Common Core & Standards

Classic Mistakes in Grading Reform, and How to Avoid Them

Classic Mistakes in Grading Reform, and How to Avoid Them

Presenter linkThomas R. Guskey
Post date
Categories: Authors, Common Core & Standards

Based on Get Set, Go!

Many grading reform efforts fail because reform leaders make the same classic mistakes (Guskey, 2020). Two important lessons learned from these mistakes can guide others in avoiding these errors and drastically improving the chances for success.

Lesson #1: Begin with Why, Not What

Many leaders begin grading and reporting reforms by revising the report card. They modify the report card’s content and structure and change how report card grades are determined. Some leaders simply adopt the “standards-based grading” option within their computerized grading program and then launch efforts to inform students, teachers, parents and families, school leaders, and board members of the changes they plan to implement. Read more

Laying the foundation for reading proficiency

Reading Proficiency Starts with a Solid Foundation

Presenter linkTimothy V. Rasinski
Post date
Categories: Common Core & Standards, Instruction, Literacy

The goal for any reading curriculum is to develop readers who are able to understand, evaluate, and respond to texts in thoughtful ways. We can lump these competencies under the concept of reading comprehension. There is also a second goal for reading: to develop children and adults who are lifelong avid readers who choose to make literacy an integral part of their lives.

In order to reach these lofty goals, however, students need to develop competencies in what most reading standards (e.g., Common Core Standards) refer to as foundational. Read more

Preparing high-school graduates for college or careers

Increasing College Readiness and Career Readiness before Graduation

Presenter linkRobert Canady
Post date
Categories: Assessment, Common Core & Standards, Instruction, Literacy, Mathematics

Most states have improved graduation rates over time, but as one superintendent told this author, “We know how to increase graduation rates; we just don’t know how to educate them before they graduate!” So, what can educators do to increase the number of graduates who are actually ready for college or careers? Read more

tip of the iceberg

Deeper Learning and the Common Core: What’s the Conflict?

Presenter linkJames A. Bellanca
Post date
Categories: 21st Century Skills, Common Core & Standards

Driving Question: What is the conflict between deeper learning and the Common Core?

 “How do I do this deeper learning stuff when I have the common core to deal with?”

“It’s the Common Core on my radar. When do I have time for anything else?”

“I have to worry about how to deliver the common core in my special needs classroom. Come on, now”

I get it. The reason I get it is I hear these same cries whenever I’ve started working with a faculty. They tell me that there are lots of top-down dictates still coming along under the guise of professional development. In the past few years, inordinate amounts of money have been spent to brush stroke the what and why of the Common Core, RTI, and who knows what else. Too many teachers are left confused and unprepared to do what the commanders ask. Read more

Demonstrate, Explain, Apply

Common Core and the DEA Teaching Model

Presenter linkThomas Soto
Post date
Categories: Common Core & Standards, School Improvement

This post is part of an ongoing series on the topic of Eliminating the Achievement Gap for Latino Students.

Common Core has opened the door for a different kind of learning experience for both teachers and students. The traditional classroom with the teacher being the keeper of knowledge, and the students being the sponges of information is being flipped. The teacher’s role is shifting away from instructor and leaning more towards facilitator. With this shift, students are transitioning to be the active participant in their own learning, responsible for their own engagement and product. This level of ownership of learning is especially beneficial for English Language Learners. ELL students need to build relevance with new learnings, and this new approach will only solidify connections and provide personal contexts for their new learnings.

Read more