This document summarizes the process of implementing the Common Core State Standards in a California school district. It discusses establishing what the standards are, why they are needed, and how teachers will meet their demands. Early adopters signed on to pilot the standards and received training. The process involved deconstructing each standard, identifying vocabulary, and creating units, tasks, and rubrics. Challenges included the work required and preparing students, but benefits included increased collaboration and rigor. Ongoing support for teachers was crucial.

1. ACSA LEADERSHIP
SUMMIT
THE STATE OF THE COMMON CORE
NOVEMBER 8, 2012

2. THE PROCESS….
How did we get here…
•Established the ―What‖
•What are the Common Core State Standards (CCSS)?
•Sue Gendron Presentation for all core content area teachers
• Established the ―Why‖
•Why do we need to transition to the CCSS?
•Why is this urgent?
•Dr. Bill Daggett presentation May 2011
•Volunteers signed on as ―early adopters‖ (unclear process)
•Established the ―How‖
•How are we going to meet the demands of the CCSS?
•Focus on Literacy
•Lin Kuzmich literacy strategies for all core content area teachers

3. EARLY ADOPTERS…
• An early adopter can be described as, ―a brave
soul willing to go the extra mile on an unchartered
path.‖
• 80+ teachers initially signed on as ―early adopters‖:
• 64 agreed to attend workshops to gain a better
understanding of the CCSS
• 30 implemented CCSS 2012-2013 school year

4. THE PROCESS…
• Deconstruct every Common Core State Standard
into individual learning skills/objectives:
Grade Subject Standards Objectives
9/10 ELA 71 708
11/12 ELA 74 741
9/10 Integrated I 51 166
10/11 Integrated II 62 183
11/12 Integrated III 48 125
• Decided that an integrated course design for math
was the most conducive to the lay-out of the
standards.

5. THE PROCESS…
• Identify the Tier II and Tier III academic vocabulary
in each standard.
• Grades 9-10 students: Learning Objectives Tier II Tier III
Key Ideas and Details
RL.9-10.1. Students will be able to . . .
analysis
analysis
1. Cite strong textual evidence to support cite
inference
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence analysis of what the text says explicitly. text
evidence
to support analysis of what the text says 2. Cite thorough textual evidence to support textual
explicitly
explicitly as well as inferences drawn from analysis of what the text says explicitly. inference
the text. text
3. Cite strong textual evidence to support
inferences drawn from the text. textual
4. Cite thorough textual evidence to support
inferences drawn from the text.

6. THE PROCESS…
• Identified the essential standards
• Identified the standards/units to be taught at each
level (ELA 9/10/11/12 & Integrated I/II/III)
• Created performance tasks for each unit
• Created rubrics for each performance task
• Quality control process for each performance task
• Created Unit Plans (ELA)
• Pacing – Stronger for English 2 than English 1
• Lesson Plans (Daily) – We did not get to this point!

7. THE PROCESS
• Vote of Confidence
• Confident in my knowledge, understanding and readiness to implement the CCSS
• Confident in my understanding of the design and sequence of Integrated Math
• Implementation was always an option for early adopters
• Expectations of Early Adopters
• District-wide collaboration for early adopters (once per quarter)
• Frequent classroom visits
• Action Research participant (could require some data gathering)
• Administer an alternative benchmark
• Give input on roll-out/training of CCSS to the masses
• On-Going Support and Collaboration
• Supplies
• Resources
• Site Visits
• Conference Opportunities
• Specialized Professional Development Opportunities

8. WHAT I THOUGHT “EARLY ADOPTION”
MEANT…
• The chance to be a trailblazer!
• The opportunity to be ahead of the game.
• Knowing what was coming before it got here.
• Being a ―lab rat‖.

9. WHAT “EARLY ADOPTION” ACTUALLY
MEANT…
• A lot of time
• Collaboration with other teachers from throughout
the district
• A lot of work
• A trailblazer into uncharted territory, tasked with
making the map

10. PLANNING INSTRUCTION
1. Look at the standards and learning objectives for
the unit.
2. How am I going to test this?
3. Which standards and LOs work well together?
4. What can I use to teach this?
a) Create an engaging unit centered around issues and
texts that are interesting and engaging to students.
b) DON’T GET TIED DOWN TO A TEXTBOOK!
I. Very liberating and VERY scary!

11. BENEFITS (TEACHER AND STUDENTS)
• The process of deconstructing standards ensures
teachers KNOW the new standards
• More freedom to choose texts which engage
students and make them think at a higher level
• Increased technology use
• Raising the bar!

