Education Roundup for Week Ending May 20, 2011
SACRAMENTO — The California Department of Education (CDE) today issued this week's Education Roundup featuring education-related announcements of public interest.
Grade-Level Publication Highlighting California Standards Expanded
The recently released online publication, A Look at Kindergarten Through Grade Five in California Public Schools, has been expanded to include content on the California standards for grade six, highlighting the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS).
The CCSS were developed through a state-led initiative to establish consistent and clear educational standards for English-language arts and mathematics that would better prepare students for success in the competitive global economy. An academic standard is a guide that determines what students should know and be able to do at each grade level and subject area.
The initial publication for kindergarten through grade three was released last December, quickly followed by additions for grades four and five. The inclusion of sixth-grade content provides teachers, schools, districts, and parents with the full spectrum of curriculum at the elementary grade levels.
The publication is in an easy-to-reference, online format where all subjects are grouped together by grade levels, providing narrative overviews for each subject with the standards by the State Board of Education. A Look at Kindergarten Through Grade Six supports California's transition to the CCSS in mathematics and English-language arts, identifying some similarities and differences between the 1997 standards and the CCSS.
To access the A Look at Kindergarten Through Grade Six in California Public Schools publication, please visit Grade Level Curriculum - Curriculum Frameworks & Instructional Materials.
CDE Offers Webinar on New Grade-Level Publication
To assist school districts in using the new publication, A Look at Kindergarten Through Grade Six in California Public Schools, the CDE is offering a free Webinar series. The Webinar topics are separated by grade level and will highlight the curriculum in that grade level, with a special focus on recently adopted Common Core State Standards in English-language arts and mathematics. The next Webinar scheduled for Tuesday, May 24 will cover grade five. The June 9 Webinar will cover grade six.
For more information on the Webinars, download free related materials, and view previous Webinars archived through the CDE on iTunes U, please visit Grade Level Curriculum Webinar Series - Common Core State Standards Resources.
# # # #
Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100