Quality Instructional Materials to Support the Common Core
There has been a lot of talk recently about the
Common Core State Standards. In fact, you might have been one of the many district staff members that attended the Introduction to the Common Core Standards workshop at the Linn-Co Expo Center in January. The new standards focus on Math and English-Language Arts (ELA) & Literacy with embedded mastery of technological skills.
As schools look forward to the next adoption a firm knowledge of the shifts in Math and ELA will help teachers and administrators be better consumers of new materials. Instructional Materials are adopted, or approved, by the State Board of Education. The State Board does not just review textbooks, but
Open Education Resources (OERs). The adoption cycle over the next three years can be described as Bridge Year (2012-2013), ELA (2013-2014), then Math (2014-2015). Each of these year has a different criteria for things to "look for" that support learning that take into consideration the
shifts from the Oregon Benchmarks for Learning to the Common Core State Standards.
