Assessing Implementation of the Common Core State Standards · into Common Core instruction and...
Transcript of Assessing Implementation of the Common Core State Standards · into Common Core instruction and...
Assessing Alignment to the Common Core State Standards | 1
Assessing Implementation of the Common Core State Standards
Assessing Implementation of the Common Core State Standards | 1
The American Federation of Teachers strongly supports the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), believing they are the best path for a more consistent and focused set of standards that will allow students to be college and career ready. The AFT has supported the adoption and implementation of the standards through its recommendations from the Ad Hoc Committee for Standards Rollout and by hosting conferences and workshops that support implementation of the CCSS. We recognize that states and districts have moved forward with implementing the standards with a variety of timelines and available resources. We believe implementation with proper supports is critical if we are to see the promise of the standards realized.
This document is intended to serve as a tool that will assist leaders and advocates in their implementation efforts by providing guidance that can drive the development of a high-quality implementation plan. This plan can be used to support efforts to make the standards a reality in their schools and classrooms.
This self-assessment tool can help the user determine:
• Whether the district’s current implementation efforts address critical components of a high-quality implementation plan;
• Whether critical components of implementation are missing from the plan and what components will need to be developed as implementation continues; and
• Whether implementation efforts support goals that are aligned with current reform efforts in the district or state.
We have attempted to include all critical components that may be taken into consideration when implementing the CCSS. There may be areas that are important and
unique to local circumstances that may not be included. You should incorporate those items to provide a more complete picture of implementation efforts for your local.
SCORINGThe components that follow are intended to guide conversations around implementation of the CCSS by assessing the extent to which it has taken place in your district. Indicate which of the following best describes the extent to which your district has engaged in each component:
PLANNINGFollowing each section, compile the number of times each indicator was selected. This will help determine which areas are strongest or require more support. You can use the guiding questions on the Implementation Planning Table (page 10) to prioritize critical components and develop a work plan. By inputting selected action items that received a or in the self-assessment, teams can develop plans to improve Common Core implementation. To effectively move implementation plans forward, you should build on strengths by selecting items with the greatest feasibility, and strengthen weaknesses by selecting items with the least feasibility.
Implementation, monitoring and making adjustments needs to be an ongoing process that evolves over time. Any plan needs to reflect the needs and address the challenges facing the educators within the system as well as include feedback.
Introduction
Not at all
Just started
Partially
Almost completely
Fully implemented
Cre
ate
bro
ad s
take
ho
lder
aw
aren
ess
of
the
CC
SS t
hro
ug
h
reg
ula
r co
mm
un
icat
ion
s
Co
llab
ora
tive
ly d
evel
op
a
sust
ain
able
pla
n f
or
imp
lem
enta
tio
n, t
o in
clu
de:
• C
alen
dar
of e
vent
s an
d ac
tions
• Ex
pect
atio
ns f
or a
ll st
akeh
olde
rs
• Re
gula
r co
mm
unic
atio
n w
ith
stak
ehol
ders
