Finding Common Ground

There's a straightforward way to help teachers and district leaders see the connections between the System of Educator Evaluation and the Common Core State Standards-- it's to lead collaborative discussions among educators that directly address the issue. A high-quality  discussion will produce connections between the SEE and CCSS in the areas of curriculum, instruction, and assessment. By engaging in this conversation, teachers will gain a strong conceptual understanding of the connections, and the list of connections will be unique to the district and aligned with the district's mission and needs.

Once a district defines the connections between these two initiatives, it can begin to develop a shared understanding of what the connections will look like in practice. This shared understanding can be built through discussion and collaborative viewing of instructional video clips.

This approach increases the chances of actually transforming instructional practices to align with the shifts defined by the Common Core.

How might this approach apply to your school or district? Has your school tried something that is similar?