The Common Core State Standards

1
The Common Core State Standards

• Maine Education Association

2
Things to know

• CCSS
• is not a curriculum
• does not dictate curriculum or teaching methods
• defines what all students are expected to know
  and be able to do
• does not define how teachers should teach
• focuses on outcomes, not instruction

3
Timeline for Smarter balanced assessment

• Pilot and release sample test
• Spring 2014 Field test
• 2014-15 Full implementation
• 2015 Final achievement standards verified and
  adopted
• The SBAC Promise
• All features will be available for the field test.

4
Assessment systems

• Even if Smarter Balanced Assessments delivers on
  all that is promised, the assessment will not
  comprise a complete assessment system.
• An assessment system must feature a balanced
  approach that includes multiple types of evidence
  so there is a robust picture of student learning.

5
Common core Supporters

• National Governors Association
• CCSSO (State Commissioners)
• Civil Rights groups like NAACP, LaRaza,
• LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens)
• Chamber of Commerce
• Reform groups like Stand for Children and Teach
  for America
• Foundations like Gates and GE

6
Common Core Doubters

• Network for Public Education (Diane Ravitch and
  Anthony Cody)
• Badass Teachers Association
• Tea Party conservatives
• Parents and Teachers Against Common Core on
  Facebook

7
Where is the NEA?

• The NEA
• supports the standards
• has called for time, tools and resources for
  educators and students
• has called for reduction in high stakes
  standardized tests
• has called for a moratorium on using the field
  test results of SBAC for accountability for two
  years

8
Where is MEA?

• Full position statement can be found online
• http//maine.nea.org/home/1536.htm

9
THE MAINE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

• The Maine Learning Results were most recently
  updated in 2011 to include Common Core as the
  standards for English language arts and math.
   They are to be fully implemented in the
  2013-2014 school year.
• COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS
• emphasize more complex content and concepts
• emphasize real-world skills like problem
  solving, collaboration, critical thinking, and
  communication
• set a high bar for all Maine students
• leave as local decision - 
•  curriculum, 
•  required reading and school operations, 
•  helping students meet and/or exceed the
  standards

10
Where is your district?

• What is the status of your school districts
  implementation of CCSS?
• What staff development opportunities have you had
  to prepare educators for teaching the standards?
• What classroom practices have you based on CCSS
  implementation?
• How do you communicate this information to
  parents?

11

• What other topics are important
• to the discussion of CCSS?