If a district is in the midst of a curriculum rewrite in English Language Arts or Mathematics, should Common Core Standards play a role?
At this time, districts should use the revised PA Standards and the Assessment Anchors/Eligible Content, as appropriate. Also, the learning progressions developed by PDE and available in SAS should provide guidance in course development. Those anxious to gain a sense of the focus and direction of Common Core in English language arts might look at the Common Core College and Career Anchor Standards in reading, writing, speaking and listening and language: (http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards/english-language-arts-standards). Anchor Standards capture the “big ideas” in each of the four domains, and they are the standards from which all grade levels are derived. In mathematics, it is recommended that district teams consider the Common Core K-12 Mathematical Practices Standards that overarch all of the K-12 mathematics content standards (http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards/mathematics/introduction/standards-for-mathematical-practice/). These Mathematical Practices Standards a