12. CRUCIAL SUPPORT
• Site level
• Constant feedback from instructional coaches and admin.
• Several times a week!
• Always raising the bar
• District level
• Facilitate collaboration between teachers at different sites
• Allow teachers to get out and watch each other
• SUPPORT teachers during walkthroughs

13. BIG SHIFTS I HAVE NOTICED…
• ―We are all in this together!‖
• Teachers helping teachers
• Teachers supported by admin. and coaches
• Walk-throughs aren’t feared as a ―gotcha!‖ moment, but a
collaborative one—we are all figuring out what this should look
like
• Increased student engagement
• From one GV admin on a walk-through form: ―students
paired and reading—100% engagement!‖

14. WHAT DO THE STUDENTS THINK?
• Total number of students surveyed: 108
• When asked about relevance:
• 70%: ―I see how this class is preparing me for my future‖
• 30%: ―I understand that this class is preparing me for my future,
but I don’t always see the connection.‖
• 0%: ―I see no connection between this class and my future.‖
• When asked about the rigor of the class:
• 54%: ―Compared to previous years, I have to put more work
into this class.‖
• 39%: ―Compared to previous years, I put in about the same
amount of work into this class.
• 7%: ―Compared to previous years, I put less work into this class.

15. CHALLENGES
• Meeting the technology requirement.
• Bridging the gap: Where students NEED
to be with CC
standards. (Narrow
and deep levels of
thought)
Scaffolds:
• Analytical
reading
strategies
• Engagement
Where students are strategies
with the current • Modeling: What
does high-level
standards.
thinking look and
(Wide and shallow sound like?
depth of thought)

16. LET’S LOOK AT A STUDENT SAMPLE
• Student:
• Female
• Age 15
• Home language: Spanish
• Lowest CELDT score was in reading
• English 1 Grades:
• Semester 1: D
• Semester 2: D

18. ARMED EACH TEACHER WITH
RESOURCES
• Created a portfolio with essential tools:
• Getting the CCSS in their hands
• Crosswalk to help understand the shift
• Process to deconstruct standards into learning objectives
• Averil Coxhead Academic word list
• Google docs – all teachers trained

19. SUPPORTING TEACHERS
Working with small groups creating:
• Pacing guides
• Units
• Performance tasks

20. What is the Evidence
What Do I Teach? How do I Teach it? How do I Assess?
of Student Learning?
(Skill/Concept) (Resources) (Methods)
(Product)
What is the skill my What resources do I What methods do I How will I know my
students need to need to teach this use to assess as I students have
learn in this concept or skill? teach this concept mastered the skill or
standard/objective? or skill? learned the concept?
What resources will
What is the concept my students need What will proficient
I need to explicitly to learn this evidence look like?
teach my students in concept or skill?
this
standard/objective?

21. REASSURING TEACHERS
• We are piloting so . . .
• Be creative
• Try new things
• Make adjustments and changes to your pacing
• There is no ―right way‖ to teach the common core

22. COMMON TEACHER CONCERNS
• Are we all using the same definitions for Tier 2 and
Tier 3 Words?
• What does this look like in the classroom?
• Time

23. REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS
1. How has your instruction changed this year from previous
years?
• Teachers are recognizing the need for more student centered
instruction.
• Stand and deliver and sit and get will not work with the CCSS
standards.

24. REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS
• Do you think your students are aware they are a
part of something new?
Student Remarks:
• My English class is nothing like it was before – now it’s
interesting.
• Why are you making us do all the thinking?
• You’re not teaching me how to do it like my other teachers.

25. RESOURCES
Mathalicious http://www.mathalicious.com/
provides teachers with lessons that help them teach math in a way
that engages their students–in a way that helps students understand
how the world works
Library of Congress http://www.loc.gov/index.html
provides lesson plans, presentations, primary source sets, and
collection connections
• Teen Ink http://teenink.com/
is a magazine which is marketed to, and written by, teenagers. You
can find fiction, non-fiction, art, videos, etc.
• New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/
Provides easy ways to weave in the informational and non–fiction
texts

26. REALIZATIONS
• Collaboration is key – suffering in silence just
prolongs the suffering
• Learning must be turned over to the students – sit
and get will not meet the standards of the common
core
• Facilitate learning

27. LESSONS LEARNED….
Teacher
• It takes a team effort at ALL levels—teachers,
coaches, admin., students—to successfully
implement Common Core
• Transition is NOT easy
• That which worked in the past may not work in the
future!

28. LESSONS LEARNED…
Instructional Coach
• Develop capacity in multiple people at each site
and in each discipline- difficult for stand alones
• Create an atmosphere that generates creativity
• Don’t worry about test scores
• Mistakes are learning experiences

29. LESSONS LEARNED…
Administrator
• Do not let the Common Core be done to you!
• Be proactive
• Don’t be afraid to say you don’t know, because no
one really knows
• Must be willing to give everything you have to
ensuring the success of this process
• Believe in those around you! They hold the keys to
the kingdom of learning.

30. WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
• A second cohort of ―Early Adopters‖ will be
formed.
• Training will begin in April/May and continue
throughout the summer.
• We hope to have at least 100 participants in the
second cohort of ―Early Adopters.‖
• Voluntary/Voluntary/Mandatory
• Implementation 2014-2015

31. CONTACT INFORMATION
Please feel free to contact us for more information or to visit our district.
Tammie Calzadillas, Ed.D., Executive Director
Merced Union High School District
tcalzadillas@muhsd.k12.ca.us
(209) 385-6576
Nicole Knott, Instructional Coach
nknott@muhsd.k12.ca.us
(209) 385-8996
Matt Thomas, English Teacher
Golden Valley High School
mthomas@muhsd.k12.ca.us
(209) 385-8000