common core talking points

8/9/2019 Common Core Talking Points

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Volume 2, Issue 10 October 11, 2013

October 8 Board Meeting

At the Board meeting this week, we received the green light on proceeding with building an

elementary school at Ed Clapp Park. We will now be securing an architect for final design plans forthe new school, securing the land through the Park District, holding a meeting with the Ed ClappPark neighborhood, and finalizing funding plans. We also were directed to employ an engineer to

begin the design phase of installing air conditioning into Madison, McKinley, Horace Mann,

Roosevelt, Clara Barton, and Lewis & Clark. At this time we do not know when air conditioningwould be installed in schools, but we will be working with an engineer to see what will be possible

and when. We have been told the design phase could take up to seven months.

Message Maps

On pages 2 and 3, you will find message maps on the Common Core State Standards and theLong Range Facility Plan. Also included is the memo from State Superintendent Baesler fromApril 2013 where she explains North Dakotas decision to implement the Common Core.

These have been developed for use by our Board members as they speak to citizens regarding

this topic, but I also thought they may be of use to you and your staffs. We will update the LRFPmessage map as we continue to make decisions.

With regard the Common Core Standards, we are starting to get some push back from parents

this is a trend nationwide. I think it is imperative that building principals become knowledgeableabout the CCSS and the new State Assessment system, Smarter Balanced Assessments. Please

work with your staffs to develop a consistent message map, which they can use with parents

detailing what the Common Core is and why we are transitioning to this new group of standards.

In addition, please educate yourself on the Smarter Balanced Assessments that have been

adopted by ND. When I get a question about Common Core from a parent (usually because they

could not get much information from their childs teacher or building), I am referring them backto the building principal. The attached message map has two websites which provide

information on this topic. We need everyone on board so that parents can get the right answers

when asking about CCSS. Your assistance in this matter is very much needed and appreciated.

This Weeks Reads

Enjoy another edition of the Straight As.

From Dr. Schatz


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Message Map/Talking Points

District Long Range Facility Plan (LRFP)

Key Message #1 Key Message #2 Key Message #3 Key Message #4

The District began work on a LongRange Facility Plan in the fall of 2012and continues to work toward a visionfor the Districts future.

Recent enrollment studies conductedby RSP and Associates indicate theFargo Public Schools will seeenrollment growth of around 200students per year for the next fiveyears. An updated report trackingenrollment trends will be completed

by the end of October 2013.

The District has been working withcommunity members and othergovernment subdivisions to develop theLong Range Facility Plan and

The Districts Long Range Facility Planwill span the next ten years and willfocus on facility maintenance andgrowth.

Fact-detail1

With the opening of Davies HighSchool and the movement ofWoodrow Wilson High School toAgassiz last year, the previous LRFPdeveloped in 2005 was complete.

Recent enrollment studies conductedby RSP and Associates indicated thatincreased enrollment is expectedmainly in the far south and west andwill occur with the recent increase innew housing development in Fargo.More than 2,200 units have beenplotted and approved by the City ofFargo and associated developers.

A community task force was createdand charged with developingrecommendations for the SchoolBoards consideration in developing theLRFP. The task force begun their workin March 2013; their work concluded inJune 2013 when their report wasforward to the School Board.

The LRFP plan will include plans toinstalling air conditioning in the sixelementary schools where A/C does notexist.

Fact-deta

il2

In the fall of 2012, ICS Consulting anddistrict operations personnel

completed a comprehensive district-wide facilities assessment.

Due to rapid increases in Districtenrollment, capacity levels are

nearing 100% or more in far southelementary schools. The need for anew elementary school (or schools) iscritical at this time, given the currentovercrowding seen on south side.

A variety of meetings have been heldon the LRFP, including meetings withthe City of Fargo, Park District, Bethel

Church, Bluemont Lakes CommunityService Association, and neighborhoodassociations. At these meetingfeedback has been received fromparents, citizens, neighborhoods, andother government subdivisions on theformation of the Districts LRFP.

A 10-year operational maintenance planwas developed and will include an

annual cost of $2-3 million per schoolyear.

Fact-detail3

In the fall of 2012, RSP & Associatesanalyzed the Districts enrollment anddemographics; the firm is currentlyworking on boundary analysis andupdating the enrollment projections. Anew report should be completed bythe end of October 2013.

