Aligning to the Vision Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts

The Power of Voice

I’m Not Nothing…

When I grow up…

Quick Facts about Literacy… 775 million adults worldwide are below basic literacy 2/3 of students who can’t read by end of 4 th grade will end up in jail or on welfare In middle income families, ration of books to children is 13 to 1; in low- income neighborhoods, the ratio of books to kids is 1 to 300 In the US, 2 billion dollars a year is spent on children who have to repeat a grade ONE brief experience of exposure to good reading materials can SIGNIFICANTLY increase enthusiasm for reading

Enter the Common Core…

Myth #1 The Standards leave no room for teachers to teach

Where Standards Fit In a Backwards Design Model

Standards don’t teach. Teachers teach.

Myth #2 The Standards amount to a national (and international!) curriculum

Standards GUIDE a curriculum and that’s a good thing!

Myth #3 Teachers had no part in writing the Standards.

It’s ALL ABOUT TEACHERS

ELA Common Core Standards Begin with a VISION

The Common Core ELA vision is about what KIND of LEARNER we nurture through the learning experiences we create.

…]Students who meet the Standards readily undertake the close, attentive reading that is at the heart of understanding and enjoying complex works of literature. They habitually perform the critical reading necessary to pick carefully through the staggering amount of information available today in print and digitally. They actively seek the wide, deep, and thoughtful engagement with high-quality literary and informational texts that builds knowledge, enlarges experience, and broadens worldviews. They reflexively demonstrate the cogent reasoning and use of evidence.

Habits of MIND readily undertake habitually perform actively seek reflexively demonstrate

How do you align to VISION?

You align with your heart.

Deductive Alignment: from general to specific Vision: General Goals : Broad Excellent Outcomes : Specific

ELA Common Core GOALS ▪ Demonstrate independence ▪ Build strong content knowledge ▪ Respond to varying textual demands ▪ Comprehend as well as critique ▪ Value evidence ▪ Use technology and digital media ▪ Come to understand other perspectives and cultures

Come to understand other perspectives and cultures. This goal can change the world.

Effective Implementation ▪ #1: Develop a Multi-year Transition Plan ▪ #2: INVEST in Teacher Professional Development

Effective Implementation ▪ #3: Use Effective Local Teachers for Leadership Roles ▪ #4: Support Teachers by Giving Them TIME to Collaborate

Effective Implementation ▪ #5: Leverage Economies of Scale ▪ #6: Battle “Initiative Fatigue” with Reasonable Expectations ▪ #7: Communicate, Communicate, Communicate (LISTEN)

You Are NOT ALONE ▪ Achieve the Core ▪ Engage NY ▪ EQuiP Exemplars ▪ ReadThinkWrite

Go forth and align with VISION and HOPE

Have a wonderful conference!