Vantage point: Adopting Common Core: Our district’s journey
By:
CSBA President Josephine "Jo" Lucey
Published: February 1, 2014
Many of us are in the process of implementing the Common Core State Standards throughout our districts. It’s a work in progress involving school boards, district staff, parents and community members. Common Core is a monumental shift not just in what is taught in the classroom, but also how. I thought I’d share what is happening in my district in the hope that it might be of value to you as you guide the changes in your district.
Change begins with the board. In our case, board meetings and study sessions in 2012-13 were devoted to exploring the structure and the implications of the Common Core standards. We made a conscious decision that the administrative staff and the board would learn together.
Our explorations began with general information and then delved into specifics. We talked about the implications of a districtwide shift, the dynamics of organizational cultural change, and then explored the sequencing of content, particularly in language arts and mathematics. We were “taught” a math lesson and then “took” a sample evaluation. We struggled! It was a challenge to make some decisions, particularly since some of the standards and the student evaluations were not yet defined. We concluded the school year with eight board priorities for the 2013-14 school year specifically targeted to moving toward the Common Core.
We asked our classroom staff to learn with us. Every teacher in the district was asked to develop and teach a Common Core lesson to explore the change in teaching philosophy and to begin the process of change. It became clear that we needed to make training and staff development a board priority, and a significant portion of the Common Core grant was allocated to staff development. Our board is mindful that implementation will only be successful if classroom teachers have the time and resources to adapt to the change.
Actively engaging our parents and community members was one of our eight goals. We held town hall meetings at each of our middle schools specifically to inform parents and answer questions; collectively, more than 2,000 parents attended. Additionally, follow-up parent meetings were held at each school site. More than 600 attended our districtwide Math Night, where we discussed our planned CCS pathways for middle school math and the resulting implications for math tracks in high schools (a big deal in Cupertino). Our parents asked for resources to help their students with the new math standards, and we responded with online binders of example lessons and assessments.
The challenge now is to keep staff, parents and the community informed about our work. We publish a districtwide newsletter devoted to the Common Core, routinely update our website, and post video updates online. Our parents are crucial partners in the education of our students and we have worked hard to inform them and to be responsive to their questions.
Common Core implementation is a challenge. Successful implementation will require boards, district staff, and parent communities to act together with a unity of purpose, focused on the ultimate goal of student success.