Common Core State Standards - Oak Park Elementary School ...

OAK PARK DISTRICT 97
March 12, 2013

CCSS…. WHY NOW?
The Common Core State Standards Initiative
is a state-led effort coordinated by the National
Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of
Chief State School Officers (CCSSO).
¡ Disparate standards across states
¡ Student mobility
¡ Global competition
¡ Today’s jobs require different skills

Why is this important for
students, teachers, and parents?
¡ Prepares students with the knowledge
and skills they need to succeed in
college and work
¡ Ensures consistent expectations
regardless of a student’s zip code
¡ Provides educators, parents, and
students with clear, focused guideposts

The Standards are……
¡ Fewer, clearer, and higher, to best drive
effective policy and practice;
¡ Aligned with college and work expectations, so
that all students are prepared for success upon
graduating from high school;
¡ Inclusive of rigorous content and application of
knowledge through high-order skills, so that all
students are prepared for the 21 st century;
¡ Internationally benchmarked, so that all
students are prepared for succeeding in our global
economy and society; and
¡ Research and evidence-based.

English Language Arts (ELA) Standards
College and Career Readiness (CCR) Standards
§ Overarching standards
Grade-Level Standards in English Language Arts
§ K-8, grade-by-grade
§ Four strands: Reading, Writing, Speaking and
Listening, and Language
Standards for Literacy in Social Studies and Science
§ Standards are embedded at grades K-5
§ Content-specific literacy standards are provided
for grades 6-8, 9-10, and 11-12

Research-Based
The Common Core is in part a response to the
steady decline in the complexity of texts
over the last 50 years in US schools.
Chall & Colleagues
Harvard University

ELA Standards
¡ All students must be able to
comprehend texts of steadily
increasing complexity as they
progress through school.
¡ The complexity of what students
read matters.

Literature/Informational Text
Grade
Level
Literature
Informational Text
4 th 50% 50%
8th 45% 55%
12th 30% 70%

Six Shifts in the ELA Standards
¡ Read as much non-fiction as fiction
¡ Help your child learn about the world by
reading
¡ Read more challenging material
¡ Discuss reading and ask for evidence from
your child from the text
¡ Write non-fiction
¡ Increase use of “academic” vocabulary

Mathematics
Focus strongly where the Standards
focus
Coherence: Think across grades, and
link to major topics within grades
Rigor: Require fluency, application,
and deep understanding

Mathematics Standards
Standards for Mathematical Content
§ K-8 grade-by-grade standards organized by
domain
Standards for Mathematical Practice
§ Describe mathematical “habits of mind”
§ Offer standards for mathematical proficiency:
reasoning, problem solving, modeling, decision
making, and engagement
§ Connect with content standards in each grade

Eight Standards
for Mathematical Practice
1. Make sense of
problems and persevere
in solving them.
2. Reason abstractly and
quantitatively.
3. Construct viable
arguments and critique
the reasoning of others.
4. Model with
mathematics.
5. Use appropriate tools
strategically.
6. Attend to precision.
7. Look for and make use
of structure.
8. Look for and express
regularity in repeated
reasoning.

Sample CCSS 4 th Grade Math Problem

Six Shifts in the Math Standards
¡ Focus – learn about fewer, key topics
¡ Keep building on learning year after
year
¡ Developing speed and accuracy
¡ Understand why math works and be
able to prove it
¡ Apply math in real world situations
¡ Think fast and solve problems

The Imperative
¡ Our new Common Core Standards will
challenge us to move beyond recall of
facts.
¡ We will be challenged to assess
student learning in more complex and
multi-dimensional ways.
¡ We will also be challenged to infuse
more cognitive complexity into the
knowledge-acquisition process.
(Conley, 2011)

The Partnership for Assessment of
Readiness for College and Careers:
§ Made up of 22 states
§ Charged with developing high-quality
math and English language arts tests for
grades 3–11
§ Computer-based and linked to what students
need to know for college and careers
§ Implementation in 2014–15 school year

PARCC Priorities
1. Determine whether students are college and
career ready or on track
17
2. Connect to the Common Core State Standards
3. Measure the full range of student
performance, including that of high- and lowachieving
students
4. Provide educators data throughout the year to
inform instruction
5. Create innovative 21st century, technologybased
assessments
6. Be affordable and sustainable

How will PARCC be different?
Students: Will know if they are on track
to graduate ready for college/careers
Teachers: Will have access to timely data to
guide learning and instruction
Parents: Will have clear and timely
information about student progress
States: Will have valid results that are
comparable across borders

COMMON CORE
Irony: It is not about being
“common” or “ordinary”

It is about….
Being EXTRAORDINARY!

For more information
¡ www.op97.org
§ National PTA Common Core Parent Guides
§ Parent Roadmaps from the Council of Great City
Schools
¡ Common Core State Standards
§ http://www.corestandards.org/
¡ PARCC - Partnership for Readiness for College and
Careers
§ http://www.parcconline.org