Smarter Balanced Assessments: Keep Results in Perspective for Students and Their Families
In this short California Schools article, veteran educator Kathy Caric encourages districts and schools to implement effective strategies to inform parents and students about the value of multiple measures when reporting student progress. She notes that the expected low scores on the upcoming...
Setting the Bar for High-Ability Students
The authors of this article suggest that "because the Common Core State Standards are benchmarks for all students, they are by definition insufficient for high-ability students. To meet the needs of high-ability students, teachers need professional development that includes strategies to...
Common Core and America's High-Achieving Students
From the author: "While the merit and politics of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) have been much debated and discussed, one topic has been virtually ignored: What do the standards portend for America’s high-ability students? This brief addresses that question and provides guidance for CCSS-...
Materials for Teachers
This website includes standard-aligned units, lessons, resources, tools for use in the formative assessment process, and "Dream Team" instructional guides for a range of subject areas and grade levels. Most of the materials in math and ELA are from outside sources but have been rated by Connecticut...
Common Core Curricular Modules
In order to assist schools and districts with the implementation of the Common Core State Standards, the New York State Education Department (NYSED) has provided model curriculum modules and units in Pre-K–12 English language arts (ELA) and math that can be adopted or adapted for local purposes. ...
Instructional Practice Guide: Lesson Planning - ELA
The Lesson Planning Tool (digital version only) guides teachers through a series of prompts about lesson content, structure, and activities to ensure that the shifts required by the CCSS are central to the lesson. English language arts teachers will be guided through the process of creating a close...
Common Core Curriculum Rubric: Meeting the Needs of ELLs
The purpose of this rubric is to help teachers and school and district administrators assess whether a Common Core-based curriculum meets English language learner (ELL) needs. The rubric was initially developed to help the authors review a state’s ESL curriculum to see if it would help ELLs meet...
Common Core for ELLs: Classroom Videos
These classroom video modules showcase several approaches of Common Core–aligned instruction with English language learners (ELLs). The videos feature educators from Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Poughkeepsie, New York, who worked in collaboration with Dr. Diane August to implement the new standards...