NYC teachers get preview of Common Core assessment items

Comparison of new and old state tests hint at challenge to come

Original article in Gotham Schools by Rachel Cromidas.

Educators have gotten a few hints into what new, more challenging state exams could look like this spring. To help them prepare more, city officials are encouraging them to review old exams and new sample questions side by side to see exactly what has changed.

Nancy Gannon, director of the city’s Office for Academic Quality, said in a phone interview that multi-step math problems also require students to develop and exercise “soft skills” the Common Core is meant to foster, such as the willingness to try harder when an answer isn’t obvious.

“One piece of the Common Core is around building resilience and the capacity for kids to continue trying, persevering in the work,” she said. “It’s not just about computation, it’s about being able to carry a problem through. Hopefully we’ll get a better sense of how well they understand the concepts behind the problem … and where kids are falling off.”

To read the complete article, visit Gotham Schools.