Background
1. What are academic content standards?
Standards-based education guides the content that students should master in each grade and shapes curriculum development at every grade level. Teachers and local school officials, in collaboration with families and community partners, use these standards to help students achieve academic success. Although the standards are intended to provide objectives for students and teachers, decisions about classroom instruction are generally made at the local level by the teacher, local administrator, and/or the locally-elected school board.
California’s standards have been hailed for their rigor, setting high expectations for all students. Starting in 1997, California has adopted content standards in English language arts, mathematics, history–social science, science, visual and performing arts, health, world language, physical education, school library standards, and career technical education. California also has standards in English language development (ELD), which outline the stages of English proficiency English learners progress through as they become proficient in the English language. All of the content standards are posted in PDF and Word format on the CDE Content Standards Web page.
All of California’s content standards provide detailed expectations for what students should know and be able to do at each grade level. The ultimate goal of the education system in California is to ensure that all students have access to high-quality curriculum and instruction in order that they may meet or exceed the knowledge and skills outlined in the state’s academic content standards.
2. How were the Common Core State Standards developed?
The development of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) was a voluntary state-led effort coordinated by the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, with stakeholders from nearly every state in the country contributing to their development. In the fall of 2009, governors and state commissioners of education from 48 states (including California), two territories, and the District of Columbia, committed to developing a set of standards that would help prepare students with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in education and careers after high school. The feedback and the review process was integral to the shaping of these new standards, and included educators from kindergarten through grade twelve, postsecondary faculty, curriculum and assessment experts, researchers, national organizations, and community groups.
The CCSS include standards for mathematics, English-language arts, and literacy in various content areas for students in kindergarten through grade twelve. More information about the development of the CCSS is available at the Common Core State Standards Initiative Web Site (Outside Source).
3. What was California’s adoption process?
In January 2010, Senate Bill 1 from the Fifth Extraordinary Session (SB X5 1) established the Academic Content Standards Commission (ACSC) to develop academic content standards in English-language arts and mathematics. The ACSC was composed of members appointed by the Governor and the Legislature, the majority of whom were current public school elementary or secondary classroom teachers. The ACSC was authorized to make recommendations to the SBE to approve or disapprove the CCSS, and to supplement those standards with up to 15 percent additional standards. The ACSC met four times in June and July 2010, and provided its recommendations to the SBE on July 15, 2010. The SBE voted unanimously to adopt the recommendations of the ACSC on August 2, 2010. More information about the adoption process is at the CCSS Adoption Process Web page.
4. When do the new standards take effect?
The standards were adopted by the SBE on August 2, 2010. However, it will take several years to implement curriculum, instructional materials, and assessments based on the new standards.
5. When should teachers begin teaching the Common Core State Standards?
Educators should begin reviewing the CCSS now in order to understand the changes in the standards and what they will need to consider in transitioning to them. The CDE CCSS Resources Web page has numerous documents, PowerPoint presentations, and Webinars to support the transition to the CCSS and is updated as new resources become available.
An excellent resource with which to begin the transition is A Look at Kindergarten through Grade Six in California Public Schools, a compilation of subject-matter curriculum, including information about transitioning to the CCSS, organized by individual grade levels. CDE on iTunes U also offers many high quality CCSS-related professional learning resources for educators. In addition, California’s county offices of education are good sources of information and resources to support the transition to the CCSS.
6. How will the State ensure full and equal implementation of the CCSS in every district?
The California Education Code (EC) mandates the adopted course of study for grades one through twelve. EC Section 51210 states that the adopted course of study for students in grades one through six shall include instruction in the following areas of study:
- English, including knowledge of, and appreciation for, literature and the language, as well as the skills of speaking, reading, listening, spelling, handwriting, and composition.
- Mathematics, including concepts, operational skills, and problem solving.
- Social sciences, drawing upon the disciplines of anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, psychology, and sociology, designed to fit the maturity of the pupils. Instruction shall provide a foundation for understanding the history, resources, development, and government of California and the United States of America; the development of the American economic system, including the role of the entrepreneur and labor; the relations of persons to their human and natural environment; eastern and western cultures and civilizations; contemporary issues; and the wise use of natural resources.
- Science, including the biological and physical aspects, with emphasis on the processes of experimental inquiry and on the place of humans in ecological systems.
- Visual and performing arts, including instruction in the subjects of dance, music, theatre, and visual arts, aimed at the development of aesthetic appreciation and the skills of creative expression.
- Health, including instruction in the principles and practices of individual, family, and community health.
- Physical education, with emphasis on physical activities for pupils that may be conducive to health and vigor of body and mind, for a total period of time of not less than 200 minutes each 10 school days, exclusive of recesses and the lunch period.
- Other studies that may be prescribed by the governing board.
