With all Arizona schools needing to make the shift to Common Core standards in the next couple of years, the Fountain Hills Unified School District continues to adjust courses and curriculum to fall in line with the more stringent guidelines.

Still, many are left unaware of what Common Core actually is, or what it will mean for local students in the years ahead.

To help keep things nice and simple, the Arizona Department of Education has set up a webpage dedicated to the shift to Common Core at azed.gov/azcommoncore.

Along with plenty of resources and references concerning the standards, the Associate Superintendent of High Academic Standards, Kathy Hrabluk, also breaks down Common Core in a 13 minute video.

In short, the Arizona Common Core standards are being used to “ensure that all students have the academic knowledge and skills they need to be successful in college, career and life,” according to the site.

With Arizona unlikely to meet the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, it, and many other states, adopted the Common Core standards in 2010 in order to help bring public schools up to those levels.

Not just limited to Arizona, a total of 46 states have united under the Common Core banner, adopting a new set of grade-specific guidelines that determine whether or not a student is performing at the appropriate level, specifically in the areas of language arts and mathematics.

“The standards were developed in collaboration with teachers, education leaders and experts to provide a clear and consistent framework to prepare our children for college and the workforce,” according to the Arizona Department of Education.

“The standards are informed by the highest, most effective models from states across the country and countries around the world, and provide teachers and parents with a common understanding of what students are expected to learn.”

These standards will take over in the 2014-15 school year, replacing the AIMS assessments currently being used. In other words, Common Core sets a new, higher benchmark for students to achieve, requires curriculum that teaches to that level, as well as assessments that ensure students are learning at that level.

Implementation

With the 2013-14 school year kicking off, readers may have noticed the term “Common Core” popping up in several back to school stories as each local site prepares for the new year.

In truth, FHUSD has been gearing up for the shift to common core for a number of years, making the shift on a gradual basis so students and staff are not expected to suddenly shift gears without warning at the start of next school year. From textbooks to classroom lesson plans, FHUSD is prepared for and working toward Common Core standards as of this school year.

“Last year and this year we dedicated significant dollars out of our operational funds and our federal funds to provide staff development for teachers and administrators,” said Superintendent Tom Lawrence.

“Looking ahead, we will continue the same with the additional focus on the assessments as sample items and rubrics are released. We will also increase our communication with our parents on the importance of the standards and what they mean for their child.”

Lawrence said that FHUSD has faced a number of challenges, as developing capacity for this type of initiative takes time, commitment and resources.

“We recognize that the Common Core state standards will help students achieve at high levels and help them learn what they need to know to be career and college ready,” Lawrence said.

“Our staff is fully invested and we will continue to move forward until the work is done.”

Opposition

While schools must prepare for Common Core, however, some, like Arizonans Against Common Core, feel that the standards have been unfairly thrust upon parents, teachers and students without taking their needs, or votes, into account.

“Common Core State Standards Initiative are not state standards in the first place, and are nothing more than further federalization of our state education system,” reads a statement at arizonansagainstcommoncore.com.

“It has been the goal of federal education departments for decades to further control state education of our children through federal standards, and to take education out of the hands of the parents and put it to ‘the state,’ or under federal control.”

For it or against it, however, Common Core is the current reality of Arizona schools and, with local sites finalizing practices and procedures that fall in line with the standards, it looks like FHUDS will be ready for the shift by the 2014-15 deadline.

Lawrence said that he and his staff expect Common Core to mean an improvement in what students learn and how they learn by teaching critical thinking, problem solving and effective communication skills.

“In English Language Arts, there will be more focus on building knowledge through content-rich non-fiction, reading, writing and speaking grounded in evidence from both literary and informational text, and regular practice with complex text and academic language,” he added.

“In mathematics, there will be more focus on depth of content, coherent progressions from grade to grade, and development of deeper conceptual understanding, procedural skills and fluency as well as application in context.”