+

Common Core State

Standards

Candice McQueen, Ph.D.

Lipscomb University

Senior Vice President & Dean, College of Education

+Thoughts to consider . . .

Today’s kindergarten students will graduate high

school in 2026 and college in 2030.

What do you think will be different about the

workplace?

What skills do you think will be more important for

student success?

+What are the

Common Core State

Standards?

A set of clear standards for

Math and English

Language Arts

Expectations for what

students should know and

be able to do

Adopted by Tennessee and

43 other states, four

territories, and the District of

Columbia

+What is the goal of the

CCSS?

“The CCSS will strengthen

teaching and learning with

standards that are focused,

coherent, clear, and rigorous.”(www.tncore.org)

“To ensure all students are ready

for success after high school, the

Common Core State Standards

establish clear, consistent

guidelines for what every

student should know and be able

to do in math and English

Language Arts from Kindergarten

through 12th grade.” (www.corestandards.org)

+What are the goals of

the CCSS in Math?

“The CCSS provides the foundation for the development of more focused and coherent instructional materials and assessments that measure students’ understanding of mathematical concepts and acquisition of fundamental reasoning habits, in addition to their fluency with skills. Most importantly, the CCSS will enable teachers and education leaders to focus on improving teaching and learning, which is critical to ensuring that all students have access to a high-quality mathematics program and the support that they need to be successful.”

--A joint public statement of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics, the Association of State Supervisors of Mathematics, and the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators

+What does the Math

CCSS emphasize?

Mathematical thinking

Skills-based learning

Concept-driven tasks

Real-world problem-

solving

Organization across

grades

+What are the goals of

the CCSS in English

Language Arts?

“The Common Core asks students to read stories and

literature, as well as more complex texts that provide

facts and background knowledge in areas such as

science and social studies. Students will be challenged

and asked questions that push them to refer back to

what they’ve read. This stresses critical-thinking,

problem-solving, and analytical skills that are

required for success in college, career, and life.”

(www.corestandards.org)

“Teachers who immerse their students in rich

textual environments, require increasing

amounts of reading, and help students choose

ever more challenging texts will address rigor as

it is defined by the CCSS. This means keeping

students at the center, motivating them to

continually develop as writers and readers, and

engaging them in literacy projects that are

relevant to their lives. When students feel

personal connections, they are much more

willing to wrestle with complex

topics/texts/questions.”

--Sarah Brown Wessling, high school English teacher and

2010 National Teacher of the Year (excerpt from

Supporting Students in a Time of Core Standards, NCTE)

+

What does the CCSS

ELA emphasize?

Reading, writing, language,

speaking/listening, and

research skills

Text-based questioning and

evidence

Reading to learn

Literature and content-rich

nonfiction

Problem-solving and analytical

practice

Organization across grades

+How do the CCSS

differ from current TN

Standards?

Math

FOCUS: narrowing scope of content

at each grade level

COHERENCE: making math make

sense

RIGOR: conceptual understanding,

procedural skill and fluency, and

applications

English/Language Arts

KNOWLEDGE: Content-rich non-

fiction

EVIDENCE: Literacy grounded in

evidence from text

COMPLEXITY: Regular practice with

complex texts and academic

vocabulary

Instructional Shifts for Math

and ELA

+Math Shift 1: Focus strongly where the

standards focus

Cover topics in mile-wide,

inch-deep fashion

Skills repeated in standards

from grade to grade

Progression through

standards, often neglecting

foundational skills

Math skills in isolation

Narrow and deepen

instructional practice

Major work outlined for each

grade with deepening of prior

knowledge

Strong foundation, solid

conceptual understanding,

high degree of fluency and

application of math skills

inside and outside the math

classroom

Shift from: Shift to:

+Math Shift 2: Coherence

Standards not coherently

linked from grade to grade

Cycle of review of basic

skills/presentation of new

skill/practice new skill

Each standard a new event

Coherent progression from grade to grade

Carefully connected learning across grades so that students can build understanding onto previous foundations

