Transition to Common Core Standards With Total Instructional Alignment Workshop

Portland, Oregon

Teachers are juggling local curriculum and state standards as well as the new national common core standards. Combining all of these components to ensure a concise, meaningful, and compelling curriculum is essential. Successful alignment of instruction must begin with teachers developing a clear and consistent understanding of what it is students are expected to learn and sound assessments to determine the effectiveness of instruction.

Plan ahead to ensure a seamless transition from current state standards to the new national common core standards. This workshop is designed to help forward-thinking schools and districts prepare teachers and administrators to smoothly accomplish this transition.

The first step is to implement an alignment process that has been field-tested for success. Total Instructional Alignment (TIA) is a proven process for creating high-achieving classrooms, schools, and districts. As the architect of this process, Lisa Carter guides teachers and administrators in understanding the critical alignment of the common core through development of curriculum, assessment, and instruction.

It is up to educators to ensure that there is a tight alignment of standards, curriculum, instruction, and assessment so that every student has the opportunity to succeed. It is also important to align the entire system so that time—not learning—is the variable. In this workshop, Lisa walks through the alignment process outlined in her book Total Instructional Alignment: From Standards to Student Success. The workshop includes time to discuss questions, concerns, and common myths surrounding the alignment process.

Participants should bring copies of their current standards in at least one grade level and one subject area and the new common core standards for the same grade level and subject area.

You will:

• Learn tools and processes to successfully unpack and align the national common core standards through curriculum, assessment, and quality instruction.
• Understand how to write clear learning goals that are specific, measurable, and aligned to higher-order thinking.
• Focus on creating high-quality assessments designed to frequently measure individual student learning progress.
• Explore vertical and horizontal teams that embed flexible grouping and differentiated instructional practices.
• Learn how to align your school system as a culture in which time—not learning—is the variable and standards, curriculum, assessment, and instruction are connected.
• Learn to align and adjust instruction in the classroom and systemwide to meet the individual learning needs of all students.