As school districts across the nation scramble to adapt
their curricula to the newest education initiative called Common Core State Standards, Daytona State College is a key player in helping local school
systems implement Florida’s still evolving version of the standards.
“This is a huge time of change,” said Dr. Amy Ringue, a
faculty member and director of assessment for the College
of Education at Daytona State. “We are working with the local school
systems to implement best teaching practices and bridge the students’
transition from high school to college.” The College of Education recently hosted what it called a Core to College Cadre, teaming with members of Daytona State’s College of Arts and Sciences and the school districts of Volusia and Flagler counties to discuss career and college readiness, identify gaps between K-12 and post-secondary curricula, and focus on best teaching practices in Common Core content areas.
The college also is part of the Florida Common Core State Standards Professional Development Consortium formed in partnership with Florida State University, Indian River State College and 10 other Florida College System institutions through a $7.2 million federal grant. Beginning next fall, the consortium will provide professional development training to working teachers, counselors and advisors in support of the Common Core initiative, with Daytona State gearing up to offer the training to K-12 teachers in Brevard, Seminole, Orange, Volusia and Flagler counties.
Students enrolled in Daytona State’s seven education-related baccalaureate degree offerings already are benefitting from the college’s role in the consortium. “Our faculty already incorporate Common Core into assessments used in the baccalaureate coursework,” Ringue said. “But through this grant, we can take it to a higher level because we are able to discuss concrete tools of implementation. Our teacher candidates are placed in field experiences at the elementary, middle and high school levels within Volusia and Flagler schools in which the directing teachers use the available Common Core tools. This access allows the teacher candidates to see it working in real-time in the classroom and gives our College of Education graduates a tremendous advantage when implementing the standards in their first year of teaching.”
Common Core standards were developed by professional educators nationwide to ensure that all students graduate high school prepared to enter college or the workforce. The standards were initially launched in 2009 through a partnership between the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers. Common Core is not a federal mandate; although, the U.S. Department of Education does endorse its adoption by all states and is providing funds for states to create tools that will help schools implement the standards.
Florida began phasing in the standards in 2010, and all classrooms will be using them by next school year. They include language arts and math skills students will be expected to master starting from kindergarten through grade 12.
Proponents say the standards provide consistency in what is expected of student learning across the country. That’s not to say that states and local school districts haven’t a say in how Common Core plays out in their jurisdictions. In Florida, nearly 100 adjustments to the more than 11,000 K-12 Common Core standards are being discussed and slated to be voted on by the Board of Education in February.
Ringue said Common Core centers more around expectations than curriculum, with a focus on problem solving and critical thinking skills development. “Whether you do that by getting kids to read the newspaper, or a poem or a section of text, for example, doesn’t matter,” she said, “so long as you address the standard that the student can critically evaluate text. So they really are not taking away local autonomy. Each county has recommendations for the teachers on what resources to use.”
