Understanding the

Common Core State Standards

The Common Core State Standards Initiative

Beginning in the spring of 2009, Governors and state commissioners of education from 48 states, 2 territories and the District of Columbia committed to developing a common core of state K-12 English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics standards.

The Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI) is a state-led effort coordinated by the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO).

www.corestandards.org

Why Common Core State Standards?

The Common Core standards:

Prepare students with knowledge and skills to succeed in college and career

Ensure consistent expectations regardless of a student’s zip code

Provide educators, parents, and students with clear, focused guideposts

Offer economies of scale and sharing of best practices

The Common Core Process

K-12 Common Standards: Core writing teams in English Language Arts and Mathematics (See www.corestandards.org for list of team members)

External and state feedback teams provided on-going feedback to writing teams throughout the process

Draft K-12 standards were released for public comment on March 10, 2010; 9,600 comments received

Validation Committee of leading experts reviews standards

Final standards were released June 2, 2010

Common Core State Standards Evidence Base

Evidence was used to guide critical decisions in the following areas:

Inclusion of particular content Timing of when content should be introduced and the

progression of that content Ensuring focus and coherence Organizing and formatting the standards Determining emphasis on particular topics in standards

Common Core State Standards Evidence Base

Evidence includes:

Standards from high-performing countries, leading states, and nationally-regarded frameworks

Research on adolescent literacy, text complexity, mathematics instruction, quantitative literacy

Lists of works consulted and research base included in standards’ appendices

Common Core State Standards Design

Building on the strength of current state standards, the CCSS are designed to be:

Focused, coherent, clear and rigorous

Internationally benchmarked

Anchored in college and career readiness*

Evidence- and research-based

*Ready for first-year credit-bearing, postsecondary coursework in mathematics and English without the need for remediation.

46 States + DC Have Adopted the CCSS

Common Core State Standards

Common Core State Standards for Mathematics

Common Core State Standards for Mathematics

Grade-Level Standards

K-8 grade-by-grade standards organized by domain

9-12 high school standards organized by conceptual categories

Standards for Mathematical Practice

Describe mathematical “habits of mind”

Connect with content standards in each grade

Content Standards by Domain (K-8) and Conceptual Category (9-12)

Number-Counting and Cardinality

Number-Operations and the Problems They Solve

Number-Base Ten

Number-Fractions

Measurement and Data

Geometry

Ratios and Proportional Reasoning

The Number System

Expressions and Equations

Functions

Geometry

Statistics and Probability

High SchoolK-5 6-8

Number and Quantity

Algebra

Functions

Geometry

Statistics and Probability

Standards for Mathematical Practice

Eight Standards for Mathematical Practice Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them

Reason abstractly and quantitatively

Construct viable arguments and critique the understanding of others

Model with mathematics

Use appropriate tools strategically

Attend to precision

Look for and make use of structure

Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning

Major Shifts in Mathematics

From… To…

A mile-wide, inch-deep curriculum that speeds through topics, rather than building strong foundation

Focus: Focus strongly where the standards focus

Scattered, isolated topics that don’t build on student understanding

Coherence: Think across grades, and link to major topics

Math curricula that emphasize either fluency or understanding in mathematics and that application is often seen as just “extra”

Rigor: In major topics, pursue conceptual understanding, procedural skill and fluency, and application

Key Instructional Shifts in CCSS)

MATHEMATICS

A sharper focus on fewer key topics in each grade to allow educators and students to go deeper into the content so students can better understand concepts.

A coherent progression of learning across grades and across concepts, with each progression resulting in students’ fluency in a given concept. Each standard is not a new event, but an extension of previous learning.

Rigor through mathematical practices that foster reasoning, flexible and real-world application, and deeper conceptual understanding across the discipline.

Common Core State Standards

Common Core State Standards for

English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science,

and Technical Subjects

Common Core State Standards

College and Career Readiness (CCR) Standards

Overarching standards for each strand that are further defined by grade-specific standards

Grade-Level Standards in English Language Arts

K-8, grade-by-grade

9-10 and 11-12 grade bands for high school

Four strands: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, and Language

Common Core State Standards

Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Standards are embedded at grades K-5

Content-specific literacy standards are provided for grades 6-8, 9-10, and 11-12

Key Instructional Shifts in CCSS

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS/LITERACY

A balance between literature and nonfiction and informational texts, supported by literacy standards for science, history, and technical subjects to enable students to read and write in a wider range of contexts.

An emphasis on explanatory writing, including writing and speaking using evidence drawn from texts to present careful analyses, well-defended claims, and clear information.

Regular practice with increasingly complex test and its academic language, or words that may appear in a variety of contexts.

Overview of Writing Strand

Writing Expect students to compose arguments and opinions, informative/explanatory

pieces, and narrative texts

Focus on the use of reason and evidence to substantiate an argument or claim

Emphasize ability to conduct research – short projects and sustained inquiry

Require students to incorporate technology as they create, refine, and collaborate on writing

Include student writing samples that illustrate the criteria required to meet the standards (See standards’ appendices for writing samples)

Overview of Speaking and Listening

Speaking and Listening Focus on speaking and listening in a range of settings, both

formal and informal – academic, small-group, whole-class discussions

Emphasize effective communication practices

Require interpretation and analysis of message as presented through oral, visual, or multimodal formats

Media and Technology are integrated throughout the CCSS

Overview of Language Strands

Language Include conventions for writing and speaking

Highlight the importance of vocabulary acquisition through a mix of conversation, direct instruction, and reading

To be addressed in context of reading, writing, speaking and listening

Media and Technology are integrated throughout the CCSS

BCPS Transitions to new standards by:

• Revising curricula in mathematics and ELA/literacy across all grades to realign with the new standards

• Providing professional development for Principals, Assistant Principals, Department Chairs, Literacy Leaders, Staff Development teachers, classroom teachers, pupil personnel workers

• Communicating with parents and the greater BCPS community• Ensuring text materials are appropriately rigorous, relevant, accessible, and

responsive• Monitoring student performance data to ready students for more rigorous

instructional and assessment tasks

Common Core and PARCC Resources

http://www.bcps.org/video/2013/CommonCoreStandards.htm

parcconline.org

http://www.corestandards.org/resources/frequently-asked-questions

http://www.cgcs.org/domain/36

www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/programs/ccss

www.edutopia.org/common-core-state-standards-resources

Understanding the

Common Core State Standards