Implications for Leadership: The Common Core State Standards Dick Flanary, Senior Director, Leadership Programs & Services NCPEA Executive Board Meeting Houston, Texas February 17, 2012

Common Core State Standards Common Core State Standards A sea change that is going to require teachers to teach differently. If teachers are to teach differently, then principals need to lead differently.

What is the Common Core (CCSS)?  A state-led effort to develop a common set of standards in English language arts (ELA) and math that: Align college and workplace expectations Are rigorous and evidence-based  The CCSS have been adopted by 46 states  The CCSS will affect all public schools in adopted states Implementation beginning now New state assessments in  A parallel effort is underway to develop Next Generation Science Standards that will be released by December

The CCSS Initiative  National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) convened a state-led process in 2009 to develop common ELA and Math standards.  By joining the CCSS Initiative, governors and state commissioners are committing to join the state-led process.  There has been increased congressional support for the CCSS (not national standards).  The CCSSO and NGA joined with 49 states and territories to develop them.  Partnership was also formed with Achieve, ACT and the College Board.  States can include additional standards beyond the CCSS as long as the CCSS represent at least 85%.

Common Core Adoptions 46

Common Core State Standards  The Three C’s: College Career Citizenship 6

Key Characteristics  Fewer  Higher  Broad Expectations  Consistent Across Content Areas  "Staircase of Increasing Complexity Across Grades"  "Progressive Development"  College, Workforce Training Expectations 7

Common Core = Major Change and Mindset Shift  The Common Core State Standards: Are for all students, not just students seeking accelerated learning. Will impact all teachers, not just ELA and math teachers. Is happening now.  School level leaders will need to play a central role in implementing the new standards and in cultivating this mindset shift. 8 We need to shift our focus from high school completion to college and career readiness for all students.

Common Core: A Fast Timeline June 2009 Beginning of CCSS Initiative March 2010 K-12 Draft Released for Public Comment June 2010 Formal Release of K-12 CCSS February States Have Adopted CCSS Participating States Administer New CCSS Assessments Implementa tion is NOW! 9

Average is Over " There will always be change — new jobs, new products, new services. But the one thing we know for sure is that with each advance in globalization and the I.T. revolution, the best jobs will require workers to have more and better education to make themselves above average." 10 Thomas L. Friedman New York Times, January 24, 2012

U.S.

Percent of Schools Not Making AYP Center on Education Policy. Education Week. May 11, 2011.

Changing Paradigm  While you slept, the national educational paradigm shifted from guaranteeing universal access to guaranteeing universal performance.

Changing Demographics

Globalization

Alarming Dropout Rates

Graduation Rates

Number of Non-Graduates for Class of ,154,132 Diplomas Count. Beyond High School, Before Baccalaureate. Education Week. June 9, 2011

The Reality of Practice Accountability for principals is unlike any other profession. Whether a principal’s first day or their 10 th year the level of accountability is the same. Physicians, lawyers, architects – when starting their professional practice – get mentors. Principals get tormentors.

Generational Differences

Technological Changes Do you remember when? Applications were sent to colleges. Linked-In was a jail. Skype was a typo. Twitter was a sound. 4G was a parking spot. Tom Friedman. Meet the Press. September 4, 2011.

Almost everyone wants schools to be better, but almost no one wants them to be different.

Remediation rates and costs are staggering As much as 40% of all students entering 4-year colleges need remediation in one or more courses As much as 63% in 2-year colleges Degree attainment rates are disappointing Fewer than 42% of adults aged hold college degrees Source: The College Completion Agenda 2010 Progress Report, The College Board 24 Why Common Core State Standards? Low College Completion Rates 24

Why Common Core State Standards? More Students Need a More Rigorous Curriculum  Adelman et al. (2003) 15% of students in the top quintile in academic rigor required remediation 57% of students in the bottom quintile in academic rigor required remediation  Adelman (2006) 83% of students whose highest math class was calculus graduated within 8 years 40% of students whose highest math class was Algebra II graduated within 8 years 25

Why Common Core State Standards? Inconsistent State Standards 26

Benefits of Common Core State Standards 27 Previously, every state had its own set of academic standards and different expectations of student performance. Consistency Common standards can help create more equal access to an excellent education. Equity All students must be prepared to compete with not only their American peers, but also with students from around the world. Competition Clear and coherent standards will help students (and parents and teachers) understand what is expected of them. Clarity Common Standards create a foundation for districts and states to work collaboratively. Collaboration 27

Features of the Common Core State Standards – English Language Arts 28  Balance between informational text and literature  Comprehending complex texts  Writing in response to texts  Conducting and reporting on research  Language and grammar skills  Speaking and listening  Cross-content literacy

Features of the Common Core State Standards – Math 29  Emphasis on mathematical practices  Attention to focus and coherence  Increased focus on algebraic concepts and expressions in middle grades  Problem solving and reasoning  Mathematical modeling  Standards for STEM readiness

What comes next after adoption? 30 Understanding current alignment Changes in curriculum & instruction Preparing for new assessments Professional Development Implementation

Understanding Current Alignment 31 Alignment is one of the first steps for states and districts towards implementing the Common Core. To what degree does the Common Core and state standards address the same content knowledge and skills? Content Alignment Are the state standards and assessments at the same level of rigor as the Common Core? Rigor Do the state standards and assessments address Common Core content at the same grade level? Progression 31

Lexiles A vertical scale from zero to 2000.

