Common Core State Standards being Unpacked by Genoa-Kingston Schools
In June of 2010 the State of Illinois, joined forty-four other states in adopting a set of common core standards in relationship to students learning. The mission statement from www.corestandards.org states; The Common Core State Standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers. With American students fully prepared for the future, our communities will be best positioned to compete successfully in the global economy.
The state-led effort to develop this set of core standards was championed by the National Governors Association for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers. Teachers, administrators, and school experts developed the standards to reflect the clearest and most consistent framework of direction in education that I have witnessed in my 28 year career in education. This framework is meant to prepare our children for college and the workforce. It has been rare in the past that states agree on a set of standards to hold their students to but this new set of common core standards is being implemented and accepted throughout our country.
www.corestands.org also states that these standards define the knowledge and skills students should have within their K-12 education careers so that they will graduate high school able to succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing academic college courses and in workforce training programs. The standards are aligned with college and work expectations; are clear, understandable and consistent; include rigorous content and application of knowledge through high-order skills; build upon strengths and lessons of current state standards; are informed by other top performing countries, so that all students are prepared to succeed in our global economy and society; and are evidence-based.
Genoa-Kingston CUSD # 424 has started the process of having our professional staff unpack the new standards in language arts and math. Our districts staff development efforts over the next few years will focus on putting the new standards to work in our class rooms and changing the way we assess student learning along with the common goal of improving student achievement in all areas of the curriculum. District # 424 has accessed the assistance of two of the state’s finest resources in the area of the common core curriculum in Dr. Anthony Kroll and Mr. Joe Crawford. Both gentlemen bring a wealth of experience and knowledge regarding the development and understanding of the new common core and the development of local assessments that match student expectations and learning. They are part of the staff development program entitled partners4results and will be assisting our district over the next school year.
I have asked myself several times what the new common core will mean to education. I have been in education long enough to see fads, trends, and buzz words come and go, so naturally my first thoughts were “here we go again reinventing the wheel”. Despite those initial feelings, I have been pleasantly surprised and encouraged by the common core standards and feel that this common sense approach to assessing what we are teaching along with high level staff development will lead our district in the right direction for years to come.
If you wish to find out more about the common core standards please visit our website at www. gkschools.org and go to the District 424 tab. A link to the common core and several resources will be available for you to review. Please know that our staff and administration will continue to unpack and implement the common core to the best of our ability and have one goal in mind; improving student achievement at Genoa-Kingston Schools.