Four Questions on Common Core and Reading Assessment

By Breyette Lorntz

A high level of scrutiny and uncertainty surrounds the first assessments tied to the Common Core State Standards. Questions abound. How will these assessments interact with other assessments? How will they affect reporting trends in student achievement and/or graduation requirements? How can states and districts work together to help teachers meet this new challenge?

In this milieu, planning for professional development for teachers cannot be forgotten. In fact, it’s essential to giving districts a running start when these common-core assessments arrive. Reading teachers are perhaps the key component of success on this front.

Here I present four questions to guide districts in supporting teachers during this transition. My colleagues and I believe these questions will help ground and steer districts to ensure teachers and...