NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University will hold an Inaugural Symposium, addressing the Common Core State Standards. The symposium, titled, “The Common Core Standards and Tennessee Higher Education: Challenges, Opportunities, Resources, Equity (CORE)” will feature panelists from the federal, state and local levels.
The symposium takes place Thursday, Oct. 24 at the Avon Williams Campus auditorium beginning at 10 a.m., and is free and open to the public. Discussions will focus on the standards’ deployment, teacher preparation, curriculum development and impact on higher education in Tennessee.
The topic, selected by TSU President Glenda Glover for the academic symposium on the occasion of her inauguration, is an expression of a focus on teacher education that began with Tennessee State University’s founding and remains central to its mission today. The Common Core State Standards aspire to the vision of providing an internationally competitive, career and college-focused, quality education for all students in the state of Tennessee.
“Meaningful steps toward this vision have never been easy, but the faculty, staff, administration, students and alumni of Tennessee State University have significantly reduced the distance toward this goal since 1912,” said Dr. Evelyn Nettles, associate vice president of Academic Affairs and symposium committee co-chair. “The primary purpose of this symposium is to communicate – to teachers, parents, and all members of our educational community – the University’s ongoing dedication to this mission as we begin our second century.”
The symposium’s discussion will focus on the national conversation regarding the standards and the following themes: the challenges of moving toward higher-level skills and deeper learning and the new opportunities for collaboration offered by a common educational effort across most of the country.
“In addressing these themes, the symposium adds a practical focus on resources at the federal, state and local level,” added Dr. S. Keith Hargrove, dean of the College of Engineering and symposium committee co-chair, “including the commitment of the University’s College of Education to serve as an ongoing resource for Tennessee educators in implementing the standards and realizing their benefits for students.”
According to Nettles, the symposium’s fourth theme of equity expresses the ideal of the Common Core State Standards – an educational system in which all students can move between schools, between states, or into college without surmounting enormous shifts in expectations – as well as an ethical commitment necessary in at least some measure for their success.
To accompany the symposium, a common core module will be available on-line for practicing educators and pre-selected teacher candidates that focuses on developing effective lesson plans using differentiated instruction. The module will be self-paced and offers 1 CEU for 10 hours of online contact.
“The module will provide teachers the tools to create lesson plans based on different backgrounds of the students in their classroom,” said Dr. Heraldo Richards, associate dean of the College of Education. “This will allow teachers to help students reach their potential while addressing the Common Core State Standards.”
The symposium moderator and featured panelists include:
Moderator:
Vicki Yates, News Channel 5 Anchor
Panelists:
Dr. Peggy Carr
Associate Commissioner, Assessment Division
National Center for Education Statistics
Kevin S. Huffman, J.D.
Commissioner
Tennessee Department of Education
Jamie Woodson, J.D.
President and Chief Executive Officer
Tennessee State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE)
For more information, contact Nettles or Hargrove at 615.963.7001.
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