A learning goal or standard is only as good as the instructor's ability to imagine what it would look like when it is being met.
(Sarah Fine, Education Week, Oct. 10)
It is essential to keep in mind the basic premise of what a school is because that which does not reproduce the characteristic features of a school cannot be a Catholic school.
(Article 25, The Catholic School, Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education, 1977)
We ask the schools to teach children to think, to socialize them, to alleviate poverty and inequality, to reduce crime, to perpetuate our cultural heritage, and to produce intelligent, patriotic citizens.
(Omstein and Levine, Foundations of Education, 2000)
We need to fix our schools to teach "entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity" so students can emulate the "new untouchables" in our work force today.
(Thomas Friedman, New York Times, Oct. 2009)
We ask all Catholic schools to do this and...The integration of religious truth and values with the rest of life is not only possible in Catholic schools, it distinguishes them from others.
(Teach Them, National Conference of Catholic Bishops, 1976)
The Gospel Spirit should be evident in a Christian way of thought and life that permeates all facets of the educational climate. (Article 25)...Religious values and motivation are cultivated in all subject areas and in all of the various activities going on in the school. (Article 107)...
(The Religious Dimension of Education in a Catholic School, The Congregation for Catholic Education, 1988)
The special character of the Catholic School, the underlying reason for it, the reason why Catholic parents should prefer it, is precisely the quality of the religious instruction integrated into the education of the students.
(General Directory for Catechesis, United States Catholic Conference, 1997)
The task of the Catholic School is fundamentally, "a synthesis of culture and faith, and a synthesis of faith and life: the first is reached by integrating all the different aspects of human knowledge through the subjects taught, in the light of the Gospel; the second in the growth of the virtues characteristic of the Christian."
(The Catholic School, Revised Translation, NCEA, Summer 2009)
An excellent Catholic school adhering to mission provides a rigorous academic program for religious studies and catechesis in the Catholic faith, set within a total academic curriculum that integrates faith, culture, and life.
(National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools, 2012)
The curriculum is modified continuously as the goals of education are revised, as student populations change, as social issues are debated, and as new interest groups are activated...
(Omstein and Levine, Foundations of Education, 2000)
Content mastery is not sufficient. We should view content acquisition as a means to an end, not an end in itself. If students do not have numerous opportunities to use content knowledge to solve interesting problems, grapple with key questions and issues of the discipline, and examine sound issues, they will be unlikely to perform well on the common assessments.
(David Coleman, Building on the Common Core, Educational Leadership, March 2011)
The Common Core Standards are not about coverage, but spiraling, learning something and taking it to the next level.
(Anne R. Gere, NCTE, Education Week, July 2011)
The "heartbeat" of the Common Core is instruction. The "heartbeat" demands that we revamp the mile-wide, inch-deep approach in curriculum and in textbooks.
(David Coleman, April 2011)
WHAT?
To develop a framework that will assist educators in infusing Catholic values and principles of social teaching into all subjects and integrating the Catholic worldview and culture into curriculum and instructional design using the Common Core Standards.
WHY?
- Catholic schools need to pay attention to the fact that the common core standards and assessments are here and it is important to get on board.
- Defining Characteristic: Our Catholic schools are distinguished by excellence.
- An excellent Catholic school has a clearly articulated, rigorous curriculum aligned with relevant standards, 21st century skills, and Gospel values
- The curriculum adheres to appropriate, delineated standards, and is vertically aligned to ensure that every student succesfully completes a rigorous and
- Standards are adopted across the curriculum, and include integration of the religious, spiritual, moral, and ethical dimensions of learning in all subjects.
- Teachers and principals - and many superintendents - require a great deal of assistance in understanding and implementing standards-based curriculum and instructional design.
WHO?
- Catholic school teachers, curriculum experts, catechetical experts, principals, and superintendents
CATHOLIC IDENTITY ELEMENTS:
How can we legitimately integrate these elements into instruction while ensuring rigor in keeping with the CCSS?
- Catholic Worldview
- Culture and Tradition
- Gospel Values
- Church Social Teachings
- Moral/Ethical Dimensions
National Catholic Educators Association (NCEA):
- NCEA advocates the Common Core State Standards initiative.
- CCSS ensure equity across all states.
- NCEA is not focused on how Catholic school test scores compare to other schools, public or private; instead, NCEA is focused on the best fit for each child - the cobined school community, academic program, and the way the individual is able to function and progress in that program's environment
- CCSS should not be thought of as a curriculum. Rather, they are the outcomes we should be aiming at for each child.
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