1. Progression Activity
By Illinois State Board of Education English Language Arts Content Area Specialists

2. Purposes/Outcomes
Understand overall structure and layout of the English Language Arts Common Core State Standards (CCSS).
Recognize the progression of Common Core State Standards towards College and Career Readiness Standards (Anchor Standards).
This slide provides the audience with description of the purpose behind the presentation.

3. Kathleen McNeary Area IA Erik Iwersen Area I-BB, BC, BD Amy Robinson
Area I-C
Jill Brown
Area II
Katy Sykes
Area III and IV
Kathi Rhodus
Area V and VI
Currently, there are six English Language Arts Content Area Specialists with the Illinois State Board of Education. Each specialist is housed out of local offices. This group works to create and provide resources for stakeholders throughout Illinois as we transition to the Common Core State Standards.

4. College and Career Readiness (CCR) Standards (Anchor Standards)
Overarching standards for each of four strands that are further defined by grade-specific standards
Reading – 10 standards
Writing – 10 standards
Speaking and Listening – 6 standards
Language – 6 standards
College and Career Ready Standards or Anchor Standards were written first and are often mistaken for the Common Core State Standards. There is a distinction between the two. The Anchor standards were, again, written first, then back mapped down from 12th grade all the way to kindergarten. These back mapped standards came to be known as the Common Core State Standards.

5. Speaking and Listening
K-12 ELA CCSS Standards
Reading
(K-12)
Literature
Informational
(K-5)
Foundational
(6-12)
History
Science/Technical
Writing
Language
Speaking and Listening
The English Language Arts Standards are organized by content in the following strands: Reading, Writing, Language, and Speaking and Listening. The Reading Strand includes both Literature and Informational Text for Kindergarten through 12th grade. Kindergarten through 5th grade reading includes Foundational Skills. Students are expected to master these skills by the end of 5th grade. 6th through 12th grade includes Informational Text Standards for English Language Arts and Technical Subjects.

6. Presentation of Knowledge
English Language Arts
Common Core Standards
Reading Strand
Key Ideas and Details
Craft and Structure
Integration of Knowledge
and Ideas
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
Writing Strand
Text Types and Purposes
Production and Distribution
of Writing
Research to Build Knowledge
Range of Writing
Speaking and Listening Strand
Comprehension and Collaboration
Presentation of Knowledge
Language Strand
Conventions of
Standard English
Knowledge of Language
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
Visual graphic of the English Language Arts Strands and the topics/clusters included in each strand.

7. What resonates with you? What’s the same? What is different?
Questions to Consider
1. Pick a GRADE LEVEL and read the Standards vertically for that grade.
What resonates with you? What’s
the same? What is different?
2. Pick a STANDARD and read that Standard horizontally across the K-12 continuum.
What do you notice?
The following is an exercise that will assist participants in becoming familiar with the standards.
Participants should have a copy of the standards for their grade level available to them. At this point in the presentation, ask participants to look at their grade level and read them vertically. What skills seem to jump out that may be different than they have ever taught before? What skills are they already employing? What standards do they have resources for? What standards will they need more professional development for? Share these thoughts with the partners or table mates.
Follow the same procedure as above but choose only one standard and follow it across grade levels from K-12. Discuss the same questions as above and share with table partners.
Allow participants or tables to share their thoughts. BB

8. Headings Subheadings Standard Statement
To allow the group to gather back together, ask participants to look at one page from the CCSS standards and explain the following. It consists of three parts: headings, the subheadings, and the standard statements. How these are clustered provide definitive design considerations for organization in curriculum, scope and sequence, and daily instruction. Each subheading has a set of meanings and when students and teachers understand these meanings fully, in depth discussions and close analysis of texts follows.
Explain that they will do another activity to more clearly define the progression regarding the K-12 continuum that they just read focusing on either the reading standards or writing standards. Presenter must choose to do one or both progression activities and have cards printed for handout at this point in the presentation.
Standard Statement

9. Progression Chart Activity
Distribute the chart cards to one person in each group and have that person bring the card to the front of the room.
Have the participants line up in order from kindergarten to 12th grade with the chart cards. The facilitator will read the anchor standard first, then kindergarten will read his/her card, first grade will follow and they will continue this process up through 12th grade. Ask the audience to listen for the differences-or increased demands-one finds as one progresses from a lower grade level to a higher grade level. Pause between each reader to allow time for attendees to state the differences between the standards from one grade level to the next. The facilitator will end by reading the anchor standard one more time. The point for this slide is for participants to understand the purpose of the anchor standards.
What is the same/different? What do you notice across the continuum? Discuss how back mapping occurred when writing the CCR and CCSS.
The next two slides may be hidden but provide the presenter with options for the progression activity.

10. Writing (Introduction of a piece)
Two Options
Reading Literature
Writing (Introduction of a piece)
Presenters may choose to share cards for reading for literature or for writing however, the writing standards focus only on the skill of introducing a piece from K-12. These prove to be very difficult and when participants realize the rigor in writing, they will understand the need to follow the suggestion of the CCSS and leave certain areas that have normally been met at certain grade levels out of those grade levels in order to keep the focus of rigor and writing . Presenters may choose to do both activities if time allows.

11. Writing Clusters W1. Opinion W2. Informative/Explanatory W3. Narrative
W4. Organization of Task, Purpose, Audience
W5. Planning, Revising, Editing
W6. Using Digital Tools and Publishing
W7. Research Projects
W8. Recalling Information from Multiple Sources
W9. Analyzing Information and Drawing Evidence
W10. A Range of Writing (on demand vs. research)
Writing is clustered the same as literature. The definitions are as follows:
1-3 focus on text types and purposes
4-6 focus on production and distribution of writing (Standard 4 does not begin until grade 3)
Finally, 7-9 has a focus on research to build and present knowledge (Standard 9 does not begin until grade 4
A range of writing begins in grade 3
It is imperative that the areas that are covered are solid b/c the new skills that are introduced in 3rd will not have opportunities for review. The CCSS does not offer opportunities for review. They are simple and to the point and there doesn’t seem to be as many standards to meet but what is there is expected to be met.

12. Additional Resources Common Core Standards
Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects 6-12
Appendix A – Text Complexity. Defines Key Writing Types, Foundations for K-5
Appendix B – Text Exemplars, Sample Performance Tasks, Cross Content Nonfiction and Informational Text
Appendix C – Student Writing Samples
These are resources available that support the standards. Each appendix offers samples and definitions supporting the standards. There is also an area defining vocabulary within each standard. BB

13. Contact Information
Katy Sykes
Jill Brown