As of July 2011, 43 states have opted to implement the Common Core State Standards--the national educational standards intended to raise the bar on student achievement nationwide.  Much has been made of what these standards will mean for students, but what about teachers? What new proficiencies might teachers need to create tasks that meet the new standards and assessments that accurately gauge whether students have succeeded in the mastery of higher order skills?  It's easy to know whether a student has correctly identified parts of a speech. Comparatively speaking, it's more difficult to identify whether a student has sufficiently demonstrated knowledge of synthesis. How will teachers come to a common understanding of what is needed to assess these higher order skills? And what kinds of structures can leaders put in place to ensure their teaching staff is prepared to meet the challenge of the Common Core?

While schools are not expected to fully implement the standards until 2014, school leaders know that experimenting early and often will ease the instructional transition.  During the 2010-2011 school year, 100 New York City Schools participated in a Common Core pilot program. With the support of national education experts, teams of teachers and administrators developed Common Core-aligned curricula, including college ready performance-based tasks and assessments. Samples of tasks, student work, and related instructional supports can be found on the Department of Education website. The DOE has also posted citywide instructional expectations for the 2011-2012 school year, during which all schools will be expected to engage students in at least two Common Core aligned-tasks, one in literacy and one in math, and look at student work in teacher teams.

Over the next few weeks, Teaching Matters' Common Core Summer Series will examine the implications the new standards will have on teacher practice. We'll also explore how professional learning communities (PLCs) and teacher teams can support school implementation of the new standards. Finally, we'll examine a few technologies that enable teachers' collective capacity--supporting collaboration around Common Core outcomes and improving teacher effectiveness. We hope you'll join the conversation by sharing your ideas and experiences.

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Teaching Matters’ Common Core Summer Series: Upcoming Topics
Monday August 1, 2011: An Introduction to Teaching Matters’ Common Core Summer Series
Monday, August 8, 2011: All Together Now: Common Core and the Necessity of Professional Learning Communities
Monday, August 22, 2011: Writing Matters Case Study: How Teacher Teams Led to Improved Student Outcomes in ELA
Monday, September 12, 2011: Innovation and Collaboration: Four Easy Ways Technology Can Support Professional Learning Communities