Richard DuFour

Richard DuFour, EdD, was a public school educator for 34 years. A prolific author and sought-after consultant, he is recognized as one of the leading authorities on helping school practitioners implement the PLC at Work™ process.

The Common Core and Common Pacing

We received an email from a high school teacher questioning her district’s effort to establish common pacing across the three high schools in the district. She seemed to object to this effort because her subject was nonsequential and asked our opinion. This was our response:

There is a significant amount of research that providing students with access to a guaranteed and viable curriculum has a significant, positive impact on student achievement. Guaranteed means that all students will be taught the same skills and concepts regardless of the teacher to whom they have been assigned. Viable means that the curriculum can be taught in the amount of time a teacher has to teach. If a district is to provide students with a guaranteed and viable curriculum, it is perfectly reasonable that it establish parameters for common pacing.

You mention that your course is nonsequential, but don’t mention the subject. So let’s use US History as an example. Your colleague loves the Civil War and devote six weeks to teaching it. You devote three days to the Civil War. In this instance, you allow a teacher’s personal interest to trump research on what is best for kids. If we use English as an example, you devote a month to writing an effective persuasive essay and your colleagues devote a week. Again, students do not have an equal opportunity to learn.

I should, however, also clarify that establishing district guidelines for common pacing does not mean a district should establish lockstep pacing whereby all teachers are expected to be teaching on the same page on the same day. This kind of rigidity robs teachers of the ability to make adjustments in their instruction based on evidence of student learning.

Most states and districts are attempting to translate the Common Core State Standards into curriculum guides with recommended pacing, so it is not unreasonable that your district would attempt to provide the guidelines that support a guaranteed and viable curriculum.

Comments

HopeDBD

My district is in middle GA. Unfortunately, teachers here are expected to be on the same page as everyone else in the county. Even thought the curriculum map is a fantastic resource, the lessons are almost completely written for teachers. This does not help with our preferences as teachers. Nor does it encourage right now teaching. I have skipped many learning opportunities, because I was afraid of getting off track of the curriculum map.

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jessova

I absolutely agree with you about keeping an open mind when it comes to the Common Core Curriculum. I teach writing, and I have to say I love the standards and outcomes of the CCS. This curriculum is allowing students to engage in higher level thinking, and it is teaching them to write independently. Basically, this curriculum is preparing them for college. They will know how to write a paper without being given specific guidelines. when it comes to ELA, I think this curriculum is getting rid of the "fluff" and going back to the basics. I love it!

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rrawlings

My district is in Ohio is also switching to common core. We are to begin next school year. In the past we had pacing charts for the standards and they have not yet made these for common core. For me, this makes it harder to plan the curriculum for many of the reasons discussed below. Why are they implementing new standards before it is ready? Does anybody have good resources for learning more on common core? Another hurdle we face in my district is a general lack of knowledge about common core.

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amroughia

My district has progressively implemented the CCSS. I began teaching them to kindergarten students in the 2011-2012 school year. I found them to be quite developmentally inappropriate and lack many pieces of the early childhood curriculum that are still very necessary for young learners. As a result of the rigor and intensity I witnessed many signs of stress in students and as a result left teaching kindergarten and have begun to teach third grade where we too have been making plans for CCSS use this coming year. Indiana is currently on the fence as to whether it will officially adopt the CCSS and so we are on a "soft pause" within our district. Sadly, students lives are being impacted and we are indecisive as to the commitment to all of the changes we have already begun. Right or wrong a lot of money and hard work has already gone into the transition process and the projected cost for complete transition wasn't thoroughly considered. I am not in favor of the CCSS but want to be careful for what I wish for...

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MollyJ

I am excited about our district implementing the Common Core Standards. With so many students transferring to new schools for a variety of reasons, it is reassuring to know that educators are making an effort to make the educational transition as smooth as possible. It is very frustrating for students and teachers alike when a new student either has large gaps in their learning or is forced to repeat standards already mastered. We are headed in the right direction with Common Core Standards.

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Sarah

A lack of technology is definitely something that will need to be addressed in many districts. Ohio has decided to use the PARCC assessment along with the Common Core. Since this is a computer based assessment, many schools will need to implement the use of more technology so that students can be successful. There will definitely need to be a shift in resources and instruction!

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Sarah

I completely agree with what you have said! I will be implementing the Common Core in my 3rd grade classroom next year and although I know it will be challenging, I am very excited! From what I know about the Common Core so far, I think it will allow for more creativity than the previous standards I had been using (the Ohio Academic Content Standards). What colleagues and myself have noticed when putting together our district map, especially in math, was that there are a lot LESS standards to cover. I am extremely excited about this because it will allow us to go more in depth and really help our students master the concepts. Before it seemed like we did not have a lot of time allotted for each topic because there were so many we had to get to. I think this switch to more focused standards will allow us to dive in deeper and allow for more time to be creative.
I also home that eventually there is a national pacing guide so that we can all be more on the same page. I think that will probably take time though. I really think the Common Core is a step in the right direction for our nation!

