Common Core State Standards and the SMARTER Balanced Assessment
Beginning with the 2014-15 school year, the current MAP test will be replaced by a state assessment designed to assess whether students have mastered the newest state standards, which are actually shared by over 40 states across the U.S. In preparation for this coming change, the Fort Osage School District has been realigning local standards and preparing teachers to ensure students are successful with the revised standards. Read on to learn more about the standards, their advantages, and how Fort Osage is preparing students for the future.
Shortly after the Missouri State Board of Education adopted the Common Core State Standards in 2010, the Fort Osage School District began transitioning to the new standards. In Missouri, the Common Core State Standards for English language arts and mathematics are called the Missouri Learning Standards. These standards define both the knowledge and skills all students should master by the end of each grade level to be on track for success in college and career. At Fort Osage, these standards were fully implemented during the 2014-2015 school year.
To prepare for full implementation, a great deal of work has been completed at the district, school, and individual teacher level. This work included developing an understanding of the new standards and the instructional shifts necessary to implement them. In English language arts, students and parents will notice three major instructional shifts as a result of the transition to the new standards.
· There is a major emphasis on vocabulary, especially understanding how to properly use words in different contexts.
· The use of evidence is more important. Students will be asked to explain their thinking and to use examples to support their ideas.
· Informational texts are also very important. Informational texts can include everything from newspapers to computer manuals – all the types of reading material that adults use in their day-to-day lives and in workplaces. Novels and other types of literature will continue to be important, but other kinds of texts will make up about half of the texts that students read and use.
In mathematics, the major shift is in the depth of the new curriculum. Students continue to learn and master the same core concepts that are so critical in mathematics, but their lessons and studies will be organized to allow students to learn the concepts at a greater level of understanding and depth. The mathematics standards are all about:
· Better conceptual understanding. For example, students should not just "do" fraction problems. They should really understand what fractions are, when to use them, what they mean and how they relate to other math concepts and procedures as well as how to solve problems that involve fractions.
· Mastery of procedural skills. Students need to be proficient in arithmetic skills, calculation skills and also procedural skills to work with and solve equations.
· Application to the real world. Using mathematics skills to solve real problems is the goal.
There are several advantages to having common standards. With common standards, states have the option to pool their collective expertise and resources in order to reduce costs for each individual state and bring the most well-informed, creative thinking to various efforts around the standards. For example, states can work together to:
The Fort Osage School District is working hard to transition to the Common Core State Standards and prepare our students for the updated state assessments. The work that has already been completed in regard to standards-based grading, formative assessments, and scoring scales will make this transition much more manageable for staff and students. As we move forward, the district will continue to make the necessary changes to curriculum and instruction to ensure that all of our students are on track for success in college and career.
Parent Resources
Click here for the National PTA Parent’s Guides for Student Success
Click here for the Council of Great City Schools Parent Roadmap
Click here for the Common Core Works Resources
Click here for the Engage New York Parent and Family Resources
Shortly after the Missouri State Board of Education adopted the Common Core State Standards in 2010, the Fort Osage School District began transitioning to the new standards. In Missouri, the Common Core State Standards for English language arts and mathematics are called the Missouri Learning Standards. These standards define both the knowledge and skills all students should master by the end of each grade level to be on track for success in college and career. At Fort Osage, these standards were fully implemented during the 2014-2015 school year.
To prepare for full implementation, a great deal of work has been completed at the district, school, and individual teacher level. This work included developing an understanding of the new standards and the instructional shifts necessary to implement them. In English language arts, students and parents will notice three major instructional shifts as a result of the transition to the new standards.
· There is a major emphasis on vocabulary, especially understanding how to properly use words in different contexts.
· The use of evidence is more important. Students will be asked to explain their thinking and to use examples to support their ideas.
· Informational texts are also very important. Informational texts can include everything from newspapers to computer manuals – all the types of reading material that adults use in their day-to-day lives and in workplaces. Novels and other types of literature will continue to be important, but other kinds of texts will make up about half of the texts that students read and use.
In mathematics, the major shift is in the depth of the new curriculum. Students continue to learn and master the same core concepts that are so critical in mathematics, but their lessons and studies will be organized to allow students to learn the concepts at a greater level of understanding and depth. The mathematics standards are all about:
· Better conceptual understanding. For example, students should not just "do" fraction problems. They should really understand what fractions are, when to use them, what they mean and how they relate to other math concepts and procedures as well as how to solve problems that involve fractions.
· Mastery of procedural skills. Students need to be proficient in arithmetic skills, calculation skills and also procedural skills to work with and solve equations.
· Application to the real world. Using mathematics skills to solve real problems is the goal.
There are several advantages to having common standards. With common standards, states have the option to pool their collective expertise and resources in order to reduce costs for each individual state and bring the most well-informed, creative thinking to various efforts around the standards. For example, states can work together to:
- Make expectations for students as clear as possible to parents, teachers, and the general public.
- Encourage the development of resources for educators aligned to the standards.
- Implement high-quality, locally-developed curriculum that best enable teachers to help all students reach the standards.
- Develop and implement comprehensive assessment systems to measure student performance based on the standards.
The Fort Osage School District is working hard to transition to the Common Core State Standards and prepare our students for the updated state assessments. The work that has already been completed in regard to standards-based grading, formative assessments, and scoring scales will make this transition much more manageable for staff and students. As we move forward, the district will continue to make the necessary changes to curriculum and instruction to ensure that all of our students are on track for success in college and career.
Parent Resources
Click here for the National PTA Parent’s Guides for Student Success
Click here for the Council of Great City Schools Parent Roadmap
Click here for the Common Core Works Resources
Click here for the Engage New York Parent and Family Resources