Resources - School and District Leaders

Handbooks and Toolkits

• Connecticut Core Standards Classroom “Look Fors”  (adapted from the Instructional Practice Guides by Student Achievement Partners and information found with the Common Core Standards Initiative website)     
• Principal Reading Walk-Through Checklists – Provide principals of Kindergarten through Fifth Grade with a tool to effectively structure classroom visits in order to observe effective reading instruction. Indicators focus on the learning environment and include instructional strategies essential for reading including phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. (Florida Center for Reading Research)
• Common Core Implementation Handbook (achieve.org)
• Common Core State Standards Toolkit (NEA.org)
• Implementation of the Common Core State Standards: A Transition Guide for School-level Leaders (aspendrl.org)
• Tools and Resources for Standards Implementation - CCSSO developed this list of free tools and resources to support state education agencies, districts, and educators during the process of implementing the College- and Career-Ready Standards. 
• Professional Development Modules -  designed to support district and school leadership in their transition to the Common Core (achievethecore.org)
• The Mathematics Common Core Toolbox—This website includes tools and instructional materials to better understand and to implement the CCSSM. (ccsstoolbox.org) 

Tools to Help Monitor Implementation

• ELA/Literacy Instructional Practice Guide: Coaching Tool - The Instructional Practice Guide suite of tools includes resources for coaching, lesson planning, and training support that are all designed to work together to help teachers and those who support teachers to make the Key Shifts in instructional practice required by the Common Core State Standards. (achievethecore.org)
• Tools for Coaches—This site offers resources for mentors, coaches, department chairs or district leaders to help teachers improve math teaching and learning in their classrooms. (insidemathematics.org)   
• Common Core State Standards & Career and Technical Education: Bridging the Divide between College and Career Readiness - Abrief that outlines a set of eight strategies state and district leaders can leverage to ensure the implementation of CCSS engages, informs, and benefits from the career and technical education, CTE, community (achieve.org)  

Video/Webinar Resources

• iTunes U Courses, Created by Teachers for Teachers - These iTunes U courses were developed by a group of classroom teachers to explain the Shifts in ELA / Literacy and mathematics required by the Common Core. Presented in partnership with The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), they showcase a combination of materials from achievethecore.org as well as additional curated resources and interactive activities. These courses were designed to provide a robust self-learning opportunity for individual teachers and to offer high-quality, credible materials that can be used to support professional learning communities in schools.(achievethecore.org) 
• Expeditionary Learning Instructional Videos – These instructional videos help educators analyze practices they may want to adopt, customize, or use as a provocation for reflection and discussion. Topics include: Learning Targets; Checking for Understanding; Using Data with Students; Models, Critique, and Descriptive Feedback; Student-Led Conferences; Celebrations of Learning; Passage Presentations with Portfolios; Standards-Based Grading; Literacy; Inspiring Excellence; Management in the Active Classroom; Differentiation. (elschools.org) 
• UPDATED Teaching Channel CCSS Video Library offers useful supports for implementing the Common Core State Standards. The site includes 256 videos that are useful for communications opportunities or professional learning and also includes many lesson plans for teachers that include videos of the CCSS instructional shifts in action. (teachingchannel.org)