With the transition to new learning standards in English/language arts and math this year, the expectations for what students know and will be able to do become more rigorous and demanding. There are some key differences and “shifts” in these new standards – the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) – adopted by Washington and more than 40 other states compared to prior learning standards. Below is a summary of these key shifts.
English/Language Arts
• A greater emphasis on reading and writing around informational texts in areas such as history, social studies, science and technical subjects. While traditional literature remains a key component throughout K-12, at least half of students’ reading and writing will be grounded in nonfiction texts.
• A greater emphasis on students using evidence from the text to support their ideas, defend their claims and convey information. Rather than merely responding to texts based on prior knowledge or personal experience, students must carefully read and extract evidence to respond to a wide range of text-dependent questions.
• A greater emphasis on mastering increasingly complex texts rich with academic vocabulary that better prepare students for the demands of college and career-level reading and writing.
Mathematics
• A greater emphasis on a deep understanding of a narrower range of mathematical concepts. Rather than “an inch deep and a mile wide,” the new standards prioritize a solid conceptual understanding of a limited number of clearly identified major topics at each grade level.
• A greater emphasis on sequentially building upon previously mastered concepts at higher levels of complexity. Major topics at each grade level link with and expand upon the foundations built in earlier grades.
• A greater emphasis on increased rigor and conceptual understanding of key concepts applied with speed and accuracy to solve new and novel problems in math and other content areas.
Northshore School District
These shifts will clearly demand more from our students. During the past several years, we have been building capacity across our district to respond to these shifts and assure that students are properly supported to meet a higher achievement bar. While this remains a work in progress, I am proud of our efforts to date to embrace these new standards and have them drive the instruction that takes place each day in classrooms across our district. To learn more about these new standards and what they mean for our students, I encourage you to visit these sites:
http://www.k12.wa.us/CoreStandards/Families/default.aspx
http://www.wastatepta.org/resources/common_core/index.html
Larry Francois is the Northshore School District superintendent.
