Aligning ELA Instruction and Assessment to the Common Core

1. Aligning ELA Instruction and Assessment to the Common Core Facilitated by Molly Corey

2. May’s NTI • Relevant information • 9th Grade Cohort will be the first class to take this new test where it will count • First round will be in June 2014

4. Goals of the Cohort Group • To develop a cadre of English teachers willing to share ideas and information to prepare students for the new Common Core Regents • To use data effectively to inform instruction • To share instructional practices aligned to rigorous instruction

5. Today’s agenda • Team Building Activity 8:45-9:30 • Common Assessments for benchmarking • Breaking down the blueprint • Close Reading- video highlight

6. Meet and Greet • Line up according to years of service • The teacher who has taught the longest will pair with the teacher who has taught the least • Take a walk together. Share your name and district and one favorite memory about your schooling days. • Did this memory impact why you became a teacher? If yes, tell your partner why. If not, tell your partner why you became a teacher. • Be prepared to introduce your partner to the group. Please return in 15 minutes.

8. Common Assessment • Let’s look at the samples provided. • Can we agree to give different samples as benchmarks to see how close students are to reaching the Common Core target? We have 6 dates and 5 assessment pieces. • Wednesday, October 23, 2013 – analyze first assessment piece • Wednesday, December 4, 2013 • Tuesday, January 14, 2014 • Wednesday, February 12, 2014 • Wednesday, March 19, 2014 • Wednesday, May 21, 2014- analyze final assessment piece • Part I: • Passage A • Passage B Sonnet 27 • Passage C • Part 2: Writing from sources • Part 3: Text Based Response

9. Test Samples

15. Test Blueprint Activity

16. Walk around the room to each chart paper. • Place post its with notes about the resources that you may have to support this or resources that you may need • Whole group discussion/debrief

17. Break Return in 15 minutes

18. Becoming a Close REader

19. Small Group Debrief • What happened in your close reading lessons? (Literally, make a list of the steps you just took together – reconstruct the experience). • Why did it happen? (Connect to the reading and discussion in your Research Teams). • What can you learn? (How did this experience support your critical thinking about text? How will that translate to your students?).

20. Goals of Close REading Making the Text Accessible to All Students Promoting Deep Understanding of Text Encouraging Evidence-Based Discussions & Writing Developing Vocabulary Increasing Stamina as well as Perseverance Apply “Release, Catch & Release”

21. “Release, Catch, Release” Release:Have students read independently or read aloud & have students follow the text—1st for a general overview. Ask literal questions, 5 Ws, “get the gist,” non-threatening, making the text accessible for ALL! Catch:Focus on specific words and sentences, model areas of difficulty, open-ended questions Release:Re-readfor deeper meaning and reinforcement. Design questions/activities that cause student to go back to the text to re-read and discuss with peers, laying groundwork for writing from sources

22. “Modeling as Mop-Up” Resist front-loading Resist pre-teaching Resist summarizing for students Do: Focus on areas where students are confused and need assistance in making meaning but only afterthey’ve had the opportunity to tackle the text!

23. A Lens for Debrief: Helping Students Read Closely

24. Reading and Discussion at Your Tables • Read “Helping Students Read Closely”independently, text coding as follows: • * This is something I do regularly in my practice. • ! This is something I should consider doing more of in my practice – it would help my students. • ? This is something we just did that I have questions about. • Discuss the * and ! items at your tables. • We’ll discuss the ? as a whole group.

25. Spotlight in our region

27. Close Reading Protocol

28. Video highlights • First Reading, background discussion • Close Reading Protocol • Group work with protocol • Gallery Walk • Fishbowl Activity • Writing about theme

29. Lunch

30. Seinfeld

31. New Rubrics • Follows Grade 3 – 8 format and categories • Regional Data is available for each category • Rubric go along with Part 2 and Part 3 assessment pieces • Rubrics should become an integral part of your daily lesson plans and assessment

32. New Rubric: Expository Essay

33. New Rubrics: Argument Writing

34. New Rubric: Text Analysis

35. Regional Data from grade 8 GVEP Summative • 61% average in Content and Analysis • 58.45% average in Command of Evidence • 63.23% average in Coherence, Organization and Style • 71.67% average in Control of Conventions

36. Regional data from NYSED Grade 8 assessment • Data Activity

37. Text Selection and Text Review • Curriculum Map Review • Tools to check • Quantitative and Qualitative Measures • Text Dependent Questions and Answers • Tools to help design assessments • Multiple Choice

38. More samples to come… • Similar to Pearson Document • Exemplars • Anchor Papers

39. GVEP’s Plan • Cohort group for ELA and Math • Suggested meeting time- see registration form • Teachers from grade 9 meet monthly to: • Develop curriculum together • Develop assessments aligned to curriculum • Discuss student data from assessments • Collaborate and support each other through this important transition