Does Charles County Curriculum Align with Common Core State Standards?

Dissertation Development: Annotated Bibliography
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Dissertation Development: Annotated Bibliography
Gwynne, J., & Cowhy, J. (2017). Getting Ready for the Common Core State Standards: Experiences of CPS Teachers and Administrators Preparing for the New Standards. UChicago Consortium on School Research. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED589705.pdf
The article by Gwynne and Cowhy (2017) explores the experiences of teachers and administrators as they get ready to integrate the CCSS into their teaching practice. The authors stipulate that to achieve the goals of the CCSS, teachers have to align their instructional practices with these goals through appropriate professional development efforts. Based on data drawn from the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) district, the authors indicate that most teachers have not received the right professional development to help them align their teaching with the new standards. In fact, they reveal that 25% and 15% of high school teachers and elementary teachers, respectively, have received no formal professional development related to the CCSS. However, a small percentage of the teachers (about 15% of high school teachers and 20% of elementary school teachers), receive monthly professional development. Gwynne and Cowhy (2017) also reveal that despite the lack of formal professional development, a lot of the teachers meet informally to discuss the new standards and how they can best align their instructional practices with these standards. Another revelation from the study is that teachers from schools that have high organizational capacity levels reported receiving substantial professional development related to the new standards than their counterparts from schools with low organizational capacity levels. Teachers with more CCSS-related professional development were more prepared to teach using the new standards. The authors concluded that teachers need a great deal of CCSS-related professional development to help them align their teaching with the goals of the CCSS.
This article will be added to the RefWorks list since it discusses how teachers can align their teaching with the CCSS. Teachers are integral to the success of the CCSS and their teaching practices need to be aligned with the CCSS as much as the curriculum needs to be aligned with the same. The curriculum cannot be successfully aligned with the CCSS if the teachers are not well prepared to deliver the content.
Polikoff, M. (2015). How Well Aligned are Textbooks to the Common Core Standards in Mathematics? American Educational Research Journal, 1-27. doi: 10.3102/0002831215584435
Polikoff (2015) explores the alignment of textbooks with the CCSS. Specifically, the author investigates the alignment of fourth-grade textbooks with the CCSS in Florida, with a special focus on mathematics. The author also investigates the extent to which the CCSS-aligned textbooks differ from previous textbooks that were used before CCSS was implemented, especially in terms of content. Using the Surveys of Enacted Curriculum (SEC) approach, the author reveals that approximately 28-40% of the contents in the textbooks match the requirements of the CCSS. Additionally, about 75-84% of the CCSS content is included in the textbooks. This data indicates that some contents of the CCSS are not covered by the textbooks, revealing some gaps in the alignment. Polikoff (2015) further reveals that this lack of alignment stems from over-emphasis on procedures and memorization. As per the results, about 87-93% of the textbooks’ content focuses on memorization and procedures, while only 60% of the CCSS content focuses on the same. Another source of misalignment between the textbook contents and the CCSS content is the emphasis on understanding. The results indicate that only 7-13% of the textbooks’ content put an emphasis on demonstration of the students’ understanding, yet over 30% of the CCSS content requires students to demonstrate their understanding of the content. Finally, the author reveals that in Florida, the contents of the textbooks that have been termed as CCSS-aligned intersect with the contents of the textbooks that were used in the old Florida standards. A lot of the content in the CCSS-aligned texts is similar to that in the previous versions.
This study offers a deep insight into how well the textbooks used to deliver content are aligned with the CCSS. It will be included in the RefWorks list to help create a richer literature review.
Dakwa, L. (2016). Beginning Teachers' Experiential Learning in the Era of Common Core: A Case Study. Journal of School Administration Research and Development, 1(2), 41-48. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1158153.pdf
The study by Dakwa (2016) focuses on the experiences of teachers during the induction phase at a time when a school district was transitioning to the CCSS. The authors note that the induction phase is important because it prepares new teachers on what to expect and how to manage their classrooms. This is especially necessary at a time when schools are slowly shifting to or implementing the new standards because new teachers would need more guidance to navigate through the changes. Drawing on data from a qualitative, single-case study, the study reveals that participants who had collaborated with other newly inducted teachers or with their mentors enjoyed a higher success rate in transitioning from the content standards to the CCSS. In addition, participating in curriculum-integrated teams in their districts improved their knowledge of the CCSS.
The study will not be added to the RefWorks list because albeit providing data on teachers’ experiences during CCSS implementation, this information does not add a lot of value to the literature for the current study.
Porter, R., Fusarelli, L., & Fusarelli, B. (2015). Implementing the Common Core: How Educators Interpret Curriculum Reform. Educational Policy, 29(1), 111-139. doi: 10.1177/0895904814559248
In their study, Porter, Fusarelli, and Fusarelli (2015) focus on the implementation of CCSS. The findings indicate the teachers’ experiences with the implementation process were similar to those of their early years as beginning teachers when they were starting afresh. They indicate that as teachers find ways to align the curriculum materials and the teaching practices with CCSS, they have had to sacrifice a lot of their personal time. However, the study indicates that teachers collaborate and through those collaborations, they have been able to not only interpret the new standards but also align their assessments with the CCSS. Other factors that facilitate effective implementation of CCSS include support from the school districts and leaders, availability of clearly established expectations and goals, and information. The authors conclude that effective communication and training of teachers on different aspects of CCSS is necessary for successful implementation.
This study will not be included in the RefWorks list because it focuses more on the implementation process and the factors that promote successful implementation of CCSS and less on the alignment of the curriculum with CCSS.
Dickinson, G., Kimmel, S., & Doll, C. (2015). Common Core and Common Good: Educational Standards and the Future of Libraries. The Library Quarterly, 85(3), 225-243. doi: 10.1086/681609
The study by Dickinson, Kimmel, and Doll (2015) focuses on a different aspect of CCSS implementation by exploring how libraries influence the alignment and implementation of the CCSS. The researchers adopt a focus group methodology to obtain data from school librarians in two states. The results of the study indicate that for effective alignment, librarians need to be involved in the planning since they are concerned with the information and educational resources available to teachers and students. The authors also indicate that the CCSS standards are aligned with the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) standards and as such, it has provided a platform where libraries can engage in learning and students, held to the same standards and expectations, can flourish. The study also reveals that librarians can affect the implementation of CCSS by being advocates, thereby reinforcing the educational system.
While this study offers insight into how other players (other than educators, administrators, and students) are influenced...