Every school in California is required to provide instruction in the subjects named above, although physical education is the only subject that has statutorily required minutes of instruction. The schedule of the instructional day and week is determined by the teacher and the local school and district administration.
While implementation of specific academic content standards is a local decision and not mandated by EC, California strongly recommends their local use. Additionally, statewide assessments which are mandated by EC are based upon California’s adopted academic content standards. California is supporting local implementation of the CCSS through many resources available to all LEAs many of which are noted in the Common Core State Standards Systems Implementation Plan for California.
Professional Learning
7. Will the CDE provide professional learning modules to support the transition to the CCSS?
Pursuant to Assembly Bill 250 (Statutes of 2011), the California Department of Education (CDE) has compiled a list of professional learning activities and resources that are currently available and has conducted surveys to determine what professional learning activities and resources are most needed by local educational agencies (LEAs). The CDE has formed a design team to develop criteria for new professional learning modules designed to meet the identified needs of educators. Modules will be available for both individual study and group activity, web-based and school-based delivery, and will assist in the implementation of the CCSS and increase the effectiveness of teachers based on the California Standards for the Teaching Profession and the Learning Forward Standards for Professional Learning. Topics will include instructional strategies to support all learners including English learners, pupils with disabilities, and underperforming students; instructional strategies that promote creativity, innovation, critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration and communication skills; the integration of subject area content knowledge; and instructional leadership and coaching. More information regarding the professional learning modules is available in Guiding Strategy 1 of the Common Core State Standards Systems Implementation Plan for California.
In addition, the CDE’s CCSS Resources Web page has numerous documents, PowerPoint presentations, and Webinars to support professional development and is updated as new resources become available.
8. What funding can districts utilize for CCSS-related professional learning?
In addition to unrestricted general funds, LEAs may utilize Title II Part A funds for CCSS-related professional learning.
9. Are there crosswalks to show the differences between the 1997 standards and the CCSS?
Yes. The Sacramento County Office of Education has prepared crosswalks between the standards. It is important to understand that there is not a direct one-to-one correlation between all standards. Often a new standard may represent concepts previously presented through several standards or vice versa.
10. Where can I find CCSS resources for teachers of English learners?
The CDE’s recent publication A Look at Kindergarten through Grade Six in California Public Schools includes sections on English learners and the specific CCSS ELA standards that support English language development. Additionally, Assembly Bill 124 (Fuentes, 2011) authorized the revision of the current ELD standards to align them to the CCSS. The SBE will consider adoption of the new ELD standards in the fall of 2012. The next curriculum framework for ELA will include the new ELD standards.
Curriculum Frameworks and Instructional Materials
11. When will new curriculum frameworks in mathematics and reading/language arts be published?
Pursuant to Assembly Bill 250, Chapter 608 of the Statutes of 2011, work has begun on the update of the curriculum frameworks in mathematics and reading/language arts. The first step will be to conduct focus groups of teachers across the state to collect input that will shape the design of the new frameworks. For more information, visit the Curriculum Frameworks – Mathematics and Curriculum Frameworks – Reading/Language Arts Web pages.
12. When will new instructional materials reflecting the CCSS be adopted?
The Legislative suspension of EC Section 60200 affects instructional materials adoptions as well as curriculum frameworks. Under current law, an evaluation criteria for instructional materials, which is contained within the curriculum framework for a given subject, must be adopted at least 30 months prior to SBE action on an adoption. However, Senate Bill X5 1 (Steinberg) allowed for a relaxation of that requirement for adoptions that follow the implementation of CCSS. However, publishers will still need time and direction to develop programs that are based on the new content. Therefore, work on the new curriculum frameworks and evaluation criteria in mathematics and reading/language arts must be finished before new adoptions can be completed in those subjects.
13. How much time will school districts have to buy the new instructional materials?
The requirement that instructional materials be purchased within 24 months of SBE adoption (for kindergarten through grade eight) or local governing board action (for grades nine through twelve) has been suspended by the Legislature until July 1, 2015. It is not clear what will happen after that date. The original “24 month rule” requirement (EC Section 60422) becomes inoperative on July 1, 2013, and is repealed on January 1, 2014, so if no action is taken by the Legislature that requirement will not take effect.
14. How do the new standards affect the instructional materials sufficiency requirement?
They do not. Current statute (EC Section 60119) specifically requires that instructional materials be aligned to the standards adopted pursuant to EC Section 60605 (i.e., the standards adopted in 1997 and 1998). Presumably this will be changed as part of the implementation of the CCSS, but until that happens, districts should follow the requirements of EC Section 60119 as outlined in the CDE Instructional Materials FAQ.
