September Lunch N Learn An overview of Common Core & PARCC “Sustained system improvement can never be done to or for teachers; it can only be done by and with them.” Michael Fullan

By the end of this LNL you should be able to Know, Understand, and Do Know, Understand, Do By the end of this LNL you should be able to Know, Understand, and Do Know: How PLCs fit the district vision for supporting the implementation of Common Core. Understand: What you can do to prepare yourself and students for the new, rigorous Common Core standards and the PARCC assessment (9-11) Do: Incorporate literacy and writing across the curriculum to prepare students for the PARCC (or similar assessment) next year.

PASCO’S INTEGRATED SYSTEM MTSS: One Integrated Framework 3. Standards-Based Instruction 2. Professional Growth System *CCSS and NGSSS 1. Professional Learning System Effective Instruction and Leadership Lacey So how do we get there? First way is by developing and supporting our people. I am deeply committed to developing and collaborating with our stakeholders. Together we will build a professional growth system to elevate and improve the teaching profession. In order for teaching practices and student outcomes to improve, teachers have to play a main role in holding their colleagues responsible and helping them get better. And it is not just about individual success. It’s about team success. That’s why we are committed to building strong professional learning communities. Later, you will hear more about our plan for CCSS implementation system. The bottom line is that a well-trained and highly supported work force will better be able to serve our students and provide the interventions and guidance they need to be successful. PLC

The PLC Structure The purpose of PLC work is to collaboratively plan for and respond to learning Collaboration supports improved teaching and student achievement PLCs provide protected time for you to work with a group to create Common Core aligned lessons before the full implementation of Common Core next year (*note* There are resources provided by district to assist with this!) PLCs provide protected time to review student data to determine future instructional needs.

“Don’t they learn that in English class?” Making meaningful connections throughout content areas provides opportunities for students to build upon their knowledge leading to refining and reflecting on new knowledge. “Performance on complex texts is the clearest differentiator in reading between students who are more likely to be ready for college and those who are less likely to be ready.” (ACT Executive Summary 2008) Consider the implications for AP, SAT, and ACT (only 26% passed all four content areas in 2013) results

PARCC’s Core Commitments to ELA/Literacy Assessment Quality Questions Worth Answering: Sequences of questions that draw students into deeper encounters with texts are the norm (as in an excellent classroom), rather than sets of random questions of varying quality. Texts Worth Reading: The assessments use authentic texts worthy of study instead of artificially produced or commissioned passages.  Better Standards Demand Better Questions: Instead of reusing existing items, PARCC is developing custom items to the Standards. Fidelity to the Standards: PARCC evidence statements are rooted in the language of the Standards so that expectations remain the same in both instructional and assessment settings.

What Are the Shifts at the Heart of PARCC’s Design (and the Standards)? Complexity: Regular practice with complex text and its academic language. Evidence: Reading and writing grounded in evidence from text, literary and informational. Knowledge: Building knowledge through content rich nonfiction.

Nine Specific Advances in the PARCC ELA/Literacy Summative Assessment Demanded by the Three Common Core Shifts. . .

Shift 1: Regular practice with complex text and its academic language PARCC builds a staircase of text complexity to ensure students are on track each year for college and career reading. PARCC assesses careful, close reading rather than racing through passages. PARCC systematically focuses on the words that matter most—not obscure vocabulary, but the academic language that pervades complex texts.

Shift 2: Reading and writing grounded in evidence from text, literary and informational PARCC focuses on students rigorously citing evidence from texts throughout the assessment. PARCC includes questions with more than one right answer to allow students to generate a range of rich insights that are substantiated by evidence from text(s). PARCC requires writing to sources rather than writing to de-contextualized expository prompts. PARCC also includes rigorous expectations for narrative writing, including accuracy and precision in writing in later grades.

Shift 3: Building knowledge through content rich nonfiction PARCC assesses not just ELA but a full range of reading and writing across the disciplines. PARCC simulates research on the assessment, including the comparison and synthesis of ideas across a range of informational sources.

Questions Worth Answering: Items demonstrate: Sequences of questions that draw students into deeper encounters with texts (as in an excellent classroom), rather than sets of random questions of varying quality. Opportunities for students to demonstrate what they know, rather than what they don’t know; items allow for partial credit Purposeful options for student expression of divergent thinking

Understanding the Literary Analysis Task Students carefully consider two literary texts worthy of close study. They are asked to answer a few questions about each text to demonstrate their ability to do close analytic reading and to compare and synthesize ideas. Students write a literary analysis about the two texts (already in action at some schools)

Understanding the Narrative Writing Task Students read one brief text and answer a few questions to help clarify their understanding of the text(s). Students then write a narrative story.

