Common Core Standards: Focusing on the “How” to Help Student Learning

Over the last two years, Heritage Elementary School has been able to create a laser-like focus that enables student achievement while protecting teacher autonomy in the classroom. In a time when high-stakes testing and accountability overwhelm new and veteran teachers alike, we want to empower teachers to feel confident in their abilities.

Even with the shift to Common Core standards, we have been able to increase student growth and proficiency by providing teacher training and programs that allow them to answer DuFour’s 4 Essential Questions:

1. What do we want each student to learn?
2. How will we know when each student has learned it?
3. How will we respond when a student experiences difficulty in learning?
4. How will we respond when a student demonstrates proficiency?

We firmly believe our success of increasing School Performance (i.e. State Letter Grade from a D to a B) is the result of implementing programs and partnerships that answer the questions of “What do we want each student to learn?” and “How will we know when each student has learned it?” prior to the teacher stepping into the classroom.

This has been done though a partnership with Beyond Textbooks (a program created by teachers of the Vail School District for teachers). By using Beyond Textbooks, our teachers are given a time frame for a standard, the order to teach standards and fundamental materials teachers can use for their instruction.  

By providing partnerships like Beyond Textbooks, we eliminate tedious and time-consuming tasks, allowing our teachers to focus more time on student learning and “how” to respond if they are learning or not. As a result, teachers are able to focus on their true passion of helping students learn by planning the “how” instead of the what, when, or why.

Justin Dye
Principal, Heritage Elementary Charter School
Glendale, AZ