Common Core State Standards

As we begin the 2013-2014 school year, we begin a new phase in implementing the Common Core State Standards. Since their adoption by the State of Illinois, Batavia teachers have worked to understand the new standards, discuss the implications on our instructional practices, and use the standards to redevelop our curriculum so that it meets the rigors of the new standards for mathematics and English/Language Arts (ELA).

For the 2013-2014 school year, we will continue modifying our instructional practices in mathematics and ELA, but we will also begin piloting curricular units in mathematics. Based on Common Core Math units released by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), groups of Batavia teachers have worked to develop high-quality instructional units aligned to the Common Core.

Based on your child’s grade, school, and teacher, your child may be involved in some of these curricular pilots. If your child is involved, you will receive information from your child’s teacher or school. These pilots may be enrichment modules to enhance their existing math instruction at the elementary level or units of mathematics instruction designed to replace our existing curriculum that is not tightly aligned to the Common Core at the middle or high school levels.

Based on feedback from students, parents, and teachers, Batavia Public School District 101 will work toward the full redevelopment of our mathematics curriculum to align with the Common Core. A parallel group of teachers and administrators are also working on the ELA standards, but the piloting focus for ELA for 2013-2014 will focus on changes in instructional strategies connected to our school improvement plans.