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Are California teachers ready to successfully implement Common Core State Standards?

With only one more year before California students begin taking Common Core-aligned assessments for accountability purposes, school districts are under pressure to step up the pace of Common Core implementation by identifying professional development strategies that will enable teachers to fully meet the instructional demands of the new standards.

The California Office to Reform Education (CORE) spearheaded an effort to prepare teachers for the Common Core standards by supporting them to develop performance assessment tasks. Participating districts piloted the tasks.

This policy brief, produced by the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning at WestEd, presents findings from interviews of teachers and administrative staff in three CORE districts about their experiences piloting the assessment tasks.

The interviews also provide insights into the types of support these educators saw as important for their successful implementation of the Common Core. Their experiences and insights provide critical information for district administrators throughout the state, who are in the midst of selecting and/or implementing strategies to support teachers transitioning to the Common Core.