Here’s one way to approach meeting Common Core State Standards for your publications: Use CSPA Critiques.
Since 1925, CSPA has offered annual Critiques for student publications. The Critiques present a written evaluation of a student newspaper, yearbook, magazine or digital (online) media measured against national standards developed by the CSPA. Results rank the publication as either a Gold, Silver or Bronze Medalist with specific suggestions for improvement.
But the CSPA standards listed in the Critiques can be matched to the English Language Arts standards for Common Core.
• The Critiques are not only an assessment but their standards offer a list of ready-made statements defining excellence. Simply convert the Critique statements into an Essential Question Bank as required by the CCSS.
• These new Standards can be used for lesson plans in the classroom.
• The Critique can also be used in several specific ways: as a tool for students to self-evaluate, as professional development for advisers (as CSPA judges using them to evaluate other student publications) and as a self-evaluation tool used by the adviser for their own publication.
CSPA Critiques and CCSS can work together.

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READY…

THREE FACTS
First: The critiques provide a blueprint for advisers while substantiating and validating mastery of the Standards.
SECOND: Students can self-evaluate, analyze, compare and contrast, judge their publication and exchanges.
THIRD: Teachers who evaluate publications for CSPA with these critiques are engaging in a Common Core professional development activity.

SET…

THREE STEPS
First: Develop an ESSENTIAL QUESTION BANK for design, writing, communication, technology.
SECOND: Develop a list of the frequently used standards applied in teaching in a publications classroom to be listed on lesson plans.
THIRD: The adviser sends the publication for a critique, the scorebook results are an assessment tool to demonstrate mastery.

IMPLEMENT…

ONE STEP
First: With the ESSENTIAL QUESTION BANK, list of applicable standards and the alignment of the critique criteria and standards the publications adviser has the tools to implement the Common Core.