San Marino to Add Two Days to the School Year

The San Marino Unified School District is adding two days of instruction and two additional professional development days for teachers to its school calendar for the next two years.

The change will be so the district can "facilitate the transition to the Common Core State Standards curriculum (CCSS)," according to a release sent out by the district.

The CCSS is designed to institute a common set of educational standards for schools across California.  More on the state's plans to institute the standards can be read on the  California Department of Education website.

Academic calendars for the years 2013-14 and 2014-15 can be found here.

Superintendent Loren Kleinrock's message to parents on the changes can be read in full below:

For the upcoming two school years, the district's instructional calendar has been increased from 180 days to 182 days to facilitate the transition to the Common Core State Standards curriculum (CCSS). Teachers will also participate in two additional professional development days, which are pupil-free days. The school calendar for the 2013-14 and the 2014-15 school years can be found on the San Marino Unified School Districtwebsite.
 The CCSS is based on more rigorous standards that California and the vast majority of states will follow beginning next year. The goal of the CCSS is to provide a clear set of shared standards and skills students need in English/language arts and mathematics at each grade level. There will be a greater emphasis on 21st Century learning skills, which focus on critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity (4 C's). Instruction in traditional core subjects will be presented in such a way that students will become more active learners and develop proficiency in the 4 C's. Colleges and the work force are directing that K-12 education focus on these areas in order to better prepare students for higher education and for the work force. Additionally, students growing up in the 21st Century live in a technology and media-suffused environment, marked by various characteristics, including: 1) access to an abundance of information, 2) rapid changes in technology tools, and 3) the ability to collaborate and make individual contributions on an unprecedented scale. Information Literacy requires students to: Access and Evaluate Information

• Access information efficiently (time) and effectively (sources)
• Evaluate information critically and competently

Use and Manage Information

• Use information accurately and creatively for the issue or problem at hand
• Manage the flow of information from a wide variety of sources
• Apply a fundamental understanding of the ethical/legal issues surrounding the access and use of information

 Media Literacy requires students to: Analyze Media

• Understand both how and why media messages are constructed, and for what purposes
• Examine how individuals interpret messages differently, how values and points of view are included or excluded, and how media can influence beliefs and behaviors
• Apply a fundamental understanding of the ethical/legal issues surrounding the access and use of media

Create Media Products

• Understand and utilize the most appropriate media creation tools, characteristics and conventions
• Understand and effectively utilize the most appropriate expressions and interpretations in diverse, multi-cultural environments

 Information, Communication, and Technology Literacy requires students to: Apply Technology Effectively

• Use technology as a tool to research, organize, evaluate and communicate information
• Use digital technologies (computers, PDAs, media players, GPS, etc.), communication/networking tools and social networks appropriately to access, manage, integrate, evaluate and create information to successfully function in a knowledge economy
• Apply a fundamental understanding of the ethical/legal issues surrounding the access and use of information technologies

 To be effective in the 21st Century, citizens and workers must be able to exhibit a range of functional and critical thinking skills related to information, media and technology. Our curriculum and instructional strategies must be adjusted to give our students the greatest chance of mastering 21st Century skills. For the coming two years, the addition of the two instructional days and the two teacher professional development days will allow staff to better prepare students for the CCSS and the revised testing process that will be used to assess student mastery of standards and skills required by the CCSS. California is scheduled to begin assessments for the CCSS during the 2014-2015 school year. More information on the CCSS can be found on the SMUSD website. To access the link, please select "District Info," then "Administration/Departments," then "Instructional Services," then "Common Core State Standard," (half-way down the box on the right side of the page). This information can also be accessed from each school's individual website. The implementation of the CCSS provides an exciting opportunity to help students master the information and skills that will allow them to succeed in a rapidly changing world. We look forward to partnering with you in continuing to make our school district one of the best in the country. 

Respectfully, 
Loren Kleinrock
Superintendent