What do you do with the test results? Do you revisit domains if a child doesn’t score well or do you continue to move on? It the testing is done several times throughout the year, how do you not fall into the practice of teaching to the test?
The test results are used to drive instruction and provide students the most individualized education as possible. This is one test, and it will only be one piece of information we will use in order to meet your child’s needs. We observe students and their strengths and weaknesses every day, and use those observations along with our test results to drive our instruction. If student’s don’t score well in certain domains, we revisit those to develop a deeper understanding and move on as needed. Formative and Summative assessments are done throughout the year.
How does the common core improve a teacher’s ability to teach the individual child?
Common Core does not necessarily improve a teacher’s ability to teach each child. However, with fewer standard, teachers now have ability to spend more time on each standard and teach it multiple ways.
Is a student penalized if they solve math problems using a method not taught in class?
No. However, there might be times when students are specific strategies and are expected to practice using this strategy. With any given method, whether learned at home or at school, it is critical that the student is using the method with understanding rather than simply “following steps”. Students engage in a variety of strategies based on place value, properties and relational understanding. It is important and expected that students are flexible with these strategies. Depending upon the numbers students are working with, some strategies work better than others. They need a “toolbox of strategies” as this helps lead them to sense-making and efficiency.
What information will the state of Montana be collecting on each student for the data collection that is required by adopting the common core standards?
The information that is collected by the state of Montana is not related to adopting the Montana Content Standards. As it has always been, local school districts must share enrollment information with the Office of Public Instruction and state of Montana for funding purposes.
Common Core is not a mechanism for federal data collection, nor does state implementation of Common Core and its related assessments require any data collection beyond the aggregate data authorized by No Child Left Behind. Common Core (and related assessment consortia) does not authorize the sharing of student data between states. The federal government does not have access to the student-level information housed in state data systems. Information in state data systems is securely protected and managed in accordance with state and federal privacy laws.
Is there a long-term plan to perform ongoing evaluation of the effectiveness of successes/failures of what Montana has chosen to use to apply the common core?
Of course! As a district we are constantly looking at how we are doing, what new materials/training need to be implemented, and how we can make improve daily.
Can you explain how Common Core was implemented differently here in Montana as compared to other states where people are telling worrisome anecdotes?
We can’t speak to how other states have implemented the standards nor can we compare ourselves to them.
What do you do with the information from states that have already repealed common core and states like New York whose teachers union called for a ban on common core. What do you do with these facts and how do you justify moving forward in our state?
New York’s, and most recently Indiana’s, teacher’s unions have rejected the Common Core not because of the Standards but because of the implementation. New York has specific lessons that teachers are required to teach, exactly as outlined. New York is also still implementing the NCLB penalties, without consideration for the change in standards. Indiana has dropped the Common Core in name only. The standards they are replacing it with are nearly identical. Montana does not require school districts and teachers to implement the standards in the same way in every classroom in the state. Each district still develops its own curriculum, and teachers decide the best way to teach it to their students. Montana has asked for, and received, a waiver from NCLB restructuring requirements during the MCCSS implementation. Again, our concern in what is happening in Billings Public Schools.
Are the standards called Common Core or Common State Standards or Montana Content Standards?
Montana Common Core State Standards for the state of Montana. Our standards look different from other states due to the addition of Indian Education for All .
How will the Montana Content Standards, which stop at Algebra II, benefit your industry and STEM?
The math standards do not end at Algebra II. Please see Appendix A of the Common Core documents. In addition, our district will continue to offer the same upper math courses that they always have. Next year we are also adding a dual credit math course in our high schools that will allow students to receive college credit in addition to high school credit.
Are there any teachers who have had an unfavorable outcome with the new standards?
I am not aware of any unfavorable outcomes with the new standards.
How long have Common Core Standards been in effect at the elementary level? Are we in the 2nd year?
Yes.
Has common core already improved student achievement? Degraded?
We measure achievement over a period of time, so it is difficult to say after only two years what the impact has been yet.
Have principals and teachers been given data that students are showing higher achievement so they can pass that information onto concerned parents?
When that data exists, either for against, it will be passed on. Please refer to the previous question.
How will the school district calculate improvement in student achievement due to common core?
