Common Core State Standards and Diverse Urban Students: Using Multi-Tiered Systems of Support

As America's Great City Schools implement the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), they have a unique opportunity to integrate strategies for teaching, intervening, and supporting the nation's urban students in a way that will ensure they have the literacy, numeracy, behavioral, and engagement skills necessary to be successful in college and careers. Instituting the Common Core State Standards with fidelity means embracing and addressing the diverse needs of ALL students. This imperative reflects the reality that regardless of how effectively school district leaders develop and implement high-quality curricula aligned with the new standards, some students will need additional support and interventions to be successful. Implementing the Common Core State Standards within a framework of a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) will help ensure that all students have an evidence-based system of instruction to assist them in achieving success. A Multi-Tiered System of Supports is designed so that schools can provide the appropriate level of instruction and intervention for their students. Using performance data and monitoring learning rates through MTSS, educators can make important instructional decisions to meet the needs of students from different backgrounds, learning styles, and levels of attainment. The paper outlines the key components of an integrated, multi-tiered system of instruction, interventions, and academic and behavioral supports needed by school districts in the implementation of the Common Core State Standards. It also underscores the importance of data-based decision making in implementing these standards while meeting the specialized and diverse needs of urban students. In addition, the paper provides concrete examples using a model lesson based on the Common Core State Standards. Common Core Unit: A Close Reading of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address is appended. (Contains 13 footnotes and 45 online resources.)