Utah Core Survey

Governor Herbert is asking for stakeholders to provide input about the Utah Core Standards.  Please take the time to read the standards and provide input through this survey.

 

As you are aware, the Governor is asking parents, teachers, community members and other constituency groups to provide input and comment on the Common Core Standards which Utah has adopted as part of the Utah Core Standards. This input is being invited via the following website:

utah.gov/governor/standards

This survey allows for a general response on the support, or lack of support for the standards overall, but more importantly, it asks for comments on specific standards that respondents feel are problematic or that could be improved.

All comments related to specific standards will be given to a committee of Utah higher education experts who have been asked to evaluate the alignment between the K-12 standards and the requirements of Utah post-secondary programs. This committee will consider the survey comments as part of of their work.

Please forward this email and survey link to your membership, business partners, parents, and other stakeholders you associate with and invite them to take a few minutes and give us their feedback. The more feedback we receive, the better position we will be in to address concerns over these issues.

Thank you!

Tami

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Tami Pyfer, Education Advisor

Office of the Governor

Utah State Capitol, Suite 200

P.O. Box 142220
Salt Lake City, UT  84114-2220

Phone: (801)538-1178

Cell: (435)770-6555

NEA Survey on the Common Core State Standards

Background:  Today as a part of President Van Roekel’s back to School Tour, NEA will release the findings of a member poll on Common Core State Standards.  NEA conducted a survey of more than 1200 members to gauge awareness and opinions of the new Common Core State Standards and their support for its goals.  The findings revealed that the vast majority of educators support the standards. 

Here are the 4 key points from the poll results to underscore:

1.       Our members wholeheartedly embrace the common core standards’ promise – that all students will have an opportunity to learn the same skills they need to succeed, regardless of where they live.

2.       These standards have the potential to be the biggest game changer for public education in a generation.  But in order to fulfill the standards’ worthy goals we need an equal commitment to common sense implementation.  We owe it to our students to provide educators with the time, tools and resources to get it right.

3.       Our members support the Common Core State Standards because they’re the right thing to do for our children. And we all need to work together – parents, educators, administrators, communities and elected officials – to ensure we get this right.  That requires a commitment to the time, tools and resources to ensure that the goals of the standards are realized.

4.       Even as our members strongly support the Common Core State Standards, they have deep reservations that there will continue to be too much emphasis on testing. The polling confirms what our members have said for some time—the current testing focus takes too much time away from student learning. Members also expressed a need to focus on doing things in the right order…we have the standards, now we must focus on aligning curriculum and students’ instruction, and then begin assessments. They are concerned that assessments will begin before schools and educators have had time to align curriculum and that they will be held accountable for those test scores in unfair ways. Based on those beliefs, NEA members also believe states should institute some type of grace period on the accountability provisions of the common core standards in order to give schools more flexibility to implement the standards successfully.

 Basic Frame:  NEA members believe that Common Core State Standards represent a game changer for students and public education if we get implementation of the standards right. There is overwhelming consensus among educators across the country that the Common Core will ultimately be good for students and education.  There are significant challenges associated with implementing Common Core, but the possibilities are far too great for us to throw up our hands and say, “this is just too hard.”  

·         98 percent of NEA members have heard about the standards

·         75 percent of those surveyed support the standards

The Standards:  Educators believe the standards can lead to better instruction, because they don’t dictate how teachers should teach, but they do provide clear goals. NEA members are particularly excited to have the time and freedom they need so their students can gain a greater and deeper understanding of the material.

·         Roughly  40 percent support the standards because they set clearer guidelines and education goals. Twenty five percent support the standards because they provide greater opportunity for all students, and provide more rigorous standards.

·         Teachers in upper grades believe that as the curriculum is laterally integrated, their students will be better prepared to learn and comprehend complex material.

NEA is a strong advocate for coursework that ensures students can think critically, solve problems, and attain global competence.  According to the PDK/Gallup poll released last month:

·         More than 90 percent of Americans believe a well-rounded education which includes activities like music, sports, drama and newspaper is important.

