Collaborating for Success with the Common Core: A Toolkit for Professional Learning Communities at Work(tm)

Leverage teamwork to integrate the CCSS into your curriculum, and build on a foundational knowledge of PLCs. You'll gain a comprehensive understanding of the shifts required to implement the standards in core content areas and find valuable tips and strategies for creating strong collaborative practices. Identify the essential standards, determine learning targets, define proficiency, learn how to design rigorous assessments, and more.

Benefits:

• Gain a comprehensive understanding of the CCSS for English language arts and mathematics.
• Navigate the shifts required by the CCSS for curriculum, instruction, assessment, and intervention.
• Learn how collaborative teams within a PLC provide the support necessary for successful transition to the CCSS.
• Unpack and power the CCSS to deliver a viable and guaranteed curriculum.
• Understand how to scale learning targets drawing on well-known taxonomies of levels of thinking.

Contents:
Chapter 1: Understanding the Common Core State Standards
Chapter 2: Supporting Change to Facilitate Shifts to the CCSS
Chapter 3: Powering the CCSS
Chapter 4: Unwrapping the CCSS
Chapter 5: Scaling Learning Targets to Define Proficiency
Chapter 6: Determining Pacing and Unit Design
Chapter 7: Defining Rigor and Assessment Practices
Chapter 8: Using Rubrics to Provide Feedback
Chapter 9: Using Quality Instructional Practices
Chapter 10: Responding When Students Need More Time and Support
Chapter 11: Responding When Students Are Proficient

Kim Bailey is former director of professional development and instructional support for the Capistrano Unified School District in California. Her leadership was instrumental in uniting and guiding educators throughout the district's 58 schools on their journey to becoming professional learning communities. She also taught courses in educational leadership as an adjunct faculty member at Chapman University in California. Prior to her work in professional development, Kim served as an administrator of special education programs and a teacher of students with disabilities.

Kim's education background spans 38 years, and her work at Capistrano has won national praise. The National School Boards Association (NSBA) recognized Kim's leadership in coordinating and implementing the district's Professional Development Academies. The academies received the distinguished NSBA Magna Award and the California School Boards Association Golden Bell Award. Kim has served on the Committee on Accreditation for the California Commission on Teaching Credentialing.

As a writer and consultant, Kim works with educators nationwide to build effective leadership of PLCs. She is passionate about empowering teams with practical, collaborative strategies for aligning instruction, assessment, and interventions with the standards so that all students receive high-quality instruction.

Chris Jakicic, EdD, served as principal of Woodlawn Middle School in Illinois from its opening day in 1999 through the spring of 2007. Under her leadership, the staff embraced the PLC model as they added collaborative content teams focused on the four critical questions. During this time, they also began using common formative assessments to determine which students needed more time and support, and used the results to shape their instructional strategies. Woodlawn is one of the schools featured on allthingsplc.info. Dr. Jakicic began her career teaching middle school science before serving as principal of Willow Grove Elementary School in Illinois for nine years. At Willow Grove, she helped teachers develop high-performing collaborative teams to assure success for all students.

Dr. Jakicic has worked closely with schools and districts that want to use the power of common formative assessments to increase learning for all students. She provides specific, practical strategies for teams who want to make the best use of their limited common planning time to write effective assessments at the rigor of the Common Core State Standards.

Dr. Jakicic has coauthored several books on common formative assessments, as well as articles detailing her experiences in schools across the country. She has worked as an adjunct instructor at National-Louis University as well as Loyola University Chicago, where she earned a doctor of education.

Jeanne Spiller is assistant superintendent for teaching and learning for Kildeer Countryside District 96 in Illinois. Her work focuses on implementation of the Common Core State Standards. She guides the process of unpacking, powering, scaling, and pacing the CCSS for English language arts for numerous schools, districts, and teacher teams. Her work with teachers and administrators for District 96, as well as with several school districts, is focused on the development of aligned assessments and assessment practices that help teachers determine how to approach instruction.

Jeanne has served as a classroom teacher, building staff developer, team leader, and middle school assistant principal. She is president of the Illinois affiliate of Learning Forward.

Jeanne earned a master's degree in educational teaching and leadership from St. Xavier University and a master's degree in educational administration from Loyola University.