Common+Core+Expectations

Allstaff e-mail from Lynette:

Hello everyone,

This is a summary of a PowerPoint being delivered at network meetings to all principals about preparing for the common core. This comes from the Chancellor's office.


 * Today's students live and will work in a different world
 * Students need to know how to think critically and apply their knowledge to solve non-routine problems
 * The Common Core standards outline a new definition and trajectory of college and career readiness that reflect the demands of the 21st century
 * The Common Core standards provide an opportunity to raise the bar and help us prepare our students to be more globally competitive
 * Students need to engage in rigorous work aligned with new standards
 * Teachers need to work in teams to review student work and align curriculum and teacher practice with the Common Core
 * Create entry points into the curriculum for all students
 * School leaders need to provide teachers with meaningful feedback tied to a clear standard of excellence

Fall Expectations:


 * Schools analyze student work samples in relation to Common Core standards through existing teacher teams engaged in collaborative inquiry
 * As a result, schools understand the current state of teacher and student work and determine how to strengthen

Winter/Spring Expectations:


 * Schools engage all students in working toward CCSS by trying at least one literacy culminating task and one math culminating task
 * Tasks need to be embedded in curricula
 * Curricula are made accessible through use of Universal Design for Learning

The Standards to be leveraged:


 * Read and analyze informational texts and write opinions and arguments in response to those texts
 * Use modeling (math practice #4) to solve a cognitively demanding math task in a given domain of focus at each grade level

Teacher expectations:


 * Will be measured against a rubric of practice (Danielson)
 * Engage in short, frequent cycles of classroom observations and collaborative examination of student work followed by timely specific, evidence based feedback that teachers can act on

Teacher evaluation system will be 60% teacher competencies (professional skills and behavior, observations, maybe student feedback), 20% local measures of student learning, and 20% state measures of student learning.

Time as a Resource


 * Schools will need to create innovative school schedules to allow for teacher teams to meet
 * Structure Circular 6 activities to provide teacher teams with additional time
 * Use SBO process to allow for longer extended time sessions and for collaborative meetings