Prepare for the Common Core State Standards

BOONE, N.C. - May 1, 2013 - PRLog -- Your Answer to the Common Core State Standards Arrives 7/15/13  Discover more at learningfocused.com/nextgen
Recently there have been numerous changes to the demands and expectations of educators, including the introduction of Common Core State Standards. To meet these demands, we have developed a model of proven practices and strategies that create substantial gains in achievement and are replicable in any school to prepare them to be successful with the demands set by the new generation of the Common Core State Standards and your State Standards.

A recent study published in Education Week by the EPE Research Center found that even after several years when new standards are released, most teachers are unprepared for meeting their expectations.  The study identified the issues crucial to the successful implementation of new standards (which most states have!). The good news is that teachers generally agree that the new standards have a positive impact on their instruction. However, among the forefront of issues with effectively implementing the standards as identified in the study are: The focus, format, and quality of training. Teacher and school preparedness
Areas where additional training and resources are needed.

The Next Generation of LEARNING-FOCUSED addresses these key concerns by providing teachers with engaging professional development for training teachers how to effectively use the latest research-based and exemplary practices focused on key areas of your new standards (Common Core State Standards and your State Standards).
5 Major findings from the study:
1.     Most teachers report some basic awareness of the standards, although their level of familiarity is typically not deep.

Develop a clear, common understanding of the learning requirements of the Common Core State Standards and/or your State Standards. Advance students through the increasing levels of complexity of each standard to successfully meet grade-level requirements with Mapping the Common Core State Standards and Your State Standards. Don’t just map your standards, map your standards with a focus on learning that results in Advance Organizers (a top 5 research-based strategy for their effect on learning!) for every unit.

2.     Most teachers have received some professional development related to new standards, although it was usually brief.

Ensure that you get the most out of your professional development time with the latest research-based and exemplary practices from The Next Generation of LEARNING-FOCUSED.

The exemplary practices your teachers will learn to implement will be clear enough to put into practice, yet deep enough to plan and use purposefully and effectively. Successful implementation of effective professional development requires support and monitoring by school leaders. With The Next Generation of LEARNING-FOCUSED, school leaders will be more effective at focusing and monitoring specific goals, and with providing targeted support that will make significant advances in teacher effectiveness and student achievement.

3.     Confidence levels drop by half when teachers were asked about their readiness to address the needs of particular student groups, including English-language learners and students with disabilities.

Give your teachers the confidence they need with The Next Generation of LEARNING-FOCUSED.  Accelerating Learning for All Students provides teachers with proven practices and strategies that are practical for establishing challenging, standards-driven learning goals for all students and then providing the necessary support for meeting those goals. Teachers will learn how to integrate strategies into their lessons for building background knowledge, scaffolding instruction, increasing vocabulary knowledge and use, and customizing assignments to ensure that all students, both struggling and those needing more challenge, are moving forward in their learning to meet or exceed grade-level expectations set by your new standards.

4.     Most often, training has focused on the English/language arts and mathematics standards.

The Next Generation of LEARNING-FOCUSED provides teachers in all content areas with planning guides, strategies, and practices for providing the type of high quality, rigorous learning emphasized by new standards and established learning goals.

5.     Few teachers feel their curricular materials are very well aligned with the Standards.

Curricular materials often come in the form of ready-made lessons or other state approved resources. While these resources can simplify lesson planning, the content derived from them rarely qualifies as exemplary, let alone adequate for meeting the expectations set by the new generation of standards regarding integration of standards, higher order thinking, and literacy. Simplify your lesson planning and use the provided curricular materials provided to you more effectively, and ensure that every lesson is exemplary with The Next Generation of LEARNING-FOCUSED.

Ensure that the top research-based and standards-based strategies are being implemented in your school with The Next Generation of LEARNING-FOCUSED workshops:

LEARNING-FOCUSED Lessons

Plan purposeful lessons that are engaging and challenging for all students with a model guided by standards driven goals. Learning-Focused Lessons extend beyond content coverage to focus on how and whether students learn.

Higher Order Thinking: Increase the Rigor of Your LEARNING-FOCUSED Lessons

The new generation of standards expect all students have access to high levels of learning. Higher Order Thinking provides teachers with the knowledge and skills to teach students how to use higher order thinking strategies and how to plan lessons that require students to use higher order thinking as expected by your standards.

Effective Assignments and Assessments

Implement a comprehensive approach to rigorous assignments and formative assessments that are grade-level appropriate, challenging, and standards driven.

Accelerating Learning for All Students

The new generation of standards require that all students have access to high levels of learning. Accelerating Learning for All Students equips teachers with the instructional tools to make that vision a reality by establishing challenging, standards-driven goals for all students. Raise achievement of all students and close the achievement gap through the systematic implementation of previewing, scaffolding, and differentiated instruction.

Discover the other workshops (Monitoring, Individual Strategies, Coaching, etc) of The Next Generation of LEARNING-FOCUSED.

Read the entire EPE Research Center study here.

Discover more at learningfocused.com/nextgen
Call 866-955-3276 or click to discover more about
The Next Generation of LEARNING-FOCUSED.