Over the last few years, there has been a nationwide initiative
by the American Council of
Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the National
Governors' Association Centre for
Best Practices (NGA Centre). The aim has been to introduce Common Core State Standards
for mathematics and English language arts and literacy.
What are the common core standards?
The Common Core is a set of high-quality academic standards
in mathematics and English language arts/literacy (ELA). These learning goals outline
what a student should know and be able to do at the end of each grade. The standards were
created to ensure that all students graduate from high school with the skills and
knowledge necessary to succeed in college, career, and life, regardless of where they live.
Who developed them and why?
The standards were drafted by experts and teachers from
across the country and are designed to ensure students are prepared for today’s
entry-level careers, freshman-level college courses, and workforce training programs. The Common
Core focuses on developing the critical-thinking, problem-solving, and analytical
skills students will need to be successful.
The website states that
"for years, the academic progress of our nation’s students has been stagnant, and we have lost ground to our international peers."
and that progress in the USA has been affected by
"an uneven patchwork of academic standards that vary from state to state and do not agree on what students should know and be able to do at each grade level."
Where have they been adopted?
To date (June 2015), forty-three states, the District of
Columbia, four territories, and the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) have
voluntarily adopted and are moving forward with the Common Core.
Many states adopted the standards as early as July 2010,
with full implementation intended by the 2013 to 2014 academic year. The standards have not
been adopted in Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Indiana or Virginia, and are only
partially adopted in Minnesota. There is a link to each state for further information. The site provides apage for each state.
Key shifts in English Language Arts
A key feature of the standards is the commitment to improve literacy in history, social studies, science and technical subjects.
The standards call for a staircase
of increasing complexity so that all students are ready for the demands of college- and career-level reading
no later than the end of high school.
[There is] a focus on academic vocabulary.
[The standards] intentionally do not
include a required reading list. Instead, they include numerous sample texts.
The standards appropriately defer
the majority of decisions about what and how to teach to states, districts, schools, and teachers.
The reading standards focus on
students’ ability to read carefully and grasp information, arguments, ideas, and details based on evidence
in the text. Students should be able to answer a range of text-dependent
questions, whose answers require inferences based on careful attention to the text.
Though the standards still expect
narrative writing throughout the grades, they also expect a command of sequence and detail that are essential
for effective argumentative and informative writing. The standards’ focus
on evidence-based writing along with the ability to inform and persuade is a
significant shift from current practice.
In K-5, fulfilling the standards
requires a 50-50 balance between informational and literary reading. Informational reading includes
content-rich non-fiction in history/social studies, sciences, technical studies, and the arts. The K-5
standards strongly recommend that texts—both within and across grades—be
selected to support students in systematically developing knowledge about the
world.
Also in grades 6-12, the standards
for literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects ensure that students can independently
build knowledge in these disciplines through reading and writing.
An overview of developments expected at each grade
English Language Arts Appendix B contains a long list of
sample texts and tasks for each grade level. Below is a summary of the overall development and increasing
complexity of reading and analytical skills required as the students progress through
the grades.
K- Grade 3
Stories, poetry, read aloud stories and poetry, sample
performance tasks for the above, informational texts, informational texts, sample performance
task for informational tests.
Grades 4-5
As above, without read aloud texts.
Grades 6-8
As grades 4-5, with the addition of drama texts. At this
stage, the non-fiction texts are split between the following categories: English Language Arts
(ELA), history and social sciences (HSS) and science /math/technical (SciMaTech).
Here is an example of an HSS task for this grade level:
Students construct a holistic picture of the history of Manhattan by comparing and contrasting the information gained from Donald Mackay’s The Building of Manhattan with the multimedia sources available on the “Manhattan on the Web” portal hosted by the New York Public Library http://legacy.www.nypl.org/branch/manhattan/index2.cfm?Trg=1&d1=865 [RST.6–8.9]
Grades 9-10
As above
Grades 11-CCR (College Credit Recommendations)
As above
Here is an example of a SciMaTech task for this level:
Students analyze the concept of mass based on their close reading of Gordon Kane’s “The Mysteries of Mass” and cite specific textual evidence from the text to answer the question of why elementary particles have mass at all. Students explain important distinctions the author makes regarding the Higgs field and the Higgs boson and their relationship to the concept of mass. [RST.11–12.1]
English Language Arts Appendix C provides examples of
different styles of writing, based on the distinction between ELA, HSS and Sci Ma Tech, for
every grade. With every example there is detailed annotation, demonstrating the extent to
which each student's text has met the core standards for the relevant level.