15. How can educators implement the CCSS without CCSS-aligned instructional materials?
It will take a number of years to develop new curriculum frameworks and instructional materials aligned to the CCSS. In the interim, the CDE plans to post on its Web site by January 2013 a list of supplemental instructional materials designed to bridge the gap between existing programs and the CCSS. The CDE will facilitate a teacher/content expert review of publisher-submitted materials during the summer of 2012. This process is only advisory for LEAs and not a state adoption. The review is in no way mandatory for publishers, and LEAs will not be required to purchase these materials.
The CDE has advised publishers that these materials should include only the minimum amount of content needed to address the specific evaluation criteria in order to keep costs low. Additional information is available on the Supplemental Instructional Materials Review Web page.
Educators may also use the supplemental instructional materials review evaluation criteria for grades K–8 to identify CCSS that current materials do not support and use resources from the library, internet, and primary source documents to develop lessons that address them.
The “Suggestions and Opportunities for LEAs” pages and Appendix A of the Common Core State Standards Systems Implementation Plan for California offer numerous suggestions regarding local standards implementation. In addition, links to many free resources to support local implementation efforts are available on the CDE CCSS Resources Web page.
16. What if an LEA did not adopt the 2007 mathematics or 2008 reading/language arts instructional materials? How will they be able to bridge their materials to the CCSS?
The last adoption of academic content standards for mathematics and English language arts (ELA) was in 1997. Instructional materials adopted by the SBE since that time are all based on these standards. One category of supplemental instructional materials being reviewed by the CDE will be based upon a subset of CCSS which will be selected to supplement not the 2007 adopted mathematics materials and 2008 adopted ELA materials but rather the 1997 standards themselves. These materials will bridge the gap between older materials and the CCSS. Additional information is available on the Supplemental Instructional Materials Review Web page.
Assessment
17. Will there be new CCSS-aligned assessments?
Yes. California is participating in the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) with a number of other states to prepare a common set of assessments based on the CCSS. The SBAC is developing new assessments that will be fully implemented by the 2014–15 school year, with pilot testing in 2012–13 and field testing in 2013–14. A news release describing California’s involvement with the SBAC was issued on June 9, 2011. Additional information about the consortium, including FAQ, is available on the CDE SBAC Web page and at the SBAC Web site (Outside Source).
Guiding Strategy 3 of the Common Core State Standards Systems Implementation Plan for California provides information regarding California’s participation in the SBAC and details specific work and benchmarks. The section “Suggestions and Opportunities for Local Educational Agencies” recommends numerous ways in which districts may begin to prepare for the new, future assessments—of which perhaps the most important is to sign up for the CDE’s SBAC Web page listserv in order to receive the latest information.
18. Will the new CCSS tests include the additional California-added standards?
In introducing the CCSS, the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers advised that states could adopt up to an additional 15 percent while remaining true to the CCSS; California exercised this option. In addition to adopting the CCSS, the SBE adopted a number of additional standards the SBE recognized as being important for maintaining the rigor of the 1997 standards. The SBAC assessments will not include these California additions as they will be based solely on the standards shared by all adopting states.
Pursuant to Assembly Bill 250 (Statutes of 2011), the CDE will work with stakeholders to develop an assessment transition plan that reflects input from the educational field about assessments that are not provided by the SBAC. The CDE will present a report regarding the assessment transition to the California State Legislature by November 1, 2012.
Career and College Readiness
19. How will the CCSS affect institutions of higher education? Will there be an alignment of admission/graduation requirements or placement exams to the CCSS?
The CDE will work with stakeholders to ensure that the K–12, the higher education community, and business communities have a common agreement upon the definition of career and college readiness that includes the CCSS for mathematics and English language arts. Further, the CDE is working to ensure that the higher education community has an advisory role in the SBAC and in determining student readiness for credit bearing courses in the freshman year of college. The CDE will work with postsecondary and career experts to ensure that the SBAC assessments show depth of knowledge and critical thinking skills, use items/questions that mirror real life, and reflect the thinking required in career and college.
Additionally, the CDE will collaborate with the University of California, Office of the President, and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges to facilitate the alignment of accreditations and A–G course requirements to the CCSS.
Technology
20. What technology do districts need to implement the CCSS?
An online dynamic and interactive technology readiness tool to support transitions and implementation is being developed on behalf of the assessment consortia. This tool will help member state educational agencies and LEAs as they evaluate their current technology and infrastructure in terms of readiness to implement the SBAC assessment system and identify strategies to update their technology based on gaps identified. It is anticipated that the tool will be ready in spring 2012.
In terms of instructional materials, the format of materials, whether hardcopy textbook or digital materials, is a local decision. Most SBE-adopted textbooks have a digital alternate format version available. As demand for digital materials increases, publishers will develop these resources further.
