Common Core State
Standards Initiative
A Fundamental Shift Toward College
and Career Readiness in K-12 Education
The New Standards
The new standards emphasize building
analytical-thinking skills and applying what
students have learned, rather than simply
memorizing information. It’s taking lessons in
math and English Language Arts and showing
students why these lessons are important – how
they apply to the real world.
How well has the current process
served students in the real world?
• Why we need Common Core
• Video – “I choose C”
Common Core Design
• Are aligned with college and work
expectations
• Are globally aligned to be competitive
• Are clear, understandable and consistent
• Are evidence-based
• Include rigorous content and application of
knowledge through high-order skills and
critical thinking
The Measure of Common Core
• An overview of the common core standards
and why they are needed
• Video - USA Education Standards
Adoption of Common Core
• California adopted the new Common Core
standards August 2, 2010
• Fully implemented 2014/2015
• Schools currently rolling out standards
– 8 school in Fremont receiving advanced training
– Oliveira goes Common Core Kinder and First
2013/2014
• Other grades considered as standards are being
assessed and compared to previous state standards
Why Students Need Common Core
• Background of the common core, the
development, along with the assessments and
where we are going with them
• Video Link – Clearer and Higher
Current Adoption of Common Core
Green states = Common Core
Blue = ELA Common Core
Development of Common Core
• Common Core was led by the National
Governors Association for Best Practices and
the Council of Chief State School Officers.
• Developed in collaborations with:
(Educators, school administrators, and experts)
• Feedback - example
(Educators, civil rights groups, English Language
Learners, and students with disabilities – open for
public comment)
The Mapping of Common Core
• Vertically “articulate” downward from college
and career readiness standards
– Build in a logical learning progressions
– Focus on developmental appropriateness
• Mantra = “fewer, clearer, deeper”
• Providing “rigor and relevance”
Rigor and Relevance
• Rigor –
– Rigorous instruction prepares students to think
critically so they can solve problems in
unpredictable, real world situations.
• Relevance –
– Students will remember learning that is
connected to their own lives.
Standards and Goals
• Sally Hampton – background of how the
standards were mapped and created for ELA
• What are the goals of ELA Common Core State
Standards? (02:49)
College and Career Readiness
• This means considerable changes
– College and Career Ready for grade 11
– Ready for post-secondary technical job training.
– On track to college and career ready in lower grades
• Why…
• Across the nation
– Approximately 40-70 percent of new community college students are
placed in remedial courses
– To be able to compete globally we need these common
standards
Assessments Previous and Future
• 2012/2013 STAR testing only
• 2013/2014 STAR and Common Core Testing
• 2014/2015 Common Core
– Testing online
– Testing based on rationale and critical thinking
 AI (Artificial Intelligence) for scoring using
computer algorithms
 ELA will most likely be augmented by human
judgment
Testing Scores
– Will result in temporary drops in percent proficient
• E.g. New York and Tennessee
• Some schools saw drops as large as 60%
• Most schools saw smaller, but still significant, drops
– Will likely happen in 2014-15 with the first
implementation of the new common assessments, if
not earlier
• Schools beginning the roll out of common core to make the
transition
The Smarter Balanced Consortium
• Timely results – weeks not months
• Smarter Balanced assessments make use of
computer adaptive technology,
• Smarter Balanced assessments will go beyond
multiple-choice questions. Short constructed
response, extended constructed response, and
performance tasks
• Students to complete an in-depth project that
demonstrate analytical skills and real-world
problem solving.
