Common Core Standards and Differentiated Instruction
Alesia Rachel
EDU 673: Instructional Strategies for Differentiated Teaching & Learning
Instructor Fernandez
November 17, 2014
An Overview and Focus of the Common Core State Standards Initiative
The Common Core State Standards are a group of Standards that are meant to help students successfully prepare for college, the workforce and life itself. The Common Core State Standards spells out what each student should know at each grade level. Research says that Common Core State Standards are “consistent, strong, clear benchmarks for English, Language Arts, and Mathematics” (CCSS, 2010). Each student moves up the benchmark throughout their journey from k-12 grade. Each benchmark allows students to understand what they need to know before moving on to the next benchmark. Each benchmark also prepares the student for what is to come in the next benchmark. Standards are the same from to school as well as internationally.
The purpose of the Common Core State Standard’s Conception & Expectations The purpose of CCSS is to make sure that students across the globe are competing on the same level. Although curriculum styles vary, everyone has to follow the same set of standards to ensure that all students are learning knowledge based on the same content areas. Making sure that students are learning at the same level on each benchmark is the purpose of the Common Core State Standards. Teachers are able to implement and teach the curriculum with any method they choose as long as the curriculum coincides with the Common Core State Standards Initiative. The standards “set grade specific goals, they do not define how the standards should be taught or which materials should be used to support students” (CCSS, 2010).
The Academic Impact of the Common Core State Standards CCSS has an academic impact on all students. The academic impact is that all students are learning and understanding the concepts presented in the Standards outline. When students are learning the same concepts across the board, this promotes academic success in itself. Having students compete academically based on the learning of the same concepts allows the states to actually see where teachers are falling short.
A Description of the Standards for Mathematics
The standards for mathematics are, “designed to address the problem of a curriculum that is a mile wide and an inch deep” (CCSS, 2010). The standards in math are a combination of high-quality math standards taken from different states in the United States. These standards are broken into 12 domains. While standards express what students are to understand and be capable of doing, the clusters summarize the relationship of standards to domains. The standards of Mathematics deal with problem-solving, reasoning, and proof, communication, representation, and connections. Also included in this Mathematical Standards are adaptive reasoning, strategic competence, conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and productive disposition.
A Description of the Standards for English Language Arts Research states that,” The Common Core State Standards for English, Language Arts, and Literacy build on the best of existing standards and reflect the skills and knowledge students will need in college, career, and life” (CCSS, 2010). There are three key shifts needed when implementing the English, Language Arts standard, which are: 1. Regular practice with complex texts and their academic language, 2. Reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence from texts, both literary and informational, and #. Building knowledge through content rich non-fiction” (CCSS, 2010). The standards states that, “ Because students must learn to read, write, speak, listen, and use language effectively in a variety of content, The Standards promote literacy skills and concepts required for college and career readiness in multiple disciplines” (CCSS, 2010). With the