The message from developers of a new workshop series and a new brief on the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) is that now is the time to begin the implementation process. “With common assessments set to roll out in the 2014–2015 school year, districts can ease the coming transition by helping schools prepare now,” says Kit Peixotto, who is leading Education Northwest’s efforts to provide up-to-date information and guidance about the national initiative to regional stakeholders.

Peixotto’s team has recently developed a series of six workshops designed to help K–8 teachers, coaches, administrators, and paraprofessionals understand the CCSS for mathematics and the classroom instruction that will support student learning of the content contained in the standards. Education Northwest’s math experts are available to conduct workshops that are customized to the needs of individual schools and districts.

Each workshop in the series comprises nine hours of professional development that can be delivered in two or three sessions. Workshop 1 provides K–8 educators with an orientation to the structure and vocabulary of the mathematics content and practice standards and explores the Geometry Domain in depth. Workshops 2–6 focus on the remaining mathematical domains in grades K–8:

• Measurement and Data; Statistics and Probability Domains for Grades K–8
• Counting and Cardinality; Number and Operations in Base Ten; Number and Operations: Fractions Domains for Grades K–5
• Operations and Algebraic Thinking Domain for Grades K–5
• Ratios and Proportional Relationships; the Number System Domains for Grades 6–8
• Expressions and Equations; Functions Domains for Grades 6–8

“Staff participation in these workshops will lead to more effective instructional strategies and implementation of mathematics tasks that facilitate student learning of the content standards,” Peixotto says. “By providing these workshops, districts can help build staff confidence as they begin modifying instruction to meet the new expectations.”

To discuss bringing professional development for K–8 educators in the CCSS for mathematics to your site, contact Kit Peixotto, 800.547.6339, ext. 594.

Another new Education Northwest resource is the latest in a series of “Spotlights” on what various education audiences need to know about the CCSS. The September 2011 brief focuses on what district administrators need to know and suggests actions they can take now to prepare their schools to:

• Draft an implementation plan
• Communicate how the CCSS address equity
• Plan long-range, articulated professional development
• Foster communication within and across content areas
• Review current instructional materials
• Develop a transition plan and curriculum framework

Other Spotlights in the series highlight what teachers need to know and what parents need to know about the CCSS (available in both Spanish and English). Educators are encouraged to download these PDFs and have them available in district offices and schools. For more information and resources, visit the CCSS section of our website.