September 2013 THE COMMON CORE STANDARDS & THE NEW STATE TESTS: ADVANCING COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS IN NYC

Average annual income based on education levels High School Dropout$23,088 High School Diploma$32,552 2-year College Degree$39,884 4-year College Degree$53,976 Professional Degree$83,720 COLLEGE AND CAREERS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER FOR TODAY’S STUDENTS Sources: U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ACT, “The Condition of College and Career Readiness,”  Students who are successful in college are better prepared for 21st-century careers, and most of the fastest-growing 21st-century jobs require a postsecondary degree  Nationally, just 25% of high school students are ready for college and careers  In 2010, New York State (NYS) joined other states in adopting the Common Core standards— defining what students need to know and be able to do at each grade level to graduate high school ready for college  Previous NYS tests measured whether students were on track for high school graduation, not whether they were ready for college 2

3 COMMON CORE STANDARDS ARE DESIGNED TO BETTER PREPARE STUDENTS FOR COLLEGE AND CAREERS  Goal: Provide a clear roadmap for what students should know and be able to do at each grade—from pre-K to 12—to graduate high school ready for college and careers  The Common Core standards drive changes in curriculum, classroom instruction, and assessment  Because these tests are new and more challenging, scoring proficient now indicates greater readiness and is harder to earn Kentucky, 2012: Elementary school proficiency dropped 58% Florida, 2012: 4 th grade writing proficiency dropped 54% Tennessee, 2010: Elementary school proficiency dropped 67%

4 COMMON CORE STANDARDS SHIFT WHAT IS TAUGHT IN LITERACY AND MATH ACROSS SUBJECT AREAS Instructional Shifts in Literacy  Read as much non-fiction as fiction  Learn about the world by reading  Read more challenging material closely  Discuss reading using evidence  Write non-fiction using evidence  Increase academic vocabulary Instructional Shifts in Math  Focus: learn more about less  Build skills across grades  Develop speed and accuracy  Really know it, really do it  Use knowledge in the real world  Think fast AND solve problems

A group of 6 people at an elementary school gave a total of $1,890 to a town to fix up a playground. Each person gave the same amount. At a middle school, 5 people each gave $280 to the same town. How much more did each person at the elementary school give than each person at the middle school? Show your work. The narrator’s relationship with her grandmother develops during her visit. How does their relationship develop? How do they communicate even though they do not speak the same language? Use details from the story to support your response. In your response, be sure to: explain how their relationship develops explain how they communicate use details from the story to support your response Students read a text about a girl getting to know her grandmother during a visit to her home country STATE COMMON CORE EXAMS EMPHASIZED HIGHER- LEVEL SKILLS A: 1/2C: 2/3 B: 1/4D: 2/5 The diagram below shows a rectangle divided into equal sections. What fraction of the rectangle is shaded? This story is mostly about how: A: being good at sports takes practice B: playing sports with a friend can be fun C: being an athlete means trying many sports D: playing sports is better than watching sports Students read a text about a bear playing sports. On this year’s math tests, students had to solve more problems that included multiple steps and could not be determined by one, simple calculation. This year’s English tests included texts that were on grade-level and had more rigorous vocabulary words; students needed to be able to cite evidence to support their answer, not just share their opinion. 4 TH -GRADE MATH 4 TH - GRADE ENGLISH 5

ON SIMILARLY RIGOROUS TESTS, NEW YORK CITY STUDENTS SHOW GAINS OVER TIME Note: Commissioner King set the cut score by adopting the recommendations of NYS educators who participated in a thorough review process in Summer * Scores represent an average of 4 th and 8 th grade results from students sampled that year. MATHENGLISH NAEP* -The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) tests are more rigorous and Common Core-aligned than the previous NYS tests and therefore provide an approximation of how NYC has performed over time on the higher standard 3-8 Grade NYS Common Core NAEP 2003 to NYS Common Core 2013 Gains: % NAEP* 3-8 Grade NYS Common Core NAEP 2003 to NYS Common Core 2013 Gains: % 6 Percent of All NYC Students At or Above Proficient on the New NYS Common Core Tests and NAEP NAEP 2003 NAEP 2011 NAEP 2003 NAEP The bar has been raised, and now Level 2 means a student is on track to graduate from high school; Level 3 means a student is on track to succeed in college

