69´«Ă˝

Standards & Accountability News in Brief

States Building Teacher Resource for Standards

By Stephen Sawchuk — June 07, 2011 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

Five states that have adopted the common-core state standards are working to build an open-source, online platform that would help teachers access, download, and create resources tied to the standards.

The Council of Chief State School Officers and the states of Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, and North Carolina will take the lead in helping design and pilot the platform, with financing promised by the Seattle-based Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York. (Both philanthropies are or have been grant donors to Editorial Projects in Education, which publishes Education Week.)

Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, and Louisiana plan to join the effort, with the goal of all nine states implementing it in 2013.

The idea of a resources clearinghouse came in response to conversations with teachers who have been providing feedback on the progress of the common-standards initiative, said Gene Wilhoit, the executive director of the CCSSO. “One of the early concerns that was raised [by teachers] is what kind of support are you going to give us as we try to implement,” he said. “Frankly, they told us, â€You’d better not abandon us.’ ”

The participants’ plan is to create an online clearinghouse with a range of supports—including lesson plans, diagnostic tools, and curricular units—available for free to teachers, who could access the tools and materials, network with colleagues, and share their own resources. The system would not have a formal quality-control mechanism, but it would allow teachers to rate and comment on the usefulness of the materials.

“What we don’t want is a single curriculum or a curriculum developed by a single vendor, or organization, in fact,” Mr. Wilhoit said. “It’s a place where rich resources can be put. Ultimately, judgment about the utility of [those resources] would be in the hands of teachers and their students. We would like to get a bit of competition going on.”

A version of this article appeared in the June 08, 2011 edition of Education Week as States Building Teacher Resource for Standards

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
AI and Educational Leadership: Driving Innovation and Equity
Discover how to leverage AI to transform teaching, leadership, and administration. Network with experts and learn practical strategies.
Content provided by 
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School Climate & Safety Webinar
Investing in Success: Leading a Culture of Safety and Support
Content provided by 
Assessment K-12 Essentials Forum Making Competency-Based Learning a Reality
Join this free virtual event to hear from educators and experts working to implement competency-based education.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Standards & Accountability What the Research Says More than 1 in 4 69´«Ă˝ Targeted for Improvement, Survey Finds
The new federal findings show schools also continue to struggle with absenteeism.
2 min read
Vector illustration of diverse children, students climbing up on a top of a stack of staggered books.
iStock/Getty
Standards & Accountability Opinion What’s Wrong With Online Credit Recovery? This Teacher Will Tell You
The “whatever it takes” approach to increasing graduation rates ends up deflating the value of a diploma.
5 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Standards & Accountability Why a Judge Stopped Texas from Issuing A-F School Ratings
Districts argued the new metric would make it appear as if schools have worsened—even though outcomes have actually improved in many cases.
2 min read
Laura BakerEducation Week via Canva  (1)
Canva
Standards & Accountability Why These Districts Are Suing to Stop Release of A-F School Ratings
A change in how schools will be graded has prompted legal action from about a dozen school districts in Texas.
4 min read
Handwritten red letter grades cover a blue illustration of a classic brick school building.
Laura Baker, Canva