Launching the Common Core State Standards Embrace Initiative Presented by Brittany Austin Literacy Interventionist

Where did the Common Core standards come from? Council of Chief State School Officers and National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, teachers, school administrators, and experts worked together to provide a clear and consistent framework to prepare students for college and workforce. Standards adopted by most states. ofks ofks

What are the CCSS?  “The Common Core State Standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers.”  The CCSS have been adopted by 45 of the 50 states.  They can be found at the following link:

How will the Common Core Standards be different? Includes rigorous content and application of knowledge through higher-order thinking skills Performance-based collaborative activities and assessments Integrated literacy across content areas including Science and Social Studies Stronger emphasis on informational text, research and media skills

Overview of English Language Arts Standards  Reading for Literature (10 standards)  Reading for Informational Text (10 standards)  Foundation (4 standards – K-5 only)  Writing (10 standards)  Language (6 standards)  Speaking and Listening (6 standards)

Shifts in ELA Common Core Standards:  Regular practice with complex texts  A combination of literary and informational texts  Reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence from texts, both literary and informational  In Writing, there is a strong emphasis on argument and informative/explanatory writing, along with an emphasis on writing about sources or using evidence to inform an argument  Emphasis on general academic and domain- specific vocabulary  Reading, writing and literacy across the curriculum

 The K-5 standards provide students with a solid foundation in whole numbers, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, and decimals.  Grades 6-8 standards describe robust learning in geometry, algebra, and probability and statistics.  Grades 7-8 include significant algebra and geometry content. Overview Of Math Standards

 Focus on key topics at each grade level to allow educators and students to go deeper into the content  Coherence: Linking topics and thinking across grades  Progressions across grades, with the end of progression calling for fluency – or the ability to perform calculations or solving problems quickly and accurate.  Application of concepts  Dual Intensity – demonstrate understanding through practice Shifts in Common Core Math

Each of the standard areas have substrands, for example in Reading for Literature and Information:  Key Ideas and Details  Craft and Structure  Integration of Knowledge and Ideas  Range of Reading and Level of Complexity. These substrands are the same for all grade levels. Breaking it down…..

English Language Arts Standard Examples:  Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when reading or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.  Prepare and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

How do the Common Core State Standards impact teachers? Providing them with consistent goals and benchmarks to ensure students are progressing on a path for success in college, career, and life Providing them with consistent expectations for students who move into their districts and classrooms from other states Providing them the opportunity to collaborate with teachers across the country as they develop curricula, materials, and assessments linked to high-quality standards Helping colleges and professional development programs better prepare teachers

Implementing the Common Core State Standards requires…  Unpacking the standards and understanding what is contained within each one.  Identifying “essential” standards.  Developing clear learning goals.  Shifting students’ focus from “answer getting” to solving problems and critical thinking.  Exposing students to a large variety of complex texts in ALL subject areas.  Connecting the standard topics to the prior knowledge of students.

Unpacking the CCSS - Middle School Example It’s all about the verbs and the nouns… StandardVerbsNouns StandardVerbsNounsSkills Necessary STEP 1: Choose a Standard RL6.1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. STEP 2: Identify the verbs cite support analyze STEP 3: Identify the nouns textual evidence analysis inferences Step 4: Identify the skills needed reading comprehension draw inferences cite specific examples cite details to support inferences analyze the text

Template: Retrieved from: Template _for_ unpacking CCSS.docwww.vtcla.org/wp-content/.../ Template _for_ unpacking CCSS.doc

In your classroom: What should be posted for all to see AND observable in each lesson? 1. Objective(s)/Goal(s) for the lesson/unit that is based on the Common Core State Standards. These goals should easily understood by students and should be either declarative or procedural in nature. They should be stated in the following manner:  Students will be able to…(procedural)  Students will understand or know…(declarative)  or I Can Essential Questions – These should be written so the students can understand them and cover the most important topics or skills being taught. 3. Writing Response – Example: How did today’s examination of the Declaration of Independence influence your thoughts? 4. Student Rubric or Scale – The scale should be used by students to measure their own learning. The scale should be understood by all students and used by them to frequently measure their learning and growth…not simply their understanding of assignments or directions.

Common Core Assessment Who is creating them?  Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC is a consortium of states working collectively to design and develop K–12 assessments in mathematics and English language arts/literacy aligned to the Common Core.) Why PARCC?  Create high-quality assessments that measure the full range of the Common Core State Standards and the full range of student performance  Build a pathway to college and career readiness for all students;  Support educators in the classroom;  Develop 21st-century, technology-based assessments; and  Advance accountability at all levels. What is the purpose? To develop a comprehensive and innovative assessment system for grades 3-8 and grade 11 in English Language Arts and Mathematics aligned to the Common Core Standards so that students leave high school prepared for post secondary success in college or a career.

 Summative assessments aligned to College and Career Readiness Standards  Computer adaptive  Administered during last 12 weeks of school year  Results will show achievement and growth  Question types: 1. Selected Response 2. Constructed Response 3. Extended Response 4. Performance –Based Tasks 5. Technology-Enhanced 6. Technology-Enabled How will the National Assessments be different than the MCT2?

Grade 5 ELA Selected Response Example

Resources for Teachers:  Flipbooks of UNPACKED Common Core Standards for Mathematics Grades K-8  Proficiency Scale Bank ee_Resources/itembank.aspx  North Carolina’s supply of Unpacked Standards /common-core-tools/

The Common Core Standards are an opportunity to transform how we teach our students to prepare them for the future… How will you begin the change?