Common Core State Standards in Kansas

The Common Core State Standards Initiative

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Beginning in the spring of 2009, Governors and state commissioners of education from 48 states, 2 territories and the District of Columbia committed to developing a common core of state K-12 English-language arts (ELA) and mathematics standards.

The Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI) is a state-led effort coordinated by the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO).

www.corestandards.org

Why Common Core State Standards?

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Preparation: The standards are college- and career-ready. They will help prepare students with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in education and training after high school.

Competition: The standards are internationally benchmarked. Common standards will help ensure our students are globally competitive.

Equity: Expectations are consistent for all – and not dependent on a student’s zip code.

Clarity: The standards are focused, coherent, and clear. Clearer standards help students (and parents and teachers) understand what is expected of them.

Collaboration: The standards create a foundation to work collaboratively across states and districts, pooling resources and expertise, to create curricular tools, professional development, common assessments and other materials.

Common Core State Standards Design

4 *Ready for first-year credit-bearing, postsecondary coursework in mathematics and English without the need for remediation.

Building on the strength of current state standards, the CCSS are designed to be:

Focused, coherent, clear and rigorous

Internationally benchmarked

Anchored in college and career readiness*

Evidence and research based

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The ELA Executive Committee’s Process

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Dates of Meetings – 9 days of meetings

Feedback we provided – 3 formal rounds and several more informal conference calls with writers and other states

Feedback we gathered and reviewed – Formal feedback gathered through the Common Core Standards Website

Feedback gathered through KSDE website and presentations

Review of multiple rounds of feedback provided by professional organizations, including:

American Council on Education (ACE) American Federation of Teachers (AFT) International Reading Association (IRA) Modern Language Association (MLA)

National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)

National Education Association (NEA) Partnership for 21st Century Skills

Kansas Advantages to Common Core Standards

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• A focus on college and career readiness• Inclusion of the four strands of English Language Arts:

• Reading• Writing• Listening and speaking• Language

• The benefits of an integrated literacy approach – all Kansas educators have a shared responsibility for literacy instruction, regardless of discipline or content area.

• A focus on results rather than means – (“the Standards leave room for teachers, curriculum developers, and states to determine how those goals should be reached and what additional topics should be addressed” (p. 4).)

• Efficiencies of scale – common standards allow for greater collaboration among states in the areas of

• Professional development• Resource development• Teaching tools

Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts

and Literacy in History/

Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

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Common Core State Standards for

English Language Arts and

Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

College and Career Readiness (CCR) Standards – Overarching standards for each of four strands that are further defined by grade-specific standards

Reading – 10 standards Writing – 10 standards Speaking and Listening

– 6 standards Language – 6 standards

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Common Core State Standards for

English Language Arts and

Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Grade-Level Standards in English Language Arts K-8, grade-by-grade 9-10 and 11-12 grade bands for high school Format highlights progression of standards across grades

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Overview of Writing Strand

WritingExpect students to compose arguments and opinions, informative/explanatory pieces, and narrative texts

Focus on the use of reason and evidence to substantiate an argument or claim

Emphasize ability to conduct research – short projects and sustained inquiry

Require students to incorporate technology as they create, refine, and collaborate on writing

Include student writing samples that illustrate the criteria required to meet the standards (See standards’ appendices for writing samples)

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Overview of Speaking and Listening and Language Strands

Speaking and Listening Focus on speaking and listening in a range of settings, both formal and informal – academic, small-group, whole-class discussions

Emphasize effective communication practices

Require interpretation and analysis of message as presented through oral, visual, or multimodal formats

LanguageInclude conventions for writing and speaking

Highlight the importance of vocabulary acquisition through a mix of conversation, direct instruction, and reading

To be addressed in context of reading, writing, speaking and listening

Media and Technology are integrated throughout the standards.

Achieve, Inc. (2010, June.) Understanding the common core state standards. Retrieved from http://www.achieve.org/files/CCSSJune22010FINAL.ppt

Common Core State Standards Initiative. (2010.) Common core state standards for English language arts and literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. Retrieved from http://www.corestandards.org/assets/CCSSI_ELA%20Standards.pdf

References

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