Common Core/Essential Standards:

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

Tuesday, January 17, 2011

Question: Can this be phased in one level at a time?

Answer: While some states are phasing in the standards, DPI has indicated that all new standards must be put into place for the 2012-2013 school year. Having said that, High Schools will work on a phased-in schedule for some courses (since graduation requirements are different for freshman entering HS in August of 2012)

Question: When will teachers receive individual copies of the standards?

Answer: The standards are available for anyone who desires their own copy by visiting ACRE website. There is also a Common Core app for the iPhone and Android phones (sorry, nothing on the Essential Standards, yet). Because of the extreme length of the standards and all supporting documents, the state is not supplying paper copies.

Question: Will time for collaboration be allotted throughout the 2012-2013 academic year?

Answer: Time for collaboration and planning will be decided at the individual school level. The PCS calendar committee is aware that we are transitioning to new standards this year and a request has been submitted to include additional time in the schedule for ongoing integration days throughout the year.

Question: When do we get another training session?

Answer: Our next district-wide training sessions are March 2 and March 23. Additionally, optional content-level training events are being offered around the county beginning in February. These trainings will be repeated in different locations to better meet the needs of teachers in terms of content, time, and location. All told, there are 192 additional training opportunities (see MLP to register!)

Question: How will parents be educated on the new standards?

Answer: Parents will be kept informed of changes by media releases, the Success for Every Child blog, and also by school-level meetings as appropriate. Schools are encouraged to pass on information to parents at the appropriate time. In December Thomas Feller, the PCS RttT Coordinator, was interviewed by local radio station WECU, and more are planned.

Question: May we begin now or do we need to wait for 2012-2013?

Answer: There are several schools who are already implementing certain parts of the new standards. Teachers of subjects that do not have a state-level test at the end of the year are encouraged to implement as many of the new standards as they are able to.

Answer: Lesson plan formats are a school-level decision.

Question: Will these new standards change our lesson plan formats?

Answer: Crosswalk documents are available at the ACRE website. Teachers are cautioned to not spend too much time in the crosswalks at this point, though, but should instead focus on the actual standards documents and the unpacking documents.

Question: When will we get the crosswalk documents?

Question: Will there be videos to show model lessons being taught using the new common core curriculum with real teachers and real students?

Answer: We have asked school leaders in our county to let the RttT/Staff Development Department know when they see stuff going on in their building that they think needs to be shared and we will video those lessons and post for others to see. We are also finding free materials online (which will be shared during trainings today and at future sessions – also look for them on the Success for Every Child blog)

Question: Will we receive new textbooks to align with these standards?

Answer: We are still waiting for word from Raleigh as to whether the State Legislature will appropriate funds for textbooks and resources. We have already been identifying textbooks (should funds become available) and are also working to find free resources. Your IC has access to a shared resource folder on Groupwise where these resources are regularly shared & updated.

Answer: Team meetings are largely a school-based decision so that individual schools can decide what is best for their staff. PLCs are the best configuration we have seen for identifying what needs to be taught, developing common formative assessments, and fostering professional development at the school level. Every school should be using them as part of their over-all strategy to improve student achievement.

Question: Are we moving toward a one size fits all approach to teaching? Meaning, will the PLC apply to common planning and structure pacing?

Answer: Yes. PCS is in the process of identifying an exact format for the new curriculum guides and they will be completed during the summer of 2012. Curriculum Summer Institute 2012 (CSI) will focus on going over these new guides for teachers.

Question: Will the county provide pacing guides for the new standards? If so, when?

Question: How often will we have PLC meetings to discuss the changes in our standards and how to fill the missing gaps?

Answer: After this year, PLC schedules will be largely determined at the school level. All teachers are encouraged to meet at least once a week with their PLC so they can develop common lessons, work on integrated unites, create common formative assessments, and frequently review student achievement data.

Question: Who’s developing the pacing guides? Can I be part of this process?

Answer: The guides will be developed by teachers, administrators, and central-office personnel. If you are interested in participating please let your principal or District-level curriculum specialist know. Final decisions will be made in the late spring as to who will make up the committees.

Answer: In our training for the new standards we are working to model expectations for 21st century learning, meaning much more self-directed learning. Having said that, yes, there are upcoming after-school trainings for every content area that will be offered.

Question: Will this be hands on or technology based? We need hands on classes instead of our own learning. This is discovery; what if we do it wrong on our own?

Question: Will there be time for cross-curriculum planning?

Answer: Planning time decisions are made at the local school level. Cross-curriculum planning should be part of regular PLC meetings. Teachers are encouraged to work with their administrators to develop a schedule that allows regular time for collaboration.

