Common Core State Standards

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Common Core State Standards

• A Primer for Parents

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What are the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) ?

• The Common Core State Standards grew out of an
  effort to develop a set of educational standards
  that are consistent across the country.
• The Common Core State Standards replace an
  individual states state standards for education
  which determine what is going to be taught and
  when it will be covered.
• In Louisiana, they are replacing our GLEs (Grade
  Level Expectations).

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What are the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) ?

• The standards provide a set of learning skills
  that all American students should achieve in
  order to be successful in a career or college.
• The standards are more rigorous than state
  standards have been in the past.
• The standards are written for ELA and Math and
  progress from kindergarten through high school.

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What are the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) ?

• The Common Core State Standards were developed by
  the Council of Chief State School Officers
  (CCSSO) and the NGA Center (National Governors
  Association) working with parents, teachers,
  school administrators, and educational experts.
• They have been adopted by 46 states so far.

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Common Core State Standards in ELA

• In ELA, there are 3 major shifts or changes in
  instruction.

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Common Core State Standards in ELA

• 1. More complex text will be used.

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Common Core State Standards in ELA

• 2. Evidence from the text will be used to
  support both reading and writing.

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Common Core State Standards in ELA

• 3. There will be a much greater emphasis gaining
  knowledge from non-fiction text.

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Common Core State Standards in Math

• There are 4 instructional shifts in Math.

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Common Core State Standards in Math

• 1. The math curriculum is more focused so that
  fewer concepts, or topics, are covered at each
  level, but what is included is covered in much
  greater depth.

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Common Core State Standards in Math

• 2. The order in which math topics are covered
  has been rearranged so that the overall
  progression of instruction is more coherent.

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Common Core State Standards in Math

• 3. There is increased emphasis on understanding
  math. This includes being able to justify why an
  answer is correct and applying math to real-life
  problems.

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Common Core State Standards in Math

• 4. Precision and fluency in math are also being
  stressed.

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Where are we at with implementing the Common Core
State Standards?

• 1. We are in a transitional period. The Common
  Core State Standards are being phased in.
• 2. Kindergarten and first graders from 2012-13
  have started the CCSS.
• 3. In other grades, the curriculum is shifting
  toward the CCSS more slowly so that there are no
  gaps in what students learn.

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How will we assess student mastery of the Common
Core State Standards?

• New standardized tests, known as the PARCC tests,
  are being developed.
• PARCC stands for Partnership for Assessment of
  Readiness for College and Careers.
• PARCC is a group of 23 states who are working
  together to design a set of common assessments
  for grades K-12 in English/Language Arts and Math

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How will we assess student mastery of the Common
Core State Standards?

• The tests will be given in grades 3-11.
• This testing will be done online.
• Current LEAP and iLEAP tests are shifting slowly
  toward PARCC tests.
• PARCC testing will begin in the 2014-2015 school
  year, and will replace current LEAP, iLEAP and
  ITBS testing.

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What about Science and Social Studies?

• Science and Social Studies are not part of the
  Common Core Standards or PARCC testing.
• At the state level, the curriculum in science and
  social studies is being made more rigorous.
• The state will develop new, more rigorous tests
  for science and social studies and these will
  also be given for the first time in 2014-2015.

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Sources

• Common Core State Standards www.corestandards.or
  g
• Louisiana Department of Education
  www.doe.state.la.gov
• Louisiana PASS- www.louisianapass.org
• PARCC- www.parcconline.org
• Parent resources- www.pta.org