Jared Myracle - Common Core Standards for Parents for Dummies

Common Core Standards For Parents For Dummies

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Appendix

As you prepare to help your child tackle the expectations of the Common Core Standards, it's helpful to pull together as many resources as possible. Because of the number of states using the standards, you can look in many places for guidance on the best ways to support your child's education.

In this appendix, I review a few of the national organizations that provide resources related to the Common Core Standards. Although many good resources can be mentioned, I stick to a sampling that gives you a good idea of what is out there. Secondly, I list the states (along with the District of Columbia) that have adopted the Common Core Standards. Many states are vacillating on when and how to implement the standards, so this list represents the information available at the time of publication.

Many organizations offer resources related to the Common Core Standards. Here are a few:

• Achieve the Core ( www.achievethecore.org ): This website, hosted by Student Achievement Partners, contains a significant number of resources for teachers, administrators, policymakers, and parents. Because three of the lead writers of the standards, David Coleman, Jason Zimba, and Susan Pimentel, founded Student Achievement Partners, this site is worth a look.
• Council of Chief State School Officers ( www.ccsso.org ): The CCSSO is composed of the leaders of state departments of education. Along with the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, the CCSSO was one of the organizations that helped lead the effort to create the Common Core Standards. Resources on this site include videos about the standards and other materials related to their implementation.
• Council of the Great City Schools ( www.cgcs.org ): Don't let the name fool you. Although the Council of the Great City Schools focuses on supporting education in urban settings, it offers videos and road maps that help unpack the standards for students, teachers, and parents in all locations.
• National Governors Association Center for Best Practices ( www.nga.org/cms/center ): Several reports available on the education division of this site are related to the implementation of the Common Core Standards. In cooperation with the CCSSO, this organization worked to coordinate efforts that led to the development of the standards.
• National PTA ( www.pta.org ): Your child's school may have an organization that is associated with National PTA. Its website provides numerous resources for parents, including specific grade-by-grade Guides to Student Success that are based on the Common Core Standards. The guides identify specific aspects of the standards that you can reinforce at home and provide tips on communicating with your child's teacher.
• Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers ( www.parcconline.org ): PARCC is one of the two largest assessment consortiums of states working to create assessments for the Common Core Standards. See if your state is a member and view sample assessment items, along with other information related to test administration.
• PBS LearningMedia ( www.pbslearningmedia.org ): This site offers a number of resources from various states. From general overviews of the standards to grade- and content-specific material, you'll find a number of good resources that help build your knowledge of the standards.
• Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium ( www.smarterbalanced.org ): Smarter Balanced is one of the two largest consortiums of states that are working together to develop assessments aligned to the Common Core Standards. Visit its website to see if your state is a member and to view other resources, such as sample test items.

At the time of this book's publication, the Common Core State Standards Initiative identifies 45 states and the District of Columbia among the entities that have adopted the standards:

• Alabama
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• District of Columbia
• Florida
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee