Salem City Club Presents: The ABC's of Common Core

Salem City Club Presents: The ABC?s of Common Core. What are the Common Core State Standards? What do they mean for all Oregonians? Guest Speaker: Bev Pratt of The Chalkboard Project. Friday, November 20, 2015 Willamette Heritage Center at the Mill ?Common Core? is often written about and discussed as if everyone knows what the term means. But, few people can explain what Common Core is and how it impacts the education of K-12 students throughout Oregon and most of the nation. Join us on Friday, November 20 as this program will provide a detailed look into the who, what, where, and how of the Common Core State Standards and what they mean for education in Oregon. In 2010, Oregon, along with 42 other states, adopted common education standards for reading, writing and math. The new, more rigorous, common educations standards would replace the 43 individual state education standards. The adoption of the new standards is intended to provide more rigorous education focused on critical thinking rather than memorization, make it easier to evaluate the quality of education from state to state and make it easier for students (and educators) moving from one state to another. Oregon educators have been busy since 2011 preparing for the full implementation of curriculum and practices to meet the Common Core State Standards for education. The curriculum in school districts across Oregon has been aligned with the Standards to ensure what is taught in the classroom fully prepares students to meet the more rigorous performance standards required under Common Core. In the spring of 2015, the first testing aligned with the new Standards was done throughout Oregon and the results have recently been released. Bev Pratt, of The Chalkboard Project, will provide an elementary education of the Common Core State Standards, how and why they were adopted, how curriculum adoption and testing relates to the Standards and how the Standards are intended to improve the education of Oregon students. Prior to joining The Chalkboard Project, Ms. Pratt was with the Oregon Department of Education as the Education Specialist for Title II-A, Improving Teacher Quality. She is a native Oregonian with over 33 years of experience working in education, mostly as a middle school and high school teacher in the Salem-Keizer School District. As is our tradition, we meet at the Willamette Heritage Center at the Mill, Salem. For lunch reservations, please visit our website at www.salemcityclub.com and register online. Reservations are due by noon Wednesday, November 18, 2015. Parking is free. Doors open at 11:30 a.m.