New skill is an extension of previous learning

Shift from: Shift to:

+Math Shift 3: Rigor

Math as a set of mnemonics or

discrete procedures

Drill and kill practices

Math problems out of context

Math is only taught in Math

class

Apply math in context

Use class time so that students

have access to more complex

concepts and procedures

Teachers in other content areas

ensure that students are using

math to make meaning of and

access content

Shift from: Shift to:

+ELA Shift 1: Building knowledge through

content-rich non-fiction

Imbalance with focus on

literary texts

Analysis of conventions such

as plot, character, conflict,

setting, theme

Literacy skills and writing in

isolation

Balance of literary and

informational text

Content rich non-fiction to

build coherent general

knowledge

Embedded literacy to build

knowledge through reading

and writing

Shift from: Shift to:

+ELA Shift 2: Reading, writing, and

speaking grounded in text evidence

Questions that could be answered without close reading or that do not require inference

No requirement to defend answer with text-based evidence

Formulaic writing, summaries, paragraph responses, 5-paragraph essay format

Questions that require

inferential thinking supported

by text evidence

Students articulate evidence-

based answers verbally and

in writing

Intentional cultivation of

narrative writing then

scaffolding sequencing and

details to build capacity for

argumentative writing

Shift from: Shift to:

+ELA Shift 3: Regular practice with

complex text and academic vocabulary

Focus on basic skills of

reading, writing and

vocabulary in isolation

Assessment readiness

Vocabulary memorization

Reading, writing, and

vocabulary in context

College and career readiness

Use of vocabulary in writing

and speaking

Shift from: Shift to:

+What are the

implications for

classroom

instruction?

Traditional vs.

Common Core

Instruction

+What are the

implications for

classroom

instruction? Focus on student

learning

Phillip Eller, 5th Grade Math

+What are the

implications for

classroom

instruction?

Accountable talk

Katie Preston, 3rd Grade Social Studies

+What are the

implications for

classroom

instruction?Text selection

Bridget Baron, 10th Grade English

+What are the

implications for

classroom

instruction?

Authentic tasks

Cicely Woodard, Algebra 1

+What are the

implications for

classroom

instruction? Close reading/ text-

dependent

questioning

Megan Pitts, Chemistry 1

+

What is the CCSS

connection to

teacher evaluation?

The focus of the CCSS and

Tennessee teacher

evaluation:

What are the student

expectations for learning?

What is the evidence of

student learning?

How can students take

ownership of learning?

+

Consider this quote:

“…when I walk into a classroom, of course I care about what the teacher is doing, but in some ways I care even more about what the students are doing. What’s the nature of the task? Are students being invited, or even required, to think? Naturally, that has implications for what the teacher is doing and what the teacher has already done. That is, has the teacher designed learning experiences for kids that engage them in thinking or formulating and testing hypothesizes or challenging one another respectfully or developing an understanding of a concept? You really only know what a teacher is doing when you look at what the students are doing. I also listen carefully to how teachers question students—if they ask kids to explain their thinking, for instance. That’s very different from just saying that’s the right or wrong answer. It’s a very different mindset about wanting to understand the students’ thinking and their degree and level of understanding.”

--Charlotte Danielson, author of the frameworks that became the TEAM rubric

+ Encourage perseverance through

independent problem-solving

Support students as they write to

learn

Emphasize the importance of

demonstrating the thinking process

through writing and speaking

Encourage students to use

appropriate vocabulary

Provide plenty of opportunities for

independent reading

Remember that “the one doing the

most talking is doing the most

learning.”

What are practical

ways YOU can assist

children in reaching

CCSS goals?

+ Foster independence in student

learning

When helping students with work,

avoid leading with, “let me show

you…”

Instead, allow students to discover.

Ask questions and prompt for

understanding:

“How do you know?”

“What makes you think that?”

“What in your reading supports

your ideas?”

“Tell me more about your thinking.”

What are practical

ways YOU can

assist children in

reaching CCSS

goals?

+Video Resources

www.tncore.org

www.lipscomb.edu/ayers/INVEST