Pamela T. MooreExecutive Director, PK-12 Core

CurriculumPinellas County Schools

Common Core State Standards

Presentation

Monday, March 4, 2013

Improving Instruction Today;Preparing for Tomorrow

• What are Common Core State Standards?

• Who is participating?

• Why are we, the State of Florida, engaged in this initiative?

• When is all of this happening?

• How will we know if this is working?

• What are the implications for teachers and students with this transition?

• How can I help as a parent?

Purpose for this evening:

So what is the big deal?

Common Core Overview

Are we preparing our students?

Student achievement is drastically low. Our nation is at a moment of crisis when it

comes to preparing our students for the rigors of

college and the demands of the increasingly global

workplace.

Source: http://www.act.org/research/policymakers/cccr11/pdf/ConditionofCollegeandCareerReadiness2011.pdf

• Low Levels of Rigor

• Lack of clarity

• Inconsistencies

Different states

Different districts

Different classrooms

Why do we need Common Standards?

https://files.secureserver.net/1sGjmuoeSqcW6Q

Video

• Increased complexity of texts• Focus on foundational math skills and application in

real-world situations• A return to depth as opposed to breadth• Increased focus on justifying and presenting results

and methods• Critical reading and writing infused in all curricular

areas• Re-ordering of math content to reflect research-

based path to college and career readiness

How are Common Core Standards different?

Preparation:

The CCSS will prepare students for both college and the

workplace and emphasizes higher-order skills instead of

knowledge and recall.

Benefits of Common Core

Competition:

The CCSS are internationally-benchmarked, ensuring that our

students are prepared to be competitive in the global job

market.

Benefits of Common Core

Equity:

The Common Core will foster consistent expectations not

dependent on state or zip code. We will hold all students to high

academic expectations.

Benefits of Common Core

Clarity:

The Common Core are focused, coherent, and clear standards.

Everyone knows what is expected of our students.

Benefits of Common Core

Collaboration:

CCSS will be a foundation for teachers, states, and districts to

work together from the same blueprints. This will facilitate the

sharing of best practices.

Benefits of Common Core

• New rigorous standards for Mathematics and English Language Arts, K-12; Literacy in Content Areas (6-12)• Fully implemented & assessed in 2014-15

– Current 9th grade students will be the first to be assessed in 11th grade as a graduation requirement

– Current 1st grade students will be the first elementary students assessed in grade 3

• 46 states have currently adopted CCSS

So what are the standards?

CCSS and PARCC assessments will provide a valid comparison to other states, and even districts in other states.

• Promotion

• Graduation

• College Admission

What are the implications?

• What?

– Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers

– Significantly more sophisticated assessments

• Who?

– Current 9th graders and younger will take PARCC

– Grades 3-11 will be assessed with PARCC

• When?

– 2014-2015

PARCC Assessment

FCAT v. PARCC Reading & Writing

1) PK – 5: Balancing Informational Text and Literature

2) 6-12: Building Knowledge in the Disciplines

3) Staircase of Complexity

4) Text-based Answers

5) Writing from Sources

6) Academic Vocabulary

Shifts in English Language Arts

• Attention to Text Complexity

• Emphasis on Student Tasks (especially writing)

• Responsibility for Reading & Writing Instruction

- Every Teacher, Every Subject

Instructional CHANGES

NGSSS v. CCSS Mathematics

Standards for Mathematical CONTENT (Familiar)

• Define what students should know and be able to do (The “What”)

Standards for Mathematical PRACTICE (New and Different)

• Describe ways in which the mathematical content standards should be approached (The “How”)

Mathematics

• Promote deep student discussion on the content

• Emphasis on Student Tasks (performance-tasks)

• Include PRACTICE Standards at all grade levels

• Expand use of technology

Instructional CHANGES in Math

• Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.

• Reason abstractly and quantitatively.

• Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.

• Model with mathematics.

• Use appropriate tools strategically.

• Attend to precision.

• Look for and make use of structure.

• Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

Mathematical Practice Standards

• Is the Common Core State Standards Initiative the first step of a federal take-over of our education system?

Frequently Asked Questions

•Are these standards dictating a national curriculum for our schools?

Frequently Asked Questions

Resources:

Parent Guides to Student Success

www.pta.org/common_core_standards.asp

• By grade level

• Sample of what your child will be working on

• Activities to support at home

How can I help?

Other useful websites to search for information:

•www.corestandards.org

•www.engageny.org

Additional Resources

Pam Moore, Pinellas County Schools

moorep@pcsb.org

For More Information……