students raising hands in Naples classroom
While you were on vacation or your kids were living it up at summer camp, Collier County educators were busy preparing for what may be the most significant change to happen in public education in the past 50 years: the adaptation of the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Here is what you need to know to start the school year.
1. Common Core State Standards will be in place for all K-12 students by 2014-2015 academic year. This past school year, CCSS already was in effect for Collier County’s kindergarten and first graders. Second graders will be taught to the standards beginning with the 2013-2014 school year. Private schools soon may adopt the standards as well, according to Terri Logan of Independent Schools of Southwest Florida, which represents 70 accredited private schools. Many Catholic schools already have adopted the standards.
2. CCSS is an initiative to prepare students for college or the workforce based on the highest international standards. Common Core State Standards are based on research done by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the National Governors Association (NGA) to discover which skills students need to be successful in college or to enter the workforce directly out of high school. The initiative was supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which believes that states need to set a higher bar for what students need to know to compete in a global economy. Research was done across the United States and in top performing countries by teachers, practitioners and leaders in higher education and business to develop an evidence-based set of standards that are clear, consistent, rigorous, relevant and are aligned with college and work expectations.
3. We are not alone. We are not the pioneers of CCSS. The District of Columbia and 45 other states already have adopted CCSS. This means that nearly every state will teach the same standards, ensuring that students will have equal learning opportunities regardless of where they live. If a student moves to another school system or another state, they will be able to transition seamlessly into that curriculum. This is especially important in math. Previously, each of the 50 states had their own set of standards of what topics (for example: fractions, decimals) were covered in each grade. In Common Core, math skills consistently will be assigned to each grade.
4. No state in the country was asked to lower their existing standards to implement CCSS. In fact, the new content is more rigorous then previous standards. Rather than “a mile wide and an inch deep” approach to learning where a broad array of topics were superficially skimmed, students will spend more time developing critical thinking skills and gaining deeper understanding of the fundamentals. CCSS Math Team Coordinator Jason Zimba, Ph.D., states that the goal wasn’t “for all of the states to do the same thing, it was for all of them to raise their game.”
5. The new standardized testing for CCSS will be implemented in the 2014-2015 school year and may result in lower scores initially. Gone are the days of filling in multiple-choice bubbles where either mastery or a guess could elicit a correct response. While there still will be multiple-choice components to testing, students will be required to write in many answers, describe their reasoning and show their analysis and understanding.
6. English Language Learners and students with disabilities will be taught to the standards with the necessary support. Many curriculums in the past have focused on teaching English Language Learners the basics of English grammar and vocabulary rather than content proficiency and deeper understanding of course material. They were, in a sense, groomed to jump over the basic hurdles of assessment tests. Research shows that it takes an English Language Learner four to seven years to become proficient in another language, depending on age. To meet CCSS and adequately prepare these students for life after high school, the recommendations are to shift teaching from language classes independent of academic content to course work that encourages collaboration and communication while in a regular class.
For students with disabilities, the CCSS documents state that instruction must provide accommodation and support for students in accordance with their individual education plan.
7. The needs of gifted learners will be met. The developers of the CCSS understood that while the new standards will employ more critical thinking and more rigorous material, differentiated education for gifted students will not be eliminated. The CCSS documents state that gifted students likely will achieve rapid and early mastery of the new standards. Teachers will differentiate gifted student education by using more complex texts, engaging the students in research, debate and problem solving with English Language Arts and early introduction of probability, statistics and reasoning with math. For example, a student entering kindergarten reading at a second grade level will receive instruction using third grade texts with appropriate comprehension questions and writing assignments, according to the website www.definingthecore.com.
8. The English Language Arts Standards include literature and non-fiction to develop higher-order thinking. Schools will not dictate which works should be read but will give lists of material compatible with each reading level so teachers have the flexibility to choose their own texts. The material will increase in complexity and may range from Shakespeare to America’s founding documents. The research showed a decline in students actually reading textbooks and expository content over the past few decades, which resulted in too many students reading at a low level. With college courses requiring the reading of complex textbooks and many careers requiring deciphering directions and trade journals, the focus on non-fiction will be a priority.
9. CCSS affect only English Language Arts and Math at this time. Other initiatives are being developed for standards in Science, World Languages and Art by separate organizations not related to the CCSSO or the NGA teams that developed Common Core. There will be extensive research and opportunities for public input before the standards are ready for state adoption.
10. The federal government had no role in the development and the implementation of Common Core Standards. Adopting the standards by the states was not mandatory and the implementation will continue to be a state-led effort. Participating in programs that raise the standards of education, however, make states eligible for federal Race to the Top education grants.
Stacy Nicolau is the Assistant Publisher of Neapolitan Family and a mother of three who regularly contributes articles on education.
To see the extensive research behind the standards, go to: www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_A.pdf
For answers to frequently asked questions about Common Core State Standards:
www.corestandards.org/resources/frequently-asked-questions http://definingthecore.com
To read about the research and recommendations for teaching English Language Learners:
www.all4ed.org/files/LangAndLiteracyInStandardsELLs.pdf
To read about standards being developed for science, world languages and art education:
www.nextgenscience.org
www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/Aligning_CCSS_Language_Standards_v6.pdf
www.arteducators.org/news/national-coalition-for-core-arts-standards-nccas
To keep up with Common Core State Standards news in Collier County:
www.collierschools.com/candi/cc_parents.asp
To see what Southwest Florida private schools are doing to prepare for adopting Common Core State Standards:
www.redefinedonline.org/2013/06/florida-private-schools-still-showing-interest-in-common-core/