·         Three-fifths of respondents strongly agreed that today’s schools should: teach students how to set meaningful goals (64%); teach students communication skills (78%) and teach students critical thinking skills (80%.) 

These new standards help address inequity by providing a wide set of standards which ensure a complete education for all students, and increase the likelihood that students will persist in school and attain a high school diploma. Common Core State Standards is a positive step in the right direction.

·         NEA members in high poverty districts appreciate that the standards have the potential to increase opportunities for students.

Implementation:  NEA members support the common core standards because they are the right thing to do for our children. We all need to work together –parents, teachers and elected officials – to ensure we get this right.

·         Half of members who support the standards express reservations, but members are more supportive when they feel their districts are prepared to implement the standards—support rises to 87 percent among educators who think their districts are prepared.

·         While they know about and are excited to implement the standards, only a quarter of members report that their districts are ready to implement the new standards, and just a third feel well prepared to teach the new standards at the start of the year.

·         NEA members believe more family involvement would go a long way towards making common core successful, but more than half (55 percent) either say their school or district does not have plans to communicate with parents about the common core, or they do not know about such a plan.

The great promise of Common Core State Standards for students will be realized if the voices and expertise of educators lead efforts to develop relevant and engaging instructional materials to create the strongest next generation of assessments possible. 

·         Asked what measures could be taken to help teachers with the standards, educators cited collaboration time with colleagues, more planning time, updated classroom resources, in-service training and better technology to administer the computer-based assessments.

·         Educators also pinpointed other factors that would help students learn the new standards. Forty-three percent cited smaller class size, 39 percent suggested greater parental involvement, and 22 percent said students need up-to-date books and materials.

·         NEA has established a Common Core Working Group (CCWG) which comprises representation from state affiliates to leverage our collective knowledge and expertise.

It’s no surprise that after a decade of the NCLB test and punish regime, NEA members are wary of the ways in which the standards will be implemented and evaluated.

·         Three in four members who hold back from supporting Common Core cite assessments as the reason for their concern: they believe they won’t have the opportunity to align their curriculum to the standards before their students are tested on the material.

·         More significantly, educators are concerned assessments won’t be used as a tool to help their students, but instead as a weapon to punish their students, their schools and themselves.  More than half believe there will continue to be too much emphasis on testing, stifling their ability to reach out and motivate their students.

·         We know that students’ mastery of the new standards cannot be demonstrated fully or appropriately through the use of the same old multiple choice items on a poorly designed standardized test. These standards will require a new generation of authentic assessment systems that provide students with multiple ways to show what they know.

Social Media Tools: Join in on the conversation on Twitter with hashtags:  #CCSS and #CommonCore

Part Time Math Opportunity

Better Lesson is in the process of soliciting applications for their Master Teacher Project.  In this project selected teachers will design and share full Math Common Core aligned courses in collaboration with Common Core coaches and fellow Master Teachers. You can view the flyer or go directly to the application page here. 

The expectation is 10 hours a week creating CCSS aligned lessons for the next two years, sharing those lessons online, and earning $30,000. 

If any of you choose to apply, please let me know, and good luck! 

Celebration - Successful JEA Member Blog

Rachelle Smith, first grade teacher at Herriman Elementary, has a successful blog (What the Teacher Wants), where she offers free tips and printables that align with the Common Core State Standards. She has over 3,000 followers and 15,000 hits a day!  Check it out.



I would love to hear from other JEA members about success in connection to their careers.

Legislative Council (AR) Meeting

Last evening was the monthly JEA Legislative Council meeting.  AR's were notified of a Death Benefit that will be withdrawn from your October paycheck.  Craig Peterson, a teacher and JEA member at Jordan Hills, passed away in August.  He was part of the JEA Death Benefit program.  All teachers enrolled in the program at the time of his passing will have $4 deducted from their October paycheck.  A check for almost $1700 was given to his widow and the deductions will replenish the account.

