On December 10, 2013, all Los Nietos K-8 teachers attended a district-wide professional development opportunity entitled, “Delving into the Common Core State Standards”. Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Jacqueline Cardenas, provided teachers a deeper understanding of how the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) differ from the California State Standards they have successfully taught in their classrooms since 1999. Teachers first met for a whole group discussion designed to provide teachers with an understanding of the depth of complexity students will be required to master in order to answer questions on the new computerized SBAC assessments. Teachers from all four Los Nietos schools were then divided into grade level teams as they reviewed CCSS performance task samples, and then made grade level agreements to adapt or create a future performance task with common texts.
The Los Nietos School District is preparing for full implementation of CCSS in the 2014-2015 school year. During this transition year, professional development has been designed to provide the Los Nietos teachers with multiple opportunities to hear about the impending changes they will need to make in their instruction as students will be required to not only learn new information but also to synthesize and apply the knowledge they have learned. Also of importance this year is the concept of all instructional staff being responsible for the learning of their colleagues. As CCSS require students to work collaboratively to solve complex problems, Los Nietos is requiring and facilitating learning opportunities for teachers from all four schools to work together, collaborate on the creation of curriculum, and most importantly the sharing of their instructional expertise.
The Los Nietos School District is preparing for full implementation of CCSS in the 2014-2015 school year. During this transition year, professional development has been designed to provide the Los Nietos teachers with multiple opportunities to hear about the impending changes they will need to make in their instruction as students will be required to not only learn new information but also to synthesize and apply the knowledge they have learned. Also of importance this year is the concept of all instructional staff being responsible for the learning of their colleagues. As CCSS require students to work collaboratively to solve complex problems, Los Nietos is requiring and facilitating learning opportunities for teachers from all four schools to work together, collaborate on the creation of curriculum, and most importantly the sharing of their instructional expertise.