We will continue to calculate improvements in student achievement as we have always done in the past.
Will the MontCAS evaluate our students this school year (13-14)?
Only in the area of science.
As far back as September 2010, the Montana Board of Education admitted that if they wanted to remain in the Smarter Balanced Consortium, they would have to adopt the common core standards. Why wasn’t the test ready almost 4 years later?
See below. The test was not written until the Standards were finalized. Writing the test is difficult enough, but its delivery is also daunting. It must be computer-based, and accessible from any browser on literally any computer.
How can this test meet the Montana Content Standards if it is a multi-state consortium?
Response to the two previous questions. The Governor’s and Chief State School Officers’ Associations recognized that both standards and a measurement of progress was necessary, so they planned for an assessment at the same time they were working on the Standards. None of the assessments could be written, however, until the Standards were completed because they wanted the assessment written to the standards, not the standards written to the test. Originally there were 12 consortiums, and states could join as few or as many as they wished. Each consortium developed and proposed a testing format. Over time, the 12 consortiums collapsed from 12 to 3. Two consortiums, PARCC and Smarter Balanced received grant funding to develop the official assessments. PARCC is formatted in a similar manner to the ACT, SAT, etc. Smarter Balanced is performance-based. Smarter-Balanced was always Montana’s preferred choice of the consortiums.
Each state could personalize the Common Core Standards to their own requirements. Each state could add up to 15% of new material, but it could not remove any standards. It was made clear that the assessments would cover the Standards as written, and if states wanted to assess students based on their added 15%, they would be responsible for those test questions. As its 15% Montana added the constitutionally required Indian Education for All, and so far, has opted to not test that.
What public data is available to verify that the common core curriculum is in fact generating higher education?
Data is not available until the test is given.
What do we have to base the new standards on?
For English Language Arts, Appendix A explains the basis for the standards. It includes an extensive bibliography of research and theoretical foundations for the Standards. It is easily available online by searching “Commom Core Standards ELA Appendix A.” The research behind the math standards can be also found at http://www.corestandards.org.
How do you plan to protect my child’s privacy?
Your child’s privacy will be protected as has always been. Student information that is shared with the Office of Public Instruction is always done securely, and in accordance with state and federal privacy laws.
The test results are used to drive instruction and provide students the most individualized education as possible. This is one test, and it will only be one piece of information we will use in order to meet your child’s needs. We observe students and their strengths and weaknesses every day, and use those observations along with our test results to drive our instruction. If student’s don’t score well in certain domains, we revisit those to develop a deeper understanding and move on as needed. Formative and Summative assessments are done throughout the year.
How does the common core improve a teacher’s ability to teach the individual child?
Common Core does not necessarily improve a teacher’s ability to teach each child. However, with fewer standard, teachers now have ability to spend more time on each standard and teach it multiple ways.
Is a student penalized if they solve math problems using a method not taught in class?
No. However, there might be times when students are specific strategies and are expected to practice using this strategy. With any given method, whether learned at home or at school, it is critical that the student is using the method with understanding rather than simply “following steps”. Students engage in a variety of strategies based on place value, properties and relational understanding. It is important and expected that students are flexible with these strategies. Depending upon the numbers students are working with, some strategies work better than others. They need a “toolbox of strategies” as this helps lead them to sense-making and efficiency.
What information will the state of Montana be collecting on each student for the data collection that is required by adopting the common core standards?
The information that is collected by the state of Montana is not related to adopting the Montana Content Standards. As it has always been, local school districts must share enrollment information with the Office of Public Instruction and state of Montana for funding purposes.
Common Core is not a mechanism for federal data collection, nor does state implementation of Common Core and its related assessments require any data collection beyond the aggregate data authorized by No Child Left Behind. Common Core (and related assessment consortia) does not authorize the sharing of student data between states. The federal government does not have access to the student-level information housed in state data systems. Information in state data systems is securely protected and managed in accordance with state and federal privacy laws.
Is there a long-term plan to perform ongoing evaluation of the effectiveness of successes/failures of what Montana has chosen to use to apply the common core?
Of course! As a district we are constantly looking at how we are doing, what new materials/training need to be implemented, and how we can make improve daily.
Can you explain how Common Core was implemented differently here in Montana as compared to other states where people are telling worrisome anecdotes?
