10 Resources For Implementing The Common Core Heather Edick,
The purpose of this post is to start a discussion on TeachThought about the online resources available to teachers as they learn how to align curriculum with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Since nearly all of the 50 states have adopted the Common Core, the majority of our readers need access to high-quality resources they can use for professional development (“Common Core State Standards Initiative | In the states,” n.d.). I am going to propose a short list of such resources and hope that you will contribute to the conversation with some of your own. One common characteristic of those that make it to my list: They are either free or low cost.
Before you go anywhere else, you should visit the Common Core website. There, you can download the standards and read them for yourself. Talk to the text, just as our students do when they are tackling something complex. Write your questions and opinions out on the print out. Now you know where you are cognitively in this process.
1. Your State Department of Education Website I can only speak for Pennsylvania, since that is where I live, but I am sure that states that have adopted CCSS have also provided information for teachers about its implementation. Yesterday, I took a look at the professional development center for Pennsylvania’s Standards Aligned System and found a self-paced course entitled “Effective and Engaging Standards-based Instruction.” It promises to help teachers “…examine the Common Core Standards and identify connections to the current PA Standards.” It also awards teachers 10 Act 48 credit hours upon completion, at no cost to the teacher.
Your district may also have some great resources for its teachers, so visit its website as well. A quick Google search revealed that many states are building a page or site to support teachers implementing CCSS.
2. Edutopia In addition to their blog posts (our own Terry Heick is a regular blogger there) and videos on what works in education, Edutopia has also collected some strong Common Core specific resources, including information about the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, a “a state-led consortium working to develop next-generation assessments that accurately measure student progress toward college- and career-readiness.”
3. The Teaching Channel If you visit TeachingChannel (teachingchannel.org) and search for Common Core, you will be handsomely rewarded with helpful videos for teachers learning to implement Common Core and align current curricula to its standards. You can also set up email alerts and find out when new resources have been added to the channel.
4. NCTE The NCTE Common Core page offers videos, “teaching vignettes,” open letters, Council reports, and other resources for English Language Arts teachers. Some resources are not free, like the webinars, but many are.
5. Eye on Education Eye on Education is a for-profit publisher of materials for educators that also offers free resources, some of which are related to implementing CCSS. The organization publishes white papers and podcasts, for example, that can be downloaded for free. The organization also provides webinars that teachers can attend or view on-demand at no cost to them.
What resources would you suggest to teachers trying to “wrap their head around” the standards?
6. Engage NY There are also resources for collaborative professional development. Learning independently can often take longer than learning with a group, and if you are Vygotskian like me, it makes more sense to learn in a group than to plod through content all by yourself.
In my search for collaborative resources, I found engage ny. Its purpose is to bring teachers, administrators and teams together together to collaborate on CCSS, data-driving instruction, and professional development. Although it is intended for New York State teachers, I think teachers in any state can get useful information from this site. NY teachers will find a valuable resource for the discussion of the Common Core.
7. Common Core on Linkedin There are a number of groups dedicated to a discussion of CCSS on Linkedin. Some are for broad discussions of the standards and others are focused more specifically. For example, some groups focus on English Language Learners.
8. Classroom 2.0 Classroom 2.0 is a Ning that serves teachers interested in educational technology and social media. It is a site where teachers can develop a professional learning network and start group discussions about topics of interest to teachers. There is already some discussion on this site about CCSS.
9. ASCD ASCD has their own resources for Common Core, in addition to their typical offerings for instruction, assessment, and other pedagogical tools.
10. National Science Digital Library
The National Science Digital Library–or NSDL for those hipsters that speak the edu-lingo–has some excellent STEM resources for integrating Common Core Math and Science.
Conclusion
Of course, you can also use Twitter to build a PLN and learn more about the standards from other teachers’ points of view. What other resources would you suggest?
And what online tools (for example, Evernote) would you recommend to help teachers keep things from becoming overwhelming?
