Partnership Benefits

Head start on implementation of the
Common Core State Standards
“CCSS is going to be a lot of work.
During the rollout we learned to do this
right.”

Develop capacity in school to help
every teacher be successful.
“Teachers are now teaming up with other
teachers on campus and are using strategies a lot more and more thoroughly.”

Not “Spray and Pray” Professional Development
“The opportunity to collaborate, learn
more teaching strategies, and plan
has been fantastic.”

Arkansas Department of Education and the
Southern Regional Education Board’s (SREB’s)
Cooperative Effort in the Implementation of
Rigorous Common Core State Standards
Do you wonder why you are
teaching harder than ever
and you are not getting the
gains in student
achievement that you are
looking for on State and
College-Readiness Exams?
LDC and MDC improve learning for ALL
students.
“I like the idea that it makes our teaching
more intentional. We know exactly what
we want to do and the students know exactly what we want them to do.”
“We have seen teacher ownership grow
and student ownership and level of engagement increase.”

Quote from the Commissioner:
"To be competitive in the 21st century,
Arkansas students must have the skills and
knowledge needed to be successful in college and in today's knowledge-based economy. All Arkansas students deserve an
education that prepares them for college
and careers. Access to a college and career ready education shouldn't be determined by a student's ZIP code. That's
where Common Core comes in."
Arkansas Education Commissioner
Dr. Tom W. Kimbrell
Contact Information:
Laura Bednar, Assistant Commissioner
Arkansas Department of Education
[email protected]
Tracy Tucker
Director of Curriculum and Instruction
[email protected]
Gene Bottoms, SREB Sr. Vice President
Tel: 404-875-8211
[email protected]
Arkansas DOE and SREB Partnership
Partnership—SREB, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Arkansas
While the rigorous Common Core State Standards
or other rigorous standards were being produced,
the Gates Foundation was also investing in developing the tools necessary for teachers to help
their students meet the standards. SREB is partnering with the Gates Foundation to help take
these tools to scale in Arkansas, and across the
nation.
How does SREB support the implementation of
the Common Core State Standards?
The Common Core State Standards or other
rigorous standards provide a consistent, clear
understanding of what students are expected to
learn so that teachers and parents know what
they need to do to help students. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to
the real world, reflecting the knowledge and
skills that our young people need for success in
college and careers. With American students
fully prepared for the future, our communities
will be in a better position to compete successfully in a global economy.
The Literacy Design Collaborative (LDC) and
Mathematics Design Collaborative (MDC) are two
powerful, yet different approaches to instruction
and assessment. SREB’s pool of talented trainers,
resources, and contacts in the education field will
bring these tools into schools and classrooms
with targeted training, ongoing school coaching,
and job-embedded professional development.
How is the Arkansas Department of Education supporting high schools in the implementation of the
Common Core State Standards?
The Arkansas Department of Education and the Southern
Regional Education Board (SREB) have worked with eight
high schools during the 2011-2012 school year preparing
a core group of teachers to use new instructional strategies to engage students in learning more deeply the new
Common Core State Literacy and Math Standards, and to
share those tools and strategies with other teachers in
their schools.
Quotes from Principals:
“We have seen teacher ownership grow and
student ownership and level of engagement
increase. Students are more interested in
research processes too — a good process that
has also brought our staff much closer together.”
“Through LDC students are more engaged and
excited now that they have seen their own
growth.”
What is required
Select four teachers, one from social studies, ELA,
science and CTE, and two from mathematics, algebra
and geometry, who have the following characteristics:
open to change — someone who others will follow —
proven track record of working with challenged students, and quick and willing learners. These teachers
will work with SREB and ADE personnel during three
days of initial training and six days of face-to-face
training throughout the year to build their capacity to
understand how to embed CCSS across content areas.
Additional support will be provided during the school
year; at least six follow-up coaching visits to support
school principals and teachers, webinars, and conference calls to follow on-site training. This training will
allow your teachers to be leaders in their school and
state in the implementation of these rigorous literacy
and math standards.
“We are so appreciative of being a part of this.”
Quotes from Teachers:
“LDC strategies allow me to go deeper instead
of just skimming across the surface and they
allow students an opportunity to go more in
depth on issues relevant in history and tie this
together with current events.”
“MDC is a project designed to aid teachers in
learning to use the five strategies of assessment for learning to help students gain understanding of mathematical concepts.”
“It is giving us in the science content areas
more of a focus and a method of approach for
incorporating reading and writing into our area,
rather than just giving students something to
do.”
“MDC provides strategies to help teachers to
engage students in learning that improves their
math understanding and reasoning skills.”
“The support and encouragement SREB
provided were more than I anticipated.
We did not have to pick up the support
and encouragement during the time
that trainers were not on campus.
Thanks to webinars and conference
calls, SREB was always close at hand.”