Example from 6th Grade: The old 9th grade is the new 6th grade Julie of the Wolves was a winner of the Newbery Medal in 1973. This text, about a young Eskimo girl surviving on her own in the tundra by communicating with wolves, offers a story rich with characterization and imagery that will appeal to a diverse student population.

Grade 6, Item # 1—Part B *Notice vocabulary and best answer, combined with scaffolded response Which sentence best helps develop the central idea? “Miyax pushed back the hood of her sealskin parka and looked at the Arctic sun.” “Somewhere in this cosmos was Miyax; and the very life in her body, its spark and warmth, depended upon these wolves for survival.”* “The next night the wolf called him from far away and her father went to him and found a freshly killed caribou.” He had ignored her since she first came upon them, two sleeps ago.”

Grade 6, Item #2—Part A Author’s purpose What is the purpose of this sentence in paragraph 1: “No roads cross it; ponds and lakes freckle its immensity”? It illustrates the theme that human beings should keep the natural would pure and unpolluted. It shows how beautiful the setting seems to Miyax. It helps develop the theme that nature connects all living things together. It emphasizes how the setting of the story creates great challenges for Miyax.*

Grade 6, Item #3—Part A generous threatening kingly* uninterested What does the word regal mean as it is used in the passage? generous threatening kingly* uninterested

Grade 6, Item #3—Part B Scaffolded Response Which of the phrases from the passage best helps the reader understand the meaning of regal? “wagging their tails as they awoke” “the wolves, who were shy” “their sounds and movements expressed goodwill” “with his head high and his chest out”*

Grade 6, Item #5—Part A reckless lively imaginative* observant* Choose one word that describes Miyax based on evidence from the text. There is more than one correct choice listed below. reckless lively imaginative* observant* impatient confident

Grade 6, Item #5—Part B (Prototype revised to create sample item) Drag and drop two details from the passage that support your response to Part A into the box labeled “Supporting Details.”

Grade 6, Item #6 (Prototype) In the passage, the author developed a strong character named Miyax. Think about Miyax and the details the author used to create that character. The passage ends with Miyax waiting for the black wolf to look at her. Write an original story to continue where the passage ended. In your story, be sure to use what you have learned about the character Miyax as you tell what happens to her next.

Understanding the End-of-Year Assessment Students will be given several passages to read closely. Questions will be sequenced in a way that they will draw students into deeper encounters with the texts and will result in thorough comprehension of the concepts that can also provide models for the regular course of instruction. These tasks will draw on higher order skills such as critical reading and analysis, the comparison and synthesis of ideas within and across texts, and determining the meaning of words and phrases in context.

How can we ensure students are prepared and succeed? English teachers will tell you, “We simply cannot do it alone!” Social Studies and Science teachers interact with non- fiction text and can support students enrich their literacy skills with complex texts There are literacy strategies that support teachers in all content areas Here are two non-fiction literacy strategies to help (for all content areas)!

Possible Sentences (Beers) RI 9-10.1, .4, .5, and .10 Choose an appropriate text Select 10 “Key Vocabulary” from the text Have students create 5 sentences using the words in sentences Have students read the text Have student revise sentences (if needed) based on the knowledge they discovered in the passage Create two column chart on overhead One column for sentences they revised, and one for questions generated by the sentences. Use this to guide discussion and make it relevant

The Poster Activity (Probst). best name ever. RI 9-10. 3,. 5, The Poster Activity (Probst) *best name ever* RI 9-10.3, .5, .8; SA 9-10.1, .1a, .1c Using a giant Post-it or poster board, tape a complex and thought-provoking passage or excerpt in the middle Have students read silently and write comments/questions they have in the margins of the poster (use Post-it notes to use for notes to re-use poster board) Walk around and add comments/questions of your own to their responses Pair/table share, and then share out questions/comments with the whole class to discuss complex concepts within the text

The challenge: Use at least one of these strategies in your class in the next week Share great literacy lessons within your PLCs Reach out to English teachers if you are struggling to implement literacy strategies in your classes Understand what you can do to prepare yourself and students for the new, rigorous Common Core standards. Incorporate literacy and writing across the curriculum to prepare students for the PARCC next year.