This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices. Some of the authors featured on this page include David T. Conley, Agida G. Manizade, Lee Kappes, Carolyn Dash, Kevin c. Moore, Jennifer M. Bay-Williams, Joyce VanTassel-Baska, David J. Whitin, Allison G. Jones, and Phyllis Whitin.
(2014). Common Core Development and Substance. Social Policy Report. Volume 28, Number 2, Society for Research in Child Development. This policy report provides an overview of the Common Core State Standards, how they were developed, the sources that were referenced in their development, the need for educational standards generally, what they entail, and what it will mean for educators to implement them. The report draws from research and reference material to outline the argument for the Common Core and the sources used in its development. These include college and career readiness standards developed over the past 15 years, high quality state standards, and the content specifications from other nations whose educational systems are widely respected. Additional research demonstrates the relationship between the Common Core and college and career readiness. While this report does offer insight into the structure of the standards, most of the information presented here is designed to help policymakers, educators, and other interested parties understand the effects on educational practice. [This document includes two commentaries: (1) "Tracking Common Core Implementation in California" (Andrea Venzia); and (2) "Common Core for All–Reaching the Potential for Students with Disabilities" (Martha L. Thurlow).] [More] Descriptors: Common Core State Standards, Educational Policy, Program Descriptions, Program Development
(2012). Implementing the Common Core State Standards: The Role of the School Counselor. As shown by MetLife's 2010 "Survey of the American Teacher," America's educators strongly believe that all students should graduate from high school ready for college and a career (85 percent). Additionally, according to MetLife's 2009 survey, 86 percent of teachers believe that setting high expectations for students will improve student achievement to that end. The new Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are strongly aligned with those sentiments. The CCSS provide an opportunity to realize systemic change and ensure that American students are held to the same high expectations in mathematics and literacy as their global peers–regardless of state or zip code. The success of such change requires the thoughtful attention of school leaders. As such, this Action Brief for school counselors is offered as a "starting point," designed to increase awareness of the standards, create a sense of urgency around their implementation, and provide these stakeholders–who are faced with dramatically increased expectations in the context of fewer resources–with a deeper understanding of the standards and their role in implementing the standards. This Action Brief will provide no-cost takeaways, talking points, and action steps that school leaders and counselors can begin to put into practice in their schools today. Resources are appended. (Contains 7 footnotes and 16 resources.) [This paper was a joint action brief with College Summit.] [More] Descriptors: State Standards, Stakeholders, Educational Improvement, School Counselors
(2012). Implementing the Common Core State Standards: A Primer on "Close Reading of Text", Aspen Institute. The Common Core State Standards represent an ambitious effort to improve teaching and learning at an unprecedented scale. Adopted by 45 states and the District of Columbia, these standards are an attempt to dramatically change what students and teachers do in school, by redefining high-level, thought-provoking instruction as the norm for all students in all schools. Among the most significant of the shifts in English language arts is the expectation that all students will be able to read increasingly complex texts proficiently and independently. Educators need to harness the knowledge of research, the wisdom of experience, and the imperative for improvement to implement Close Reading effectively within the context of a comprehensive literacy framework. Teachers have to be innovative and creative, while connecting decisions about instructional practice to the research on reading development and the explicit demands of the Common Core. Hence the authors recommend that practitioners: (1) Are deliberate and intentional determining when, and for what instructional purposes, Close Reading is employed. The goal is to move students to read closely, independent of the teacher; and (2) Understand that while engaged in Close Reading lessons, students naturally use prior knowledge to deepen their comprehension of the text. Teachers should activate prior knowledge and build background knowledge when appropriate, while ensuring that students' examination of text is the central means of conveying information. [More] Descriptors: State Standards, Prior Learning, Teaching Methods, Reading Comprehension