School attendance boundary linesmay need to be adjusted to distributestudents amongst schools and helpkeep education equitable at allschools.

A meeting will be held with the EdClapp Park neighborhood for feedbackon building a school at that location.

The new LRFP will include a plan forthe future for school needs, includingpotential new schools or land needs infar south Fargo.


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Message Map

Consider: Common Core State Standards (CCSS)

Key Message #1 Key Message #2 Key Message #3

The National GovernorsAssociation (NGA) and theCouncil of Chief State School

Officers (CCSSO) led thedevelopment of the Common

Core State Standards.Teachers, parents, school

administrators and experts fromacross the country together withstate leaders provided input into

the development of thestandards.

The Common Core StateStandards are a set of

standards for the EnglishLanguage Arts and

mathematics, which alsocomprises literacy in social

studies, science, andtechnical subjects.

A new assessment basedon the Common Core State

Standards will beimplemented in the 2014-15

school year.

Fact-detail1

North Dakota statewidecommittee of content andinstructional experts studied andreviewed CCSS from June 2010April 2011, then votedunanimously on April 6, 2011 toadopt the CCSS.Dr. Wayne G. Sanstead, StateSuperintendent, officially signedadoption of CCSS on June 20,2011 for implementationstatewide starting July 2013.

CCSS are a set of standards,not a curriculum. FargoPublic Schools, along with theentire state or North Dakota,has always been a standards-based District. The transitionto the new set of standardsaligns all states that haveadopted the CCSS to thesame set of standards.

The assessment has beendeveloped by the SmarterBalanced AssessmentConsortium.http://www.smarterbalanced.org/smarterbalanced-assessments/

Fact-detail2

Forty-five states, the District ofColumbia, four territories, andthe Department of DefenseEducation Activity have adoptedthe CCSS.http://www.corestandards.org/in-the-states

The standards define theknowledge and skills thatstudents will acquire prior tograduation in order to becollege and career ready. Thestandards increase the rigorof the classroom.

In the first year ofimplementation, a drop intest scores is expected dueto the change in standardsand assessments.

Fact-de

tail3 The federal government was not

involved in the development ofthe standards. It is unknownhow CCSS will interact withNCLB.

A set of standards for thesciences are currently beingdeveloped.

The administrative expert on the Common Core State Standards is Dr. Grosz.Questions can be referred to Dr. Grosz.


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Department of Public Instruction600 E Boulevard Ave., Dept. 201, Bismarck, ND 58505-0440

(701) 328-2260 Fax - (701) 328-2461

________________ND School for the Deaf RCDHH

Devils Lake, ND(701) 665-4400

___________________ND Vision Services/School for the Blind

Grand Forks, ND(701) 795-2700

___________________ND State Library

Bismarck, ND(701) 328-2492

http://www.dpi.state.nd.us

From:Kirsten Baesler, State Superintendent

Date: April 24, 2013

Re: Response to Common Core State Standards Questions

Common Core math and English language arts state standards, often referred to as CCSS, have

been drawing some questions, concerns and criticism. I appreciate the opportunity to clear up some

confusion and answer questions about misinformation that has been circulating across our state.

North Dakota has always had state standards in all of the core subject areas. We have held our

students to achieve rigorous state standards for decades. Heres what state standards do: They simply

delineate what children should know and be able to do by the time they finish school at each grade level

and they describe the skills that our students must acquire to stay on course toward college or career

readiness.

Under North Dakota law, the state superintendent supervises the approval of state standards. But

North Dakota state law specifically provides local school districts the responsibility of developing and

implementing the actual curriculum. Standards are not a curriculum. Curriculum (the materials,

resources, textbooks, unit plans, lesson plans, etc.) is decided by local school leaders with community

input. Curriculum choices of a school are and always will be decided by the local school leaders in

communities across North Dakota.

We do not have a state mandated textbook for any subject nor do we dictate resources for

classroom instruction. It is entirely up to local school districts to choose materials that will help our

students know and be able to do what is expected of them after each year of school. While some states may

purchase statewide textbooks and adopt statewide teaching materials, North Dakota does not. This is not a

requirement of the Common Core State Standards and we do not participate in this practice.

North Dakota educators carefully examined the Common Core State Standards in math and English

language arts and compared them to our existing state standards. North Dakota educators found that theCommon Core was more rigorous and would better prepare our students to continue to compete with other

students on a national and international level on multiple measurements.