We can’t speak to how other states have implemented the standards nor can we compare ourselves to them.
What do you do with the information from states that have already repealed common core and states like New York whose teachers union called for a ban on common core. What do you do with these facts and how do you justify moving forward in our state?
New York’s, and most recently Indiana’s, teacher’s unions have rejected the Common Core not because of the Standards but because of the implementation. New York has specific lessons that teachers are required to teach, exactly as outlined. New York is also still implementing the NCLB penalties, without consideration for the change in standards. Indiana has dropped the Common Core in name only. The standards they are replacing it with are nearly identical. Montana does not require school districts and teachers to implement the standards in the same way in every classroom in the state. Each district still develops its own curriculum, and teachers decide the best way to teach it to their students. Montana has asked for, and received, a waiver from NCLB restructuring requirements during the MCCSS implementation. Again, our concern in what is happening in Billings Public Schools.
Are the standards called Common Core or Common State Standards or Montana Content Standards?
Montana Common Core State Standards for the state of Montana. Our standards look different from other states due to the addition of Indian Education for All .
How will the Montana Content Standards, which stop at Algebra II, benefit your industry and STEM?
The math standards do not end at Algebra II. Please see Appendix A of the Common Core documents. In addition, our district will continue to offer the same upper math courses that they always have. Next year we are also adding a dual credit math course in our high schools that will allow students to receive college credit in addition to high school credit.
Are there any teachers who have had an unfavorable outcome with the new standards?
I am not aware of any unfavorable outcomes with the new standards.
How long have Common Core Standards been in effect at the elementary level? Are we in the 2nd year?
Yes.
Has common core already improved student achievement? Degraded?
We measure achievement over a period of time, so it is difficult to say after only two years what the impact has been yet.
Have principals and teachers been given data that students are showing higher achievement so they can pass that information onto concerned parents?
When that data exists, either for against, it will be passed on. Please refer to the previous question.
How will the school district calculate improvement in student achievement due to common core?
We will continue to calculate improvements in student achievement as we have always done in the past.
Will the MontCAS evaluate our students this school year (13-14)?
Only in the area of science.
As far back as September 2010, the Montana Board of Education admitted that if they wanted to remain in the Smarter Balanced Consortium, they would have to adopt the common core standards. Why wasn’t the test ready almost 4 years later?
See below. The test was not written until the Standards were finalized. Writing the test is difficult enough, but its delivery is also daunting. It must be computer-based, and accessible from any browser on literally any computer.
How can this test meet the Montana Content Standards if it is a multi-state consortium?
Response to the two previous questions. The Governor’s and Chief State School Officers’ Associations recognized that both standards and a measurement of progress was necessary, so they planned for an assessment at the same time they were working on the Standards. None of the assessments could be written, however, until the Standards were completed because they wanted the assessment written to the standards, not the standards written to the test. Originally there were 12 consortiums, and states could join as few or as many as they wished. Each consortium developed and proposed a testing format. Over time, the 12 consortiums collapsed from 12 to 3. Two consortiums, PARCC and Smarter Balanced received grant funding to develop the official assessments. PARCC is formatted in a similar manner to the ACT, SAT, etc. Smarter Balanced is performance-based. Smarter-Balanced was always Montana’s preferred choice of the consortiums.
Each state could personalize the Common Core Standards to their own requirements. Each state could add up to 15% of new material, but it could not remove any standards. It was made clear that the assessments would cover the Standards as written, and if states wanted to assess students based on their added 15%, they would be responsible for those test questions. As its 15% Montana added the constitutionally required Indian Education for All, and so far, has opted to not test that.
What public data is available to verify that the common core curriculum is in fact generating higher education?
Data is not available until the test is given.
What do we have to base the new standards on?
For English Language Arts, Appendix A explains the basis for the standards. It includes an extensive bibliography of research and theoretical foundations for the Standards. It is easily available online by searching “Commom Core Standards ELA Appendix A.” The research behind the math standards can be also found at http://www.corestandards.org.
How do you plan to protect my child’s privacy?
Your child’s privacy will be protected as has always been. Student information that is shared with the Office of Public Instruction is always done securely, and in accordance with state and federal privacy laws.