Lexile 33 Lexile measures evaluate how complex a text will likely be for a reader to comprehend so that the reader can be matched with texts that best complement his or her unique ability level and reading goals.

Lexile Framework ® for Reading Study Summary of Text Lexile Measures Text Lexile Measure (L) High School Literature College Literature High School Textbooks College Textbooks Military Personal Use Entry-Level Occupations SAT 1, ACT, AP* * Source of National Test Data: MetaMetrics Interquartile Ranges Shown (25% - 75%)

2005–06 Lexile Framework ® for Reading Study Summary of High School Textbook Lexile Measures Text Lexile Measure (L) ELAScience Social StudiesArtsCTEMath Subject Area Textbooks Interquartile Ranges Shown (25% – 75%)

GradeLexile Target Common Core State Standards – Grade level Targets

GradeLexile Target Common Core State Standards – Grade level Targets

Lexiles & Quantiles  

Changes in Curriculum and Instruction 39 The Common Core will require significant curricular and instructional shifts that will impact all classrooms. To what degree will district and state curricula need to change to be aligned to the Common Core? Curriculum Alignment What new instructional approaches are needed to teach to these new standards? Instructional Strategies What new resources and instructional materials are needed? What resources are available? Materials and Resources 39

Impact  Organizational Changes Require K–12 aligned curricula  " Staircase of growing complexity across all grades. " 40

Professional Development 41 To effectively implement and embrace the Common Core, rich professional development will be required. Unpacking the standards Content-specific workshops Assessing the standards Cross-content literacy For Teachers Vertical teaming and vertical alignment Observing the Common Core in the classroom Implementing a cross-content literacy program Building local assessments; preparing for common assessments For School Leaders 41

Impact – Big Changes  Know and be able to do  Rigor  Skill  Teaching and Learning  Application  School Wide 42

Impact  Change the way we teach Depth over Breadth Literacy Rich Media Skills Know the answer vs. Find the answer...and explain Engagement > MUST Research Skills 43

Common Assessments 44 The assessments systems will:  Provide a common measure of college and career readiness  Be computer-based and include innovative item types  Measure higher order skills and application of knowledge through multiple assessment formats  Include formative assessments and performance tasks  Provide timely data to educators and parents  Ensure comparable expectations regardless of where students live Two state consortia are building assessment systems to measure the Common Core State Standards.

Assessments  Target 2014 – 2015  Consortia  SMARTER Balanced  Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) / /  New Tests  Provide timely, frequent and actionable diagnostic feedback to the teachers and students to inform teaching and learning. 45

Integrative Summative/Formative Assessment System Beginning of School Year End of School Year Periodic Assessments and / or Project-Based Component Periodic Assessments and / or Project-Based Component Periodic Assessments and / or Project-Based Component End of Year, Course or Domain Summative Test Digital Library of Formative Assessment Materials Source: Education Testing Service

Notable Differences between SBAC and PARCC SBACPARCC Assess Grades 3-8, 11Assess Grades 3-11  One summative assessment in last 12 weeks of school year (required)  Selected response, short constructed response, extended constructed response, technology enhanced, and performance tasks  Interim Assessments (optional)  Available throughout the year  Selected response, short constructed response, extended constructed response, technology enhanced, and performance tasks  Two summative assessments close to end of school year (required) 1.End-of-Year Assessment  ELA: reading comprehension  Math: machine-scorable items 2.Performance based assessment:  Extended tasks  Applications of concepts & skills  Two Formative assessments (optional) 1.Beginning of year 2.Mid-Year  Computer Adaptive assessment  Computer-based but a single form for all students.  Paper & pencil for grades 3-5 (initially).

ELA Impact  Raises text complexity at least 2 years  Vocabulary –All teachers must teach the academic vocabulary of their discipline. Significant impact at high schools  Critical Reading  Expect all students to respond in complete sentences  Informational Texts vs. Narrative  Writing  Speaking  Listening Textbooks are outdated Cross-Content Literacy 48

Math Impact  Conceptual Understanding  Algebra – Grade 8  Significant impact for retraining elementary teachers in mathematics.  Statistics & Probability 49

Assessment Impact  Technology Dependent Hardware Logistics Bandwidth 50

Recommendations for Schools  Begin PD today  School wide literacy  K–12 Alignment  Writing  Multi-tiered interventions  Student Engagement  Transparent Practice

Questions for NCPEA  How does the CCSS impact principals preparation?  What responsibility does NCPEA have for getting principals ready to lead CCSS implementation?

Resources  The Common Core State Standards Initiative:  SMARTER Balanced:  Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers(PARCC) :

Contact Information Dick Flanary NASSP Senior Director, Leadership Programs and Services 1904 Association Drive Reston, Virginia Ext