Reference
Common core state standards initiative | In the states. (n.d.).Common Core State Standards Initiative. Retrieved July 24, 2012, from http://www.corestandards.org/in-the-states
50 Common Core Resources For Teachers - This is a cross-post from onlinecolleges.net
Groups and Organizations
These links will take you to essential reading materials from the institutions and organizations behind Common Core.
- Common Core State Standards Initiative:This is the official site for the CCSSI, featuring information about the standards, news, resources, and answers to frequently asked questions.
- National Governors Association: The NGA played a major role in the development of Common Core, so their website is a great place to look for answers about the standards.
- Council of Chief State School Officers: The other major group behind Common Core is the CCSSO, an organization you can learn more about by visiting their site.
Useful Resources
Read up on Common Core, find out more about what it will mean for your classes, and get some help from educational providers and groups by following these links.
- Common Core 360: Common Core 360 is an educational network that offers webinars, training tools, news, and more to help teachers adapt to the new Common Core standards.
- MasteryConnect: Use the MasteryConnect site to track your students’ progress under the new Common Core system.
- Pearson Education Common Core State Standards: Pearson, a major educational publisher, offers access to numerous resources on Common Core. Visitors to the site will find everything from basic explanations to informative webinars.
- McGraw Hill Common Core Solutions: Educational publisher McGraw Hill is also reaching out to teachers when it comes to Common Core, loading up their website with tools for professional and curriculum development.
- Common Core Adoptions by State: The ASCD website offers up information on which states are adopting Common Core, along with links to each Common Core state website.
- The Common Core Institute: Teachers who are unsure about their expertise on Common Core should give the Common Core Institute a try. The organization offers Black Belt certification on Common Core, as well as a wealth of other conferences and professional development opportunities for teachers.
- Common Core Standards App: This iPhone application (it is also available for Android) lets teachers keep essential information about Common Core at their fingertips.
- ASCD Common Core Webinars: ASCD is working on new webinars on Common Core for this fall, but educators can take a look at their archived resources from earlier this year in the meantime.
- Common Core Workbook: Use this workbook from Achieve and the U.S. Education Delivery Institute to help guide the Common Core implementation process at your school.
- CommonCore.org:Here you’ll find an organization dedicated to ensuring that the Common Core is about more than just reading and math, instead promoting a well-rounded education that includes reading literature, studying culture, and engaging with the arts.
Curriculum Development
These sites offer a wealth of resources for helping you develop curricula that meets Common Core standards.
- The Mathematics Common Core Toolbox: Districts and teachers alike can find support for building better math lessons that fit into new Common Core guidelines through this helpful site.
- Khan Academy Common Core Map: Those who’ve been using Khan Academy videos and lessons in the classroom can see how each relates to new Common Core standards using this map.
- Literacy Design Collaborative: The LDC offers templates, modules, and guidebooks for teachers that make it simple to develop engaging literacy lessons under Common Core.
- Illustrative Mathematics: Get some guidance on the mathematics topics covered at every grade level under Common Core.
- Teaching Channel: The Teaching Channel site offers just over 100 videos on Common Core lessons, ideas, and more.
- Achieve the Core: This website encourages teachers to steal its tools for curriculum development.
- Lexile: Is that text at grade level? Use this handy online tool to measure a text for readability.
- AASL Lesson Plan Database: The American Association of School Librarians has loads of lesson plans and checklists for teachers that fall under Common Core standards.
- Surveys of Enacted Curriculum: Use reliable data to develop, plan, and compare your curriculum when you visit this site’s archive of PDF reports.
Blogs
You can get regular reading material on the subject of CCSS by following any or all of these blogs.
- Common Core:Head to this blog to read updates about Common Core news and other educational topics on a regular basis.
- Pearson Common Core Blog: Part of the Common Core resources offered by Pearson is a blog, full of articles on a range of educational topics.
