Common Core State Standards
Resources and guidelines on the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for the Special Education Community.The Common Core Standards (CCSS) were released in June 2010 and align K-12 state education standards. Educational standards describe what students should know and be able to do in each subject in each grade. In California, the State Board of Education decides on the standards for all students, from kindergarten through high school. A number of states have adopted CCSS. Having the same standards helps all students get a good education, even if they change schools or move to a different state. Teachers, parents, and education experts designed the standards to prepare students for success in college and the workplace. For details regarding the CCSS for all students visit the main CCSS web page.
This site offers resources and guidelines on what the CCSS and the new tests will mean for California students in the Special Education Community.
California Standards
The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for English and math define what students need to learn at each grade level. They provide a chance to improve access to quality content standards for students with disabilities.
Resources
- Students with Disabilities and the Common Core
- Students with Special Needs and the California Common Core Standards
- School Administrators and Common Core: Supporting Students with Disabilities
- Supporting Students with Disabilities: The Common Core—What Educators Need to Know
- 10 Things Parents Need to Know: The Common Core
- 10 Things Students with Disabilities Need to Know: The Common Core
- CCSS: Implications for students with disabilities
(PDF; 3MB)
This presentation by Martha Thurlow provides contextual information regarding the instruction and assessment of students with disabilities including a description of this student population. It presents information on how the principles of college and career readiness and common core state standards apply to these students. Unique instructional concerns for students with disabilities are addressed including the provision of supports and accommodations and appropriate IEP development. Promising practices in the design of instruction and assessment are also outlined.
- Special Educators Look to Tie Individual Education Programs to CCSS
This article considers aligning students' individualized education programs (IEPs) to the CCSS.
- Assessment Principles and Guidelines for English language learners with Disabilities
(PDF)
Written by Martha Thurlow, Kristin Liu, Jenna Ward, and Laurene Christensen, this document looks at improving the validity of assessment results for English language learners with disabilities.
Parents and Students
- Students with Disabilities and the Common Core
- School Administrators and Common Core: Supporting Students with Disabilities
- Supporting Students with Disabilities: The Common Core—What Educators Need to Know
- 10 Things Parents Need to Know: The Common Core
- 10 Things Students with Disabilities Need to Know: The Common Core
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Council of Great City Schools - Parent Roadmaps to the CCSS
These roadmaps offer guidance to parents about what their children will be learning and how they can support that learning, in grades K-8. - Consejo de Escuelas de las Grandes Ciudades – Guía para padres sobre los estándares de CCSS
Guías para padres cuales dan información sobre los temas académicos que sus estudiantes van a aprender en los grados K - 8. Estas guías están escritas por grado y dan información sobre el aprendizaje de matemáticas y Íngles que los estudiantes van a aprender (Spanish Parent Roadmaps to the Common Core Standards).
- Achieve the Core: Introductory Materials on the Common Core State Standards
This web page contains resources compiled for parents and guardians introducing the CCSS including information about the standards; guides, roadmaps, and videos for parents; and teacher and business support for the CCSS.
Other Resources
Multi-Tiered System of Supports
A Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) is a framework for serving all students that supports the systematic provision of interventions directly related to students’ needs. The needs to be addressed are determined by consistent monitoring of each student’s unique learning progression. A successful MTSS framework supports all students through high-quality and universally designed general education instruction at Tier 1 and more-intensive interventions at Tiers II and III, including universal screening, progress monitoring, flexible mobility between tiers, problem-solving teams, and parent input.
Instructional Supports for Learning
Instructional supports for learning based on the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) foster student engagement by presenting information in multiple ways and promote equal opportunities to learn for all students.
- The UDL Guidelines
- About UDL
- Three Principles of UDL
- National Center on Universal Design for Learning
This suite of videos was created to give examples of what UDL looks like in a classroom.
- Center for Applied Special Technology
Instructional Accommodations
Instructional accommodations provide many pathways to learning and consist of strategies that consider each individual’s unique strengths, needs and learning preferences within the existing classroom structures. Accommodations change materials and procedures allowing students to learn within the framework of the CCSS, but do not change the standards.