NT Worksheet: Working with Your Districts on Common Core Implementation in 2012-2013
This worksheet includes strategies that NTs can implement with their districts based on district needs. Using the results from the District
Implementation Readiness Rubric (DIRR), NTs can build on the example strategies below to support their districts. For example, if a district
received mostly 1s and 2s in the “CCSS” categories on the DIRR, the NT would focus its efforts on the CCSS implementation strategies on page 2
of this worksheet.
Culture
DIRR
Category
YES (3 or 4 on the rubric)
DIRR Question
NOT YET (1 or 2 on the rubric)
Does the district have a
clear CCSS
implementation
leadership team?

Offer to meet regularly with the leadership team
and connect it to other districts’ teams in an effort
to share lessons learned and brainstorm challenges
in a community of practice

Provide an overview of the roles and responsibilities
of a CCSS implementation leadership team, including
recommendations around the types of members
(CAOs, exemplar principals and teachers, etc.) and the
skill/will set that most readily lends itself to this work
Does the district have
its own CCSS
implementation plan?

Ask the district to share its plan with the NT and
offer to provide feedback on the plan
Ask the district with which area(s) of the plan it
needs the most support

Offer to host a training/overview session for all
ambassadors and reuse materials from the
Network Team Institutes
Suggest the district help ambassadors
develop/share implementation plans
Suggest the district host a gathering around
celebrating and highlighting the success of these
ambassadors

Share the District Plan Checklist and the District Plan
Template from the CCSS, APPR and DDI Workbook for
NTs/NTEs with districts
Share strong plans from other districts
Offer to lead a collaborative planning session with
district leadership to draft a plan
Offer to connect the district with ambassadors/
champions from neighboring districts who can help
facilitate conversations and train educators around
the CCSS
Work with the teacher center to prepare and provide
CCSS trainings by ambassadors and other champions
Work with the district to determine an action plan to
get teachers trained in the CCSS by district visits,
leveraging resources on www.EngageNY.com
Plan CCSS principal trainings to use in districts (at
principal convenings, etc.) that build in action
planning for CCSS implementation and identify
champions/ ambassadors
Set up listserves or social networking spaces for
champions/ambassadors to share out what they are
doing


Has the district
identified CCSS teacher
and principal champions
or ambassadors for P-6 
and 9-12?







1
CCSS
DIRR
Category
YES (3 or 4 on the rubric)
DIRR Question
NOT YET (1 or 2 on the rubric)

Is there evidence that

most P-12 educators in
the school/district
deeply understand the
CCSS instructional
shifts?

Is there evidence that
most 9-12 educators are
ready to teach two
CCSS-aligned units?
Ask the district to share their feedback strategies
Record and share out how the district is conducting
CCSS-informed EBOP

Ask the district to share its training plan for 9-12
educators

Has the district decided
whether to adopt or
adapt state-developed
curricular resources, or
develop or purchase
new ones?


Adopt and publicize maps/ timelines
Offer to arrange or support modules-focused
professional development for district or school staff
Share links to existing resources on
www.EngageNY.org
If district is purchasing new resources, ensure
resources are “3's” on Tri-State rubrics

Is the district able to
provide high-quality
professional
development for all
educators around
implementing the CCSS
(e.g., PD on content,
instructional shifts and
processes)?

Suggest the district detail its plan for ensuring that
all educators internalize and understand the CCSS
and shifts and incorporate it into a broader
implementation plan for the district










Help the district implement feedback strategies, such
as a monitored online forum for educators, focus
groups, advisory councils, etc.
Conduct school visits/ classroom observations with
principal supervisors and debrief
Help the district match 5th grade teachers who have
already implemented CCSS-aligned units with 6th
grade teachers to discuss challenges and build
alignment
Offer to host a training for 9-12 educators on
implementing CCSS-aligned units
Encourage the district to adopt or adapt the statedeveloped modules
Help the district understand the various next steps
that are required for each option
Offer to hold an information session around curricular
resources for all educators in the school/district and
market it broadly
Offer to support training of educators by sharing an
overview of the necessary types of training that need
to be occurring (training around content, the
instructional shifts, processes for sharing and learning
from each other, etc.)
Offer to host a webinar for educators around specific
training needs, reusing www.EngageNY.com resources
as appropriate
Inventory district needs/ resources for CCSS,
identifying specific PD requests across districts
Develop a PD schedule where teachers are assigned
different videos from www.EngageNY.com (e.g., focus
on content/ shifts/ specifics of modules, etc.)
2
CCSS/APPR
DIRR
Category
DIRR Question

Is there evidence that
the district’s selected
observation rubric
identifies points of
alignment with the CCSS
instructional shifts?

Is there evidence that
the evaluation system
for principals measures
principals’ capacity to
identify and observe the
instructional shifts?
YES (3 or 4 on the rubric)
Ask the district to share its process for ensuring
alignment to help other districts
NOT YET (1 or 2 on the rubric)


Ask the district to share its process for ensuring
principal evaluations measure principals’ capacity
to identify and observe the instructional shifts


Upgrade walkthrough tools and/or adopt SAP
evidence collection tools
Ensure the district is informing evidence collection for
rubric scoring with CCSS alignment/ shifts-in-action
Upgrade walkthrough tools and/or adopt SAP
evidence collection tools
Ensure the district is informing evidence collection for
rubric scoring with CCSS alignment/ shifts-in-action
3