Common Core Standards: Implementation in California September 25 th, 2014 Grounding: 1997 What Are The Common Core Standards? Why Do We Need Them? Updated goals for learning that work grade-by-grade, step-by- step toward what modern careers and colleges expect When students graduate they are ready for college, ready for work- ready for life. Flexible kind of skill set Adapt to new situations Apply what they know to unforeseen problems Weave together knowledge from different content areas, problem- solving skills, and the ability to communicate and work in teams Strong Skill Ropes Yield Strong Societies. niacommoncore/index.html Do Teachers Support the CCSS? The key to success lies in implementation California teachers are professionals who understand how to use standards in general and who can adjust to these particular standards with time and support If we think of the standards as a blueprint for remodeling the way we approach teaching and learning, teachers recognize we have to roll up our sleeves and get to work on the renovation. 5 Preparing for Their Future We dont know what tomorrows jobs will be Prepare students for the modern economy by building the critical thinking, and problem solving skills that can be applied in any context Focus on deeper, richer more applicable learning California: a Center for Innovation and Leadership Prepare kids for a complex and flexible future Requires adding new skills to the traditional curriculum CCSS are a focused set of up-to-date learning goals that work step-by-step, by grade level, up to what the modern world expects in our workplace We need the talents and contributions of all learners to be available to our communities. We Live In A Constantly Changing, Information Saturated World Use information like cooks use ingredients Learning the qualities of good information, where it comes from, what it can be used for, and how to use it in multiple contexts That kind of learning comes from: Hands-on experiences Opportunities to experiment and make mistakes Opportunities to refine and try new approaches Students are active participants in their learning, using tools, solving problems, producing knowledge. Like cooks, they get their hands dirty. Everyone Who Knows Californias Schools Know That There Are Many Wonderful Things Going On In Them Just like a house needs on-going maintenance and periodic updates to maintain its value, our school system is due for a renovation We work to keep whats valuable and working well, and to update or change whats not Remodeling is hard work and requires some dust, noise and inconvenience-but if we do this right, the improvements will make teaching and learning more effective, which is important for our continued civic and economic progress. The changes we need to make to our education system are like remodeling a valuable but outdated housekeeping what works, updating what doesnt, to make it more functional for todays needs.. The Master Craftspeople In The CCSS Remodeling Project Have To Be The People Closest To The Work Teachers, administrators, districts Gather information from families and students The standards are not curriculum, but a specific set of learning goals We need teachers to make decisions about the best, most relevant ways for their students to reach these goals Educators need the right tools and supports in place as they build learning experiences for our students. The preparation, resources, and materials necessary to implement the CCSS and the assessments that go with them are a necessary and worthy investment WE need to ensure that our future leaders have the skills required to tackle the problems of tomorrow.. How Can You Help Your Child with the Literacy Goals? -Ask your child specific questions about what they read. -Encourage children to read, then write and speak about, nonfiction text such as newspapers, magazines, and biographies. -Encourage children to research topics of interest and read series that relate to a central topic. -Have your child follow step by step instructions or a set of directions in order to accomplish a task, such as building a sandcastle or operating a game. How Can You Help Your Child In Math? -Help children practice their addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts. -Encourage children not to give up while solving problems, to build stamina and develop their critical thinking skills. Dont give them the answers - ask them to think of different ways they can solve problems. -Have children illustrate the math they were thinking in their head and discuss it out loud. -Have children apply their math knowledge to a real-world scenario at home, such as doubling a recipe or calculating the area of a room. Why Are We Changing The Way Our Kids Are Assessed? 15www.collegewood.org 16 Preparing for Their Future Deeper learning is the process of learning for transfer. It enables an individual to take what was learned in one situation and apply it to new situations. ~ Partnership for 21 st Century Learning Resources for Parents23 Additional Resources Council of the Great City Schools Parent Roadmaps: MathELA / LiteracyNational Parent Teachers Association (PTA)Achieve the CoreCommon Core State Standards Text Exemplars24