Answer: No, though the format is changing. For more information on 21st century assessment, please visit the NC DPI’s ACRE website.

Question: Are the EOGs really going away?

Question: If I forget the answers to these questions where can I find them again?

Answer: By visiting the Success for Every Child website (http://successforeverychild.wordpress.com)

Answer: You can submit questions to the RttT team via your principal, your IC, or through the Success for Every Child website (there’s a form on the site for question submission)

Question: If I think of more questions I want to ask how do I submit them?

Pitt County Schools January 17 Professional Development Day: Common Core & Essential

Standards

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Session Agenda

Introduction

ITES Integration Activity

How Standards are Constructed

PLC Time: Exploring My Standards & Planning forImplementation – Live Binder

5 Min

10 Min

115 Min

30 Min

20 Min

The Embedded Standards

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•Levels of Concern Regarding CCSS/NCES

• 1 – not stressed • 2 – somewhat stressed• 3 – moderately stressed • 4 – greatly stressed• 5 – extremely stressed

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Today’s Objectives•Understand how standards are constructed & connected•Examine my content standards• Identify ways to address embedded standards in lessons

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Information & Technology

English Language Development

Literacy Anchors

Embedded Standards

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Literacy Anchors•Key Ideas & Details•Craft & Structure• Integration of Knowledge & Ideas•Range or Reading & Text Complexity

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Information Technology•Sources of Information• Informational Texts•Technology as a Tool•Research Process•Safety & Ethical Issues

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1. Sit in Groups of 4-6

2. Identify a group

facilitator

3. Create three columns (as

listed to the right)

4. Identify where each

standard falls

5. At the end, the facilitator

will check for accuracy

ITES Sorting Activity

K-2 3-5 6-12

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Remembering Understanding Applying Analyzing Evaluating CreatingdescribingFindinglistingNaming Recognizingretrieving

Explaining classifyingIndentifyingInterpretingParaphrasingSummarizing

Carrying -out ExecutingImplementing Using

AnalyzingComparing DeconstructingFinding InterrogatingOrganizing

CheckingCritiquingEvaluatingExperimentingHypothesizingJudging

ConstructingDesigningInventingPlanningproducing

•Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy

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ITES Sorting ActivityK-3

Classify resources as relevant for a given purpose and/or topic.Classify sources of information as relevant for particular topics or purposes.

Classify resources as current or not current.Classify various types of resources as appropriate or inappropriate for purposes.

Classify resources as reliable or not reliable.

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ITES Sorting ActivityK-3

Identify sources of information (e.g., print, non-print, electronic, people).Identify the relevant sources of information for a given task.Identify various resources for information (e. g., print, audio-visual, electronic, people).

ITES Sorting Activity4-5

Use various types of resources to gather information (including print and online media).

Use relevant sources of information for an assigned task.

Use reliable sources of information.

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ITES Sorting Activity4-5

Use various types of resources to gather information (including print and online media).

Use relevant sources of information for an assigned task.

Use reliable sources of information.

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ITES Sorting Activity6-12

Analyze resources in terms of their reliability (which can be determined by currency, credibility, or authority, depending on the topic or purpose)

Analyze content for relevance to the assigned task.Analyze resources for point of view, bias, values, or intent of information.Evaluate resources for reliability. (Reliability can be determined by currency, credibility, authority, etc. depending on the curriculum topic).

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ITES Sorting Activity6-12

Evaluate content for relevance to the assigned task.Evaluate resources for point of view, bias, values, or intent of information.Evaluate resources for reliability. (Reliability can be determined by currency, credibility, authority, etc. depending on the curriculum topic).

Evaluate content for relevance to the assigned task.

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ITES Sorting Activity6-12

Evaluate resources for point of view, bias, values, or intent of information.Evaluate resources for reliability. (Reliability can be determined by currency, credibility, authority, etc. depending on the curriculum topic).Evaluate resources for point of view, bias, values, or intent of information.

Evaluate content for relevance to the assigned task.

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Standards Organization

Strand

Essential Standard

Clarifying Objective

Clarifying Objective

Essential Standard

Clarifying Objective

Clarifying Objective

Example: 4.ML.1.1: Apply expressive qualities when singing or playing a varied repertoire of music representing genres and styles from diverse cultures.

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Implications for Planning Instruction

Standard

How this standard is reflected in student work

How this standard is assessed:

formativebenchmarkSummative

How I teach this standard

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PLC TimeTransition into PLCs for the next portion of your training. PLCs need to visit the PCS RttT Website for links to the PLC training documents