What are the Common Core State Standards? The CCSS are a set of internationally benchmarked K-12 educational standards which:
- Ensure every student’s college and career readiness in English language arts and mathematics.
- Increase rigor and critical thinking demands in every school.
- Provide clarity and consistency for what all students need to know oncethey graduate from high school.
Within the next year, all of California’s materials, testing, and instruction will be aligned to these standards.
Assessment Changes: This year the California Standards Test (CST or STAR progam) has ended, and the Common Core Tests are being piloted- your child will take a comon core assesessment, but we will not receive test scores. These tests come from the Smarter Balance organization. You can see samples and get more information at http;//www.smarterbalanced.org/
In May, the Vallejo City Unified School District will administer a “STAR-like” assessment in order to provide data to parents and teachers that can be reported out. Later this spring we will let you know exactly how this data will be reported out to you.
Grade Level Workshops: In order to provide you with more detailed information on some of the shifts in instruction and learning that CCSS will bring to VCS and to your child’s classroom(s) we invite you to attend a CCSS workshop led by our teachers.
These workshops will take place on Tuesday, March 18th from 6:00 to 6:30PM for families of second and third grade students. Workshops will take place in the classroom. For families of fourth through eighth grade students the workshops will be on Wednesday, March 19th from 6:00 to 7:00PM. They too will occur in the classroom. The Kindergarten and first grade workshop will be scheduled for early April.
These workshops will allow teachers to present in more detail some of the changes the common core will bring. You will have a chance to ask questions and pick up additional resources.
Please look for further information/detail here, in classroom newsletters and in your child’s blue folder on Thursdays.
If you would like more information now, there are a multitude of resources for families online. You may like to view this short video at : www.cde.ca.gov/re/cc/tl/whatareccss.asp
We look forward to seeing you at all the workshops. You will receive more details very soon.
Sincerely,
Rhonda Coyle, VCS Principal
Glenn Lustig, VCS Teacher Leader