Common Core State Standards in Mathematics C ARRIE H EATH P HILLIPS S EPTEMBER 7, 2011

Overview of the Initiative  State-led and developed common core standards for K-12 in English/language arts and mathematics  Initiative led by Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and National Governors Association (NGA)

Why did governors and chiefs do this?  Prepare students with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in college and work  Ensure consistent expectations regardless of a student’s zip code  Make states more globally competitive  Provide educators, parents, and students with clear, focused guideposts  Offer economies of scale

College- and Career- Readiness as the Anchor  Career-readiness and college-readiness levels are very similar  There is a gap between high school expectations for students and what students are expected to do in college/career  Among high school graduates, only half are academically prepared for postsecondary education (Greene & Winters, 2005).

Features of the standards  Aligned with college and work expectations  Focused and coherent  Include rigorous content and application of knowledge through high-order skills  Build upon strengths and lessons of current state standards  Internationally benchmarked  Based on evidence and research

Standards Development Process  College- and career-readiness standards for English/language arts and mathematics developed summer of 2009  Based on the college and career readiness standards, K-12 learning progressions developed  Public comment period with 10,000 responses  Final standards released on June 2, 2010.

44 states and D.C. have fully adopted the Common Core State Standards; 1 state has provisionally adopted the standards; and 1 state has adopted only the ELA standards. Common Core State Standards Adoption (as of September 2011)

Math Standards: Design and Organization Standards for Mathematical Practice  Carry across all grade levels  Describe habits of mind of a mathematically expert student Standards for Mathematical Content  K-8 standards presented by grade level  High school standards presented by conceptual theme Appendix  Designing high school math courses based on the Common Core State Standards

High School Conceptual themes in high school  Number and Quantity  Algebra  Functions  Modeling  Geometry  Statistics and Probability College and career readiness threshold  (+) standards indicate material beyond the threshold; can be in courses required for all students.

Math Key Advances  FOCUS  Coherence  Balance of concepts and skills  Importance of deep understanding and procedural fluency  Mathematical practices  Foster reasoning and sense-making in mathematics  Application  Problem-solving and communication

New Common Summative Assessments  Two assessment consortia  Partnership for Readiness for College and Career (PARCC)  SMARTER Balanced  New summative assessments used for accountability purposes in school year

Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) Governing Board States Participating States

PARCC Assessment Design Within Year End-of-Year Assessment Innovative, computer-based items Performance-Based Assessment (PBA) Extended tasks Applications of concepts and skills Summative assessment for accountability Formative assessment Early Assessment Early indicator of student knowledge and skills to inform instruction, supports, and PD ELA/Literacy Speaking Listening Flexible Mid-Year Assessment Performance-based Emphasis on hard to measure standards Potentially summative Source: Center for K–12 Assessment & Performance Management at ETS

Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium

Source: Center for K–12 Assessment & Performance Management at ETS

Consortia Similarities  Beyond multiple choice and short answer tests; will include performance tasks  Focus on depth of understanding and higher-order thinking skills  Computer-based, with quicker turn-around for scoring  More precise, actionable information than current tests  More interactive than current tests  More writing (particularly writing to sources) than current tests  Digital libraries of resources, including released items, formative assessments, data-management system, and professional development

Consortia Differences  Computer-based adaptive testing is used in SMARTER Balanced Consortium. PARCC has computer-based, but not adaptive, testing.  Teacher scoring is emphasized in SMARTER Balanced when evaluating performance tasks.

Performance Event Sample: Math

Performance Event Sample: Math continued

Performance Event Sample: Literacy in Science/Technical Subjects Compare what the latest science tells us about Genetically Modified food against the arguments offered for and against Genetically Modified food. Evaluate the hypotheses, data, analysis, and conclusions of each side, including determining the extent to which each side in the debate over Genetically Modified food relies on the available science, argues from an economic perspective or appeals to political and emotional concerns. Verify the data from each author and corroborate or challenge the conclusions with other sources of information.

Implementation Timeline and Themes  Some states implementing this year in grades K-2. Full implementation in handful of states and districts.  Key areas of support states/districts are seeking:  Instructional materials: what take away from what you’re teaching along with what you need to add  Professional development: beyond awareness of the standards – professional learning communities, job-embedded professional development  Instruction and assessments: depth of understanding required of students  Literacy in content areas  Mathematics Common Core Coalition (MC³)

Resources Carrie Heath Phillips Program Director, Common Core State Standards Council of Chief State School Officers