Over the past few weeks, we have investigated the connection between the Common Core and the future state assessment (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, PARCC). With these changes comes realigned curriculam: clearly, what teachers teach must reflect the new standards, and past curriculum guides may have proven outdated or in need of tweaking.

However, even the most well-planned curriculum will be little more than a document without true implementation at the classroom level. In other words, students will truly benefit from the Core when instruction, standards, curriculum and assessment intersect. For this reason, professional development will need to take a front seat, as effective PD has the potential to provide teachers the support they need to understand, help them become comfortable with the changes, and guide them as they translate theory into practice. To maximize the benefits of professional development, let’s investigate the following three areas that can be utilized to effect true growth and development:… Continue reading →