SACO — Parents and others will have a chance to learn about the new common core educational standards during two upcoming public information sessions.

Regional School Unit 23, which covers Saco, Old Orchard Beach and Dayton, is conducting the sessions Tuesday, Jan. 21 at the Old Orchard Beach High School library; and Feb. 4 at the Saco Middle School library from 6-7:30 p.m.

Common core standards are updated educational standards, adopted in 2011, which were fully implemented statewide this year, according to the Maine Department of Education website. The standards “set a higher bar” for students, and better prepare students for success in college and careers by “creating deeper, more rigorous and clearer expectations for learning,” according to the DOE website.

RSU 23 Superintendent of Schools Patrick Phillips said the standards weren’t just “chosen out of a hat,” but were thoughtfully prepared.

Julie Smyth, curriculum coordinator for RSU 23, said common core standards stress “college and career readiness.”

She said one of the components of common core is “text complexity,” and making sure students are reading at a rigorous level.

One of the goals is to increase academic vocabulary, and for students to be able to read and understand more complex text, said Beth Orlando, RSU 23 library media specialist. One program she has implemented is WOW! ”“ for “word of the week.” Each week, students have a new word that they are encouraged to use.

Literacy is applied to all subjects, said Smyth and Orlando. For example, students shouldn’t just be able to complete math problems, but be able to explain and understand why they are doing them.

Communication and higher order writing skills are becoming increasingly important in the workforce, said Phillips.

Common core standards require students to read more “informational text,” or non-fiction, but “We’re not throwing away Shakespeare and just doing training manuals,” said Phillips.

Instead, students will have “a broader literacy,” and be able to decipher informational text as well as literature.

Common core opponent Sandra Stotsky spoke at a forum in October at Saco City Hall, saying though it is often said the common core standards are rigorous, she disagrees. She said the common core doesn’t have high enough standards for math.

Stotsky said critical thinking and analytical thinking is taught by English teachers “reading between the lines.”

Through common core standards, students will not be competitive with students in other countries, and will instead become “the janitors of the world,” she said.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or [email protected].