Superintendent Dr. Shawn Talks Common Core

What you need to know about the Common Core State Standards

 

Much is being written and said about the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS) that 47 states including California have adopted.  Arcadia Schools will be formally implementing new curriculum next year (2014-2015) that align with the standards. Additionally, Governor Brown has signed legislation that eliminates virtually all of the current state testing (known as the California Standards Tests) because they align with the old standards.  The goal here is to give teachers the opportunity to transition their instruction now in order to be congruent with these new standards and so students will not be tested on content their teachers may not be covering.  Arcadia teachers and staff have been working on this transition for the last few years and welcome this opportunity to focus on this change.  I am devoting this article to questions and answers about the CCSS that will help you understand the changes coming to teaching and learning that Arcadia students will experience in the coming years.

1. What are the Common Core State Standards?

The Common Core State Standards are a set of expectations that outline what students should be learning in English/language arts and mathematics at each grade level (K-12).  These expectations have been “benchmarked” against international student learning standards.

2. What is the goal of the CCSS?

The goal of the CCSS is to make sure that all students are college and career ready.

3. Do the standards tell teachers how to teach?

No. The CCSS do not tell teachers how to teach; they outline the skills that all students need to master in order to be college and career ready when they graduate from high school.

4. Are there standards for science, social studies and other content areas?

No. At this time, the CCSS do not address content areas other than reading/language arts and mathematics; however, there is a strong emphasis in the CCSS in writing and reading in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects for Grades 6-12.

5. Why were the CCSS created?

Up until the adoption of the CCSS by 47 states, each state had its own education standards, with little consistency from one state to another. The CCSS were designed to provide a single set of research-based, internationally benchmarked standards that will ensure that all students nationwide have access to the same rigorous academic content.

6. Who wrote the standards?

There is a common and often quoted misconception that the CCSS were written by the federal government.  In fact the CCSS were developed by a group of educators and experts coordinated by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). The federal government did not write the standards and will not oversee their implementation.

7. How will student progress in meeting the standards be measured?

We will be measuring students’ progress through new assessments developed by a consortium called the “Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium.”  We will be piloting these online, computer-based tests in the spring of 2014. In the spring of 2015 the tests go live and become a formal part of California’s new accountability system (that will replace the current Accountability Performance Index, the API).  A great way to get a first hand experience with the new standards is by taking a sample test available on the Smarter Balanced website:  http://sbac.portal.airast.org/practice-test/

8.  Where can I learn more?

This is a big change. A good source for additional information may be found at the National Parent Teacher Association website.  This information may be accessed at:  

http://www.pta.org/advocacy/content.cfm?ItemNumber=3683
We also created our own AUSD Common Core Webpage for your convenience. We hope you find it informative and helpful.
We will be working closely with our school sites to provide a variety of opportunities for parents and the community to learn more about the CCSS and our implementation and experience how teaching and learning will continue to improve in Arcadia for our amazing students.

Sincerely,
Dr. Joel Shawn https://twitter.com/suptshawn