Common Core

What is Common Core? Common Core is a set of standards (what is taught) that has been adopted by 46 states in math and language arts and is designed to prepare students to be competitive globally. Common Core will be assessed in using the PARCC Assessment in math and language arts.

Transitioning to New Standards Third set of standards for teachers in 6 years This causes shifts in what is taught in grade levels and can create gaps in learning so you have to create a transition plan and work the plan while simultaneously being held to assessments that are aligned to the old set of standards

English/Language Arts Shifts Build knowledge of students in all disciplines through reading Use evidence-based information from a variety of sources to defend claims and support ideas Use complex texts to prepare for college and career

So What Do The Changes Look Like? Current Standard- 8 th grade English1 of 19 CFU in Writing Write in a variety of modes and genres, including description, narration, exposition, persuasion, literary response, personal expression, and imaginative Common Core- 8 Grade English- 1 of 10 standards in writing Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence Ex. Introduce claim(s), acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.

So what does the assessment look like? Writing 8 th Grade Write an essay telling where you would like to do in time and explaining why you would like to visit there. Support your ideas with specific examples and details Writing 8 th Grade After reading a passage… Write an essay in which you delineate Emerson’s claims that technological advancement sometimes hinders society by increasing people’s reliance on machines. Evaluate Emerson’s arguments/assess whether his reasoning is sound and his evidence is relevant/support your analysis with evidence from the passage/ demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English

Math Changes Develop a conceptual understanding of math and use it correctly when problem solving Connect math learning from one year to the next Understand numbers and what they represent, know their math facts, and apply math skills appropriately

So how will the Math assessment Differ? th Grade Math Interpret a slope of a line as a unit rate given the graph of a proportional relationship th Grade Math Identify the constant of proportionality (unit rate) in tables, graphs, equations, diagrams, and verbal descriptions of proportional relationships

7 th Grade Math Assessment Mrs. Jiminez baked chocolate chip cookies for a bake sale, the graph shows the relationship between the number of cookie batches baked and the number of chocolate chips used. What does the slope of the line represent? After reviewing a graph… Explain to Alex how he can use the information in the graph to determine the rate at which he travels. Include the unit rate. Kevin gives claims about Alex’s graph. Explain to Kevin in which ways he is right and incorrect about the graph.

How are we preparing? State and district trainings to learn new instructional strategies Practicing Common Core standards early – Math focus standards – Close reading and text-dependent questions Low-stakes assessments – Constructed Response – Writing Assessment

How is MCMS Preparing for Common Core? Faculty Training at the State and District Level, Summer 2013 Math Focus standards, tasks and the CRA. Classroom practice in close reading and referring to specific evidence in a text when speaking/writing. Exposure to Sample Writing Prompts and other Common Core Writing Tasks “Pilot Test” site for the PARCC Assessment.

What Can We Expect? Higher level of learning for students More rigorous teaching in the classrooms Lower test scores during the transition year(s), especially in