Common Core: SBE OKs materials, ELD standards
Published: December 5, 2012
With classrooms slated to begin teaching the Common Core State Standards in fall 2014, the State Board of Education has approved two major items to help California schools get ready for the change.
First, new standards for English-language arts and English language development got unanimous approval, which was quite an accomplishment considering the state’s past history.
“In the past when we’ve adopted English-language arts it was a hugely contentious issue,” said CSBA Senior Director for Policy and Programs Teri Burns in a “This Just In” video briefing following the State Board meeting Nov. 8.
“This time all the stakeholders were supportive,” Burns said, largely because the standards have the desired rigor, the process was transparent to all the parties, and an accompanying chart shows clearly how the new standards match up with the state’s career technical education standards.
Also getting the State Board’s unanimous approval were supplemental instructional materials aligned to the Common Core that districts may purchase now to begin transitioning to the new standards.
“These aren’t the materials that will be your be-all and end-all final materials, but they are materials you can start using immediately to start transitioning to the Common Core practices and behaviors,” said Burns.
Parents and community members will also need materials—in multiple languages—about what to expect as their students encounter the Common Core, Burns told the State Board. She also expressed CSBA’s belief that the Common Core timeline may need to be adjusted to accommodate schools and districts’ capacity for implementation, and she called on the panel to seriously consider the implications of hurried and uneven execution of the changes.
The California Department of Education has posted information and resources to advise school board members during the implementation of the Common Core standards.
Get ready for 2013: CSBA’s Jan. 17 Forecast Webcast
Sign up for CSBA’s 2013 free Forecast Webcast on Thursday, Jan. 17, to get the latest information about Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed 2013-14 budget, federal issues and the economic, political and policy developments that will shape the environment for public education in the new year.
CSBA has assembled a panel of experts, which will be moderated by CSBA Executive Director Vernon M. Billy, to help school board members get an idea what to expect in the year to come. CSBA Assistant Executive Director for Governmental Relations Dennis Meyers and members of his staff of legislative advocates will also lend their insights to the discussion.
Returning for this year’s panel is economist Christopher Thornberg, one of California’s leading authorities on the forces that shape the state’s economy. An expert in economic forecasting, regional development, real estate dynamics, and labor markets, Thornberg was one of the earliest and most adamant predictors of the housing market crash and of the economic recession that followed.
Last month’s election results helped set the agenda for education in 2013. Voters defied the polls Nov. 6, when they agreed to tax themselves to avoid drastic cuts to public schools by passing Proposition 30. In the words of CSBA President Jill Wynns, passage of the stop-gap funding measure “stops the hemorrhaging—but we need to get to the root of the problem. Our schools need resources to lead the nation in academic achievement and innovation.”
School board members must also keep a close eye on the nation’s capital, as a new Congress—albeit one composed largely of re-elected incumbents—works with a newly re-elected President Obama to keep the country from falling off the “fiscal cliff” posed by sequestration, as the across-the-board cuts that are scheduled to take effect automatically in January are called.
Jan. 17’s Forecast Webcast will take place from 10 a.m. to noon. There is no charge to CSBA members but the number of connections is limited, so advance registration is required. Register online at www.csba.org, or contact Andrea Johnson at 800-266-3382, ext. 3283, or email her at ajohnson@csba.org for more information.