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Monday, June 13, 2011

Common Core Question

So I have been hearing a lot about Common Core from all my blog friends but not one word from my district. My district is very large and not very progressive.  We are currently standards-based but with our own state standards.
I see on the Common Core website that my state, California, has adopted them. I just sent an email to our curriculum director asking where our district stands on implementing these.

I noticed 2 big differences in the math from my state standards:
1. NO MONEY??? Did I miss it?
2. Fractions -we currently don't do these. I have no problem with it although I am realizing our math curriculum (Envisions) doesn't support it.

So my questions to you are:
1. Are/have you implemented Common Core? ( I am curious how behind my district is.)
2. Is it your belief that having common standards throughout the country IS going to happen, it is just a matter of time?

I personally like the idea and I am thinking it will help when I create math games, etc to keep these in mind.

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28 comments:

  1. I'm also a teacher in CA (southern)-my district has started talkinb about common core standards but we haven't even begun to think about or implement.

    I have to say I am excited about the idea- I feel like some of the CA standards are a bit unattainable and we are just failing hopelessly. we will see what the future holds.

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  2. We just learned of them a few weeks before school was out. Only Texas is one of just a handful of states that chose to make their own core standards. (Really?! Why?!) We are supposed to look to those beginning this fall for our lesson plans and what we should be teaching.

    ** I DO think eventually all the states will follow the same set of standards. (I'd really like to know why states were given the choice and WHY would you want to start from scratch and do your own, Texas?!

    Rowdy in First Grade

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  3. I teach in Tennessee and we have adopted the new Common Core Standards because we were chosen for 1st to the Top money. My school is going to start teaching the new standards next school year for grades K-2. I am going to a training on the 24th to learn more about the new standards. My grade level went ahead and aligned the new standards to our current monthly curriculum maps. I'm disappointed that we do not have Science or Social Studies Common Core Standards to view. Maybe those will be ready sometime this summer.

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    1. I am in CA and would love to see how you aligned your curriculum to develop monthly maps. Would it be possible for you to send me what your grade level team put together? I am struggling with this and would really appreciate it. Thank you

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  4. I am in Michigan and we ARE working with the CORE now...but don't have the "materials" for it. We are getting a NEW science, writing, and math for next year. The math is just an updated version of Everyday Math, the writing has ALWAYS been lacking so we are following a Lucy Caulkins (each bldg. was doing their own thing).
    We JUST redid ALL of our math tests and standards to the state but has to be CHANGED again! $$$$ AND basic facts ARE missing but we are still expected to teach them.
    MY feeling...in my 9 years of teaching we have REWORKED our standards almost 4 times...I am sure it will ALL change again just when we get comfy...

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  5. Hmmm... we also use Envision and we do have a fraction unit. In fact our math teacher told us to really emphasize the fraction unit this year because it was such an important part of the Common Core (which we will begin implementing next year).

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  6. Ahhh..I should have mentioned, that I have the California version of Envisions. I know that textbook manufacturers put out different versions and usually make one especially for California because we are such a large market. Our standards are listed for each lesson, etc. I never thought about what the version would look like for a smaller state. Do they have your standard numbers, etc?? It will make the textbook manufacturers job easier if we all have the same standards, too!

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  7. I work in a huge school district in TN also and we started talking about it at our end of the year in-services this year!!! So ya'll aren't far behind! =)

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  8. I teach in Ohio, and my district will be implementing the new Common Core Language Arts and Math standards next year. We are also getting the updated version of Everyday Math. Other than that, we have no updated materials, and I'm sure we're going to be scrambling to make new common assessments next year. It should be interesting! I'm going to a training on June 21st, so hopefully I'll know more then! We've been talking about it for about two years though... not that I feel prepared enough for this big leap... but hey! Good luck!

    Amanda
    http://www.onextradegree.blogspot.com

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  9. I teach in Tennessee, in my district K will move to common core next year. Then, each year after that, another grade will be added, until 2014-15, when everyone will move to them.

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  10. I'm in WI and we too are moving to the COmmon Core standards. My district had grade level meetings this spring to discuss the standards. We will begin rolling out Language Arts and Math over the next 2 years. From what I know, science standards are due out soon but Soc Studies will likely not be out for a couple more years. When looking at the 1st grade core, money is not a part of our curriculum, not even ID and value. I have a feeling the math series will still touch on it though.
    Sara
    http://malchowsreflections.blogspot.com

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  11. I am a first grade teacher in MS and we have recently had a lot of training on Common Core. Our district will be implementing Common Core standards in K-2 during next school year. As far as money, it is not mentioned in the math standards until 2nd grade. However, the standard for 2nd grade is to use it in word problems, so we are still teaching money in first grade. It seems like the goal is for all states to have common standards and assessments. They are in the process of developing these assessments now. All those that have led our training seem to think that common national standards is where we are headed. The goal of this is to produce students who are college and career ready and can compete on an international level. It has been a lot for me to process and we
    have had to basically revamp our math.