• Pr
oces
s fo
r id
entif
ying
and
de
velo
ping
tea
cher
lead
ers
• Pr
oces
s fo
r tr
aini
ng s
taff
to
build
ca
paci
ty t
o su
stai
n th
e w
ork
• D
etai
led
budg
et
Iden
tify
an
d t
rain
tea
cher
lead
ers
as C
om
mo
n C
ore
ad
voca
tes
and
as
trai
ner
s fo
r o
ther
ed
uca
tors
Cre
ate
a R
eso
urc
e R
evie
w T
eam
th
at w
ill:
• A
lign
exis
ting
inst
ruct
iona
l re
sour
ces
to t
he C
CSS
• Re
sear
ch a
dditi
onal
sup
port
re
sour
ces
and
mat
eria
ls
• Ex
amin
e im
plem
enta
tion
for:
• O
ppor
tuni
ties
for
com
mon
pl
anni
ng t
ime
• Re
allo
catin
g re
sour
ces
tow
ard
prof
essi
onal
dev
elop
men
t (P
D)
acro
ss a
ll gr
ades
and
all
scho
ols
• O
ppor
tuni
ties
for
ongo
ing
PD
• O
ppor
tuni
ties
for
addi
tiona
l tim
e fo
r co
llegi
al c
onve
rsat
ions
a
nd lo
okin
g at
stu
dent
wor
k
Pro
vid
e jo
b-e
mb
edd
ed P
D
(e.g
., te
ach
er le
ader
s, c
oac
hes
, sp
ecia
lists
)
Use
sta
ff m
eeti
ng
s fo
r PD
le
arn
ing
op
po
rtu
nit
ies
Pro
vid
e o
pp
ort
un
itie
s fo
r
edu
cato
rs t
o d
eco
nst
ruct
th
e st
and
ard
s to
dev
elo
p c
om
mo
n
un
der
stan
din
g o
f th
eir
mea
nin
g
and
to
exa
min
e st
ud
ent
wo
rk
Bu
ild a
sses
smen
t lit
erac
y o
f
teac
her
s an
d s
tud
ents
Bu
ild in
tern
al c
apac
ity
to s
ust
ain
h
igh
-qu
alit
y im
ple
men
tati
on
Cre
ate
op
po
rtu
nit
ies
to p
ract
ice
an
d r
efin
e in
stru
ctio
nal
pra
ctic
es
Incl
ud
e a
syst
em f
or
eval
uat
ing
ef
fect
iven
ess
of
the
pla
n, r
ecei
v-in
g f
eed
bac
k fr
om
ed
uca
tors
an
d
mo
dif
yin
g a
s n
eces
sary
Rev
iew
an
d u
pd
ate
reso
urc
es
Tailo
r p
rofe
ssio
nal
dev
elo
pm
ent
off
erin
gs
to a
dd
ress
ed
uca
tors
’ an
d s
tud
ents
nee
ds
Use
dat
a to
info
rm in
stru
ctio
n,
sch
oo
l pra
ctic
e, a
nd
imp
lem
enta
-ti
on
po
licy
Co
mm
on
Co
re S
tate
Sta
nd
ard
s—Pla
nn
ing
to
Su
cceed
KEY
QU
ESTI
ON
S T
O C
ON
SID
ER
:
• W
hat
is th
e cu
rren
t aw
aren
ess
leve
l of t
each
ers,
ad
min
istr
ator
s,
par
ents
an
d th
e b
road
er
com
mu
nit
y?
• A
re s
take
hol
der
s bu
ildin
g a
cult
ure
that
su
pp
orts
the
imp
lem
enta
tion
of t
he
CC
SS?
• A
re s
tate
an
d lo
cal r
esou
rces
al
loca
ted
eq
uit
ably
acr
oss
the
dis
tric
t?
• D
o ed
uca
tors
hav
e ac
cess
to
hig
h-q
ual
ity
pro
fess
ion
al
dev
elop
men
t?
The
char
t in
dica
tes
step
s th
at s
hou
ld b
e ta
ken
chr
onol
ogic
ally
bu
t not
inde
pen
den
tly.
No
step
sho
uld
eve
r be
dee
med
com
plet
e.
On
goi
ng
awar
enes
s ca
mpa
ign
s an
d pl
ann
ing
sess
ion
s sh
ould
occ
ur
even
whi
le s
olic
itin
g fe
edba
ck o
n p
revi
ous
init
iati
ves.
34
PR
OFE
SSIO
NA
LD
EV
ELO
PM
EN
TIM
PLE
MEN
TATI
ON
AN
D F
EED
BA
CK
PLA
NN
ING
12
AW
AR
EN
ESS
The
K-1
2 C
omm
on C
ore
Stat
e St
and
ard
s (C
CSS
) p
rovi
de
an u
np
rece
den
ted
op
por
tun
ity—
and
ch
alle
nge
. In
ad
van
cin
g st
and
ard
s
for
mat
hem
atic
s an
d E
ngl
ish
lan
guag
e ar
ts, t
he
CC
SS h
ave
the
pot
enti
al to
hel
p tr
ansf
orm
the
very
DN
A o
f tea
chin
g an
d le
arn
ing.
A
s yo
u r
evie
w i
mp
lem
enta
tion
not
e th
e fo
llow
ing
qu
esti
ons
and
com
pon
ents
that
sh
ould
be
add
ress
ed.
ON
GO
ING
CO
MM
UN
ICA
TIO
N W
ITH
STA
KEH
OLD
ER
SST
AK
EHO
LDER
S: P
aren
ts, s
tud
ents
, tea
cher
s, b
usi
nes
s, c
om
mu
nit
y, la
bo
r, ci
vic
lead
ers,
med
ia, h
igh
er e
du
cati
on
fac
ult
y
Assessing Implementation of the Common Core State Standards | 3
ONGOING COMMUNICATION TO STAKEHOLDERS
Identifying and communicating with stakeholders builds the awareness of those who are vital for the implementation of the CCSS. Communication with stake-holders should be ongoing and two-way as implementation progresses.
Indicate the extent to which your district has:
Identified key stakeholders, for example:
Parents, students, civic leaders, faith-based leaders, politicians, labor, school board members, superintendents, media, business people, chamber of commerce members, and so forth.
