SCSD Moves to Align with Common Core Standards

The Syracuse City School District has begun work to shift its English Language Arts and Math curriculums to align with the Common Core State Standards.

Adopted by New York State in 2010 as part of the Regents Reform Agenda, the Common Core Learning Standards for ELA, Math and Literacy, are part of a comprehensive initiative meant to arm students with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in college and in their careers. Although Math and ELA teachers in the Syracuse City School District were expected to implement one Common-Core-aligned instructional unit in the 2011-2012 academic year, full implementation of the Common Core begins at the start of the 2012-2013 academic year.

As a part of this shift, teachers in the Syracuse City School District have been working to rewrite curriculum, making sure that both instruction and assessments in the schools follow the Common Core. ELA teachers will shift their focus toward more complex, grade appropriate non-fiction and fiction texts that feature a strong academic vocabulary. Math teachers will change their instruction so that it reflects fewer, more central standards that are strongly linked to mathematical concepts and skills.

For more information on the Common Core State Standards, go to www.engageNY.org