Appendices B and C are very useful resources both for
language arts teachers and for other teachers or tutors in our MK schools. Often our teachers are
dealing with a subject area outside of their area of expertise, and some are entirely new to teaching. The appendices are
also very helpful for enabling non-Americans teaching in an American school, to understand
more about the American education system and the way that it is expected to operate.
Key shifts in Mathematics
The three main principles taken from the overall standards for mathematics are:
greater focus on fewer topics
coherence: linking topics and
thinking across grades
rigor: pursue conceptual
understanding, procedural skills and fluency, and application with equal intensity
Overview of topics
In grades K–2:
Concepts, skills, and problem solving related to addition and subtraction
In grades 3–5:
Concepts, skills, and problem solving related to multiplication and division of whole numbers and fractions
In grade 6: Ratios and proportional
relationships, and early algebraic expressions and equations
In grade 7: Ratios and proportional
relationships, and arithmetic of rational numbers
In grade 8: Linear algebra and
linear functions
Appendix A explains the difference between the traditional
pathway of High School Math and the integrated pathway adopted by many countries outside
the US. An overview is given of each system as well as an overview of an accelerated
version of each system. Below is a summary of four model course pathways, taken from
the Common Core State
Four model course pathways are included:
1. Traditional
An approach typically seen in the U.S. that consists of two
algebra courses and a geometry course, with some data, probability and statistics included
in each course.
2. Integrated
An approach typically seen internationally that consists of
a sequence of three courses, each of which includes number, algebra, geometry, probability and
statistics.
3. Compacted traditional
A “compacted” version of the traditional pathway where no
content is omitted, in which students would complete the content of 7th grade, 8th grade,
and the High School Algebra I course in grades 7 (Compacted 7th Grade) and 8 (8th Grade
Algebra I), which will enable them to reach Calculus or other college level courses by
their senior year. While the K-7 CCSS effectively prepare students for algebra in 8th grade,
some standards from 8th grade have been placed in the Accelerated 7th Grade course to make
the 8th Grade Algebra I course more manageable.
Ultimately, all of these pathways are intended to
significantly increase the coherence of high school mathematics. A helpful resource for all involved in teaching. This website has many short videos demonstrating
good teaching practice.
Example 1
I recommend using this 14-minute clip from a history lesson aimed at gifted children in grades 4-5 in a school in Memphis, Tennessee, for ongoing
training sessions for teachers or tutors. The topic of the lesson is the Great Migration: and the
focus is on point of view analysis. Alongside the video, there are questions which may be
discussed afterwards.
How did Ms. Chism adjust her lesson
to make sure all students had the background knowledge to complete the activity?
What are the benefits of using
accountable talk stems?
How do students critique each
other's work?
Example 2
This video shows a Grade 8 science lesson which involves the
challenge of designing and making a scooter, the movement of which demonstrates Newton's Third
Law. It lasts 4½ minutes and is accompanied by the following questions:
What is the effect of learning about
Newton's 3rd Law in a real-world context rather than direct instruction?
How does Mr. Ruff create multiple
opportunities for students to demonstrate understanding?
What makes the parameters Mr. Ruff
gives his students effective?
If you can teach someone the concept, the skill.... instead
of reading it out of a book or memorising it from your notes, then [they] know it. [Ryan Ruff, 7th and 8th grade teacher, Heritage K-8 Charter
School Escondido, CA]
Gill Bryant
This article is kindly offered by Educare, a newsletter covering major TCK issues published by EUROTCK. Educare is published 4 times a year (Jan, March, June, Sept) and covers a wide range of third culture issues from preparation of children for cross-cultural living to re-entry to the passport country, boarding to home schooling and much more. It is available free of charge on request from Eurotck.net.