- All Sections
- content: Blog (20)
NWPE's Becky Baird Opposes Common Core for Xavier Charter
posted by: Cindy Omlin | October 12, 2015, 09:44 PM Becky Baird, NWPE member and founder of Xavier Charter School in Twin Falls, Idaho, and the Xavier Charter School Board oppose Common Core State Standards. According to an article published in the Times News, Xavier Charter School leaders, although not stating that the standards are bad, don't believe that they "accurately reflect the curriculum and values of the Twin Falls public charter school." Continue Reading...
The Bill Formerly Known as No Child Left Behind: Where Are We Now?
posted by: Cindy Omlin | April 23, 2015, 10:26 PM The reauthorization of No Child Left Behind is making big waves among policymakers, journalists, and educators who are eager to see improvements to a policy that for years has left many educators in a teaching gridlock. Continue Reading...Are you or your colleagues frustrated with your ability to teach grammar or use it effectively in your own communications? Teachers in the Spokane, Washington, and North Idaho area are invited to attend Mary Ellan Moe's workshop, "Help with Common Core Through Grammar Workshop," on Saturday, January 24, from 8:30 to 3:30 at the North Spokane Public Library, 44 E. Hawthorne Road, Spokane. Continue Reading...Idahoans for Local Education (I4LE) is a group working to advance local control in Idaho's education system and stopping Common Core State Standards. I4LE wants to preserve Idaho’s local educational sovereignty by keeping educational decision making close to home, where parents can make a difference. It also works to ensure that Idaho‘s education system has the highest standards so students are given the ability to be anyone they want to be. To this end, I4LE is sponsoring an event hosting Dr. Peg Luksik addressing "Common Core, SBAC Tests & The Truth." Continue Reading...
As we all know, the Common Core State Standards reflect a major shift in how we ask students to think about and work with numbers. As reported by Education Week, strategies for how we teacher fractions are changing considerably. While students still need to understand that fractions are a part of a whole, the standards call for us to also teach students that fractions have their own distinct place on the number line and have values as numbers.
Continue Reading...
Common Core Testing Update: Field Testing About to Start
posted by: Ruthie | March 21, 2014, 04:26 PM The Common Core tests aren’t in their final form yet, but next week students across the country will still sit down in front of computers to take them. This is happening as part of the nationwide field testing between PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) and the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. Continue Reading...Yesterday, the College Board announced several new changes to the SAT. These changes include returning to a 1,600 scale, removing the penalty for wrong answers, making the essay optional, exchanging pretentious vocabulary words and math problems for more practical and useful questions, and aligning the test with the Common Core Standards. Continue Reading...While the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts never mention close reading by name as a strategy to use, it is clear by reading the standards and the accompanying documents that this method remains one of the best at reaching the goals CCSS sets forth. For this reason, states and organizations dedicated to the implementation of CCSS are trumpeting this strategy as “the one” to use in English-Language Arts. Unfortunately, many teachers remain confused on how to implement close reading in their classroom. Continue Reading...
The Manhattan Institute Discusses Civics Education and CCSS
posted by: Melissa | November 27, 2013, 02:58 PM To anyone interested in the teaching of social studies and civics, it is no surprise that the public has mixed opinions when it comes to this highly important subject. On one hand, people seem to be growing more and more distressed at the lack of civics and history knowledge among the population. It seems that almost every week there’s some sort of news article or study pointing out how much Americans don’t know, soon followed by a cry for more civics education in schools. Continue Reading...
Common Core Mathematics: How to Teach Perseverance in Solving Word Problems
posted by: Ruthie | November 22, 2013, 04:17 PM The Mathematics Common Core State Standards start by outlining good mathematical practices that students should develop. The first of these standards says that students should “Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.” Teaching students to make sense of math problems should be second nature, but how do we teach students a skill like persevere? Continue Reading...Looking for help implementing the Common Core? Look no further! We’ve taken the time to list some of the best books about Common Core implementation out there. Read about them below: Continue Reading...
Common Core Resources: Teaching Channel & Education Nation
posted by: Ruthie | October 16, 2013, 08:47 PM Interpreting the Common Core state standards can be difficult, especially when it seems like you’re getting different information from all sides. That’s why it’s so important to make sure that the resources you’re using to help you implement and interpret the state standards are high quality. Happily, we can say that the teaching channel is a great site to turn to for help learning how to implement the core. Continue Reading...
CCSS Strategies: New Developments on Combining Reading and Social Studies
posted by: Cindy Omlin | September 14, 2013, 02:13 PM Calling all social studies teachers out there – I know you’re struggling to incorporate the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) into your curriculum. Don’t you wish that there was a program out there that did just that and promoted student collaboration all while increasing both content area and reading skills and had scientific data to back its methods up? Continue Reading...As the new school year creeps closer, so does the timeline for implementation of the Common Core-aligned state assessments. In fact, in New York state, they’ve already been implemented. Continue Reading...
Summer is quickly approaching and for some teachers it's already here. While many will be spending some well-deserved time at the beach, summer also provides us with a chance to reflect on the year past and prepare for the year to come.
Continue Reading...
As state legislators continue to debate the adoption of Common Core State Standards (CCSS), teachers, students, and administrators alike are experiencing the frustration of being held in limbo. Many teachers are beginning to implement the standards nationwide, all while some states are second guessing their adoption of CCSS. Continue Reading...It’s important to remember that the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are standards and not structured curriculum. They’re able to be implemented in a wide variety of ways and with a wide variety of teaching styles. Contrary to rumors, CCSS don’t have to mean an end to inquiry-based learning, or project based learning, nor are teachers being handed a list of books that they must read from or prescribed lesson plans. Continue Reading...
Final Version of New Science Standards Released: What Changes Were Made?
posted by: Cindy Omlin | April 15, 2013, 11:10 PM
A version of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) has been in the works for two years now. These standards attempt to merge science teaching across the country, much like the Common Core State Standards do in English language arts and mathematics. The new science standards were also developed similarly, with several states forming a partnership and authorizing a committee to create them.
Continue Reading...
Common Core State Standards: What a School Should Look Like
posted by: Cindy Omlin | March 13, 2013, 05:02 PM There is no doubt that the shift to Common Core will bring about a change in not only how instruction is delivered, but also in the way schools operate. In order to meet some of the goals of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), schools will have to shift some of their practices. Individual schools will approach the challenges differently, but there are some universal changes that good schools should implement. Continue Reading...Many people view cursive writing as analogous to a spare tire, it's not completely necessary but it's definitely a good tool to have in your repertoire. However, the Idaho State Board of Education highly values cursive, enough, in fact, to make it a requirement for Idaho schools. The measure passed with a recent vote in the Senate. Continue Reading... |