AFT Teacher Involvement in the Development and Implementation of the CCSS

The CCSS is an effort that has been supported by the American Federation of Teachers, beginning with reviews of the College and Career Readiness Standards (the first step in the development process of the CCSS) to the release of the final grade-by-grade standards in June 2010. The AFT gathered a team of 30 teachers from around the nation to work collectively to bring judgment and real-world classroom experience to bear in drafts of the standards before they were released for public review.

Teachers Continue to Be Involved in the Process of Refining and Providing Feedback on Resources and Supports for Implementation of the CCSS

English language arts (ELA) and mathematics teachers have been engaged in developing additional resources for CCSS implementation in the areas of unit development and resource alignment, the videotaping of CCSS lessons and the development of parent letters.

ELA and math teachers also reviewed and provided feedback on Student Achievement Partners Evidence Guides for ELA and Mathematics. These guides are designed to provide concrete examples of what the CCSS shifts for English language arts and literacy as well as mathematics look like in daily instructional planning and practice. It is designed as a developmental tool for teachers and those who support teachers.

The AFT Innovation Fund

The AFT Innovation Fund began soliciting teacher-driven ideas for implementing the Common Core State Standards in 2011. To date, the fund has made grants to union affiliates in Albuquerque, N.M.; Boston; Chicago; Cleveland; Jefferson County, Ala.; and Quincy, Ill. The grants support local and state AFT affiliates as they develop CCSS lessons and units, prepare future teachers to work in Common Core classrooms, and ensure that the needs of particular groups of students, such as English language learners, are met as the standards are taught.

In 2013, the AFT Innovation Fund plans to make a grant that “connects the dots” of teacher evaluation systems and the Common Core, so that teacher evaluation and development systems reinforce the instructional shifts necessary to ensure student learning of the CCSS.

For more information about these grants, see AFT Innovation Fund.