eSchool News | common core state standards page 2

Admins predict changes in rigor, instruction under Common Core

The Common Core comes with new instructional requirements, administrators said in a survey.

A new report from the Center on Education Policy (CEP) finds that states are actively working to implement the Common Core State Standards through planning, professional development, and technical assistance, although many adopting states said they are struggling to find enough resources and manpower to implement the new standards effectively.

The report surveyed 40 states, of which all are adopting the Common Core State Standards English/language arts standards, and 39 of the responding states are adopting the math standards. All surveyed states said they agreed that implementing the Common Core State Standards will improve student achievement because the standards are more rigorous than their previous standards.

“It is pretty clear that most state leaders believe the Common Core represents a significant shift toward more rigorous academic standards in math and English language arts and that students will benefit from that increased rigor,” said CEP Executive Director Maria Ferguson. “It is equally clear that states are facing significant challenges in preparing and supporting teachers and school leaders as they implement the standards across grades.”…Read More

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4 reasons why the Common Core Standards are losing popularity

In what could be compared to, well, many education reform initiatives over the years—educational technology included—a once-widely, and quickly, accepted initiative is dividing the education community; begging the question, ‘Are the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) just another flash in education’s pan?’

45 states and the District of Columbia have adopted the CCSS in what was once lauded as a giant step in the right direction in trying to improve student achievement and college- and career-readiness.

The K-12 Standards, developed for Mathematics and English Language Arts, are designed to bring student learning into the 21^st Century through the inclusion of, and focus on, digital media, social learning tools, critical thinking skills, and online assessments.…Read More

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Report: High school diplomas don’t support Common Core

According to a recent report, many states have yet to practice a critical 21^st Century skill: Common sense. The report reveals that although most states have adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), their diplomas remain CCSS deficient.

The report, “Out of Sync,” produced by Change the Equation (CTEq) and the National School Boards Association’s Center for Public Education (CPE), found that of the 45 states and the District of Columbia that have voluntarily adopted Common Core, only 11 have aligned their graduation requirements in mathematics with those standards.

(Next page: Classes that should be required)…Read More

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A key priority for ed-tech leaders: Meeting Common Core needs

While school IT leaders voiced support the Common Core, they noted a number of concerns that could affect their ability to meet the standards’ ed-tech requirements.

School superintendents and curriculum directors aren’t the only K-12 administrators worried about the changes being ushered in with the Common Core standards: In a recent survey, 83 percent of ed-tech leaders said preparing for Common Core assessments is among their top three priorities—and 62 percent fear they won’t have enough IT infrastructure to support online testing.

The survey of 300 school IT professionals comes from CDW-G, which released the results of its poll on what ed-tech leaders think about the Common Core standards during the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conference in San Antonio last week.

The Common Core State Standards, which all but five U.S. states have adopted, are designed to ensure that students have the skills and knowledge they need to be successful in college and the workforce. To that end, a critical element of the Common Core is technology that supports teaching, learning, and student assessment—and ed-tech leaders are feeling the pressure this entails.…Read More

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Backlash over Common Core State Standards

There was little dissent when the standards were widely adopted in 2010, but that begun changing last year and debate picked up steam this year.

Some states are pushing back against the Common Core State Standards, a set of uniform benchmarks for reading, writing, and math that have been fully adopted in most states and are being widely put in place this school year.

The new Common Core State Standards replace a hodgepodge of educational goals that had varied greatly from state to state. The federal government was not involved in the state-led effort to develop them but has encouraged the project.

While proponents say the new standards will better prepare students, critics worry they’ll set a national curriculum for public schools rather than letting states decide what is best for their students.…Read More

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How to train students’ brains for the Common Core

The Common Core State Standards ask students to perform with higher levels of cognition and application, and brain training and specific teaching methods can help students succeed with these new standards, experts say.

According to Margaret Glick, a neuroscience expert and educational consultant at the International Center for Leadership in Education (ICLE), the Common Core State Standards and the accompanying assessments will cognitively require more than past standards.

“They will require a deep understanding of content, complex performances, real-world application, habits of mind to persevere, higher levels of cognition and cognitive flexibility,” Glick said during “The Common Core State Standards and the Brain,” a webinar sponsored by the Learning Enhancement Corporation.…Read More

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Editorial: Make the Common Core standards work before making them count

The fact that the changes are being made nationwide without anything close to adequate preparation is a failure of leadership, Weingarten says.

[Editor’s note: This is an edited version of remarks made by Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, at the Association for a Better New York on April 30.]

Our obligation as a nation, and my obligation as an educator, is to help children achieve their potential, participate in our democracy, and propel our economy forward. In today’s world, that means our students must be prepared to compete—not on the basis of their test-taking skills, but on their ability to solve problems, analyze and apply knowledge, and work with others.

So, what if I told you there is a way to transform the very DNA of teaching and learning to move away from rote memorization and endless test-prep, and toward problem solving, critical thinking, and teamwork—things I know many of you have been advocating for years? And what if I told you there is a way to do that not a generation from now, but for students today, who will be the employees you’ll hire tomorrow?…Read More

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How the ‘Big6’ can aid in Common Core implementation

With implementation of the Common Core State Standards under way, a method known as the Big6 can help ensure that a curriculum put in place to meet the standards is rich in information, problem-solving, and decision-making, its creators say.

The Big6 is a six-stage model that develops students’ literacy and information skills as they solve problems and make decisions using the resources that are available to them. In essence, say creators Bob Berkowitz and Michael Eisenberg, the Big6 process can help students master the Common Core standards, because the process gives students a way to actually “do” each specified portion of the standards.

“The Common Core State Standards present a challenge for schools and educators to integrate the standards into existing curriculum and into classroom instruction, and [they] present an opportunity for teacher-librarians to be part of the solution, to meet specific standards through information and technology literacy programs, and to raise the status and awareness of the information and technology literacy program,” said Berkowitz.…Read More

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New website unpacks the Common Core standards for educators, parents

Scholastic has launched a new website, “Common Sense for the Common Core,” that aims to help teachers, school leaders, and parents understand the standards, and provides instructional programs to implement them.

Built in consultation with Common Core experts, the website answers questions about the standards and points parents and teachers toward resources to help them understand what is changing and what is not.

“Common Sense for the Common Core” includes:…Read More

New guidance helps school leaders implement Common Core standards

A new series of action briefs from the nonprofit, nonpartisan group Achieve Inc. is intended to help elementary school principals, secondary school principals, and school counselors implement the Common Core State Standards.

“The action briefs [give] school leaders a deeper understanding of the [Common Core State Standards] and spell out the leaders’ critical role in implementation. Based on feedback from school leaders who expressed a need for more guidance, the action briefs outline strategies and techniques that can be used … by school leaders to prepare their schools, teachers, and students for the standards and upcoming new assessments,” said Achieve’s director of content and instructional supports, Doug Sovde.

Achieve developed the guidance in partnership with College Summit, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, and the National Association of Elementary School Principals, with support from the MetLife Foundation.…Read More