The Common Core Institute

Join the Common Core Institute in Pittsburgh for two days of in-depth professional learning on May 10th and 11th as you continue your progress toward complete Common Core Implementation. This institute was developed by our experts who have been working with schools across the country, building sustainable capacity for Common Core Implementation.

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Institute Day 1:
Accountability for the Successful Implementation of Common Core Standards

Common Core State Standards are rapidly becoming critical components of the campaign to ensure that local educators hold high expectations for all students. Standards are rigorous. Accountability must ensure that during the process of successful implementation, and at the end of the day, both student and teacher performance align with expectations. The higher you raise the bar, the more students and teachers must achieve. Common Core Standards set a higher bar than NCLB, but we can’t win the war if we aren’t equipped and prepared for the battle.

Accountability measures must be built upon the state and each school district’s capacity to provide meaningful support, assistance, and evaluation. Factors for consideration include:

Are expectations made clear to parents, teachers, and the general public?
  • How do we get ALL students to proficiency?
  • How do we document and track sub group accountability to ensure we are getting all students to college- and career-ready standards?
  • How do we accelerate rapid growth for students who are already behind?
  • How do we guarantee Common Core Standards are implemented with fidelity?
  • How will you develop and implement a comprehensive assessment system to measure student performance against the Common Core State Standards and skills?
  • How will you evaluate policy changes needed for successful implementation?

Participants will walk away with a clear understanding of the conversation about Common Core Standards as it relates to academic achievement. Furthermore, you will understand the accountability measures important in the transition from NCLB to the Common Core Standards, and the measures which drive both accountability and success.

Consultant:
Dr. L’Tanya Sloan Simmons

Institute Day 2:
Employing Research-Based Strategies:
Implementing the Common Core State Standards in the Classroom

The Common Core State Standards stress that teachers build literacy and thinking skills across the curriculum and help learners address multiple perspectives in exploring ideas and solving problems. In this session we will explore research-based instructional strategies that encourage the development of critical thinking dispositions, such as problem solving, curiosity, creativity, innovation, communication, interpersonal skills, the ability to synthesize across disciplines, global awareness, ethics, and technological expertise.

Topics we will explore include:
  • The Standards for Mathematical Practice
  • English Language Arts Standards and Exemplar Tasks
  • Content Literacy Strategies for History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects
  • Effective instructional strategies designed to incorporate higher-order thinking, deep knowledge, substantive conversation, and connections to the world beyond the classroom

Consultant:
Janet Rummel

About the Consultants:

Dr. L’Tanya Sloan SimmonsDr. L’Tanya Sloan Simmons has broad experience as an Educator, including serving as an Elementary School Principal in Atlanta, Georgia; Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction in Baltimore City, Maryland; and as Chief of Educational Accountability, Research, Evaluation & Assessment for the Baltimore City Public Schools. In these positions, Dr. Sloan Simmons designed educational programs driven by standards and specific accountability measures, while coordinating the required support services for schools, the school community, and school district personnel. She worked on the design of accountability systems which measured the degree to which students became “smarter” as a result of the services and products provided. These systems were built on a technology infrastructure that allowed dramatic improvement in the delivery of classroom instruction and also in teacher accountability.

Janet RummelJanet Rummel is a Vice President of Common Core Services with the Center for College & Career Readiness, working with schools to employ implementation strategies for the Common Core State Standards. Previously, she worked with the Indiana Department of Education preparing state assessments (ISTEP+, ECA, and Acuity) in Mathematics and Science, ensuring alignment to state standards with respect to content and level of rigor.