LAKE COUNTY >> Ready or not, Common Core standards are coming to California public schools this year. As Lake County school districts dive into new teaching method territory, the question of how to use time and resources to keep teachers and parents current on the changes is at the forefront of school agendas.
Overwhelmingly, Lake County educators are sounding optimistic and excited to implement the change in focus that Common Core calls for, although parents across the country have been raising concerns about the dramatically different approach to teaching.
Common Core is not so much a new curriculum in the traditional sense, where schools receive textbooks featuring major changes in educational focus, according to Lake County Education Resources and Accountability Director Stephanie Wayment. Instead, Common Core”s changes apply to the abstract styles of teaching and will attempt to help students think about how they can apply knowledge learned in the classroom to the real world. At the heart of the Common Core is the requirement that students think analytical and critically through their lessons.
“It”s not as simple as buying new books,” Upper Lake Elementary School District Superintendent Valerie Gardner said. “It”s a shift in philosophy. In math, we”re really teaching kids how to use the math. It”s a lot more project based and requires a deeper understanding of that math.”
The fundamentals do not change, however.
“Algebra I is Algebra I. It doesn”t matter what textbook you”re teaching it out of; its the way you”re teaching your students,” Upper Lake High School District (ULHS) Superintendent Pat Iaccino said.
Similarly in language arts classes, lessons will focus on reading information texts, which will provide students with real world lessons on how to read for understanding.
Despite complaints that Common Core”s new math practices haven”t been tested before, Gardner, who has been working in the education system for 27 years and was originally a math teacher, said the importance placed on real world application in Common Core is similar to the priorities found in math classes 20 years ago.
“I”m very happy to see it going back that way,” Gardner said. “You”ll see a lot more real world application and I think we got away from that. We ended up focusing on skill-based learning and the teaching became kind of scripted.”
The biggest challenge facing schools involve finding the time and resources to train and support teachers, as well as bringing parents up to speed on the changes they can expect in their child”s studies. The school districts in the county are taking different approaches to help facilitate that communication and give teachers assistance in making the transition.
Many schools are hosting parent nights, some more frequently than others. Notably, Konocti Unified School District (KUSD) has 15 parent nights scheduled throughout the school year for the kindergarten through eighth-grade schools. Burns Valley Elementary is also hosting grade-specific parent nights where students, only three weeks into classes, are already showcasing what they”ve been working on under the Common Core program.
In terms of preparation, some KUSD teachers have attended intensive training courses and, in turn, taught other teachers at their grade levels. The schools will also hold collaborative days to discuss what is working and what is not, KUSD Superintendent Donna Becnel said.
ULHS has a total of 13 teachers, who all attended a three-day training program in the summer. Iaccino said the district will continue to support such training opportunities for as long as is needed.
“If the teachers see a training that”s vital to what they”re doing in their classrooms, I”ve told them to let me know and we”ll find a way to fund it,” Iaccino said. “In a rural county, it”s difficult to get workshops and support, but there”s a lot online now. The county office has done a very good job of bringing as much as they can to us, though.”
Lakeport Unified School District has developed a website that outlines the transformation in philosophy, complete with grade-specific guides that detail what a student should learn by the end of each term.
Another aspect fundamental to Common Core is an increase in the use of technology. Even the new Smarter Balanced year-end assessment tests are taken entirely on computer.
“This year, schools are ordering computers like crazy because Common Core requires kids in as low as the third-grade to type answers to their assessment tests,” Gardner explained.
This may be the smoothest aspect of the transition.
“The kids are ready for it and even students who haven”t had a lot of exposure to technology are getting engaged in learning that way; it”s just a matter of getting the technology into their hands,” Wayment said.
Iaccino also believes it”s high time for schools to begin trading out textbooks for technology.
“I think that when education systems infuse technology into their programs, that can only be beneficial to students, whereas with reading a 10-year-old textbook, some of the information is correct and some of it is outdated,” Iaccino said. “Why should a kid in high school or even in college have to carry around textbooks if they can have the information on a disk or flash drive that weighs ounces? If people knew how much textbooks cost today, I think they”d agree.”
Because Common Core”s curriculum doesn”t rely on the use of specific textbooks, teachers are also freed up to use alternative and online resources in lessons, according to Wayment.
Last year, schools were provided with about $200 per student in funding, which districts had the option of using for development of their programs or new curriculum and textbooks. A majority of districts decided to use the funds to purchase computers and other technology.
Wayment also believes that Common Core won”t hinder teachers ability to use different methods of teaching, another fear that has surfaced amongst parents.
“If anything Common Core allows us to share those best practices across classrooms,” Wayment said. “In our workshops, we”re trying to put some spotlights on teachers in our county that are using exciting teaching methods.”
As for Common Core”s success, only time will tell. The shift to using Common Core practices to their full potential isn”t going to happen overnight and, according to Iaccino, California schools were only just truly getting settled in with the previous state standards released more than 10 years ago.
“Teachers are going to be going through a lot of staff development and training,” Iaccino said. “Common Core standards aren”t that much different than what the old state standards were. What”s different is how things are being taught But it”s going to take a while to understand how students are performing, what they are getting and what they”re missing.”
As far as many administrators are concerned, the implementation is worth the effort.
“Honestly, I don”t see any real downfalls in implementing Common Core,” Wayment said. “There”s definitely challenges. But anytime there”s challenges, there”s opportunity for growth.”