(2014). Intensifying Interventions for Students by Identifying and Remediating Conceptual Understandings in Mathematics, TEACHING Exceptional Children. In this article, the authors introduce a scenario identifying an elementary school special education teacher and interventionist (Mr. Powers) and his concerns in meeting the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics (CCSS-M). Like many teachers, Powers uses a response-to-intervention (RTI) framework to provide supports for students who require additional instruction and more intensive interventions to master curriculum standards. Wondering how he could support understanding and use of content and practice standards embodied in the CCSS-M while attending to students' unique strengths and weaknesses is addressed with a three step approach that includes: (1) Problem Identification; (2) Analyzing the Problem; and (3) Implementing a Solution. To intensify instruction for students with and without disabilities, teachers need a process to diagnostically assess students' current levels of understanding of mathematical concepts, determine areas of priority, conceptualize instructional tasks, and monitor performance. This article offers ongoing and robust diagnostic assessments to plan and implement evidence-based interventions and resources that address specific conceptual or procedural gaps in knowledge for individual students. This framework also guides teachers and interventionists to identify the problem or concern for students in terms of their mathematics understanding, analyze why the problem is occurring, implement a plan to address the problem, and evaluate if the plan is resulting in increased student performance. [More] Descriptors: Intervention, Elementary School Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Mathematics Instruction
(2012). A Case for Common Core State Standards: Gifted Curriculum 3.0, Gifted Child Today. The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) is the most successful attempt to gain consensus across states for 21st century standards in language arts and mathematics. So far, 46 states have accepted these standards, with two consortia organized to translate them into resources and sample activities. A consultant firm has been hired to develop the assessments that will replace current state tests and be more performance based in orientation than many state assessments currently are. These standards and assessments then will become a de facto national curriculum that intends to be rigorous and challenging for all learners in these core subject areas. Plans for the science standards are currently in process as well. This is all good news for gifted education as the level of some of the standards is well aligned with the new National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) program standards. In this article, the author discusses the importance of gifted education participating in the translation of the new CCSS in local and state contexts. She cites several reasons people need to engage in this process. [More] Descriptors: Gifted, State Standards, National Curriculum, Academic Standards
(2014). Developing the Area of a Trapezoid, Mathematics Teacher. A mathematics classroom that reflects the vision of NCTM's "Principles and Standards for School Mathematics" will have the teacher posing problems, asking questions that build on students' thinking, and encouraging students to explore different solutions. In teaching about area, it is not sufficient to give students the pertinent formulas and have them merely compute the areas of various polygons. The students should develop an understanding of the concept of area so that they can reason about the relationships between shapes to determine area. According to the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, students in sixth grade should be able to find the area of special quadrilaterals by composing them into rectangles or decomposing into triangles and other polygons. The Common Core Standards for Mathematics Practice also describe how students should construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others. The activity presented in this article can be used when the students are being introduced to the areas of special quadrilaterals, especially trapezoids. Before students engage with this task, the authors suggest that they explore and develop the formulas for the areas of triangles, rectangles, and parallelograms and gain some experience decomposing and recomposing polygons. Alternatively, the activity may be approached as forging the connections between the various geometric and algebraic representations, making it a more advanced task suitable for high school students. [More] Descriptors: Geometric Concepts, State Standards, Academic Standards, Problem Solving
(2014). Creating Cultures of Participation to Promote Mathematical Discourse, Middle School Journal. Discourse requires students to evaluate and interpret the perspectives, ideas, and mathematical arguments of others as well as construct valid arguments of their own. That is, students develop deeper understandings of mathematics when they engage in meaningful social interactions such as whole class discourse. Both the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics ([NCTM], 2000) and the Common Core State Standards Initiative emphasize the importance of incorporating mathematical discourse into curricular and pedagogical frameworks of the classroom. Creating a classroom culture of participation is a necessary first step in implementing meaningful discourse and creating equitable learning experiences. This article provides a compilation of strategies and classroom structures from 13 middle level teachers from highly urban communities with tremendous cultural, linguistic, and ethnic diversity. It should be noted that these strategies are not a comprehensive list of effective strategies, but teachers frequently used these strategies as foundations for success in engaging their students in discourse to develop reasoning. If implemented together, these strategies have the potential to create a strong and steadfast culture of participation to support all students' learning of mathematics. [More] Descriptors: Mathematics Instruction, Secondary School Mathematics, Middle School Teachers, Discussion (Teaching Technique)
