Bringing the Common Core State Standards to Life Through Site-Located Teacher Learning Structures

The five-year Math in Common® (MiC) initiative supports a formal network of 10 California school districts as they implement the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics (CCSS-M) across grades K–8.

While all California school districts have invested deliberately in teacher professional learning opportunities with a common goal of improving CCSS-M implementation, evidence from WestEd’s work with the MiC school districts shows that districts’ structures and strategies for implementing professional learning vary widely.

This report explores how four school districts are designing and implementing site-based, lesson-focused teacher professional learning in the Common Core era.

Key Findings

• Districts balance centralized and site-based professional development, weighing the pros and cons of these structures in light of ongoing challenges
• District priorities and goals for teacher professional learning change as the districts learn from implementation
• Districts are rising to the logistical and structural challenges of creating more site-based learning opportunities

Additional Math in Common Reports

• Taking Stock of Common Core Math Implementation: Supporting Teachers to Shift Instruction–Insights from the Math in Common 2015 Baseline Survey of Teachers and Administrators
• Under Construction: Benchmark Assessments and Common Core Math Implementation in Grades K–8
• Classroom Observations: Documenting Shifts in Instruction for Districtwide Improvement
• Many Pathways to Student Success in Mathematics: Middle and High School Math Course Sequences and Placement Decisions in the Math in Common Districts