Why and how were the Common Core State Standards developed? For decades, students in different states

Kirsten BaeState SuperintenRobert J. Christm

Deputy Superinten


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have been taught different material at different rates and held to a multitude of different standards. For example, I a

aware of a family that moved from another state to North Dakota. All three of the children were scoring proficient a

advanced on their previous state assessment. Those same students were below proficient and novice on the North

Dakota State Assessment. This does not necessarily mean that one particular state is doing a better job of educating

their students than the other. It simply may mean that North Dakota is testing different things at different times. Th

is problematic because consider this - a family from North Dakota moved to the East Coast just before their sons

fourth grade year in school. When their son started school that August, the parents realized that in the schools in the

new state students are taught the math standard comparing equivalent decimals and fractions (i.e., 5/10 = .5) in th

third grade, but in North Dakota that standard wasnt taught until the fourth grade. Therefore, their son was missing

that critical piece of understanding (along with other standards) in his mathematics foundational knowledge. This

gap in instruction was preventing him from staying on track with his peers in the upper East Coast.

Because of these types of examples and considering the increasing mobility of citizens in our country, a sm

group of governors joined together several years ago in an effort to align their states standards and assessments. Th

group expanded through the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers. In 200

educators who were experts in their subject knowledge began to devise the new Common Core State Standards.

Drafts were circulated among educators and leaders in the states, comments were received, and the standards were

adjusted. After final revision, states began reviewing and adopting them. So far, 45 states and the District of Colum

have signed up to implement these new expectations. After meticulous review of the Common Core State Standard

by North Dakota educators and leaders, North Dakota adopted the Common Core State Standards in June 2011.

Common Core is not ObamaCore, as some suggest. The truth is that the idea of Common Core State

Standards was well underway before he took office in 2009.

Some argue that states were coerced into adopting Common Core by the federal government as a requireme

for applying for its Race to the Top grant competition North Dakota has never applied for any Race to the Top

grant.

Some argue that states were coerced into adopting Common Core by the federal government as a requireme

for applying for its No Child Left Behind (NCLB) waiver program North Dakota does not have an application for

waiver from NCLB.

The bottom line is that education policymaking and 90 percent of education funding is still handled at

the state and local level. If North Dakota would have chosen not to adopt the Common Core State Standards we

would not have lost a dime; but, North Dakota educators choseto adopt the Common Core State Standards in ma

and English language arts because we determined they were rigorous standards and it was the right thing to do for o

students.

A prominent criticism of Common Core is that it abandons classical literature and instead forces students to

read dry government manuals. Common Core literacy standards do encourage increased exposure to informational

texts and literary nonfiction. The goal is to have children read challenging texts that will build their academic


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vocabulary and background knowledge. Suggested informational texts include foundational documents of America

history such as the Gettysburg Address, Common Sense, and works of Emerson and Thoreau. North Dakota educato

believe that enhancing student knowledge of our nations rich history is a good idea. Grapes of Wrath,To Kill a

Mockingbird,andHuckleberry Finnwill still be taught in North Dakota schools if the local school district determin

they are the best material for their school community. Additionally, teachers across the state are developing themat

units that incorporate the use of nonfiction and fictional title. For example, one second grade teacher teaches a lesso

on owls using the fictional book Owl Moonby Jane Yolen and the nonfiction title Wildlife Series: Owlsby Adrienn

Mason.

Common Core State Standards in math demand automaticity (memorization-based familiarity) with basic

math facts, mastery of standard algorithms, and understanding of critical arithmetic. These essential math skills are

not only required but given high priority, particularly in the early grades. The math standards focus in depth on topi

and coherently build on one another over time.

It is vital to remember the Common Core State Standards are a floor, not a ceiling. Students can be accelera

and schools can offer supplemental learning. Furthermore, the standards can be improved over time in North Dakot

if we desire.

Common Core State Standards offer North Dakota students the opportunity for a rigorous, content-rich,

cohesive K12 education. As a conservative, state North Dakota has a tradition of holding our students to high

standards and providing an academically rigorous K-12 experience. Our implementation of the Common Core State

Standards continues this tradition in order to empower our young people and prepare them to compete in this globa

marketplace.

