Leading the Transition to the Common Core

The move to Common Core state Standards – now underway in 45 states, two territories and the District of Columbia – brings challenges for educators.  The transition is getting into full swing in North Carolina, and as administrators and teachers learn more about what the standards are, they’re working through how to implement them.  What will they mean to teachers and students, and how will they change content and practice in the classroom?

“We’ve never had a national curriculum outlined across standards that are adopted by as many states as we have now,” says Rachel Porter, Senior Instructional Specialist for The Centers for Quality Teaching and Learning.  Porter is leading a session for 70 principals and assistant principals, sponsored by the North Carolina Principals and Assistant principals (NCPAPA).  The administrators are at NC State’s McKimmon Center to formulate plans for making it happen, and making it work.

She notes that the language and terminology of the Common Core State Standards is different from what teachers may be used to using.  There’s no reference to ‘objectives’ – ‘standards’ and ‘domains’ are outlined in CCSS.  To further complicate matters, the adoption on CCSS comes simultaneously with new standards for all other subject areas.

“These standards require a different kind of planning and a different kind of structure in the classroom,” says Porter, noting that the Common Core State Standards are not focused solely on content, but more abstract concepts that reflect higher order thinking.

Those standards set an expectation that students develop the ability to read like a detective, write like an investigative reporter, listen like a safecracker, and speak like a teacher.  That’s no small feat, and will require intensive planning followed by effective execution.  The preparation to do that is now underway.