Smarter/Balanced Consortium
Purpose/Product Schematic
Assessments for Students with Special
Needs
• Assessments have built in parameters
– They address physical, auditory, and visual needs
– Students with IEP’s will have criterion loaded into
system before taking the test
Smarter Balanced worked with experts in the field of
student assessment, accommodations strategies,
language acquisition, and learning disabilities
Complex Text
• Dr. Timothy Shanahan – One of the most
important features in the Common Core State
Standards – understanding and integrating
complex text
• Video - Common Core State Standards:
Complex text and its implications in the
classroom
Types of Questions
• Selected Response
– Depth of knowledge (Recall/Literal Comprehension,
Interpretation/Application, and Analysis/Evaluation)
• Constructed Response
– Students generated response (single word, phrase, sentence, number,
or set of numbers)
• Extended Response
– Student generated response with more elaboration of answers and
explanations of reasoning
• Technology Enhanced
– Selecting a point on a graph, dragging and dropping, or manipulating a
graph
• Performance Task
– Ability to integrate knowledge and skills across multiple content
standards (measure depth and understanding, research skills and
complex analysis)
ELA Sample Question
“The Old Lion and the Fox”
• Word Count: 189 Flesch-Kincaid: 3.5 Lexile: 630L, grade
2-3 The quantitative measures place this passage at
grade 3. A qualitative analysis shows the text to be
slightly complex with a story that is easy to follow. This
passage is suitable for assessment use at grade 3.
• To successfully complete the item, students must infer
how the character’s actions help develop the plot.
The Old Lion and the Fox
An old Lion had teeth and claws that were worn. So it was not so
easy for him to get food as in his younger days. He pretended
that he was sick. He took care to let all his neighbors know about
it. He then lay down in his cave to wait for visitors. And when
they came to offer him their sympathy, he ate them up one by
one. The Fox came too, but he was very cautious about it. He
stood at a safe distance from the cave. He asked politely about
the Lion's health. The Lion replied that he was very ill indeed. He
asked the Fox to step in for a moment. But Master Fox very
wisely stayed outside, and thanked the Lion very kindly for the
invitation. "I should be glad to do as you ask," he added. "But I
have noticed that there are many footprints leading in. There are
no footprints coming out of your cave. Tell me how your visitors
find their way out again."
Answer Choice
• Which sentence from the story tells Fox that Lion wants to
hurt him?
• A. An old lion had teeth and claws that were worn.
• B. He then lay down in his cave to wait for visitors.
• C. But Master Fox very wisely stayed outside, and thanked
the Lion very kindly for the invitation.
• D. There are no footprints coming out of your cave.
Analysis
• Analysis:
• A. INCORRECT: This sentence from the story is a detail about the
lion, but it does not imply bad intent.
• B. INCORRECT: This sentence from the story is a detail about what
the lion did, but it does not imply bad intent about the lion.
• C. INCORRECT: This sentence from the story is a detail about what
the fox did, but it does not give information that explains how the
fox knew the lion’s bad intent.
• D. CORRECT: This sentence from the story is the detail that the fox
used to explain how he knew the lion wanted to hurt him.
Common Core Math Standards
• The Common Core standards provide students
with a solid foundation in
– whole numbers
– addition and subtraction
– multiplication and division
– fractions and decimals
• The standards stress not only procedural skills
but also conceptual understanding
• Integrating real world problems
Math Standards
• This is an overview of the Common Core math
standards and what is expected , the
development, and the implementation
• Video - The importance of mathematical
practices
Sample Math Question
• Tony wants to compare the total costs of buying and using
these cars.
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•
•
•
Tony estimates he will drive at least 200 miles per month.
The average cost of gasoline per gallon in his area is $3.70.
Tony plans on owning the car for 4 years.
Calculate and explain which car will cost Tony the least to
buy and use.
Process of Calculating Cost of Cars
• Multi Step Process
– Gallons of gas needed per month
– Cost per month for gas
– Cost per year
– Owning it for four years
– Cost of car and repairs
– Adding all costs together
– Comparing cost of cars
Math and College Readiness
• How the Common Core was mapped and what
students need to be college and career ready
• Video - What does math college readiness
mean?(4:45)
Assessments
• California –
– The Smarter Balanced Consortium
– Assessments for Math and ELA
• Math
• ELA
• Frequently Asked Questions
School Resources
• Oliveira
– http://www.fremont.k12.ca.us/site/Default.aspx?
PageID=4887
• Support Services
• Common Core
– Overview
– Parent Resources
– Assessment