It is my hope that this memorandum has provided some specific information about North Dakotas use and

implementation of the Common Core State Standards and clarified some misinformation circulating about the CCS

The fact remains that North Dakota values local control decision-making and our adoption of the Common Core St

Standards does not change that fact.

Sincerely,

Kirsten Baesler, State Superintendent

North Dakota Department of Public Instruction
http://www.nationalreview.com/redirect/amazon.p?j=%200061743526http://www.nationalreview.com/redirect/amazon.p?j=%200061743526http://www.nationalreview.com/redirect/amazon.p?j=%200061743526http://www.nationalreview.com/redirect/amazon.p?j=%200061743526http://www.nationalreview.com/redirect/amazon.p?j=%200061743526http://www.nationalreview.com/redirect/amazon.p?j=%200061743526


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SHUTDOWN SHOWDOWN: U.S. Department of Education Outlines Potential

Impact on Federal Education Programs as Government Shutdown Enters Second

Week

With Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives and Democrats in the U.S. Senate unableto enact a continuing resolution to temporarily fund the federal government, the nationexperienced its first federal government shutdown since January 1996. The effects wereimmediatefederal employees were sent home, federal parks were closed, and the ripple effects

began in other areas of the nations economy.

In education, some of the quickest impacts were felt by Head Start programs, which fall underthe jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and promote the schoolreadiness of children ages birth to five from low-income families. According to theNationalHead Start Association,as many as 19,000 children could be left without Head Start services astwenty-three programs in eleven states did not receive their annual federal grant on October 1.(See articles in theNew York Timesand theWashington Postfor more coverage on theshutdowns impact on Head Start programs.)

At the U.S. Department of Education (ED), more than 90 percent of staffapproximately 4,000peoplewere furloughed during the first week. Among those exempted were individualsresponsible for the obligation,payment, and support of student financial aid as well as otherauthorized payments and obligations, according toEDsContingency Plan for Lapse in FY2014 Appropriation,released on September 27.

The approximately $22 billion in advance appropriations for formula grants to states under TitlesI and II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, special education state grants, andcareer and technical education will not be affected by the shutdown and will be disbursed asscheduled. These funds, the contingency plan notes, are normally obligated on October 1 andprovide the second installment of critical funding under annual allocations for the school yearthat began July 1. The Department believes that any delay in obligating these funds could, insome cases, significantly damage state and local program operations.

Funding disbursements from other programs, however, could be affected, especially as theshutdown moves into week two. For example, ED has warned that a protracted delay beyondone week would severely curtailthe cash flow to school districts, colleges and universities, andvocational rehabilitation agencies that depend on federal funds to support their services.

Volume 13, Number 18, October 7, 2013
http://www.nhsa.org/statement_on_federal_shutdownhttp://www.nhsa.org/statement_on_federal_shutdownhttp://www.nhsa.org/statement_on_federal_shutdownhttp://www.nhsa.org/statement_on_federal_shutdownhttp://www.nytimes.com/news/fiscal-crisis/2013/10/02/some-head-start-programs-close-and-others-may-soon/?_r=0http://www.nytimes.com/news/fiscal-crisis/2013/10/02/some-head-start-programs-close-and-others-may-soon/?_r=0http://www.nytimes.com/news/fiscal-crisis/2013/10/02/some-head-start-programs-close-and-others-may-soon/?_r=0http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/head-start-program-in-massachusetts-nearly-shut-down-the-day-after-school-year-started/2013/10/01/b36785de-2aad-11e3-8ade-a1f23cda135e_story.html?wprss=rss_educationhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/head-start-program-in-massachusetts-nearly-shut-down-the-day-after-school-year-started/2013/10/01/b36785de-2aad-11e3-8ade-a1f23cda135e_story.html?wprss=rss_educationhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/head-start-program-in-massachusetts-nearly-shut-down-the-day-after-school-year-started/2013/10/01/b36785de-2aad-11e3-8ade-a1f23cda135e_story.html?wprss=rss_educationhttp://www2.ed.gov/about/furlough2013/contingency-plan.dochttp://www2.ed.gov/about/furlough2013/contingency-plan.dochttp://www2.ed.gov/about/furlough2013/contingency-plan.dochttp://www2.ed.gov/about/furlough2013/contingency-plan.dochttp://www2.ed.gov/about/furlough2013/contingency-plan.dochttp://www2.ed.gov/about/furlough2013/contingency-plan.dochttp://www2.ed.gov/about/furlough2013/contingency-plan.dochttp://www2.ed.gov/about/furlough2013/contingency-plan.dochttp://www2.ed.gov/about/furlough2013/contingency-plan.dochttp://www2.ed.gov/about/furlough2013/contingency-plan.dochttp://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/head-start-program-in-massachusetts-nearly-shut-down-the-day-after-school-year-started/2013/10/01/b36785de-2aad-11e3-8ade-a1f23cda135e_story.html?wprss=rss_educationhttp://www.nytimes.com/news/fiscal-crisis/2013/10/02/some-head-start-programs-close-and-others-may-soon/?_r=0http://www.nhsa.org/statement_on_federal_shutdownhttp://www.nhsa.org/statement_on_federal_shutdown


