Common Core State Standards ELA and Literacy 2012 Bridge Year (Interim Adoption) Publisher Meeting Today: Common Core State Standards Oregon Shifts 1 ODE Staff: Ken Hermens (503)

English Language Arts

English Language Arts (ELA) and Literacy Key Ideas Traditional Classroom Focus on literature (fiction) Literary skills (identifying terms and devices like theme) ELA taught in isolation Common Core Classroom Informational texts prepare for college and career Cross-content literacy ELA taught in collaboration

Oregon Common Core Shifts 1.Increase Reading of Informational Text 2.Text Complexity 3.Academic Vocabulary 4.Text-based Answers 5.Increase Writing from Sources 6.Literacy Instruction in all Content Areas 4 Oregon CCSS Toolkit Common Core State Standards – ELA & Literacy Resources

Shift 1: Increase Reading of Informational Text At least 50% of reading in elementary grades is informational (current estimate: 7%) By middle school, the percentage increases to 55% (current estimate: 15%) By the end of high school, 70% This reflects the premise that to be college and career- ready, students need to read an increasingly higher percentage of informational text, which research says is harder for most students to read than narrative text.

Shift 2: Text Complexity Demands that college, careers, and citizenship place on readers have either held steady or increased over roughly the last 50 years The difficulty of college textbooks, as measured by Lexile scores, has increased over the past 50 years By college, students are expected to read complex texts with a high level of independence Based on ACT test data, few students in general are prepared for postsecondary reading

Shift 3: Academic Vocabulary Differences in students’ vocabulary levels is a key factor in disparities in academic achievement Generally, vocabulary instruction has been “neither frequent nor systematic in most schools.” Research suggests that if students are going to grasp and retain words and comprehend text, they need incremental, repeated exposure…to the words they are trying to learn. Three tiers of words: emphasis on Tier 2 words (general academic words)

Shift 4: Text-based Answers Rich and rigorous conversations which are dependent on students reading a central text Greater emphasis in the standards language is placed on students making explicit references to textual evidence. College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading: “…referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.” Sample standard from Grade 4: “Refer to details and examples in a text…” “…drawing on specific details in the text…” “based on specific information in the text…”

Shift 5: Increase Writing from Sources Greater emphasis on the selection and use of sources when writing to inform or to make an argument Separate Claim dedicated to research/inquiry to investigate and write about topics. Move toward performance tasks in assessments that focus on research skills Research to Build and Present Knowledge one of the College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for writing

Shift 6:Literacy Across All Content Areas Clear message that literacy is not just an ELA issue Separate literacy standards: Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects Correlates to the increased emphasis on reading informational text Content area (domain-specific) text during ELA instruction; attention to literacy through reading and writing in social science and science classrooms and throughout the curriculum

Four Claims for Assessment Claim #1: Students can read closely and analytically to comprehend a range of increasingly complex literary and informational texts. Claim #2: Students can produce effective and well-grounded writing for a range of purposes and audiences. Claim #3: Students can employ effective speaking and listening skills for a range of purposes and audiences. Claim #4: Students can engage in research/inquiry to investigate topics, and to analyze, integrate, and present information.

Questions Send additional questions regarding ELA and Literacy Standards to: Drew Hinds (503)