Several building concerns from elementary, particularly year round, schools were asked.  During the 2009-2010 negotiations, the 9 hours of pay for track on days planning was rolled into salary.  You are being paid, you just don't have to track your hours.  You are expected to put in the 9 hours over the 3-4 track change days.  Teachers who move rooms are still paid $100 when they track on.  If this is not happening, talk to your school secretary.

Options for holding PLCs were discussed.

There is no policy on the placement of students needing special services.  Some teachers have an overload of Resource, Speech, or ESL students.  One way some principals even in year round schools have handled this is to place all of those students first and then place all other students, distributing evenly those with special needs.

Class sizes in a grade can begin the year up to 5 different, i.e. one class of 20 and one class of 25.  Once school starts and students move in, they should go to the smaller class, but keeping siblings on the same track may mean that some classes have more than a 5 student differential.

Special service providers (Resource, Speech, Guidance, etc.) being part of duty rotations and committees was questioned.  This is done on a school by school basis at the principal's discretion.  One suggestion was that these faculty members take duty the first two and the last two weeks of the year when they are not servicing students.

The report cards for all grades have been finalized for this year.  K-5 have new Language Arts standards tied to the Common Core.  One AR pointed out that there is no Independent Reading.  Another school is doing Independent Reading for the Ken Garff Road to Success Program.  The "Language Components" should not be on the sixth grade report card, so the sixth grade teachers should mark N/A on all three terms for "Language Components".  The sixth grade Math standards changed to match the Common Core.  Other changes include more accurate descriptors of Social Studies and Science topics and Guided Reading Level benchmarks for each grading term.

We watched a video on the Early Years of NEA.  It pointed out how NEA was inclusive of women and minorities in the late 1800's, but then later laws prohibited that inclusion.

We review Sick, Personal, Alternative, and Bereavement Leave.  If you ever had a question about what qualifies, you can check the policy online or contact JEA.  We can help you through any of these leave benefits.

AR's reflected on their membership goals and made new ones for October.  Debbie Brown won the drawing for AR's who recruited the last 25 new members.

AR's were asked to set up a JEA e-mail list for members in their building and to provide me with contact information on one parent willing to serve on UEA's Parents for Neighborhood Schools.

I showed AR's the MyDeals app available for Android and iPhone.  You need your membership number for it to work.  If you cannot find your membership card, just let me know, and I will send it to you.

Thanks to all the AR's who attended the meeting. 

English, Language Arts, Literacy Common Core Assessments Review

The following is from Judy Park, Assistant Superintendent at the Utah State Office of Education.  If you teach English, Language Arts, or Literacy, please provide input on the assessments by following the directions on the link included by Monday, August 29.


"The SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) has released the English language arts/literacy (ELA/literacy) content specifications. The contents of this document describe the extent of the consortium’s current development to specify critically important claims about student learning that are derived from the Common Core State Standards. When finalized, these claims will serve as the basis for the Consortium’s system of summative and interim assessments and its formative assessment support for teachers.


"Open and transparent decision-making is one of the Consortium’s central principles. This draft of the English language arts/Literacy content specifications is being made available for comment consistent with that principle, and all responses to this work will be considered as it continues to be refined. In addition to an official state response that is being prepared, we strongly encourage you to provide your individual/group survey response through the link below. Your input is essential to ensure that Utah’s voice is considered in the final product.

"SMARTER Balanced will provide two rounds of review for the ELA/literacy and math content specifications (the math specifications will be released later this month). The first ELA/literacy draft is now available for review through August 29th (11:59 p.m. Pacific time). Instructions on how to provide feedback through online surveys for both individual reviewers and groups are included with the materials posted at:
SMARTER Balanced Consortium.  In addition to the draft ELA/literacy content specifications, the link above includes press materials and a recorded webinar on evidence-based design."