Whenever I interact with members of the business community, I'm invariably asked two questions: 1) How is your school district preparing students for the jobs that our businesses have available now and in the future? 2) Will CUSD graduates have the knowledge and skills they need to compete successfully in the global economy?
At CUSD, we believe that we need to continually challenge our students, raise the bar, and bring the most current instructional methods into our classrooms to keep up with our rapidly-changing world.
To this end, teachers are beginning to implement the Common Core State Standards that were approved by the California State Board of Education in 2010. These new standards, adopted by 45 states, are designed to instill the knowledge and skills that students need to prepare them for success in college and career. In addition, the Common Core standards provide teachers with a clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, and then allows them to teach it in their own way.
The changes that the Common Core will bring are often described as "instructional shifts."
For example, one of the notable shifts in English Language Arts is for students to read more non-fiction. While students will continue to study Shakespeare, they will also read and analyze the foundational documents of our nation, such as the Constitution and Federalist Papers. More instructional time will be centered on building academic vocabulary and developing a deeper understanding of content. Mastering these skills will help students tackle college textbooks and work-based technical manuals with confidence and ease.
Another Common Core shift recognizes that students who aspire to be business leaders must be skilled communicators capable to making articulate and compelling oral presentations and writing informative technical reports. Students will learn to identify and use evidence from the text to back up their assertions.
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education is another subset of Common Core. The Common Core prescribes a coherent chronology of math concepts that minimizes repetition across the grades. The purpose of this shift is to allow students time to develop a better understanding of mathematical concepts and their applications, as opposed to a superficial ability to simply end up with the correct anwer.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable support the Common Core because it establishes rigorous and relevant standards for all students.
In the words of Robert Corcoran (Vice President, GE Corporate Citizenship, and President and Chair, GE Foundation), "Our economy is facing an undeniable challenge?good paying jobs are going unfilled because U.S. workers don't have the skills to fill the positions. We must cultivate a highly educated workforce and we see the [Common Core] Standards as a key component to answering this challenge." (BRT Blog, Business Roundtable, April 13, 2013.)
CUSD's commitment, going forward, is to give teachers the support they need so they can explore these new standards with creativity and innovation.
At CUSD, we believe that we need to continually challenge our students, raise the bar, and bring the most current instructional methods into our classrooms to keep up with our rapidly-changing world.
To this end, teachers are beginning to implement the Common Core State Standards that were approved by the California State Board of Education in 2010. These new standards, adopted by 45 states, are designed to instill the knowledge and skills that students need to prepare them for success in college and career. In addition, the Common Core standards provide teachers with a clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, and then allows them to teach it in their own way.
The changes that the Common Core will bring are often described as "instructional shifts."
For example, one of the notable shifts in English Language Arts is for students to read more non-fiction. While students will continue to study Shakespeare, they will also read and analyze the foundational documents of our nation, such as the Constitution and Federalist Papers. More instructional time will be centered on building academic vocabulary and developing a deeper understanding of content. Mastering these skills will help students tackle college textbooks and work-based technical manuals with confidence and ease.
Another Common Core shift recognizes that students who aspire to be business leaders must be skilled communicators capable to making articulate and compelling oral presentations and writing informative technical reports. Students will learn to identify and use evidence from the text to back up their assertions.
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education is another subset of Common Core. The Common Core prescribes a coherent chronology of math concepts that minimizes repetition across the grades. The purpose of this shift is to allow students time to develop a better understanding of mathematical concepts and their applications, as opposed to a superficial ability to simply end up with the correct anwer.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable support the Common Core because it establishes rigorous and relevant standards for all students.
In the words of Robert Corcoran (Vice President, GE Corporate Citizenship, and President and Chair, GE Foundation), "Our economy is facing an undeniable challenge?good paying jobs are going unfilled because U.S. workers don't have the skills to fill the positions. We must cultivate a highly educated workforce and we see the [Common Core] Standards as a key component to answering this challenge." (BRT Blog, Business Roundtable, April 13, 2013.)
CUSD's commitment, going forward, is to give teachers the support they need so they can explore these new standards with creativity and innovation.