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  12. I'm in MS and our school will be moving to core next year so this is a great question!

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  13. I teach 1st grade in AZ and our district is revamping our curriculum maps based on Common Core. I'm really looking forward to uniform standards, especially since we have a large "transient" population so kids coming and going will be exposed to the same curriculum. We also rely heavily on NWEA testing in 1st grade and the test is not currently aligned with state standards but Common Core could help this disconnect. Do you have NWEA testing in your district?
    -Rachel
    asartiparty.blogspot.com

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  14. I'm in a large district in TN and they've got "Power Standards" they are using as we implement the Common Core. I'm also lucky enough to be working with the TN Dept of Educ this summer as we present "Breaking Down the Standards"...we've got workshops going on throughout the state of TN to help teachers learn to break apart the standard and create Learning Goals for each standard. There's also two apps for the common core on iTunes for the iPhone, iPod and iPad...just search common core...pretty cool stuff going on...

    Swamp Frog First Graders

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    1. Just wondering how your year went. I am in CA and just beginning to plan using the common core. I am struggling with how and when to teach the common core (pacing) using the adopted curriculum my district has as well as what to supplement with. Would it be possible to share what your team planned or discovered.

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  15. I teach in Missouri and we are implementing the Kinder Core standards this fall. We aligned K-2 this spring and 1-2 determined what we need to add this year then the following and so forth so that within 3 years K-2 will have implemented all the math standards. We have not discussed the other standards for comm arts etc. We all agreed that to drop money would be a mistake since 2nd has to identify, count and use them in word problems. It was just too much so we are keeping hoe we do money,. Fractions are the same as is time. We gave up shapes with patterning but kept the patterning with numbers. There are some great changes we just need the materials to keep up the pace. Investigations is working on a supplement that should be out in July to help with that.

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  16. I'm in that yellow state right there in the middle (NE) that HAS NOT decided to implement the CCS. We have our own. However, our superintendent already mentioned that because our funding has been cut quite a bit and there is quite a bit of pressure and he thinks our state will eventually give in.

    So I guess I'll be learning from you all and hopefully will be ready when the time comes.

    Ms. M
    Ms.M's Blog
    A Teacher's Plan

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  17. Hi,
    I'm in California as well. Our district is trying to get ahead of the game on the Common Core (CC), and so we've had grade level meetings across the district to see where the standards over lap, work on a report card that uses CC standards. They're thinking we'll probably make the switch in a couple years, by 2014.

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  18. I teach in Pennsylvania and we are implementing the Common Core -ELA and math standards this upcoming school year. So, I have my homework planned out for the summer! :)

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  19. I teach in AZ and my district is also realigning our curriculum to the CCS... fully by 2014. We just adopted the new Investigations series from Pearson which is supposed to be "the closest thing on the market" to the CCS. After our training though, it is SO stinking EASY to what we have been teaching. (It is supposed to foster deep mathematical thinking.) I guess we'll see... :-)

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  20. I'm in Oklahoma. The "state's" plan is that we begin phasing in the CCS with testing on them to be in 2014. I haven't seen any training available on the changes. We are working on our math (every summer's project) and last I heard our district's plan is to start K, 3, 5 using them this year and phase in the others in the next 2 years.

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  21. I'm in Utah and we also are adopting them. I also agree that since they dropped money we would teach it anyway. They don't get it in one year so it wouldn't be fair to just dump it on 2nd grade. We have to have our science all alligned by next year, math this past year. It was tricky because we adopted Envisions. Such a learning curve in one year! I think it is dumbed down too. I'm going to stick with my more rigorous stuff and call it enrichment.

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  22. I am in MIchigan, and we are supposed to be using the Common Core, which I have been. The only crummy thing is that our report cards don't reflect the Common Core yet. I am thinking of changing mine, but that probably wouldn't go over well. Oh well.

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  23. Hi folks, I just want to say that these comments have been great from a publisher's point of view. We hear the call, loud and clear, for more Common Core materials. Attack of the Chicken Nugget Man: A National Test Prep Adventure is an educational children's book aligned to Common Core Standards for 2nd-5th grade (www.FunTestPrep.com). It is very difficult to know which states (and grade levels) have started implementing Common Core Standards in the classroom (all the data seems to focus on adoption, not implementation), so this thread was very helpful to us. A heads up to all of you FinallyInFirest bloggers, we run book grants for class sets of books, so look us up! And any of you that posted that your state is currently using the standards, can you perhaps indicate your grade level? Publishers can't help until they know their market, and nonprofit publishers like us, well, we simply cannot afford to send our catalogs and grant applications to every school in the country.

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  25. I am teaching first grade in Missouri. We are implementing CC K-2 next year. We have groups of teachers making units of study for us to use starting next year. We are just going to focus on Communication Arts and not math yet. I feel we are rushing ahead since the units of study are not made yet but our district feels there is not time to wait.

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  26. I am in California. We are starting to implement next year. I am wondering if anyone has changed their report cards to Common Core yet?

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