Determined the messages that need to be communicated, for example:
Parents need to know that the goal of the Common Core State Standards is college and workforce readiness for all students. They need to know ways to help their children at home and resources they can access to learn more.
Union members and the district need to know that the CCSS are excellent for education because there are fewer and deeper standards. There was teacher involvement in generating and reviewing the standards. There is more student responsibility, and the standards level the playing field for all students, whether they are from affluent backgrounds or not. They create equity across educating all students.
Determined the methods for communication, for example:
Email, print, media (newspaper, radio), website.
Determined how often messages are revised and/or updated.
Assessing Implementation of the Common Core State Standards
KEY: Not at all Just started Partially Almost completely Fully implemented
In the box below, indicate the number of times you (or your group) circled each indicator in response to the extent to which your district has engaged in key components of Common Core Implementation:
ONGOING COMMUNICATION
Not at all Just started Partially Almost completely Fully implemented
4 | AFT
AWARENESS
Building on the foundation of stakeholder awareness, collaboratively develop-ing a sustainable plan for implementation helps to ensure the presence of a culture that supports the implementation of the CCSS.
Indicate the extent to which your district has:
Collaboratively developed a sustainable plan for implementation, to include events and actions, as well as answers to these questions:
What is the timeline for completing activities?
What are the tools/processes for monitoring progress?
Who is responsible?
How does this information get shared?
What is the process for revising the plan?
Collaboratively set expectations for stakeholders to:
Understand the definition of the phrase “college and career readiness.”
Know the importance of the instructional shifts for English Language Arts and Mathematics standards.
Advocate the importance of having proper CCSS implementation supports in place and the time needed to get this right to a variety of stakeholders.
Established a process for identifying and developing teacher leaders, which includes:
An application process;
A peer review process in which peers respond to a variety of questions regarding the applicant (different approaches can be used to select peers);
Training and professional development; and
A plan for expanding training to educators.
KEY: Not at all Just started Partially Almost completely Fully implemented
Assessing Implementation of the Common Core State Standards | 5
Created a detailed budget that reflects an assessment of resources and which:
Identifies what teachers are going to need but don’t currently have;
Identifies compensation for professional development (monetary, credits, time, etc.);
Provides transparency;
Reflects a collaborative approach.; and
Assesses need for realignment of allocated dollars.
KEY: Not at all Just started Partially Almost completely Fully implemented
In the box below, indicate the number of times you (or your group) circled each indicator in response to the extent to which your district has engaged in key components of Common Core Implementation:
AWARENESS
Not at all Just started Partially Almost completely Fully implemented
6 | AFT
PLANNING
Building on the awareness of the CCSS created with stakeholders, this planning stage establishes the materials, structures, and people that will be necessary to implement the standards.
Indicate the extent to which your district has:
Identified and trained teacher leaders as Common Core advocates for other educators.
Provided copies of the standards to every teacher, paraprofessional and other appropriate school support staff.
Developed a professional development plan that ensures sustainability and builds capacity.
Developed a professional development plan that includes all educators.
Created a resource review team that aligns existing instructional resources to the CCSS by:
Identifying the necessary tools to review instructional materials (AFT Alignment Tools for ELA/Math, achievethecore.org: EQUIP Rubric);
Establishing a process for communicating results to educators, including gaps that exist; and
Researching and identifying resources that are better aligned to the CCSS.
Examined school/district infrastructure for opportunities for common planning time collaboratively with school and district staff, such as:
Block scheduling;
Providing aides for nonacademic duties to allow time for staff to work collaboratively;
Examining ways to creatively structure the school day for collaborative time;
Scheduling community service time for middle/high school students that is tied to literacy/social studies standards; and
Requesting a waiver from the state for delayed start or early release once a month.1
KEY: Not at all Just started Partially Almost completely Fully implemented
1. “Finding Time for Collaboration,” by Mary Anne Raywid, Educational Leadership, vol. 51, no. 1, September 1993.
Assessing Alignment to the Common Core State Standards | 7
Reallocated professional development resources to focus on the Common Core in all grades at every school.
Identified time for teachers to have collegial conversations and review student work.
Integrated teacher supports for ELLs and special needs populations into Common Core instruction and professional development.
Identified instructional and social/emotional supports for ELLs and special needs populations
Coordinated Teacher Development and Evaluation policies with the Common Core standards.
