Common Core: What it Means Here at HCS Part II

Below is a copy of the article I wrote for the Fall 2015 Newsletter.  With State testing approaching, I thought I would republish this, as it relates to our philosophy on the Common Core.

                                      

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Certainly, you have heard the recent debates over the “Common Core.”  This seems to be a polarizing topic of discussion and one that sometimes finds those at each end of the political spectrum on the same sideline.  I would like to take some time to share my thoughts in regards to this topic.  My opinion comes with 23 years of experience as a teacher and administrator.  It also comes with a great deal of passion and purpose.  I love working in the education field.  I have an unbending desire to provide the best, research-based, effective, instructional practices for all students.  I rarely stop thinking and reading about this work.  It drives me. 

Before we can have a debate about the Common Core, we must understand just what the “Common Core” is.  The Common Core Standards are a clear set of shared goals and expectations designed to help teachers understand the knowledge, skills and procedures students need to succeed.  Teachers and administrators at the local level decide how these standards are to be achieved and are responsible for developing lesson plans and instructional practices within the classroom.  These Common Core Standards are evidence-based, aligned with college and work expectations, and include rigorous content and application of knowledge through higher order thinking skills.  They are also “benchmarked” to international standards to make sure our students are competitive in an emerging global marketplace.  Additionally, the standards are designed to better prepare our students for college and careers beyond high school. 

It is my personal belief that the Common Core Standards are a drastic improvement to any standards that have preceded them.  I would encourage everyone to read them and I would challenge anyone to debate their merit.  These standards are exactly what schools need to help our students compete in the 21^st century in a globalized world.

So what’s to debate?  Here is where the State Education Department got it wrong.  First, teachers needed professional development to understand how these standards would change their instructional practices.  The Common Core asks teachers to teach in a way that many have never experienced.  It would be like asking a surgeon to operate on patients in a way she/he had never been trained for.  Secondly, the State created Common Core Assessments that were/are more challenging and more rigorous than previous State assessments.  These assessments (3-8 ELA and Math) were then used to help determine the value of a teacher (higher student scores = higher teacher scores).  The State Education Department is now requiring that half of a teacher’s value (APPR or Annual Professional Performance Review) be determined by these assessments.  Creating such “high-stakes” assessments puts a strain on both teachers and students to perform well and can cause an unhealthy environment for learning.  Lastly, NYS sub-contracted with a company to create “module” units to help teachers teach the new standards.  These modules are teacher directed, scripted, and a one size fits all units.  This type of instruction actually contradicts what the Common Core Standards ask teachers to do.  We do not subscribe to the modules here at HCS. 

It is our philosophy that the students must take on the responsibility of the learning.  What they learn in school must be applicable to the real world and have purpose.  We believe in establishing independent thinkers and seekers of knowledge.  We want to create an environment for academic discourse and collaboration.  We believe that this can be done only through authentic, student driven learning.  We also feel it is very important to increase opportunities for leadership, creativity, innovation, resiliency and self-efficacy.  We want our students to be self-directed, self-reflective, responsible and appropriate decision makers.  The Common Core Standards allow us to do this.  It’s the NYS mandates (APPR, modules, high stakes) that are getting in the way of the Common Core being something really good. 

All of the decisions we make are carefully considered and are always done so in the best interest of our students.  We strongly feel that our current instructional practices reflect the new Common Core Standards and will help our students become college and career ready with 21^st century skills.  Please don’t hesitate to express your views with me on this subject.  I welcome any feedback that you may have and will seriously take into account your suggestions. 

How Not to Talk to Your Kids

Very interesting article about mindset.  Many of our teachers have read Carol Dweck's book, "Mindset: The New Psychology of Success."  We also formed collaborative colleagues groups around this topic.  

Please click on link below for article
How Not to Talk to Your Kids

Common Core: What it Means at HCS

Dear Parents and Community Members,

In 2010 New York State, along with 45 other states, adopted the Federal Government's new Common Core Learning Standards.  I’d like to take this opportunity to explain what they are, what they mean for our students and how they affect the learning in your child’s classroom.  

Educational Standards are a clear set of shared goals and expectations designed to help teachers understand the knowledge, skills and procedures students need to succeed.  Teachers and administrators at the local level still decide how these standards are to be achieved and are responsible for developing lesson plans and instructional practices within the

Although the initiative for a “common set” of standards came from the Federal Government, these standards have been designed by administrators, teachers and educational leaders from states across the country.  The Common Core State Standards have been built from the best and highest state standards in the country. They are evidence-based, aligned with college and work expectations, and include rigorous content and application of knowledge through higher order thinking skills.  The designers also looked at high performing countries and “benchmarked” them to international standards to make sure our students will be competitive in the emerging global marketplace.   Additionally, the new standards were designed to better prepare our students for college and careers beyond high school.

Hamilton Central School has embraced these standards and feel that we are well prepared for them.  Over the past nine years we have spent our professional development days designing our instruction to meet the demands of higher level thinking for our students.  The Common Core Standards align perfectly with our instructional practices.  New York State Education Department has developed a web-site to help teachers and parents learn more about what the standards mean.  I encourage all of you to visit this site <engageny.org> to learn more.  Included in the site are informative videos that detail six shifts in both English Language Arts and Math that will help all of us learn about the impact of the Common Core State Standards.  You can also access the standards through <nysed.gov>.  Our teachers have spent many hours redesigning our curriculum to match these standards.  HCS Elementary curriculum maps are posted on the our web-site for parents to see.  

We talk a lot about pedagogy of our teachers and what it means in regards to instruction.  Recently, a parent asked me to explain what “pedagogy” means here at Hamilton.  The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards defines pedagogy as follows:

“Pedagogy refers to the pedagogical (teaching) skills teachers use to impart the specialized knowledge/content of their subject area(s). Effective teachers display a wide range of skills and abilities that lead to creating a learning environment where all students feel comfortable and are sure that they can succeed both academically and personally. This complex combination of skills and abilities is integrated in the professional teaching standards that also include essential knowledge, dispositions, and commitments that allow educators to practice at a high level.”

Simply put pedagogy refers to the “art” of teaching.  I would add to this definition as it applies to teaching here at Hamilton.  It also includes having students grow from a sense of dependency of learning from the instructor to independency or self-directedness.  We call this a “gradual release of responsibility.”  Students also accumulate a reservoir of experiences that can be used as a basis on which to build learning across content, grade level, and the walls of the classroom.  This can only be achieved through highly qualified, evidence based professional development and an acceptance by educators to be life-long learners.  We are committed to this endeavor and will always strive to provide our students with the best “pedagogical” practices.  I invite all of you to spend time in your child’s classroom to learn more about the pedagogy in our school.

Welcome to my Blog!

It is the intent of this Blog to provide parents and community members with key information regarding the activities, learning practices, and policies of Hamilton Elementary School.  Please use this site to find important information and to communicate ideas you may have to improve our parent-school relationship.  The blog will be used to convey current events. I will be adding new features to this site as the year goes along so pay attention for updates.  It is my goal to improve communication through this endeavor.

Thank you for your support,

Kevin Ellis

Elementary Principal