New California Standards
Communications Toolkit for Teachers and Administrators

Jim Mazzo

Chairman & CEO, AcuFocus

Jeanne Jelnick

Orange County Teacher

This Toolkit has been customized to help Orange County parents and students easily and effectively communicate the benefits of the new California Standards, also referred to the Common Core Standards. The toolkits and their accompanying materials are available in English and Spanish.

How to use it

This toolkit is filled with videos, key messages, talking points, handouts, newsletter items and social media messages, along with other tools, to help you spread the word about the advantages of higher standards for our children, their futures and our communities. The resources and materials included here can be adapted and catered to based on your need. Just download the resources and materials below.

What is Common Core?

Common Core represents higher standards that help students become critical thinkers ready for college and career, putting them on a path to prosperity in Orange County’s bright economic future. You can watch and share the video with your colleagues, staff, and parents to name just a few different audiences.

Fact Sheet

Common Core provides clear standards for grade levels and across schools. Use the Fact Sheet as a handout or to help develop talking points for parent meetings, district meetings, professional learning communities to name just a few examples.

Key Messages

Use these key messages to help explain the benefits of Common Core Standards to your colleagues, staff, associations and community partners. You can use them in your school or district’s social media, newsletters, talking points, and conversation starters.

Tips for Teachers

Nine tips for teachers to help communicate the benefits of Common Core Standards to your students’ parents, colleagues and community partner. Also, includes brief talking points and letter template that can shared with administrators, parents, students, school board members and community partners.

PowerPoint Presentation

Use the PowerPoint Presentation to deliver a presentation to parents, school board members, colleagues or community members. There are notes included for the slides. You can modify the slides by adding your own logo and colors.

Newsletter/Website

Integrate these brief articles into your school or district’s website or newsletter.

Poster

Post in your classroom/office or use as a handout at school board or family meetings. You can also have a professional printer enlarge it for posting at a meeting.

Letter to the Editor

These sample letters will get you started. Either fill in the blanks and email it to your local newspaper or create your own.

Facebook Posts

Use your school-sponsored Facebook page or post them in your personal account. Use these posts to get you started. You can also add links to the videos on this page.

Tweet Sheet

Use your personal or school-sponsored Twitter account. Use these posts to get you started. You can also add links to the videos on this page.