Dear Columbine Parents and Families,
The Colorado Department of Education has established our state standards which are aligned with Common Core. Over the last few years our staff has been working to make important changes in student learning. As a parent, you may have already begun to notice these changes, particularly in math.
We are making this change because we want every single one of our students to be on track for college and careers by the time the graduate from high school. Our new standards focus on 21st and careers. The Common Core State Standards will:
• Help students gain knowledge and skills that they will need to think and work at that deeper level
• Create opportunities for all students to excel at reading, writing, speaking, listening, language and math
• Support students to think critically about what they have read and the math they do
• Allow teachers and students to focus on few critical concepts in mathematics more deeply
• Build students’ abilities to apply what they have learned to the real world
• Ensure that all students can communicate strong ideas and arguments in writing and react powerfully to what they read.
The Colorado State Standards are new and challenging. In particular, the staff at Columbine has been working over the last few years to understand how instruction should change to get students where they need to be so our students can achieve at higher levels. You have likely seen and will continue to experience noticeable changes in what and how your child is learning in school. The could include what you see in classrooms, finished work that comes home, or even homework assigned to your child. Columbine Elementary is using materials entitled, “Engage "Y” for math. If you would like to review support documents for parents, please feel free to visit
http://www.engageny.org/parent-and-family-resources.
They have created a Parents Backpack Guide to Common Core Standards to help you look for these changes and many other resources to help support your children’s learning. For a better sense of what these standards look like in action in the classroom, you may want to view a short video entitled “Teaching is at the Core” at http://www.engageny.org/
resources/teaching-is-the-core. The Council of Great City Schools has also produced a parent-friendly three minute video explaining the Common Core, available at: http://www.comoncoreworks.org
As always, thank you for your continued support!
Mr. Nick Ng, principal
The Colorado Department of Education has established our state standards which are aligned with Common Core. Over the last few years our staff has been working to make important changes in student learning. As a parent, you may have already begun to notice these changes, particularly in math.
We are making this change because we want every single one of our students to be on track for college and careers by the time the graduate from high school. Our new standards focus on 21st and careers. The Common Core State Standards will:
• Help students gain knowledge and skills that they will need to think and work at that deeper level
• Create opportunities for all students to excel at reading, writing, speaking, listening, language and math
• Support students to think critically about what they have read and the math they do
• Allow teachers and students to focus on few critical concepts in mathematics more deeply
• Build students’ abilities to apply what they have learned to the real world
• Ensure that all students can communicate strong ideas and arguments in writing and react powerfully to what they read.
The Colorado State Standards are new and challenging. In particular, the staff at Columbine has been working over the last few years to understand how instruction should change to get students where they need to be so our students can achieve at higher levels. You have likely seen and will continue to experience noticeable changes in what and how your child is learning in school. The could include what you see in classrooms, finished work that comes home, or even homework assigned to your child. Columbine Elementary is using materials entitled, “Engage "Y” for math. If you would like to review support documents for parents, please feel free to visit
http://www.engageny.org/parent-and-family-resources.
They have created a Parents Backpack Guide to Common Core Standards to help you look for these changes and many other resources to help support your children’s learning. For a better sense of what these standards look like in action in the classroom, you may want to view a short video entitled “Teaching is at the Core” at http://www.engageny.org/
resources/teaching-is-the-core. The Council of Great City Schools has also produced a parent-friendly three minute video explaining the Common Core, available at: http://www.comoncoreworks.org
As always, thank you for your continued support!
Mr. Nick Ng, principal
Understanding Common Core
ENG: http://www.cde.state.co.us/standardsandinstruction/guidestok5standards
SPN: http://www.cde.state.co.us/standardsandinstruction/guidestok5standards-spanish
- http://www.cde.state.co.us/sites/default/files/documents/coloradoliteracy/readact/download/read%20act%20fact%20sheet%203-21-2013.pdf
- https://dibels.org/bros/Parentletter_1106.pdf
- https://dibels.uoregon.edu/docs/dibelsparentguide.pdf
ENG: http://www.cde.state.co.us/standardsandinstruction/guidestok5standards
SPN: http://www.cde.state.co.us/standardsandinstruction/guidestok5standards-spanish