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Under a shutdown, the likely disruption to Department grant programs will be a potential delayin activities necessary to make competitive and formula grant awards later in the year, thecontingency plan reads. For the most part, these employees will be furloughed. In addition,citizens and institutions seeking specific information regarding the impact of a shutdown willhave limited access to information.

One such instance of limited access to information is the nationsreportcard.gov website, which,among other things, houses National Assessment of Educational Progress results in reading,math, and other subjects. As of October 6, visitors to the site were greeting with a messagereading, Due to a lapse of appropriations and the partial shutdown of the federal government,the systems that host nationsreportcard.gov have been shut down. Services will be restored assoon as a continuing resolution to provide funding has been enacted.

The exact date when a continuing resolution (CR) could be enacted remains unknown.Democrats say that House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH)could end the shutdown by allowingthe House to vote on a clean CR that focuses solely on appropriations that contain no unrelated

policy provisionsa point Boehner refuted on October 6 during an appearance onThis Weekwith George Stephanopoulos,saying There are not the votes in the House to pass a clean CR.

Meanwhile, media outlets such as the Washington Posthave been reporting thatmore thantwenty House Republicanswould vote for a clean CR, meaning that such a measure could pass ifevery Democrat joined those twenty-plus Republicans in voting for it.

Looming on the horizon is an October 17 deadline for Congress to agree on legislation to raisethe debt ceilingthe legal limit on how much money the U.S. Treasury can borrow to pay theexpenses the nation has already incurred. If the debt ceiling is not raised, the United States willdefault on its debt. As the October 17 deadline approaches, a broader budget agreementonethat would reopen the federal government while also raising the debt ceilingis a possibility.Such an agreement could also include cuts to entitlement programs, such as Medicare and SocialSecurity.

I dont want the United States to default on its debt, Boehner said on This Week with GeorgeStephanopoulos. But Im not going to raise the debt limit without a serious conversation aboutdealing with problems that are driving the debt up. It would be irresponsible of me to do this.

For more information on how the government shutdown is affecting federal education programs,consult thecheat sheet created byEducation WeeksPolitics K12 blog.

GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN SLOWS DOWN E-RATE REFORM: Individuals

Can Offer Feedback on E-rate Expansion and Modernization Through 99in5.org

As a result of the federal government shutdown, the Federal Communications Commission(FCC) has temporarily stopped accepting comments from individuals on how to modernize andexpand the E-rate program, the federal governments program for connecting the nationsschools and libraries to the internet.
http://abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/week-transcript-house-speaker-john-boehner/story?id=20476180http://abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/week-transcript-house-speaker-john-boehner/story?id=20476180http://abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/week-transcript-house-speaker-john-boehner/story?id=20476180http://abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/week-transcript-house-speaker-john-boehner/story?id=20476180http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/10/02/the-fixs-clean-cr-whip-count/http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/10/02/the-fixs-clean-cr-whip-count/http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/10/02/the-fixs-clean-cr-whip-count/http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/10/02/the-fixs-clean-cr-whip-count/http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2013/10/the_shutdown_and_education_you.html?intc=mvshttp://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2013/10/the_shutdown_and_education_you.html?intc=mvshttp://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2013/10/the_shutdown_and_education_you.html?intc=mvshttp://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2013/10/the_shutdown_and_education_you.html?intc=mvshttp://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2013/10/the_shutdown_and_education_you.html?intc=mvshttp://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2013/10/the_shutdown_and_education_you.html?intc=mvshttp://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2013/10/the_shutdown_and_education_you.html?intc=mvshttp://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2013/10/the_shutdown_and_education_you.html?intc=mvshttp://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/10/02/the-fixs-clean-cr-whip-count/http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/10/02/the-fixs-clean-cr-whip-count/http://abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/week-transcript-house-speaker-john-boehner/story?id=20476180http://abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/week-transcript-house-speaker-john-boehner/story?id=20476180


