21st Century Schools Common Core
It’s not professional jargon. The reality is that 21st century schools
have departed from the traditional notion of education, with
new teaching methods and new tools. Even beyond that, they are
encouraging students and their families to have a new mindset
when it comes to learning.
Morgan Hill Unified School District (MHUSD) Superintendent
Steve Betando said today’s schools have “let go of traditional lecture
and test teaching methods and print-based instructional materials
to prepare students for a future of challenges and opportunities,
very different than anything we’ve known.”
Betando described how South County educators are embracing
new teaching methods that help students work collaboratively,
engage with project-based learning, and become researchers,
critical thinkers and creative problem-solvers who can present and
defend their knowledge effectively in the modern world.
Gilroy Unified School District (GUSD) Superintendent Debbie
Flores talked about the transformation of our local campuses into
modern schools that are wirelessly connected to the Internet, and
classrooms that are equipped with iPads, Chromebooks, interactive
whiteboards and a bevy of software apps like Tynker, Skype and
Gaggle (a safe learning system).
Both Betando and Flores point out that thanks to community
support for Measure G and Measure P, South County students
are benefitting from new or improved classrooms, libraries,
gymnasiums, science labs and more. The majority of schools
in the Morgan Hill and Gilroy Unified School Districts have
been touched and capacity is being added in anticipation of
population growth in the region. Youth spend their school days in
well-lit, energy-efficient classrooms. They perform theater arts in
comfortable auditoriums with good acoustics. And they compete
in safe, well-equipped sports fields and facilities. Common Core State Standards have kicked educational
requirements up a few notches in preparing students for college
and careers in the years ahead. California is among 43 states,
the District of Columbia and 4 U.S. territories that have elected
to adopt these standards. South County schools are among
California’s early and proactive implementers.
According to Flores, “Common Core is the biggest
transformation I’ve seen in public education. To implement
these standards, our schools are embracing new learning, testing
and assessment methods and models. We have implemented the
English Language, Arts and Math standards and we are on track
with the Next Generation Science Standards.”
In the so-called Internet Age, even the way students explore and
consume information is changing. Nordstrom Elementary School
Principal Barbara Neal said her teachers have introduced “close
reading,” a new way to teach reading of informational texts. In
essence, students learn to break apart the text and synthesize infor-
mation as they read so they can focus more energy on critical analysis.
But if our kids are learning to think and work differently in
the classroom, how will we gauge their progress? “Looking ahead,
my concern is about student assessment,” Betando said, referring
to the challenge of measuring results in a changing education
system. “We need new methods to assess academic performance in
a meaningful way and to give students immediate feedback.”
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
Project Cornerstone
Our schools are “walking the talk” when it comes to implementing
the 41 developmental assets put forth by Project Cornerstone. It
was originally developed through a collaborative of community-
based organizations known as the Youth Alliance and is now an
initiative of the YMCA of Silicon Valley.
JULY/ AUGUST 2015
gmhtoday.com
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