As more and more articles on the CCSS come out, it pains me to see peoples reaction.  Mostly due to the fact that they are not reacting to the CCSS but to the SMARTER Balanced Assessment. I agree, the SBAC is going to be painful.  However, on page 6 of the ELA Standards it states that the "Standards define what all students are expected to know and be able to do, not how teachers should teach."

While I may not agree with everything in regards to the CCSS and its alignment.  I like it.  It makes sense.  It pushes kids farther and in a manner that I can assess especially in grades K-8ish.  We recently were revising our 3rd grade curriculum to meet the standards and what I felt was the rigor the grade should be at.  The rigor was determined by reading the CCSS, lots of released articles and yes the SBAC.  However, it was mostly determined by what kids needed to know and the depth that would help them move forward with that information.  Teachers questioned the rigor level.  What is needed to be known is that the rigor was embedded in quality mathematical tasks.  We heard things like "they can't think at that level," or "they are never even going to know where to begin."  Now, after having the teachers go through it we hear things like "I never thought it possible but I am not going back to what we had."

Kids can meet the needs of the CCSS and the SBAC.  Just don't let the SBAC drive your instruction.  Do what you feel is right for them and most importantly engage them in something that is useful.

How to enrich kids lives in math?

I spend a lot of time, probably more than is healthy, thinking about making math class more engaging, more exciting and most importantly more of a learning experience.  To that end I talk to professionals about incorporating application (Tasks) as the start of the learning process, not just the end project.

As a K-12 coordinator and supervisor of teachers, this is such a drastic shift that the timeline to incorporating front loaded tasks into the curriculum is painfully slow.  Is this because the CCSS, RTI, etc... have all hit big at the same time?  Is this because teachers teach what they have always taught?  Is this because the expectations in a classroom are so tight in regards to timelines that teachers physically cannot fit it in?  Is it because in certain years of math the application is not the easiest to re-create or to even come up with (the stepping stones in Algebra 2).

We could come up with hundreds of excuses but the plain truth is that enabling students to see where and how the math could actually be used is, to steal from commercials, "priceless."  Without that authentic application students struggle to retain information.

I could go on, it is a frustrating day and my venting is always the need for better instruction quicker.  Any thoughts?