This book focuses on the new national Common Core standards and what educators need to know in order to strengthen learning and teaching methods within the classroom. Chapters focus on the national standards, including understanding, the benefits for students, concerns, and preparation for the 2014-2015 school year when students will assessed on the standards for the first time.

This essential guide to the Common Core State Standards provides an overview of the new standards in English language arts and mathematics, explains how everyone in your school community can make the transition to this new paradigm, and invites you to think about the possibilities that the standards offer for strengthening teaching and learning across the United States.

In June 2010, the Common Core State Standards Initiative released Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects and Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. The goal of these shared national standards? To identify for all stakeholders the knowledge and skills that students must acquire to succeed in college, careers, and the global economy. Now that the Common Core standards are coming to 43 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, it is essential to understand their content and implications. Understanding Common Core State Standards tells you everything you need to know about the standards, including * The goals and criteria of the standards and why they are a promising alternative to the old standards-based education model; * The organization and key aspects of the two overarching sets of standards; * The benefits of implementing the standards, including intentional instruction, a greater pool of resources, increased collegiality and professionalism, customized learning and multiple pathways, and a more consistent, equitable learning experience; * What schools can do to transition to the new standards; and * How the common state assessment systems are being developed to provide interactive, enhanced test items; produce specific, timely test results; and provide an indication of students' readiness for college or career. This book is an invitation to think about the possibilities that the Common Core standards offer for strengthening teaching and learning across the United States--and what you can do to make the most of this opportunity for change.

Discover how to weave an in-depth understanding of the Common Core into successful classroom practice with this two-part resource. You’ll learn how to power the standards with guided assessment and measure student progress in a way that accurately reflects learning. Included are hundreds of ready-to-use, research-based proficiency scales for both English language arts and mathematics.

Smart implementation of the Common Core State Standards requires both an overall understanding of the standards and a grasp of their implications for planning, teaching, and learning. This Quick-Start Guide provides a succinct, all-in-one look at * The content, structure, terminology, and emphases of the Common Core standards for mathematics and English language arts and literacy in the lower elementary grades. * The meaning of the individual standards within each of the four ELA/literacy strands and five math domains, with an emphasis on areas that represent the most significant changes to business as usual. * How the standards connect across and within strands, domains, and grade levels to develop the foundational language arts, literacy, and mathematics understanding that will support a lifetime of successful learning. Here, teachers of grades K–2 and elementary school leaders will find information they need to begin adapting their practices to help all students master the new and challenging material contained in the standards. A practical lesson planning process to use with the Common Core, based on Classroom Instruction That Works, 2nd Ed., is included, along with six sample lessons. LEARN THE ESSENTIALS OF THE COMMON CORE The grade-level and subject-specific Quick-Start Guides in the Understanding the Common Core Standards series, edited by John Kendall, are designed to help school leaders and school staffs turn Common Core standards into coherent, content-rich curriculum and effective, classroom-level lessons.

"The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are the first academic standards to be independently adopted by almost every state in the country. The purpose and intent of the Common Core standards for English Language Arts (ELA), as well as Literacy in History/Social Studies and Science Education, are the focus of this book. Each of the chapters addresses one of the major English Language Arts domains: literature, informational texts, foundational skills, writing, speaking and listening, language, technology, and assessment. The objective of the chapters is twofold: to provide a theoretical background and detailed explanation of each of the CCSS/ELA standards, as well as practical suggestions, classroom vignettes, models, instructional resources, and unit ideas to implement the standards"--

Smart implementation of the Common Core State Standards requires both an overall understanding of the standards and a grasp of their implications for planning, teaching, and learning. This Quick-Start Guide provides a succinct, all-in-one look at * The structure, terminology, and emphases of the Common Core mathematics standards at the high school level, including the areas that represent the most significant changes to business as usual. * The meaning of the individual content standards, addressed by domain and cluster, within all five conceptual categories--Number and Quantity, Algebra, Functions, Geometry, and Statistics and Probability. * How the content standards, practice standards, and designated modeling standards connect across domains, categories, grade bands, and traditional course boundaries to help students develop both deep conceptual understanding and functional, real-world application skills. Here, mathematics teachers and teacher leaders will find information they need to begin adapting their courses and practices to ensure all students master the new and challenging material the standards present and graduate ready for college or career. A practical lesson planning process to use with the Common Core, based on Classroom Instruction That Works, 2nd Ed., is included, along with three sample lessons. LEARN THE ESSENTIALS OF THE COMMON CORE The grade-level and subject-specific Quick-Start Guides in the Understanding the Common Core Standards series, edited by John Kendall, are designed to help school leaders and school staffs turn Common Core standards into coherent, content-rich curriculum and effective, classroom-level lessons.