(2014). Building Squares and Discovering Patterns, Teaching Children Mathematics. The Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) (CCSSI 2010) define what children should understand and be able to do in K-grade 12. This document also includes a description of key mathematical processes and proficiencies, the Standards for Mathematical Practice (SMPs), which provide an important overview for the kind of robust thinking and reasoning that children should engage in. Although listed in a linear way, these standards are more effectively implemented by teachers and understood by students when they are meaningfully integrated into a rich mathematical task. In this article, the authors describe an exploration of square numbers for fourth graders that integrates five of these eight standards: (1) Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them (SMP 1); (2) Reason abstractly and quantitatively. (SMP 2); (3) Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others (SMP 3); (4) Use appropriate tools strategically (SMP 5); and (5) Look for and make sense of structure (SMP 7). In planning and implementing the task the authors asked themselves, What opportunities for the standards are inherent in the task? What teacher moves might facilitate students' engagement with these standards? [More] Descriptors: Mathematics Instruction, State Standards, Core Curriculum, Mathematics Skills
(2014). Enriching Addition and Subtraction Fact Mastery through Games, Teaching Children Mathematics. The learning of "basic facts"–single-digit combinations for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division–has long been a focus of elementary school mathematics. Many people remember completing endless worksheets, timed tests, and flash card drills as they attempted to "master" their basic facts as children. However, research over the past thirty years, recommendations from "Principles to Actions" (NCTM 2014) on effective mathematics teaching practices, and goals for students outlined in the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) (CCSSI 2010), suggest a very different approach that has the promise of greater student engagement and success. Key to an effective approach to teaching basic facts is an understanding of the phases through which students progress as they learn their basic facts and a realization of how "meaningful" practice can be used to help students master their facts (Van de Walle, Karp, and Bay-Williams 2013). In this article, the authors illustrate how both of these aspects can be enacted through strategic use of games. [More] Descriptors: Teaching Methods, Arithmetic, Mathematics Instruction, State Standards
(2012). Implementing the Common Core State Standards: The Role of the Secondary School Leader. As shown by MetLife's 2010 "Survey of the American Teacher," America's educators strongly believe that all students should graduate from high school ready for college and a career (85 percent). Additionally, according to MetLife's 2009 survey, 86 percent of teachers believe that setting high expectations for students will improve student achievement to that end. The new Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are strongly aligned with those sentiments. The CCSS provide an opportunity to realize systemic change and ensure that American students are held to the same high expectations in mathematics and literacy as their global peers–regardless of state or zip code. The success of such change requires the thoughtful attention of school leaders. As such, this Action Brief for secondary leaders is offered as a "starting point," designed to increase awareness of the standards, create a sense of urgency around their implementation, and provide these stakeholders–who are faced with dramatically increased expectations in the context of fewer resources–with a deeper understanding of the standards and their role in implementing the standards. This Action Brief will provide no-cost takeaways, talking points and action steps that school leaders and counselors can begin to put into practice in their schools today. Appended: (1) Talking Points for Leaders; and (2) Resources. (Contains 16 footnotes.) [This paper was a joint action brief with College Summit.] [More] Descriptors: State Standards, Educational Improvement, Academic Standards, Program Implementation
(2012). The Common Core State Standards: A Vital Tool for Higher Education, Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning. These are exciting times in American education. While higher education has been preoccupied with its own challenges, its colleagues in K-12 have been adopting new standards, building new assessments and curricula, and redefining success for America's schools. For decades, the end-goal and primary success measure of most school systems was high school graduation. Now, in partnership with governors, K-12 leaders have set a new goal: college and career readiness, as defined through new Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in English language arts and literacy (ELA/literacy) and mathematics. These new standards are benchmarked to the highest-performing states in the US and countries around the world, and they reflect the judgments of college and university faculty who were involved in their development and review about the knowledge and skills that matter most for postsecondary success. Colleges and universities can use these new standards and assessments to advance their own objectives for learning, student success, productivity, and economic development. This article answers several key questions about the new standards and describes the ways that higher education can use them to meet its goals. [More] Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Higher Education, State Standards, Elementary Secondary Education
