 The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are a set of
sequential benchmarks that identify what a child
needs to have learned and be able to do by the end of
each grade.
 The ultimate goal is for each student to graduate ready
and able to move on to college or into a career.
 Educators from 45 states worked together to create a
uniform set of expectations for all students.
 The standards were developed by a partnership with
the states, teachers, school administrators, education
experts, parents, and business leaders from around the
country.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5s0rRk9sER0
 Students deserve an education that prepares them for
real success—and jobs—in a rapidly changing world.
 The standards focus on the skills and knowledge
needed to succeed in the real world and thrive in the
global workforce.
 The Common Core’s expectations for students are
appropriate and consistent for students of all abilities,
no matter where they live.
 More and more jobs require technology and higher-
order thinking skills.
 Generalized education standards that don’t relate to
the skills actually needed after graduation produce
graduates who may or may not have learned what they
need to be successful on the job or in college.
 The CCSS are clear and consistent.
-For decades, each state’s educational
standards were different from all the others.
-Some states had rigorous, detailed
standards. Other states had standards that
were vague and open to interpretation.
-These new standards raise the bar for every
state and student by taking the best of what
each state had to offer with numerous
stakeholder input.
 The new standards are designed to help students of all
abilities achieve.
 They focus on problem solving and critical thinking
skills—not just memorizing answers.
 How students learn is just as important as what they
learn; the CCSS support different learning styles and
educational levels.
 The CC addresses K-12 math, English Language Arts,
science and social studies.
 There are no separate CCSS for other subjects.
 Some concepts that were taught in higher grades
before may be taught in lower grades under the CC..
 Text recommended under the Common Core will be more
complex than what was used under New Jersey’s old
standards.
 Before Common Core:
 English classes may have focused mostly on literature and
creative writing.
 With Common Core:
 There is a greater emphasis on reading, writing and
understanding informational text (non-fiction).
 Literature and creative writing are still in the curriculum,
but to a lesser degree.
 The CCSS for English Language Arts are divided into
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sections for K-5 and 6-12. The standards for all grades fall
into the following domains, or groups of related standards:
Reading: covers analysis and understanding of literature
and informational text.
Writing: deals with argumentative, narrative, and
expository writing; organization; and research.
Speaking and Listening: focuses on comprehension,
presentations, and working with others.
Language: includes grammar usage, punctuation,
vocabulary, and other conventions of language.
 Shift 1: FOCUS Teachers significantly narrow and deepen
the scope of how time and energy is spent in the math
classroom. They do so in order to focus deeply on only the
concepts that are prioritized in the standards.
 Shift 2: COHERENCE Principals and teachers carefully
connect the learning within and across grades so that
students can build new understanding onto foundations
built in previous years.
 Shift 3: FLUENCY It will be assumed students possess
required fluencies through grade 8; as such, students will
not be allowed to use calculators in grades 3-5.
 Shift 4: DEEP UNDERSTANDING Students deeply
understand and can operate easily within a math concept
before moving on. They learn more than the trick to get the
answer right. They learn the math.
 Shift 5: APPLICATION Students are expected to use math
and choose the appropriate concept for application even
when they are not prompted to do so.
 Shift 6: DUAL INTENSITY Students are practicing and
understanding. There is more than a balance between
these two things in the classroom – both are occurring with
intensity.
Grade Content Emphases by Cluster
Ratios and Proportional Reasoning; The
6
Number System; Expressions and Equations
7
Ratios and Proportional Reasoning; The
Number System; Expressions and Equations
8
Expressions and Equations; Functions;
Geometry
Yes
 Instructional materials will need to align to the new
specific standards.
 The order in which skills build upon one another in
the Common Core is different from what has been
taught in the past.
 The Common Core focuses on critical thinking skills.
 PARCC Assessments are currently being
developed.
 In New Jersey, the Partnership for Assessment of
Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) is
developing common national assessments for the
common core.
 The new assessments are planned for the 2014-2015
school year.
 The Partnership for Assessment of
Readiness for College and Careers
 Computer based assessments in
English Language Arts/Literacy and
math linked to the new more rigorous
Common Core State Standards.
 Current assessments do not:
 Assess and identify whether a student is on track
for success in college or the work force
 Accurately identify how students compare to
students in the state, country and the rest of the
world
 Produce timely feedback for educators and parents
as a result of being a computer based assessment
 Test skills of critical thinking and problem solving
 In 2014 – 2015 the PARCC Assessments will replace NJ
ASK in grades 3-8. In addition, End of Course
Assessments will be administered to students taking
Unified Math and Algebra. These scores will be
directly reflected on the students’ high school
transcripts.
 PARCC Assessments are comprised of two sections
- Performance Based Assessments - PBA – taken
after 75% of school year
- End of Year Assessment – EOY – Taken after 90%
of school year
 Our curricula is aligned to the Common Core
 Students are performing computer based assessments
throughout the year
 We are upgrading the computers in the building
 The number of computers in the building has
increased to meet the demands of the PARCC
 We are participating in a PARCC field test
 9/9 Rating in terms of technology readiness
 We can get our testing done during each window in 12
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days even though the state allows for 20
Students will have AM and PM testing sessions
Accommodations will remain in place – just like NJAsk
All students will be able to use paper and pencil as
they complete the computer based assessment
Student results will be available by the end of the
school year with PARCC
Change is inevitable except from a vending
machine.
~Robert C. Gallagher