NORWICH – Tuesday’s meeting of the Norwich City School District board of education showed that the 2012-2013 school year was one of major changes in education, thanks to the newly adopted Common Core Curriculum that spurred confusion and controversy in schools statewide.
It was also made clear at the meeting that more challenges are on the horizon for next year at NCSD as teachers and administrators tackle new roles and higher expectations brought on by the Common Core.
Superintendent Gerard O’Sullivan said the goal of the Common Core is to better prepare students for life beyond high school, with well developed skills in English and mathematics.
“This is the new face of education. This is a national movement, and it’s where education is going,” O’Sullivan said when revealing specific challenges the district will address in the upcoming school year. “Our students in Norwich aren’t just competing with students in Sherburne and Oxford anymore. They’re competing with students across the country and the entire world.”
The superintendent also pointed to national averages that show for every 100 ninth grade students, only 65 graduate from high school. Of those, 37 go on to college, 24 are still enrolled by their sophomore year in college, only 12 graduate with a college degree in six years, and only six obtain a good job after graduation. “These are national averages that indicate problems that exist beyond Norwich,” he added.
Currently, only five states - Alaska, Mo., Neb., Texas, and Va. - have not adopted the Common Core.
O’Sullivan’s statements were echoed by the principals of all four schools in the Norwich district who expounded challenges faced by teachers and administrators in the past year.
“Most teachers don’t know where they are headed because they don’t know the new curriculum,” said Dara Lewis, principal at Stanford Gibson Elementary. Much of the new curriculum has yet to be developed for grade school students, she explained, and teachers will undergo extensive training prior to the start of the school year in September. Common Core modules will take effect in English and math for pre-K through second grade starting next year as modules are handed down by the State Education Department, she said.
At Perry Browne, Common Core modules took effect in grades 3-5 this year, said Principal Jennifer Post. Two eight-week math modules were also implemented. Plans are to put more standards into effect for grades 3-5 in the 2013-2014 school year.
Said Post, “These ELA modules are challenging, they are in depth and they are making our children think ... It is high level thinking and that prepares our children for careers and college. I think we are going in the right direction with it.”
New standards had a huge impact at the middle and high school level this year, according to Middle School Principal Scott Ryan and High School Assistant Principal Kirsten Giglio.
“Teachers are beginning the year without all the information in front of them ... It’s like building a plane as you’re learning to fly,” Giglio said, noting that some standards are likely to change again next year.
The middle school will transition to English and math Common Core standards for grades 6-8 next school year, and the high school will take on new standards for algebra.
“The only thing constant in all this has been the constant of change,” O’Sullivan said to board members.
O’Sullivan also said detailed teacher lesson plans and teacher assessments for administrators have increased significantly in the last year because of the Common Core, sometimes taking teachers and principals away from their traditional role of supervision and building management - one more challenge to overcome in the coming year, he said.