Aligning Your Curriculum to the Common Core State Standards

Avoid oanalysis paralysiso and just get started! Now that most states have adopted the new Common Core State Standards, the next major challenge is to simplify and implement them by 2014. That is why it is important to begin this work now. Joe Crawford, Milken Award-winning educator and author of Using Power Standards to Build an Aligned Curriculum, shares his proven process for building a viable local curriculum based on the CCSS. Readers will find:A system for creating local standards from the CCSSMethods for connecting the common, formative assessments to quarterly instructional objectivesWays to scaffold learning expectationsExamples taken from districts where CCSS is currently implementedIncluded are helpful charts and graphs plus access to Internet-based software for mapping the CCSS to curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Schools cannot continue to do what they have always done and expect a different result. This book explains how to facilitate learning for all students while taking advantage of the new culture, technology, and norms of todayEs learning environment.

Table of Contents:
Foreword by Karen Young Preface Acknowledgements About the Author partners4results Software Availability 1. Overview of CCSS and Associated Leadership Issues Chapter Expectations Aciton Steps Leadership Challenges for Implementing CCSS What Are Standards? Develop and Use a Standards-Based Curriculum Align the Curriculum Think of Content as a Means to a Performance End Staff Development Issues Build Undersanding of the CCSS Use What Has Already Been Developed as a Basis for Moving Forward Defining and Creating Local CCSS Understand Local CCSS (Power Standards) How to Read These Samples What Are Instructional Objectives? Why Are Instructional Objectives So Important? System Thinking What About Using National Assessments as Formative Assessments? What About Accountability? What About Using the Data? What About Monitoring? System Thinking Summarized Process Summary Process Checklist 2. Curriculum Issues and a National Curriculum Model Chapter Expectations Action Steps What Is a Curriculum? Consider Your Options for Defining Curriculum A New Model for a National Curriculum New National Model Defined Process Summary Process Checklist 3. The Development and Use of Local CCSS, Quarterly Instructional Objectives, and Common Formative Assessments Chapter Expectations Action Steps Build Local CCSS Design Quarterly Instructional Objectives Develop Common Formative Assessments Addressing Formative Assessments Within the Assessment Development Cycle Address Issues in Creating Common Formative Assessments Designing Local Assessments Process Summary Process Checklist 4. A Sample K-12 Curriculum Chapter Expectations Action Steps Read and Understand the New Model Accept the Realities of a Sample From Several Districts How to Read These Samples Sample K-12 ELA Curriculum Sample K-12 Math Curriculum Process Summary Process Checklist 5. The Journey Ahead Chapter Expectations Action Steps Summary of Issues Some Specific Issues Current Reactions Final Thoughts Resource A: Collated Feedback on CCSS Work Resource B: Suggested Forms for Developing Local CCSS (Power Standards) and Instructional Objectives and Feedback Forms B1: Standards to Local Standards B2: Follow-Up Process Guidelines for Local CCSS B3: Quarterly Instructional Objectives, Critical Attributes B4: Follow-Up Process Guidelines: Instructional Objectives B5: Initial Distribution Feedback B6: Local CCSS/Instructional Objectives Quarterly Feedback B7: Quarterly Assessments Feedback B8: End-of-Year Feedback B9: Curriculum Audit: What the Research Tells Us References and Suggested Readings Index

About the Author :
Learn more about Joe Crawford′s PD offerings Joe Crawford spent 36 years in public education at the high school, junior high, middle school, and district level as an English teacher, assistant principal, principal, and assistant superintendent focusing on improving student performance. He has been recognized by the Illinois State Board of Education in the Those Who Excel program and by the Carnegie Foundation in the National Systemic Change Award. Additionally, he was principal of a twice-recognized National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence and met two presidents as part of that recognition. He was also chosen by the Illinois State Board of Education and the Milken Family Foundation as a National Distinguished Educator. He has also been active in the Total Quality Management and continuous improvement, and his work reflects the tenets of these industry-standard approaches to improvement. While doing this work, his district received a Silver Award from the Baldrige Foundation. Following the work of Larry Lezotte, Doug Reeves, Mike Schmoker and others, he works with local districts to apply this invaluable work and research in the real world of public schools and kids—making the transition from research to reality possible and even pleasant. He works with teachers and districts to build capacity and to create a common sense of mission through shared ownership of solutions. By involving those who will implement decisions in the actual decision-making process, he helps create a sense of buy-in and a much deeper understanding of state standards and the improvement process, leading to sustainable, long-term improvement in student performance.

Review :
"At a time when all of us are seeking clarity and simplicity about the Common Core State Standards (less is more!), Joe Crawford's book makes a helpful and practical contribution to the work of implementation. His real-school examples help us to see that standards can and must be reduced to be useful." -- Mike Schmoker, Author, Speaker, and Consultant "Our teachers are eager to take ownership in curriculum development, and our district looks forward to updating other content areas using the Power Standards model." -- Denita Scott, NCLA Coordinator "The process and methods that Joe Crawford implemented with our teachers, and his ability to customize the process while working with three different school districts, speaks volumes to the scalability of his Power Standards approach. His work is not just transactional, but truly transformational." -- Scott Kuffel, Superintendent "From developing a system for connecting different assessments and objectives to understanding how CCSS currently works in the real world, this is packed with guidelines suitable for any education collection." -- James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief The Midwest Book Review, March 2012 "This readable title is directed toward the implementation leader and is designed as a guide for putting the CCSS into operation. This book is an excellent road map to guide schools and districts beginning to create workable local CCSS." -- Susan McNair, Library Media Specialist Library Media Connection, August 2012