Author Archives: Aaron Grossman

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About Aaron Grossman

I am a 5th grade teacher at Roy Gomm Elementary in Reno, Nevada. I started working with elementary students as part of the Montana Reads program and AmeriCorps. In 2001, after graduating from the University of Montana and moving to Reno, Nevada, I student taught at Rita Cannan Elementary before receiving a 6th grade position at Veterans Elementary. I moved out of the classroom to be a Literacy Coordinator, then an Instructional Coach, and finally a School Improvement Program Coordinator. In 2011, I began working on the Nevada Academic Content Standards in the district’s Curriculum & Instruction Department. I returned to the classroom for the 2015-2016 school year to teach 4th grade at Huffaker Elementary. Before returning to the classroom, I helped develop the Core Task Project that has been featured by National Public Radio, the Gates Foundation, American Radio Works, Eduwonk, the Fordham Institute, Vox, and the Center for American Progress. In 2014, I received the Leader to Learn From Award for my teacher-centered initiative and work to bring college, career, and civics ready outcomes into Northern Nevada classrooms (here). In 2015, I was appointed by Governor Sandoval serve on the Statewide RPDP Council. The same year, Nevada’s State Superintendent of Public Instruction Steve Canavero placed me on the state’s State Improvement Team. This year I will be part of the National Council on Teacher Quality’s Teacher Advisory Group. I am Google Certified Educator and a Nevada Teacher Ambassador. I believe strongly that teaching content is teaching reading and I make sure my students have ample opportunities to work with social studies, history, science and art outcomes. I do what I can to blend the learning for my students and this blog is part of that effort. You can contact me at coretaskproject@gmail.com

SAP/Danielson Group Training Overview

Educators gathered to review content from the Student Achievement Partner and Danielson Group training (blog post here) from September 25th and 26th.  The morning started with a chance to watch the Charlotte Danielson Keynote (video here) that launched a project … Continue reading

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Design Principles of the Instructional Practice Guides

Katya Levitan-Reiner, Director of the Field Impact team at Student Achievement Partners, visited Washoe last week and presented on the Instructional Practice Guides (IPG) for educators in Reno. She outlined four key design principles including 1) The IPG’s are grounded … Continue reading

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Resources from the SAP/Danielson Group Training

Student Achievement Partners, working with the Danielson Group, visited Reno and moved K-12 math and ELA/literacy educators through the Instructional Practice Guides and a number of supporting documents. Linked below are the resources used Wednesday and Thursday that allowed for … Continue reading

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10 Reasons to Support the Core

Kentucky has created a guide for its community outlining why the state supports the Common Core. Although specifically made for Kentucky, the 10 points are applicable to all states working with the CCSS.  Among the reasons are the financial advantages … Continue reading

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All Students Engaged in the Work of the Lesson

Core Action 3, within the Instructional Practice Guides, was the focus of Friday’s session with Implementation Specialist and instructional coaches. Educators worked through three pieces on content and in turn, working with site leadership, will select one item to share … Continue reading

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The New achievethecore.org

 The nonprofit Student Achievement Partners has re-launched its website http://www.achievethecore.org.  The website is a smorgasbord of vetted and aligned Common Core resources for educators. As noted on the new landing page, “This website is full of free content designed to help … Continue reading

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Pondiscio’s Challenge 2026

Although he doesn’t know it, Robert Pondiscio has been a huge part of Washoe’s efforts to implement the Common Core. As part of the district’s professional development launch on August 8th, Pondiscio, via Youtube content, made the case for why … Continue reading

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Your Common Core Questions, Answered

During David Liben’s visit to Reno, he took some time to answer questions that educators in our community either emailed or posted on this blog. The questions are listed below with the link to the answers on Youtube. Liben, the … Continue reading

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Close Reading: Strategies and Practice

Dr. Steven Gehrke, from the University of Nevada, Reno, led Washoe educators through strategies and practice to promote the habit of close reading. Attendees worked through several poems including Robert Frost’s Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening and … Continue reading

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Administrative & Supervisory Meeting, September 13th

Close reading, Growth Mindset, and Core Actions 1 and 3, from the Instructional Practice Guides (IPG), were the focus on the most recent A&S meeting. Elementary principals applied the IPG with video of Washoe 3rd grade teacher Chris Hayes filmed … Continue reading

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