District implementation of CCSS -- How do you implement everything at once?

I went hunting for the answer to a question most districts are most likely grappling with – How do you manage to implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in Mathematics and English language arts (ELA) at the same time?  While this may not be an issue for single subject teachers at middle and high schools, it is a BIG issue for elementary teachers because they teach both English language arts and mathematics.

There are a number of approaches districts could use for implementing the CCSS in both ELA and math at the same time over a two year span.

1. They could implement both sets of standards during one year.
2. Implement one set of standards one year and another set the next year.
3. Implement both sets of standards over two years. 

All approaches seem to have their pros and cons.

Regardless of whether it is the CCSS or other district initiatives, teachers are going to need to handle competing priorities.  There were a couple of different sources that offered advice that could help districts think through how to support all the competing demands on teachers’ time.

One source suggest that focusing on the values of simplicity, clarity, and priority will make implementing initiatives in schools more successful. Michael Schmoker, in his book Focus: Elevating the Essentials to Dramatically Improve Student Learning,[1] writes a whole Chapter titled, “Simplicity, Clarity, and Priority.” First, he argues educational institutions must simplify priorities to a few essential elements. He argues that “[p]riority is a function of simplicity” suggesting that we should only focus on a few things at a time. Leading through example, Schmoker lays three simple elements there are he argues are essential in education: a coherent curriculum (what we teach), sounds lessons (how we teach), and what he calls “authentic literacy” or purposeful reading and writing. Second, Schmoker suggests educational institutions must define essential elements with “piercing clarity.” He borrows from Jim Collin’s book Good to Great, when Schmoker argues that education institutions need to define our priorities with “piercing clarity.” He emphasizes this clarity will help communicate these essential elements at the classroom, school, and district levels.

Schmoker’s two points (1. Simplify priorities to a few essential elements and 2. Define these essential elements using “piercing clarity”) offer districts a helpful framework for implementing multiple priorities.  Yet, what are the pitfalls districts need to avoid when implementing multiple priorities?

One helpful resource for districts looking to avoid pitfalls while implementing multiple priorities is O’Day and Bitter’s chapter on New York City Department of Education’s (NYCDOE) Implementation of Children First, which dramatically altered the governance structures, organizational units, and other structures and systems in place in New York City schools over an eight year period.[2]  O’Day and Bitter’s describe some lessons learned that may be helpful for districts taking on the implementation of multiple priorities.

1. Know your schools: New York City had “instructional capacity” in the form of “instructional leaders” already in place in many of their schools. This helped implement multiple reforms focused on instructional improvement.
2. Lay the groundwork: NYCDOE’s first phase of Children First focused on building “Instructional Coherence” through instructional support as well as school-level coherence. This laid the foundation for the autonomy most schools were handed during the “empowerment approach.”
3. Be Comprehensive: The NYCDOE had an accountability system based approach which was very comprehensive its use of indicators and structures to support professional collaboration. This suggests that a “piecemeal adoption” of frameworks or structures would not be robust enough to produce sustained change over time.

For districts trying to implement CCSS in ELA and math at the same time, these resources argue for simplifying your bottom line priorities tied to this implementation and clearly articulating these priorities to schools and other stakeholders.  At the same time, districts will need to know the context of their schools well in order to craft a comprehensive plan that builds their school’s capacity to meet those priorities.

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[1] Schmoker, M. (2011). Focus: Elevating the Essentials to Dramatically Improve Student Learning. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

[2] O,Day, J. A. and Bitter, C.S. Chapter 5: “Improving Instruction in New York City: An Evolving Approach.” From O’Day, J.A., Bitter, C.S., and Gomez, L.M., Eds. (2011). Education Reform in New York City: Ambitious Change in the Nation’s Most Complex System. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.