In the box below, indicate the number of times you (or your group) circled each indicator in response to the extent to which your district has engaged in key components of Common Core Implementation:
PLANNING
Not at all Just started Partially Almost completely Fully implemented
8 | AFT
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Moving forward, professional development should include deliberate links between Teacher Development and Evaluation (TDE) and the Common Core (CC). Link-ing together the components used in the teaching domains helps teachers to become more thoughtful practitioners and builds on the foundation of good teaching prac-tices. CC implementation should not be viewed as an add-on to TDE.
Indicate the extent to which your district has:
Developed plans for job-embedded professional development.
Built capacity for internal training using teacher leaders, coaches, specialists.
Restructured staff meetings for professional development using teacher leaders.
Provided opportunities to deconstruct the standards and develop common understanding of their meaning.
Strengthened the “assessment literacy” of teachers, paraprofessionals, students, parents and school leaders, which should include:
Understanding sound assessment practices;
Describing the different types of assessment used to generate dependable student achievement information; and
Using data for intended purposes.
Identified methods for assessing the effectiveness of professional development.
Assured professional development is sustainable.
Assured professional development is accessible to all educators.
Offered professional development through a blended model of online, in person, and Professional Learning Communities (PLC).
Provided staff in nontested grades and subject areas with supports and training to implement Common Core strategies.
Included training opportunities to engage in cross-curricular planning and lesson development.
In the box below, indicate the number of times you (or your group) circled each indicator in response to the extent to which your district has engaged in key components of Common Core Implementation:
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Not at all Just started Partially Almost completely Fully implemented
Assessing Alignment to the Common Core State Standards | 9
IMPLEMENTATION AND FEEDBACK
This process should be modeled as a continuous improvement process that evolves over time. This process will never be completed because the issues that need to be addressed will change.
Indicate the extent to which your district has:
Developed a process for collaboratively reviewing and revising its plan on an ongoing basis.
Created opportunities for teachers and paraprofessionals to refine skills and strategies by visiting one another’s classrooms to review quality instructional practices.
Requested continuous feedback on plans and processes from all educators and other stakeholders.
Developed a process for gathering, analyzing and sharing contextual data (data related to all aspects of the classroom, staffing, school and students) that informs decision making around school and district policies and instruction, and incorporates supports for sustainability.
Developed a process for gathering, analyzing and sharing student assessment data (summative and formative) that informs decision making around school and district policies and instruction, and incorporates supports for sustainability.
In the box below, indicate the number of times you (or your group) circled each indicator in response to the extent to which your district has engaged in key components of Common Core Implementation:
IMPLEMENTATION & FEEDBACK
Not at all Just started Partially Almost completely Fully implemented
10 | AFT
Imp
lem
en
tati
on
Pre
para
tio
n a
nd
Pla
nn
ing
Act
ion
Item
Step
sTi
mel
ine
Coor
dina
tor/
Pers
on
Resp
onsi
ble
Del
iver
able
s or
O
utco
me
Mea
sure
sSu
ppor
ts &
Re
sour
ces
1. 2.GU
IDIN
G Q
UES
TIO
NS
Ass
ess:
Whe
re a
re w
e n
ow?
Goa
l Set
tin
g: W
here
do
we
wan
t to
be?
Iden
tify
Nee
ds:
Wha
t is
nec
essa
ry to
get
to o
ur
goal
s?
Det
erm
ine
Feas
ibil
ity:
Giv
en c
urr
ent c
apac
ity,
str
uct
ure
s,
pol
icie
s, a
nd
reso
urc
es h
ow fe
asib
le is
this
goa
l?
Usi
ng
the
guid
ing
qu
esti
ons,
pri
orit
ize
area
s an
d d
evel
op a
wor
k p
lan
that
we
join
tly
imp
lem
ent f
rom
the
self-
asse
ssm
ent d
ocu
men
t. B
uild
on
cu
rren
t str
engt
hs
and
nat
ura
l sh
ort t
erm
op
por
tun
itie
s as
yo
u id
enti
fy a
ctio
n it
ems.
Assessing Alignment to the Common Core State Standards | 11
Act
ion
Item
Step
sTi
mel
ine
Coor
dina
tor/
Pers
on
Resp
onsi
ble
Del
iver
able
s or
O
utco
me
Mea
sure
sSu
ppor
ts &
Re
sour
ces
1. 2. Act
ion
Item
Step
sTi
mel
ine
Coor
dina
tor/
Pers
on
Resp
onsi
ble
Del
iver
able
s or
O
utco
me
Mea
sure
sSu
ppor
ts &
Re
sour
ces
3. 4.
For more information please contact:
Lisa DickinsonPhone: 202-393-8635Fax: 202-393-7483E-mail: [email protected]
Jasmine GaryPhone: 202-879-4459Fax: 202-393-6371E-mail: [email protected]
10/13