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However, individuals who want to submit comments during the government shutdown cancontinue to do so through99in5.org,an Alliance for Excellent Education campaign to expand E-rate to ensure that 99 percent of schools and libraries have the broadband they need within thenext five years. Already, more than 1,000 people have signed on to the 99 in 5 petition and 500people have submitted comments to the FCC in support of this goal.

Before the shutdown, final comments were due to the FCC by October 16. Should the shutdowncontinue beyond that day, comments will be due on the business day following the return tonormal business operations, according to the Procedures for Filings in the Event of a Lapse inFundingreleased on October 1. Thus, for example, if a lapsein funding ended on a Monday,the Commission would return to normal operations on Tuesday morning, and, to accommodatethe orderly resumption of business, filings would be due on Wednesday, the notice reads.

Visit99in5.orgto learn more about the E-rate program and sign the petition.

PRIMARY SOURCES: Three-Quarters of Teachers Believe Common Core State

Standards Will Have a Positive Impact on Students Critical-Thinking andReasoning Skills, New Survey Finds

Nearly every teacher in the United States (97 percent) has heard of the Common Core StateStandards (CCSS) and three-quarters (77 percent) of math and English language arts (ELA)teachers say the standards will have a positive impact on students ability to think critically anduse reasoning skills, according to preliminary findings fromPrimary Sources: AmericasTeachers on Teaching in an Era of Change, released by Scholastic and the Bill & Melinda GatesFoundation on October 4. Of the 20,000 public school teachers surveyed, only 1 percent believethe CCSS will have a negative impact on students critical-thinking and reasoning skills; 22percent expect no impact or do not know enough to say.

I see teachers real experiences in thePrimary Sourcesfindings about the Common Core StateStandards, noted Naima Lilly, a mathematics educator in New York City. I believe thestandards are holding students and teachers to higher expectations and providing consistency in apositive way. While implementation can be daunting at the beginning, Im confident that in thelong run it will all be worth it.

When asked about implementation, 52 percent of math and ELA teachers say implementation intheir school is complete or mostly complete; 42 percent say implementation is in its early stages,while only 6 percent say that it has not started. Among elementary school teachers, whereimplementation is happening first, 67 percent say implementation is going well, compared to 60percent and 52 percent, respectively, of middle and high school teachers.

While teachers are enthusiastic about CCSS implementation in their classrooms, theyacknowledge that implementing the standards is or will be challenging and will require them tomake changes in their teaching practice. The top two needs cited by teachers were more planningtime to find materials and plan lessons plus quality professional development.
http://www.99in5.org/http://www.99in5.org/http://www.99in5.org/http://www.fcc.gov/DOC-323568-Procedures-for-Filings.pdfhttp://www.fcc.gov/DOC-323568-Procedures-for-Filings.pdfhttp://www.fcc.gov/DOC-323568-Procedures-for-Filings.pdfhttp://www.99in5.org/http://www.99in5.org/http://www.99in5.org/http://www.99in5.org/http://www.fcc.gov/DOC-323568-Procedures-for-Filings.pdfhttp://www.fcc.gov/DOC-323568-Procedures-for-Filings.pdfhttp://www.99in5.org/


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No one knows teaching like teachers. As a former classroom teacher, I know how important it isto listen when teachers tell us what they need, said Vicki L. Phillips, director of education,College Ready, at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. ThePrimary Sourcesdata show usthat teachers are enthusiastic about tackling the real challenges of implementing the CommonCore State Standards. They need support, but also believe the standards will improve student

achievement by preparing students with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in collegeand careers.

The fullPrimary Sources: Americas Teachers on Teaching in an Eraof Changereport, to bereleased in the coming months, will provide additional findings on the CCSS, insight intoteachers experiences with and opinions on teacher evaluation systems, and more. More

information on the report, including the complete preliminary findings, is available athttp://www.scholastic.com/primarysources.

