OLD SAYBROOK - Imagine the size of the task: Teachers and school administrators throughout Connecticut were told in July 2010 that the grade level at which students now must learn and prove mastery of certain skills was changing-and the level of mastery expected in certain topics was changing, too-but the state would not give school districts any money to re-write curriculum or train the teachers in the new standards.

That's the dilemma that state school districts faced when the state Board of Education adopted new national Common Core State Standards (CCSS) that set the content and skills that students need to know in grades K through 12. Starting in the 2014-'15 school year, public school students in more than 22 states will tested using a common tool to determine whether students at each grade level know what the CCSS say they should.

Despite the lack of state funding, districts like Old Saybrook are not waiting to train their teachers, change curriculum, or implement the new standards.

With the help of a $2,000 donation from the Goodwin School PTA, the district brought master educator Dr. Nancy Boyles to town earlier this month to give Goodwin School teachers practical advice for implementing the new standards within their classrooms.

Karen Coughlin, a Goodwin Elementary School reading consultant, was one of the teachers who'd seen Boyles and sought to have her come to Goodwin to train the teachers.

"A few of us had attended her workshop before and were so excited and inspired," said Coughlin. "I consider her a lighthouse beacon in Connecticut. She's been a wonderful asset to help teachers understand literacy. She's genuine and has never left the trenches."

What Boyles did was to offer a workshop from 8 a.m to

1 p.m. about how to integrate the common core state standards into everyday teaching of literacy to elementary school students.

What are literacy standards? They are standards designed to engage the student in higher-level thinking skills.

Coughlin explained that the new standards ask students to not just read a story on the surface; instead, students are asked to delve deeper to find evidence in the story for the meaning of the author's words. They'll also be asked why the author chose particular words to convey meaning and about the particular points of view of each character. The goal is to engage students in their learning and tap their higher-level thinking skills.

"We used to spend a lot of time on 'picture-walks' that tell the sequence of the story. Now, in grades 2 and 3 especially, we will adjust our questioning of students to delve deeper and spur a higher level of thinking," said Coughlin. "Having students become better detectives helps them improve their thinking skills and improves their understanding of the texts."

Teachers who attended the workshop universally praised Boyles for giving them tools and strategies that they could use immediately.

"Nancy Boyles gave the best professional development workshop that I can remember," said 1st-grade teacher Judith Ayers.

"What impressed me was her ability to give us immediate practical strategies that can be used in the classroom this school year," said 2nd-grade teacher Jen Brodeur. "It will allow us to meet as teachers and make better decisions in planning for our small-group instruction."

About 45 certified staff from Goodwin School participated in the workshops. Now, as school begins, it's time to use the new strategies to help students succeed and meet the higher expectations of the new state CCSS literacy and mathematics standards.