Common Core State Standards
Volume 1, Issue 1
April 2013
Dear Families,
This newsletter is intended to give you a brief
overview about the new Common Core State
Standards that California has adopted. The
Common Core is a comprehensive set of
internationally-benchmarked and
comprehensive K-12 standards in
Mathematics and English Language Arts. We
are excited about the new standards and find
them to be more closely aligned to those of
high performing countries. I find the new
standards to be appropriate and necessary as
we lead our students into the 21st Century. I
hope you find this document useful and
informative.
~Vicky Yasenchok
What is the Common Core?
The Common Core State Standards
(CCSS) are new expectations that will help
ensure college and career readiness for all
students throughout the United States.
Common learning goals across most of the
country provide a clear vision of what
educators and parents in all states should
aim. Common standards allow for
collaboration among states on best
practices and professional development for
educators. By building upon the foundation
of state standards that California has laid,
the CCSS are vital to providing students
with a high-quality education.
The
CCSS
provide
for
rigorous,
challenging coursework. The standards
are clear, consistent, and research-based.
The learning goals are designed to ensure
that students meet college and career
expectations and will help students
succeed in a global economy and society.
Implementation
Timeline
The implementation of the CCSS has
already begun at Peach Hill. Teachers are
making the shift to the new Common Core
in the areas of English Language Arts and
Mathematics. Full implementation of the
CCSS is scheduled for the 2014-2015
school year. Currently, existing state
standards still apply, and students will
continue to be assessed in grades 2 – 11 by
the California Standards Test or CST.
However, by 2014-2015, the CST will be
replaced with assessments that measure
student achievement of the CCSS in grades
3 – 11.
We will set a clear goal: Every student
should graduate from high school ready for
college and a career, regardless of their
income, race, ethnic or language
background, or disability status.
President Barack Obama
A Blueprint for Reform: Reauthorization of the Elementary
and Secondary Education Act (March 2010).
Peach Hill Academy ~ Core Knowledge School
Common Core State Standards 1
Key Features of the CCSS
 Aligned with college and work expectations
 Clear, understandable, and consistent
 Rigorous content and application of knowledge
through higher-order skills
 Build upon strengths and lessons of current state
standards
 Informed by other top-performing countries so
that all students are prepared to succeed in the
global economy and society
Will Instruction Change?
Yes! Movement to the Common Core standards requires important instructional shifts for
both English Language Arts and Mathematics allowing students to probe more deeply into
subject matter, engage in higher-level reasoning and apply their knowledge to real-world
scenarios and problem solve.
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Shifts for English Language Arts
 Building Knowledge through nonfiction, with particular emphasis on
history and science. Teachers will rely
less upon literature and more upon
informational text.
 Reading and Writing grounded in
evidence from test. Students will learn
to read like detectives and write like
reporters, citing evidence and factual
information
 Regular practice with complex text
and its academic vocabulary (such as
the unique vocabulary used in the
sciences.)
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Shifts for Mathematics
 Focus: Instruction will focus more
intently where the standards focus.
 Coherence: Major topics will be
linked across grade levels, so skills
are layered upon one another as the
student progresses through school.
 Rigor: Students will be taught to be
fluent in math concepts so that they
can achieve deeper levels of
understanding, allowing them to
apply their own learning to realworld scenarios
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Peach Hill Academy ~ Core Knowledge School
Common Core State Standards 2
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How Can Parents Support Student Success?
 Along with allowing children to select fiction and literature, encourage them to
read informational, non-fiction text. Engage in discussions about the text.
 Encourage children to learn their basic math facts. This basic foundation
continues to be necessary before students can build their problem solving
skills.
 Encourage children to “stick with it” whenever a math problem seems difficult.
This will help them see that everyone can learn math.
 Praise children when they make an effort, and share in the excitement when
they solve a problem or understand something for the first time.
 Look through the Common Core standards to get a feel for what children will
be learning as they move through school. Read the English Language Arts
and the Mathematics standards at the Common Core web site.
 Encourage your kids to write, write, and write! The Common Core standards
emphasize the important link between reading and writing. Informational
writing by citing evidence is a key 21st Century skill. Encourage children to
keep a journal or blog, or write a letter or email to a favorite author.
 “Talk math” with your kids. The Common Core requires students to learn more
important math reasoning skills in addition to learning facts and formulas.
Great math teachers learn to talk through math problems with students. Try
talking to your kids about mathematical practices they use every day. Have
them estimate time and distance, compare the value of products in a store, or
calculate the tip when you are at a restaurant.
 Help children see the real world applications to what they are learning at
school.
LEARN MORE ABOUT
THE
COMMON CORE
AT
THESE WEBSITES
 PTA.org (A Parents’ Guide to Student Success)
 Corestandards.org
 Cde.ca.gov (California Dept. of Ed.) Search for K-8 California Common Core Standards
Parent Handbook
 Vcoe.org (Ventura County Office of Education)
 Mrpk.org/Peach (Click on Common Core State Standards)
Peach Hill Academy ~ Core Knowledge School
Common Core State Standards 3