The Common Core State Standards In Connecticut

THE COMMON CORE STATESTANDARDS IN CONNECTICUTImplications forCurriculum, Instructionand LearningSimsbury Public Schools, Spring 2011Adapted from CTSDE & Common Core State Standards Initiative

Understanding the CCSSIn the spring of 2009, governors and statecommissioners of education from 48 states, 2territories and the District of Columbia committed todeveloping a common core of state standards(CCSS) for K-12 English language arts (ELA) , 2010

CCSS and Connecticut’sEducation Reform AgendaThe CCSS, adopted by the State Boardon July 7, 2010:Internationally benchmarked Prepare all students to succeed in aglobal economy Support the State Board’s 5-Year Plan Support Connecticut’s Secondary SchoolReform

What are the Common Core StateStandards?Internationally benchmarked so that all students areprepared to succeed in our global economy andsocietyAligned with college and work expectations (Collegeand Career Readiness (CCR)Focused and coherentInclude rigorous content and application ofknowledge through high-order skillsBuild upon strengths and lessons of current statestandards based on evidence and research

CCSS Key Assumptions CCSS assume 100% mastery of thepreceding year’s standards Standards are high points, not finish lines Standards are not curriculum In order for change to be effective, it mustbe at the unit or chapter level

Design and Organization –Language ArtsReading and Writing K 5 (cross-disciplinary) 6 12 English Language Arts 6 12 Literacy in History/Social Studies,Science, and Technical Subjects**Shared responsibility for students’literacy development

Key Advances –Language ArtsReading Balance of literature and informational textsText complexityWriting Emphasis on argument and informative/explanatorywritingWriting about sourcesSpeaking and Listening Inclusion of formal and informal talkLanguage Stress on general academic and domain-specificvocabulary

Design and Organization –MathematicsTwo Components Standards for MathematicalContent Standards for MathematicalPractice

Mathematical Content K-8 standards presented by grade levelOrganized into domains that progress overseveral gradesGrade introductions give 2–4 focal points ateach grade levelHigh school standards (9-12) presented byconceptual theme (Number & Quantity,Algebra, Functions, Modeling, Geometry,Statistics & Probability)

K-8 Mathematics ContentNumber& Operations:FractionsCounting &CardinalityOperations&AlgebraicThinkingNumber &Operationsin BaseTenMeasurement etryRatios ns &EquationsStatistics& Probability6XXXXX7XXXXX8XXXXXFunctionsX

K-12 Standards forMathematical Practice1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solvingthem.2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively.3. Construct viable arguments and critique thereasoning of others.4. Model with mathematics.5. Use appropriate tools strategically.6. Attend to precision.7. Look for and make use of structure.8. Look for and express regularity in repeatedreasoning.

Key Advances –Mathematics Focus and coherenceBalance of concepts and skillsMathematical practicesCollege and career readiness

Connecticut’s CCSSAdoption ProcessConnecticut content experts in English LanguageArts and Mathematics worked in teams todetermine the existence of matches betweenCCSS and CT standards using the Common CoreComparison Tool developed by Achieve, Inc.CCSS were compared to CT standards: standard by standard at the same grade level.at the prekindergarten level, grade levels before orafter the targeted CCSS and by high school gradebands.

English Language ArtsCCSS-CT Match ResultsOverall, 80% of the CC ELA standards were matched to CT’s ELAstandards. The remaining 20% were not matched. This translates toabout 200 of the 1,019 CC ELA standards that will be “new” for CT.

MathematicsCCSS-CT Match Results8%Matched to CTStandards92%Not Matched CTStandardsOverall, 92% of the CC Math standards were matched to CT’sMath standards. The remaining 8% were not matched. Thistranslates to 40 CC Math standards that will be “new” for CT.

Future Assessment –In DevelopmentState assessments will remain unchanged until2014. CT is participating in the SMARTER BalancedAssessment Consortium charged with developingnew assessments based on CCSS by 2015. Grades 3-8 and high schoolLanguage Arts and Math aligned to the CCSSIncreased student learning (prepared for post secondarysuccess) and improved teacher practiceCombination of summative and formative assessments

Standards:Important but insufficientTo be effective in improving education andgetting all students ready for college,workforce training, and life; the Standardsmust be partnered with a content-richcurriculum and robust assessments, bothaligned to the Standards.

Crosswalk Considerationsand Curriculum Districts need to compare current curriculum toCCSS. Much will stay the same, however some CCSSconcepts/skills may need to be added; some currentstandards move to a different grade. Current instructional materials may need to besupplemented, enhanced or moved to a differentgrade.Practicing and pre-service teachers need support tounderstand the impact of the CCSS on designinglearning opportunities for students.

District Implications &Next Steps Curriculum Audits Professional Development Revision to curriculum and assessmentsResources and materialsOverview of CCSSContent area specific trainingGradual Implementation Multi-year process

CCSS and CT standards using the Common Core Comparison Tool developed by Achieve, Inc. CCSS were compared to CT standards: standard by standard at the same grade level. at the prekindergarten level, grade levels before or after the targeted CCSS and by high school grade bands.