College and Career-Ready Standards for School Leaders

Thomas W. Gunlock is a member of the Ohio State Board of Education

"Working in the world of state-level education policy, frustration and disappointment are part of the job. I admit to giving in to frustration and even a little anger over the past year at the all-too-frequent hypocrisy."

"Everyone always says, “It’s about the kids,” but in reality, policy too often has little to do with children or their well-being. The focus always seems to come down to adults and institutions doing what they do best — protecting their status quo."

Teacher Mark Sass says teachers can implement Common Core Standards successfully if they and district administrators create the right conditions.

Teachers will be able to seamlessly incorporate the common core standards into their everyday practice if districts give teachers:

1) differentiated time,

2) plenty of feedback,

3) and the opportunity to struggle with the new standards.

With the 2014-15 Common-Core transition looming, we wondered: How are Ohio’s educators preparing themselves for this big change? Who is doing this work and what can other schools and districts learn from the early adopters?

"A major undertaking but worth the effort."

"Transitioning to a new system of common standards is possible – and actually wanted by frontline educators."

Under Ohio's current accountability system:

• 61 percent of third graders in Columbus (Ohio’s largest school district) are deemed proficient in readinUnder the Common Core standards coming online in 2014-15, it is projected that closer to 37 percent would be proficient.
• By eighth grade, just 29 percent would be proficient under the Common Core, despite 69 percent being deemed proficient today

Norwich, CT

Amanda Fagan, Principal of Ledyard High School, believes Common Core State Standards for schools ease transitions for children, especially those from military families. That hits close to home, since Fagan is the daughter of a well-traveled Navy veteran. The standards, which are being integrated into Ledyard High School’s curriculum, allow “plenty of creativity” and set up a “common language” for discussion, Fagan said.

NCTM serves math teachers, math educators, and administrators by providing math resources and professional development opportunities. Working for more and better math for all students.

NCTM Implementation Support

The adoption of the Common Core State Standards for mathematics could have significant implications for teachers. NCTM has prepared an overview PowerPoint presentation and other presentations for Pre-K–Grade 3, grades 4–5, grades 6–8, and high school to inform teachers and to support them in implementation of the Common Core Standards. Other presentations for grade bands are under development and will be made available soon.

• Over 100 years (yes, one hundred) of research has documented the occurrence of “summer learning loss,” a loss in academic skills and knowledge during the summer months that sets students back academically if they are not engaged in meaningful formal or informal summer learning and enrichment activities.
• It’s also well-documented that summer learning loss, which is cumulative over time, contributes directly to a widening of the achievement gap between low-income and middle-income students, and that a lack of summer learning opportunities also contributes to increased student drop-out rates.

Washington Post

May 23, 2012

By Donna St. George

As AP and IB courses proliferate, some schools are taking the next step: bringing in instructors to teach actual university classes.

Students are having early experiences of college life, taking full-on college courses as high school seniors in Montgomery County (MD) to get a glimpse of what lies ahead: fewer scheduled hours of class, more independent work and less hand-holding from instructors.

They reflect a growing interest in many areas of the country to go beyond work that is college-level and try college itself.

Columnist Leanna Landsmann answers reader questions on education.

"The new voluntary, internationally benchmarked K-12 standards seek to give all students a strong knowledge and skills foundation in math and English."

Here is a video of Phil Daro calling for a change in classroom habits of how we teach students to solve problems. Great quote, from Phil’s daughter: 

“Daddy, I don’t have time to understand it, I just want to get it right on the test.”

International Reading Association Common Core State Standards Resources include:

• Webinars
• Powerpoint Presentations
• Articles