NEW YORK CITY OUTPERFORMED OTHER LARGE URBAN DISTRICTS IN NEW YORK STATE 3-8 GRADE MATH 3-8 GRADE ENGLISH New York City’s deep commitment to training teachers and investing in preparing students for college and careers is showing success 7 Percent of Students At or Above Proficient on the New NYS Common Core Tests, by City and NYS

NEW YORK CITY STUDENTS OUTPERFORMED STUDENTS IN NEW YORK STATE ACROSS STUDENT GROUPS 3-8 GRADE MATH 8 Percent of All NYC and NYS Students At or Above Proficient on the New NYS Common Core Tests Note: Former ELL includes any students who were classified as English Language Learners in at least one of the previous two school years.

3-8 GRADE ENGLISH 9 Percent of All NYC and NYS Students At or Above Proficient on the New NYS Common Core Tests Note: Former ELL includes any students who were classified as English Language Learners in at least one of the previous two school years. NEW YORK CITY STUDENTS OUTPERFORMED STUDENTS IN NEW YORK STATE ACROSS MOST STUDENT GROUPS

10 Percent of All Schools in NYS THE PERCENTAGE OF NEW YORK CITY SCHOOLS IN THE TOP 25% OF SCHOOLS STATEWIDE HAS MORE THAN DOUBLED SINCE 2002 Note: New Common Core-aligned assessments were implemented by New York State in In 2013, 22 of the top 25 performing schools in New York State are in New York City. -In 2002, none of the top 25 performing schools in New York State were in New York City.

CHANGE THIS SIGNIFICANT TAKES TIME, AND SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN WORKING TOWARD FULL IMPLEMENTATION Implement Common Core- aligned, unit-embedded culminating tasks Conduct frequent observations and share high-quality feedback aligned to a research-based framework of teaching practice Implement Common Core- aligned units Conduct frequent observations and share high-quality feedback aligned to a research-based framework of teaching practice Implement Common Core- aligned curriculum and instruction Implement new teacher evaluation system using Danielson’s Framework for Teaching to support Common Core-aligned instruction across subject areas 11 Note: In the school year, the DOE led a Common Core pilot program in 100 schools.

1. Prepare: Set up the school to meet higher standards Ensure viable curricula in all subjects Prepare to implement a new teacher evaluation system Organize the school to meet the needs of all students 2. Implement: Move students toward meeting higher standards Students: Experience rigorous instruction Teachers: Shift classroom practice School leaders: Actively support teacher growth 3. Assess: Review evidence of meeting higher standards Create systems to regularly look for evidence of growth and gaps in student work and teacher practice to make adjustments 12 NEW YORK CITY IS MAKING PROGRESS, AND THERE IS MORE WORK TO DO IN

RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE SO FAMILIES CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT THESE CHANGES  Individual student score results have been available on ARISParentLink.org since August 26  Families can also search NYC.gov for “Common Core Parent Resources” to:  Watch a video from Chancellor Walcott  Find a set of tips for talking with your child  Read an FAQ on the 2013 State Common Core tests 13  Schools will be provided with the following materials to support conversations:  An adaptable PPT presentation with citywide results and instructional priorities  A facilitator guide with sample agenda and key messages to share  A webinar with Chancellor Walcott for parent coordinators  Coming in September:  An accompanying activity featuring annotated State test questions  Individual Student Reports For resources, go to nyc.gov & search “Common Core Parent Resources”

14 STRUGGLING STUDENTS SHOULD HAVE ACCESS TO SUPPORTS THAT HELP THEM MEET THIS HIGHER BAR  Academic Intervention Services >Address specific areas of need in reading and math and provide struggling students with supports to help them progress  Response to Intervention >Helps identify reading skills early on where elementary school students are struggling—before they start falling behind  Updated individualized education programs >Focus on the supports, services, and accommodations that students with disabilities need in order to build the knowledge and skills connected to the Common Core  Note: the Common Core standards and new State tests do not change the special accommodations that some students receive on testing days.  Increased supports for English language learners (ELLs) >Work with a group of national experts to build teachers’ instructional strategies for helping ELLs meet the demands of the Common Core standards  Over the last two years, more than 14,000 educators have participated in ELL- related training