Like many other educational policies that have been legislated or mandated, the Common Core State Standards have met with considerable skepticism and resistance. There has also been a good deal of misinformation about what they are, how they were created, and how they are being used. Regardless of how one might feel about these standards and the way they have been rolled out, it is necessary to recognize the tremendous influence they have had on our schools, not only in terms of how we teach reading, and how we define literacy, comprehension and text, but how we teach and how we assess students.
Because of the wide-reaching impact of Common Core, and because it plays such an important part in how our students (and by default) our schools and teachers are evaluated, my AVReading Newsletters this year will focus on these ten standards. Each month will spotlight a different standard (starting in this issue) by first, analyzing what the standards say; second, highlighting how they are reflected in the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs); and third, offering classroom strategies that can specifically address them.
Even if you have not the slightest interest in the standards, I encourage you to follow the newsletters as they can offer you lessons and activities that will be helpful to you as you work to create a more engaging, interactive, and thoughtful classroom environment where you strive to release more responsibility for learning back onto the shoulders of students.
Read the full September Newsletter here. This month's newsletter includes an article on the services I provide as a reading coordinator, a look at Common Core Standard #1 (close reading), and some reading tips for students.