SUSTAINED PROGRESS: New York Citys Small Schools of Choice Continue to

Graduate Students at Higher Rates, New MDRC Report Finds

On average, small public high schools of choice in New York City graduate students at a rate 9.5percentage points higher than other New York City high schools, according to SustainedProgress: New Findings About the Effectiveness and Operation of Small Public High Schools of

Choice in New York City, a new report from MDRC, a nonprofit, nonpartisan education andsocial policy research firm. The schools, which primarily serve disadvantaged students of color,also produce graduates who are more likely to be college-ready and graduate low-income andstudents of color at higher rates.

With the nations attention focused on turning around failing urban high schools, this study

provides convincing evidence that large-scale transformation is possible in an urban publicschool system, said Gordon Berlin, president of MDRC. While more certainly needs to bedone if all students are to be prepared for college and careers, the small school strategy asimplemented in New York provides a blueprint for future reforms across the nation.

Sustained Progressis the third in MDRCs series of reports examining the role of small schoolsof choice (SSCs) in improving outcomes for New York City students. Named by MDRCresearchers because they are small, academically nonselective, and were created to provide arealistic choice for students with widely varying academic backgrounds, SSCs were created in2002 when New York City instituted a districtwide high school choice process for all rising ninthgraders. At the same time, it closed thirty-one large, failing high schools with an averagegraduation rate of 40 percent, and opened more than 200 new small schools.

Released in June 2010, the first MDRC report focused on the effectiveness of 105 of the 123 newSSCs and followed a cohort of freshmen who entered high school in 2005 through four years ofhigh school. In January 2012, MDRC added graduation findings for a cohort that began in 2006.Its newest report, released earlier this summer, adds cohort that began in 2007.

As shown in the table below, SSCs experienced an average four-year high school graduation rateof 70.4 percent, compared to 60.9 percent for other New York City high schools. In the mostrecent year of the study, SSCs posted a graduation rate of nearly 75 percent.
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The higher graduation rates produced by SSCs held for low-income students and students ofcolor. According to the report, low-income students in SSCs graduated at a rate of 11.2percentage points higher than their counterparts in other New York City high schools. The sameis true for black and Hispanic students, especially black males, who posted a graduation rate of65.5 percent in SSCs, compared to 52 percent in other high schools. Additionally, specialeducation students and English language learners had graduation rates from SSCs that were 13.7

percentage points and 4.9 percentage points higher, respectively, than their counterparts in otherhigh schools.

Principals and teachers at the 25 SSCs with the strongest evidence of effectiveness believe thatacademic rigor and personal relationships with students contribute to the effectiveness of theirschools, the report notes. They also believe that these attributes derive from their schools

small organizational structures and from the commitment, knowledge, dedication, andadaptability of their teachers.

Students attending SSCs were also more likely to earn a New York State Regents diploma,which is generally considered to be the standard graduation credential, rather than a localdiploma, which has the least stringent requirements. On average, 45.9 percent of students inSSCs received a Regents diploma, compared to 39.9 percent who did not. Additionally, 40.2percent of SSC graduates were considered college ready in English compared to 33.4percentof graduates from other New York City high schools.

Sustained Progressis available athttp://www.mdrc.org/sites/default/files/sustained_progress_FR_0.pdf.

BLUEGRASS GRADS: Percentage of Students Graduating College- and Career-

Ready Increases in Year Two of Kentucky State Tests Aligned to Common Core

State Standards

More than half (54.1 percent) of Kentuckys high school graduates from the Class of 2013 werecollege- and career-ready, according to new results from the Kentucky Performance Rating forEducational Progress (K-PREP) assessment, which is aligned with the Common Core StateStandards (CCSS). That percentage represents an increase of 7 percentage points over the 201112 school year and an increase of 16 percentage points over 201011.

In just three years weve gone from only a third of our students being ready for college andcareer to more than half, said Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holliday. Thats
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around 8,000 students who now have a much better shot at getting a good job, paying taxes andbecoming self-sufficient Kentuckians.

In 2010, Kentucky became the first state to adopt the CCSS in English language arts andmathematics; last year, it became the first state to release test score results that were aligned withthe CCSS. During the first year of the test, the percentage of students scoring proficient or

better in reading and math dropped considerably, which was an expected development given thatthe new tests are much more rigorous than the old tests.

