NORWICH – Norwich City School District Superintendent Gerard O’Sullivan unveiled New York’s latest plan to address changing educational standards across the state – the Common Core State Standards Initiative – at Monday night’s regular meeting of the NCSD Board of Education.
The primary focus of the initiative is college preparation, reported the superintendent, as anywhere from 20 to 30 percent of high school graduates currently attending college for the first time are signing up for remedial classes.
According to the superintendent, the classroom environment statewide “is absolutely going to change” over the next two to three years. It’s possible, he added, that the state will see a major reduction in the number of school districts it supports, with upwards of 260 districts closing statewide. The state, he said, is actively seeking to reduce the number of school districts at this time.
“Everyone is facing dwindling resources at the state level, and we’ll feel those results at the local level. We’ll be facing some awesome challenges over the next couple of years,” stated O’Sullivan. As for the Common Core initiative, he added that “this is all brand new for a lot of people ... but we’ll be offering a greater depth of knowledge with smaller amounts of information.”
Instructional shifts for the Common Core initiative are in the process of being implemented this year, reported the superintendent. In approximately nine weeks, the district will report to a Common Core network specialist team on its progress.
According to the initiative’s website, www.corestandards.com, the Common Core will provide “a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them ... reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers.”
And while the initiative’s standards were not developed on the federal level, over 40 states have adopted their use, said the superintendent.
O’Sullivan’s half-hour presentation on the Common Core included a number of instructional shifts associated with the initiative. The focus of these shifts in literacy include balancing informational and literary text; building knowledge in the disciplines; climbing a staircase of complexity; text-based answers; writing from sources and academic vocabulary.
In regards to math, Common Core instructional shifts will include focus, coherence, fluency, a deeper understanding, mathematical applications and dual intensity (mathematical modeling).
O’Sullivan also presented to board members his preliminary draft of three focus areas, requested by the board at last month’s BOE meeting. Over the course of the 2011-2012 school year, each regular meeting of the BOE will include a yet-to-be-determined time slot focused specifically on academics, finances and students. For example, said O’Sullivan, a hypothetical, future meeting could include information and discussion on testing, Regents results and AP scores (academics); operational maintenance (finances) and the Student Government Organization (students).
“That’s going to be the focus at each board meeting,” stated O’Sullivan. “As we build the budget, the board will see its various parts much earlier in the cycle, which will give them a good understanding of what goes into a $35 million budget.”
Staying focused on those three key areas, he added, will give the board “a good understanding of how operations within the district are connected,” which will “help to get information out quicker and more efficiently.”
The next NCSD Board of Education meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Sept. 26 in the district office conference room, 89 Midland Drive. For more information on New York state’s participation in the Common Core State Standards Initiative visit www.engageny.org.