“Pithy and Trite”

Though we prepare for a much-earned break, the work nonetheless continues at a relentless pace. Akin to the proverbial redesign of an airplane in flight, the transition to the Common Core Essential Standards (CCES) continues with our sights on having our anchor documents completed so that unit and lesson planning can begin in the months leading up to the beginning of the new instructional year in August.

The work so far has been evolving. It’s messy. At times confusing, frustrating, and seemingly redundant. However, the plan, our plan has always been to have each instructional staff know, understand, and apply the CCES effectively and efficiently. There are no shortcuts.

The belief and practice of copying work from somewhere else will not create the capacity to efficiently and effectively know, understand, and apply what the “core” is designed to achieve – a deeper, more robust teaching and learning experience. Yes, arguably there are voices in the marketplace saying that the “core” is virtually the same as past standards. They are wrong.

The “core” will fundamentally change instruction.

For learners to demonstrate mastery of the new core standards will demand instruction in each class, each grade, and each subject area to be more intense, applicable to predictable as well as unpredictable “real-world” application, and well, authentically rigorous and relevant.

But we have a problem. The words “rigor” and “relevance” need to be removed from our lexicon.

Why?

Since the mid-1990’s when rigor and relevance became associated with standards, individual or groups inconsistently defined and applied their meaning. As has been the practice in education, the terms, concept and application were made illegitimate by a lack of deep understanding of what they meant. Educators love terms and many simply nodded their heads as if they understood what rigor and relevance demanded in terms of teaching, learning, and assessments. More egregious in practice, often the terms were flippantly used to impress parents, peers, community, business and the educational community with the appearance of a deeper, more robust level of teaching and learning – in word at least.

Our present danger by using rigor and relevance as terms to describe the new standards is making the demands of these standards pithy or trite. They are far from similar to current state standards. They are more demanding of the learner to demonstrate learning at a higher level.

Therefore, to falsely believe that the transition to new standards can easily be achieved by taking work from others will not work.

The hard work, time consuming work of deconstructing and reconstructing the standards through identifying prior, explicit, and introductory vocabulary, the level of learning required, learner task analyses, skill task analyses, assessment prompts, and the identification of resources will result in a deeper, richer understanding of what the standard demands instructionally. Further, this work will result in a deeper, richer understanding of what each learner must demonstrate albeit through creating, evaluating, analyzing, or applying skill, knowledge, or experience.

The airplane is in flight.

April leads to May and state testing. Yet, April and May must include thoughtful, purposeful, and intense work on our anchor documents. It seems ominous to expect each of us to work on next year presently. Yet, we must. The months of June, July, and August include the work of unit and lesson design, new Benchmark construction, and training for all staff with new assessment formats in our formative assessment system. Someone else or a small group of staff cannot do this work. This work requires each of us rolling up our sleeves and diving deep into it.

So far, our staff have demonstrated not only the willingness but the commitment to making this work happen. I appreciate it. More importantly our students, parents, and community will appreciate you and the work next year as we begin the new era of the “core”.

Though it may seem like a lot, scratch that – it is a lot to expect in rebuilding not just remodeling the plane in flight. We must however encourage as well as support one another especially as we enter what may be the most challenging of all the steps in the alignment work – the skills task analysis.

In the weeks ahead, each of us must accept there will be additional demands placed on our time. There will be longer days.

That being said, we must also keep our eyes on the present prize – each student demonstrating their learning this year.