Common Core State Standards

I was checking Center Court and Steinhauer's blog for anything that resembled a post on the new Common Core State Standards, and struck out.  Instead, I noticed that Josephine now has ads on her blog. Really, Jo? Not making enough at your day job? Or was this a recommendation made by Pursuing Ketchup?

While Josephine is blogging about charter schools and Timmy is blogging about pizza, pics, and post it notes, nothing has been mentioned about Common Core State Standards.

PA Common Core Standards

The State Board adopted Common Core Standards in July 2010. Since that time, the decision was made to craft a set of PA Common Core Standards in English Language Arts and Mathematics. A group of Pennsylvania educators created a draft set of PA Common Core Standards. These new standards mirror the content and rigor of Common Core, but reflect the organization and design of the PA Academic Standards.

Pine-Richland School District's website has a whole page dedicated to understanding the Transitions to Common Core Standards.

Eleanor Chute mentioned PA Common Core Standards in Monday's
Study: Pennsylvania students with access to full-time librarians do better

As school districts look for ways to save money, supporters of school libraries point to a recent study showing Pennsylvania students do better on state tests in reading and writing if they have access to strong school libraries.

The study found students with access to a better-staffed, funded, equipped, stocked and accessible school library are more likely to score advanced and less likely to score below basic on the state reading and writing tests.

Remember how our illustrious board cut staff in our libraries as listed in the
Cost reductions list totaling approximately $850,000 while twenty administrators received raises?

Ms. Chute continues:

Mary Kay Biagini, director of the school library certification program at the School of Information Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh and an analyst for the study, said that 56 percent of public schools in the state didn't have access to a full-time school librarian in 2011-12.

With the economic conditions and resulting library cuts of the past two years, she said, "Students are getting even less of a chance to have access to library resources and information literacy curriculum."

She believes school libraries will be even more important as schools implement the new Common Core State Standards in English language arts and math that call for the curriculum to go deeper in fewer areas rather than skimming the surface in many.

When will this Board and Administration report on more pressing issues such as the transition to Common Core State Standards, 21st Century Education, replacing our fuzzy math program, and the like, instead of concentrating on sports, turf, fundraising, and charter schools? On the two year anniversary of Lebo Citizens blog, I can't think of one wise decision this Board has made.