CCSS training essential to student and teacher success

As the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are expected to make instruction more rigorous, most educators will require professional development if they are to successfully teach according to the CCSS. For this reason, it is not uncommon to see educators in states that have adopted the CCSS dedicating additional time to training.

For example, teachers from several Tennessee communities are currently participating in CCSS training at Shelbyville Central High School, the Shelbyville Times-Gazette reported. This provides more than 400 instructors with an opportunity to update their teaching skills by the time the Standards are fully implemented.

While many schools are providing teachers with additional time for training, others are actually reducing the number of training days. This is the case in South Carolina's Charleston County School District, where core content educators will receive three extra training days as opposed to four due to budget cuts, The Post and Courier reported.

Despite fewer training opportunities, District officials believe they will be able to develop teachers' skills in a focused manner. However, as CCSS implementation deadlines draw closer, school system leaders need to decide just how much training their teachers require and what impact fewer professional development opportunities will have on them in the long run.