Borderland

Although Alaska did not participate in the development of national education standards initiative, it seems that the professional community will have an opportunity to review the proposed standards and render an opinion according to the following message I just received from the Alaska EED:

IMPORTANT COMMITTEE RECRUITMENT

Common Core Standards Comparison

Purpose:
▪ Compare and contrast Alaska Performance Standards and Grade Level Expectations (GLEs) with Common Core of Academic Standards developed by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers.

Participant Activities:
▪ In grade level groups, participants will look at the Common Core K-12 Common Standards in thorough detail.
▪ Each group will answer proposed questions on quality, strength, and differences compared to the Alaska GLEs.
▪ The high school level group will analyze the standards to indicate if they are at the level of college and career preparedness
▪ Advise the department on possible recommendations to policy makers.

Application Deadline: December 4, 2009

Notification: December 11, 2009

Meeting Dates: February 17-19, 2010

Location: TBD, Anchorage

Recruitment Process:
▪ EED will also distribute the application directly to people who have been involved in previous content committee work for the state. Please contact kari.quinto@alaska.gov for application to participate.

Selection Criteria:
▪ Current teachers, content specialists, curriculum coordinators, and administrators with in depth knowledge experience in reading, writing, and mathematics standards at K-12 grade levels.
▪ University/college level educators familiar with entry level academic requirements for students in the area of reading/literature, mathematics and writing.

Applicants must indicate complete knowledge and experience on the attached application.

The application is not very involved – just one page with an invitation to add an attachment. The meeting might be interesting. And hey, at least they’re asking teachers for input. How often does that happen at the policy level?