Montana Teachers Are Enthusiastic About the Implementation of the Common Core, Even as They Acknowledge Challenges Ahead

78% of math, English language arts, science and/or social studies teachers in Montana are enthusiastic about the implementation of the Common Core State Standards in their classroom.

• 76% of math, English language arts, science and/or social studies teachers in Montana believe the standards will have a positive impact on students’ ability to think critically and use reasoning skills. Only 4% believe the Common Core State Standards will have a negative impact; 19% do not expect an impact either way or are not sure. Further:

• 80% believe the standards will have a positive impact on students’ ability to effectively present their ideas based on evidence.
• 78% believe the standards will have a positive impact on students’ ability to read and comprehend informational texts.

• At the same time, 77% of math, English language arts, science and/or social studies teachers in Montana believe implementing the standards is or will be challenging and 80% of Montana teachers say that the Common Core has required or will require that they make changes to their teaching practice.

As they work to prepare for the new standards, teachers in Montana say they are participating (or have participated) in many Common Core–related activities, and a majority say many of these activities have been helpful.

• The activities in which Montana math, English language arts, science and/or social studies teachers have participated include independent research of CCSS (91%), using aligned instructional materials and/or tools in their classroom (90%), professional development (88%), discussing CCSS with other teachers at their school (86%), receiving written materials from their school or district (86%), participation in an alignment/implementation committee (61%) and participation in a “train the trainer” program (31%).

• Among the Montana teachers who have participated in these activities, the activities most often reported as extremely or very helpful in preparing them to teach the standards include independent research of CCSS (75%) and using aligned instructional materials and/or tools in their classroom (72%).

Outside of their enthusiasm or preparedness for the Common Core, teachers who teach math, English language arts, science and/or social studies in Montana report needing a wide range of resources to implement the standards, the most common of which include:

• Additional planning time (81%)
• Quality CCSS-based professional development (75%)
• Guidance and ideas for teaching in an inquiry-based way (60%)
• Information on the content of the new Common Core-aligned assessments (58%)

Montana teachers offer their views on what they need most to help students meet the standards. When asked about the student populations in their classrooms meeting the Common Core State Standards, teachers in Montana are most concerned about students who are currently working two or more grades below grade level (with 47% expressing concern) and special education students (14%).

• For these and other students, teachers in Montana say high-interest (43%) and age-appropriate, leveled instructional materials (39%), school leaders who are committed to providing the resources needed for the selected student population (37%), and opportunities to collaborate with other teachers on best practices (36%) are among the top needs to help students meet the standards.