The Dana Center and the
Common Core !
!
What have we learned from our work
about what is required to fully implement
the CCSSM? !
February 13, 2013!
Brian Newsom and Susan H. Hull!
Charles A. Dana Center!
The University of Texas at Austin!
!
2013
1
What does successful enactment require?
•  District commitment and structures to support teaching
and learning the content described in the CCSS
•  Common understanding of the CCSSM
•  Teacher collaboration around curriculum
•  Assessments for teaching and learning
•  Programmatic resources that support teaching and
learning the CCSSM
•  Resources that reshape students’ academic identities,
enhance academic engagement, and transform their
achievement
2013
2
Supporting these essential components
•  District commitment and structures to support
teaching and learning CCSS
–  Begin by using tools and inventories to determine
collaboratively where a district is and where it needs to
go; what assets do districts have to begin with?
•  Assessing and Advancing the Implementation of the CCSS
•  Gap Analysis
–  Analyze what is essential for positive change to
produce a guaranteed and viable curriculum
•  Systems Thinking/Systems Changing
•  Structures to Support the Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum
•  Classroom Walkthrough for Continuous Improvement
2013
3
Supporting these essential components
•  Common understanding of the CCSSM
–  Use a process for teachers, administrators, and all
stakeholders to understand the purpose, intent,
depth, and clarity of the standards
•  Study of the Standards: tools for understanding the
vertical articulation, format, and instructional alignment
essential
•  Continuing study of—and alignment of all work to—the
CCSSM
2013
4
Supporting these essential components
•  Teacher collaboration on curriculum
–  Engage professional learning communities in
determining emphasis and focus, identifying
essential instructional shifts, developing district
curriculum frameworks, planning common lessons
and assessments, and examining student work
•  Extending Our Study: Professional Teaching Model
•  Dana Center–Agile Mind programs from Middle School
Mathematics through Algebra II
2013
5
Supporting these essential components
•  Assessments for teaching and learning
–  Use assessments for learning and to influence
teaching immediately
•  Dana Center assessments, Agile Mind Agile Assessment,
Illustrative Mathematics tasks, Classroom Challenges
(Shell Centre), and a host of others
•  Dana Center–Agile Mind next-generation Agile
Assessment and formative assessment process and tools
(under development)
–  Use summative assessments to evaluate teaching
and learning
•  PARCC sample assessments and resources
•  Smarter Balanced sample assessments and resources
2013
6
Supporting these essential components
•  Programmatic resources that support teaching
and learning the CCSSM
–  Use an instructional materials selection process to
ensure resource alignment to the CCSSM
•  CCSS Toolbox (Dana Center–Agile Mind); and/or complete
course programs such as Dana Center–Agile Mind’s
–  CCSS programs for Grades 6, 7, and 8
–  Intensified Algebra (for struggling students in double-block
schedule)
–  Algebra I
–  Geometry
–  Algebra II
2013
7
Supporting these essential components
•  Resources that reshape students’ academic
identities, enhance academic engagement, and
transform their achievement
–  Equip educators to understand the connection
between student engagement and persistence,
effective effort, self-motivation, and metacognitive
strategies—and to act on this knowledge
•  Educator’s Course in Academic Youth Development
–  Provide students with programs and strategies to
develop attributes necessary for academic success
•  Academic Youth Development programs for summer or
academic year
2013
8
Opportunities
•  Focused reexamination of mathematics teaching and
learning
•  Support for teacher effectiveness efforts
•  Shared expectations and consistency across the grades
•  Access to common resources—efficiency and
economies of scale
•  High-quality assessments with broad credibility
•  Improved articulation, coordination, and consistency
2013
9
Opportunities
And the best parts:
We can work together toward a common goal of
academic success and college- and workreadiness for all our students.
We don’t have to create everything ourselves—we
can count on working with others because we now
share a common language of expectations.
2013
10