(2014). Beyond College Eligibility: A New Framework for Promoting College Readiness. College Readiness Indicator Systems Resource Series. The College Readiness Indicator Systems (CRIS) initiative was developed in response to a troubling pattern: More students than ever are enrolling in college after high school, but many of them are not college ready, as evidenced by persistently low rates of college completion. The sense of urgency to close the gap between college eligibility and college success is a growing concern among policymakers, educational leaders, and the business community, and it has been captured by the Common Core State Standards, which are explicitly designed to reflect "the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers." This CRIS Framework is intended as a tool to help districts and schools implement the conditions, processes, and supports needed to increase the number of students who finish high school ready to be successful in college. This means intervening early and matching identified students with the supports they need, but also addressing the skills, capacities, and attitudes of adults working in all parts of the school system. [More] Descriptors: College Readiness, College Preparation, Systems Approach, Educational Indicators
(2014). Web 2.0 in the Mathematics Classroom, Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School. A key characteristic of successful mathematics teachers is that they are able to provide varied activities that promote student learning and assessment. Web 2.0 applications can provide an assortment of tools to help produce creative activities. A Web 2.0 tool enables the student to enter data and create multimedia products using text, graphics, audio, and video. The possibilities for creativity and variety are endless. The Standards for Mathematical Practice (SMP) in the Common Core State Standards include a strong emphasis on student reasoning and sense making and on demonstrations of understanding. In describing mathematical proficiency, these standards recommend that students should work collaboratively, explaining and discussing concepts to refine understanding. Students should model and apply their mathematics knowledge and use technological tools and communicate their understanding precisely. Web 2.0 tools can be useful in structuring a variety of learning experiences to enable the development of students' habits of practice, as recommended by the Standards for Mathematical Practice. For the activities in this article, students interact with the mathematics in a creative and collaborative context and communicate their understanding both individually and in groups while working on projects. [More] Descriptors: Educational Technology, Web 2.0 Technologies, Mathematics Instruction, Learning Activities
(2014). Demystifying Data, Science Teacher. We constantly encounter data–in the form of graphs–that convey information about weather, medicine, politics, finances, and nutrition. These graphs are intended to help us visualize data for easy interpretation; however, approximately 41% of adults in the United States have low graph literacy (Galesic and Garcia-Retamero 2011). In this article, the authors describe an activity that they created to help students: (1) integrate and evaluate multiple graphs to answer questions; (2) choose and interpret units in graphs; and (3) analyze and interpret data. In this activity, students use Google Trends and climate-change data to understand patterns in basic time-series graphs. The activity aligns with several areas of the "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS Lead States 2013) and "Common Core State Standards" (NGAC and CCSSO 2010). The authors originally created this activity for a high school teacher workshop. Most participants used the activity the following year and reported that it not only enabled students to better grasp basic graphing concepts but also allowed them to apply these skills and vocabulary to interpreting real geoscience data. Climate change is too complex for students to fully understand with one or two graphs, but by explaining the strengths and weaknesses of any one piece of evidence, teachers can help students reach their own views about this topic. This activity also enables students to grasp data patterns and inevitably results in students suggesting search terms. [More] Descriptors: Climate, Graphs, Science Instruction, Teaching Methods
(2014). The Circle Approach to Trigonometry, Mathematics Teacher. How do students think about an angle measure of ninety degrees? How do they think about ratios and values on the unit circle? How might angle measure be used to connect right-triangle trigonometry and circular functions? And why might asking these questions be important when introducing trigonometric functions to students? When teaching trigonometric functions, most teachers would agree that students have difficulty using trigonometric functions to relate quantities in circle and right-triangle contexts. If students are to use trigonometric functions productively, they must understand angle measure, the unit circle, and right triangles in ways that let them see trigonometric functions as relations between two quantities. In addition, trigonometry instruction should adhere to the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics' emphasis on students' quantitative reasoning (CCSSI 2010). In this article, Kevin Moore and Kevin LaForest draw from recent research on student learning in trigonometry to illustrate a connected introduction of angle measure and the sine function that entails quantitative reasoning. To demonstrate these ideas in practice, they provide examples of precalculus students' solutions to various trigonometry problems. The ideas presented here also outline nuances involved in increasing student learning during a sequence of activities like that presented by Landers (2013). In particular, they draw attention to reasoning about varying quantities in the context of graphing and how issues of measurement help students understand the unit circle and ratios. [More] Descriptors: Trigonometry, Mathematics Instruction, Mathematical Concepts, Mathematical Logic