into serious
problems.”John Kotter (2002)
The Heart of Change
Don’
t lea
ve to
ch
ance
.
Plan for visible, noticeable improvements.Do whatever it takes to create those improvements.Intentionally look for
improvements to occur.Recognize and reward those who achieve any improvements regardless
of size.
Celebrate!!
Why are short term
wins so important???
It’s not so much that we’re
afraid of change or so in
love with the old ways, but
it’s that place in between
that we fear… It’s like
being between trapezes.
It’s Linus when his blanket
is in the dryer. There’s
nothing to hold on to.
Marilyn Ferguson
The Aquarian Conspiracy
7. Don’t let up
Resistance is
always ready to
rear its ugly head
again.”John Kotter
Acco
unta
bilit
y
Create a rolling timeline (at least 2 – 3 years out)
Set deadlines for short term goals Plan time to look at data
Plan PD time to meet current needs Evidence walk throughs
Build your vision into the regular expectations
Don’
t let
go
of
the
big
pict
ure.
Continue to change systems and structures that do not support the visionHire, promote, develop
teachers who can continue to promote the vision Periodically reinvigorate the
process by taking things to the next level
“After the first set of short-term wins, a change effort will have direction and momentum. In successful situations, people build on this momentum to make the vision a reality by keeping urgency up and a feeling of false pride down; by eliminating unnecessary, exhausting and demoralizing work; and by not declaring victory prematurely.”
John Kotter (2002)The Heart of Change
8. Make it stick
People who are making
an effort to embrace
the future are a
happier lot than those
who are clinging to the
past.” John Kotter
Anch
or th
e ch
ange
to th
e cu
lture
.
Rebuild your culture around the vision.
“This is who we are….”
It’s a
ll abo
ut th
e cu
lture
….
“Tradition is a powerful force.
Leaps into the future can slide
back into the past. We keep a
change in place by helping to
create a new, supportive, and
sufficiently strong organizational
culture. A supportive culture
provides roots for the new ways
of operating. It keeps the
revolutionary technology, the
globalized organization, the
innovative strategy, or the more
efficient processes working to
make you a winner.”John Kotter
Joel 1:3
Tell the Good News to
your children and let
your children tell it to
their children, and
their children to the
next generation.”
It’s all about preparing your students
in faith and skills to be the Christian
leaders of the next generation.
Resources
Harkavy, D. (2007). Becoming a coaching leader.
Kotter, J. (2002). The heart of change.
Kotter. J. (1995). Leading change.
Kotter, J. (2008). A sense of urgency.
989-790-1676Lisa H. Meyers, Ed.D.
Academic Dean
Valley Lutheran High
School
3560 McCarty Rd.
Saginaw, MI 48603