Kentucky tests students in reading, mathematics, science, social studies, writing on demand, andlanguage mechanics. As shown in the table below, the percentage of students scoring at theproficient level or above in reading increased from 46.8 percent to 51.1 percent among middleschool students and from 52.2 percent to 55.8 percent among high school students; elementarystudents performance was basically unchanged. In math, more elementary students scored at orabove the proficient level; middle school students performance was mostly the same; and highschool students declined slightly. The strongest gains were at the high school level in socialstudies and science, and at the middle school level in language mechanics.

We expect that as students acquire more foundational learning and teachers become more

comfortable with teaching the new standards, scores in this area will continue to gain ground,said Holliday. The Kentucky Core Academic Standards are harder, more in-depth than previousstandards and challenge students to think critically, creatively and to problem solve rather thanmemorize for a test.

The complete results are available athttp://1.usa.gov/17e0GBZ.

BLENDING LEARNING 2.0: New Implementation Guide Helps School Leaders

Develop and Implement an Effective Blending Learning Model

A new report fromDigital Learning Now!(DLN),Getting Smart,andThe Learning Accelerator(TLA) offers recommendations to school leaders on how to develop and implement an effectiveblended learning model1that focuses on accelerating student learning for college and careerreadiness. The report,Blended Learning Implementation Guide Version 2.0, reflects feedback

1The report defines blended learning as a formal education program in which a student learns at least in partthrough online delivery of content and instruction with some element of student control over time, place, path,and/or pace that is at least in part at a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home.
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from schools and districts, developments in the field, and educational technology trends since itsoriginal release in February.

There is growing momentum around the country to explore new approaches to blended

learning, said Digital Learning Now! Executive Director John Bailey. This guide is for

those state, school, and district leaders who want to build a new, more personalized learningenvironment in order to achieve high academic student outcomes.

The report includes a four-part process for blended learning implementation that includesexhibits, case studies, and additional resources to help school leaders create conditions forsuccess and planning, followed by implementation and continuous improvement. It adds to agrowing field of resources, includingDigital Promiseand the Alliance for Excellent EducationsProject 24,that help school leaders plan for and ultimately realize the potential that technologyhas for improving student outcomes.

Blended Learning Implementation Guide Version 2.0is available at

http://www.digitallearningnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/BLIG-2.0-Final-Paper.pdf.

Digital Learning Transition MOOC-Ed Connects Education Leaders from Sixty Countries

and All Fifty States to Develop a Plan to Implement Digital Learning

The Digital Learning Transition Massive Open Online Course for Educators (MOOC-Ed), led by the Alliance forExcellent Education and the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation at North Carolina State University, kickedoff its second course on September 30 with more than 1,700 education leaders from sixty countries and all fiftystates signed up to participate. Registration for the course is open through Friday, October 11 athttps://courses.mooc-ed.org/dlt2/course.There is no cost to participate.

The course, which runs from September 30 through November 24, utilizes the AlliancesProject 24 Frameworkwith an emphasis on developing a systemic plan for how digital learning interacts with all areas of the education

system, including curriculum and instruction, professional learning, data and assessment, academic supports, budgetand resources, use of time, and technology and infrastructure.

The course provides self-directed, peer-supported learning opportunities in a flexible, yet structured approach. Thegoal of the course is to provide participants with carefully selected text and video resources, access to experts fromaround the country through panels and discussions, and structured discussions around topics critical to the digitallearning transition. The main project of the course includes developing the goals, challenges, strategies, and actionsteps for digital learning in a district, school, classroom, or organization.

Straight As: Public Education Policy and Progressis a free biweekly newsletter that focuses on education newsand events in Washington, DC and around the country. The format makes information on federal education policyaccessible to everyone from elected officials and policymakers to parents and community leaders. Contributorsinclude Jason Amos, editor; Cyndi Waite; and Kate Bradley.

The Alliance for Excellent Education is a Washington, DCbased national policy and advocacy organizationdedicated to ensuring that all students, particularly those who are traditionally underserved, graduate from highschool ready for success in college, work, and citizenship. For more information, visitwww.all4ed.org.Follow theAlliance on Twitter (www.twitter.com/all4ed), Facebook (www.facebook.com/all4ed), and the Alliances HighSchool Soup blog (www.all4ed.org/blog).
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