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Eburris49

As a math teacher working on a vertical team we have discussed pacing guide and the order in which the content is taught in different grades. The high school seems to be having more issues with these things than the middle school does. However, our district does allow us a little more freedom than others do.

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GypsyTeacher

My school district is implementing the common core standards within the next year, and is working on providing a Scope & Sequence to include the standards.

Last week I had a great opportunity with other educators within my high school to attend a Common Core conference for ELA. At this conference, I gained a better understanding of the standards. For this to be successfully implemented in my district, we definitely need better resources. Outdated textbooks, and lack of technology will definitely be a hurdle to jump.

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ajevett

Along with many of you, my county has been working towards the common core standards in all of our grades. Yet, unilke Cody's district, mine is trrying to implement all of the pacing guides the same time. Which I fear will lead to over lapping or repeated curriculum. In my county this past year we didn't receive our standards for the semester until 6 weeks into the school year. How does this allow us time to correctly prep for our classes and our school year? I am in complete agree with the above comments about students that move. Not only military families, but any family that has to move for any reason. These standards should be able to benefit every student across the country. But as often as we know that some students move as do teachers. Personally within my first three years of teaching I had the experience of teaching in two different states. The differences in teaching styles, expectations, currriculum and standards completely shocked me. I am in great hopes and beliefs that these standards will help our students, teachers and overall educational futures. Now what? That's my qustion, now what? Now, do we believe that these standards will actually make a difference in our students futures?

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arose

My school district in is the process of changing our curriculum to align to the Common Core Standards. We are working on curriculum/pacing guides for each grade level. I am currently working on Kindergarten and First grade and feel that a common pacing guide is important. I feel that giving a teacher a certain time frame (ex. 4 weeks, 6 weeks etc.) it puts parameters on the amount of time spend on a certain topic/subject but it doesn't take away from the "art of teaching and how you teach that topic/subject." When the article talks about a teacher spending six weeks on the Civil War and another teacher spending 3 days, it is not providing the students with the same experience and exposure to that particular subject, and that is unfair. However, I do feel that if the Nation wants all states to be on the same page and to meet the expectations and prepare students for college reediness, a national pacing guide would be beneficial just like Cody C said.

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coachk

My district switched to common core this past year as well. We also are trying to establish a pacing guide. I too was wondering why one doesn't already exist do that students moving from state to state will be on track no matter where they come from. With more states adopting common core hopefully it will be created soon.

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cathy65

I have had experience with working with the Common Core Standards and I find them to be okay. I do not think they are any different from any other standards that are out there. However, I will say some of the standards for 6th and 7th grade math are similar and some things that the students did in 7th grade they are now doing in 6th grade. I think we as educators need to continue to keep and open mind about the changes that are being made in education. The most important thing is to make sure that the students are being successful. I do agree with Cody C about their should be a National Pacing Guide.

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Cody C

I have also heard negative things about the Common Core Standards and that many teachers are weary of it. Before teaching the Common Core this year, I heard teachers say that it does not allow for creativity and that there is too much information for students to learn within a school year. Now that I have taught these standards for a year, I believe that it is for the best. My school district has established a pacing guide for grades K-2, and is currently working on implementing a pacing guide for grades 3-5 for the 2013-2014 school year. It helped keep us on track and allowed for plenty of time to be creative and incorporate projects. Our district also provided sample lessons showing us to integrate the subject areas in order to have time to teach all of the standards, as well as make time for the projects and activities. I, too, am curious about whether or not there will be a national pacing guide. I am a military wife and I am concerned for the children that relocate frequently. They miss too much information and instruction for there not to be a national pacing guide.

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lynn

I am convinced that our administration is on the right tract after reading your response relating to curriculum and it's significance. In this year our school faced many challenges with students results not being aligned with that of the Public schools'. Therefore, after much reflection, collaboration and planning, I am convinced that we will have better results for the new school year.

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wjodi828

I am currently a teacher in South Carolina at a pilot school. By being a pilot school, we are able to try out any new systems or programs that will be integrated into the school systems. Our school uses pacing guides which states how long each standard should be taught and the order of which it should be taught. The pacing guides are very beneficial because it ensures that teachers will be able to complete each standard before the end of the school year.

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JamieS

I think the idea of a pacing plan for the Common Core is wonderful. My district is in the process of working towards full implementation of the Common Core in the 2013-2014 school year and we are looking at creating pacing guides for each outcome in each subject area over the summer. My question is . . . Why is there not a national pacing guide available, so that if students move from state to state the curriculum will still be guaranteed and viable? Any ideas or thoughts on this topic would be appreciated! Thanks!

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RachtheTeacher

I teach in Clarksville, TN and my school district has pacing guides for each subject that are used district-wide. Clarksville is a military town due to Fort Campbell's location and we constantly have students moving around. It is nice to know that if new students come to use from inside the district they should already know what they missed with us for the year thus far. I am hoping that Common Core will soon take off across the country so students all over the U.S. will be learning the same things no matter where they go.

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