- Tools for the Common Core Standards: This blog is an excellent resource for learning about new tools that help support Common Core implementation in schools.
- Common Core Blog: Offering links to Common Core tools, news, articles, and more, this blog is a great resource for learning about Common Core.
- The Core Knowledge Blog: Find a wealth of high-quality articles on teaching topics (especially Common Core) on this blog on the Core Knowledge Foundation’s site.
- Core Commons: Follow this blog to read more about emerging strategies and issues in implementing the Common Core standards.
- The Learning Network: The Learning Network blog, part of the New York Times‘ website, regularly publishes articles on Common Core.
- Common Core Facts: Get an opposing view on Common Core by reading this blog.
- All Things Common Core: Educators can learn from fellow teachers about the challenges of applying Common Core in their district from this blog.
State Tools
Some states have created helpful websites for teachers all about Common Core. Here, we share a few that can be useful to teachers all over the United States.
- Resources for Implementing the Common Core State Standards: The Indiana Department of Education offers a number of CCSS resources on their website, including a number of informative articles and videos. Find innovative online colleges in Indiana here.
- NC Common Core Support Tools: North Carolina is making it easier for teachers in the state (and in others) to apply Common Core by collecting this incredibly useful set of tools. See how some students are pursuing higher education throughonline colleges in North Carolina.
- NYC Common Core Library: Any lingering questions you have about Common Core will undoubtedly be answered by this comprehensive site from the NYC Department of Education. Browse this comprehensive list of online colleges in New York.
- TNCore: Tennessee has built an entire website to help teachers with Common Core, with resources on Math, English, and other disciplines.
- CDE Implementation Toolkit: Here, the Colorado Department of Education has a number of design tools teachers can use to move into the new standards. And it’s used in higher education, as well. See the many offerings of online colleges in Colorado.
- Engage NY: From a Common Core toolkit to curriculum exemplars, the New York Common Core website has loads of great resources teachers can use.
- ODE Model Curriculum: Head to this Ohio Department of Education site to find model curriculum resources for all Common Core subjects. Or, search online colleges in Ohio.
Articles and Presentations
These articles and videos offer different perspectives on Common Core, some supporting it while others doubt it, essential reading for any educator looking for a well-rounded perspective on the matter.
- A First Look at the Common Core and College and Career Readiness: In this report, ACT takes a look at how Common Core standards will help to better prepare students for college and the working world.
- Common Core standards drive wedge in education circles: Not all teachers support Common Core, and as this article from USA Today points out, it’s creating a rift between some educators.
- Embracing the Common Core: Helping Students Thrive: Download this presentation by Stan Heffner and Michael Cohen on what Common Core means for today’s students.
- Putting a Price Tag on the Common Core: How Much Will Smart Implementation Cost?:With school districts already strapped for cash, it makes sense to consider the financial impact of Common Core, which you can learn more about from this Fordham Institute read.
- Why Common Core standards will fail:Well-known Washington Post education columnist Jay Matthews doesn’t think Common Core is the answer. Check out this editorial to see why.
- Research Finds 97% of Teachers are Now Favorable Towards Common Core Standards: Are you among the 97% of teachers who support Common Core? Learn about the battle to get teachers on board, here.
- For CCSS Math Education Some Problems are Elementary: Stuart Singer brings up some pretty important points when it comes to how Common Core will affect math education.
- Common Core won’t likely boost student achievement, analysis says: The Brookings Institution believes that Common Core won’t help students improve their achievement. Their study is discussed in detail here by Valerie Strauss.
- No Need to Fear the Common Core Standards: This New York Times article assures teachers that Common Core standards are nothing to fear, and are actually already having benefits in schools.
- Primer on Common Core State Standards: Head to this site for a helpful primer on the basics of Common Core Standards.
- The Impact of Common Core State Standards on Your Student:Have you had parents asking you about Common Core? Not sure what to tell them? This article can help, by explaining the new system in an easily understandable way.