Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts

1. Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts ~ Facilitators’ Training ~ Penny Plavala, Literacy Specialist

2. INTRODUCTIONS

3. Session One Goals • Overview of the Common Core State Standards • Review the design and terminology of the English Language Arts Standards • Examine “the spiral effect” • Closely examine the CCSS for your grade level • Review the Smarter Balanced Assessment • Instructional design: • direct instruction, work independently, • with a partner, and in small groups Please choose a partner.

4. Temperature Check Think of an adjective to describe how you are feeling about the Common Core State Standards. Please share with a partner.

5. Common Core State Standards Inventory What I Know What I Want to Know • Take a moment to jot down two items in each of the spaces on your page.

6. Warm-Up Ideas • Temperature Check • CCSS Inventory Turn and Talk • Which warm-up might you use with your team as a way to begin the Common Core conversation?

7. Overview of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts~ Refresher ~ Presentation Created by: Penny Plavala, Literacy Specialist

8. Oregon Educators Are Asking… • Why do we need common standards? • Where did they come from? • Who wrote them? • What do they mean for Oregon? • What does this mean for my classroom?

9. What’s The Problem? • Students graduating from high school are unprepared for college and career.* 40% must take remedial classes at 4-year colleges 60% must take remedial classes at 2-year colleges • * The College Board 2010 Progress Report

10. What Is the Problem? • • Out of 34 countries, the U.S. ranked: • 14th in reading • 24th in math* • *2009 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)

11. Common Core State Standards Initiative • A joint effort by the: - National Governors Association - Council of Chief State School Officers • Brought together K-12 educators, university partners, • education researchers, community members, etc. to • create the standards. • • A state-led initiative • States were in the driver’s seat. • The federal government did not develop the standards or require their adoption.

12. Standards Development Process • Final standards were released on June 2, 2010. • Adopted by Oregon State Board of Education on October 28, 2010: • ELA & Literacy in History/SS, Science and Technical Subjects • Mathematics

13. 46 States Have Adopted the CCSS Adopted Adopted English Language Arts Standards Not Yet Adopted As of November 4, 2011

14. What are advantages of common standards? • Currently, every state has its own set of academic standards, meaning public education students in each state are learning to different levels. • All students must be prepared to compete with not • only their American peers in the next state, but with • students from around the world.

15. Why are common standards important for students, teachers, and parents? • Prepares students with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in college and work • Ensures consistent expectations regardless of a student’s zip code • Provides educators, parents, and students with clear, focused guideposts

16. Features of the Standards • Aligned with college and work expectations • Include rigorous content and application of knowledge through higher-order skills • Build upon strengths and lessons of current state standards • Based on evidence and research • Informed by other top performing countries • (internationally benchmarked)

17. Clear Rigorous Focused Common Core State Standards

18. The standards define: • what is most essential • grade level expectations • what students are expected to know and be able to do • cross-disciplinary literacy skills

19. The standards do NOT define: • how teachers should teach • all that can or should be taught • the nature of advanced work • intervention methods or materials • the full range of supports for English learners and students with special needs

20. What do the CCSS Mean for Oregon? • Districts will continue to prepare students for the OAKS assessment through 2013-2014. • CCSS will be fully implemented and assessed through a common assessment in 2014-2015.

21. Stepping Up to the Challenge Next-Generation Assessments YOU ARE HERE 2014 -2015 2013 – 2014 Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium Grade 1 this year: First group of 3rd graders

22. What is the Smarter Balance Assessment Consortium? • SBAC is a collection of 29 states that have been working collaboratively to develop next-generation assessments that are aligned to the CCSS and that accurately measure student progress toward college and career readiness. • www.smarterbalanced.org

23. The SBAC Assessment System English Language Arts and Mathematics, Grades 3 – 8 and High School Optional Interim assessment system — no stakes Summative assessment for accountability Last 12 weeks of year* DIGITAL CLEARINGHOUSE of formative tools, processes and exemplars; released items and tasks; model curriculum units; educator training; professional development tools and resources; an interactive reporting system; scorer training modules; and teacher collaboration tools. INTERIM ASSESSMENT INTERIM ASSESSMENT • PERFORMANCE • TASKS • Reading • Writing • Math COMPUTER ADAPTIVE ASSESSMENT Computer Adaptive Assessment and Performance Tasks Computer Adaptive Assessment and Performance Tasks Scope, sequence, number, and timing of interim assessments locally determined * Time windows may be adjusted based on results from the research agenda and final implementation decisions.

24. Turn and Talk • What information was new to you in the CCSS overview?

25. CCSS for English, Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

26. English Language Arts Design and Organization • Introduction (8 pages) Essential Reading! • Three main sections • K−5 (cross-disciplinary) • 6−12 English Language Arts • 6−12 Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects • Three appendices • A: Research and evidence; glossary of key terms • B: Reading text exemplars; sample performance tasks • C: Annotated student writing samples

27. Four Strands Reading Writing Speaking & Listening Language

28. Reading • Learning to read - Standards for Reading Foundational Skills K-5: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, and Fluency • Balance of literature and informational texts • Developing the ability to read and comprehend progressively more complex text each year across all grades and classes

29. Writing Text types, responding to reading, and research • Arguments / opinions • Informative / explanatory texts • Narratives • Research projects • Higher standards for writing at • earlier grade levels

30. Language Conventions (effective use) and vocabulary • Standards include the essential rules of standard and written English, but also look at language as a matter of craft and making choices as a writer and speaker • Determine word meanings, increase vocabulary

31. Speaking and Listening Flexible, effective communication and collaboration • Standards require students to develop a range • of broadly useful oral communication and • interpersonal skills, for small group discussions and • formal presentations

32. An Integrated Model of Literacy From the CCSS Introduction: “While the standards delineate specific expectations in each of these four categories, each standard need not be a separate focus for instruction and assessment. For example, Writing standard 9 requires that students be able to write about what they read. Often, several standards can be assessed through a single rich task.”

33. Standards for Reading and Writing in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical subjects at Grades 6-12 • Complement specific content demands, notreplace them • Instruction in reading, writing, speaking is a shared responsibility within a school • Skills: analyze, evaluate, use text features and structure

34. Students who are college and career ready in English Language Arts: • Demonstrate independence in reading and writing • Comprehend as well as critique • Use technology and digital media strategically and capably

35. Features of the Standards • The College and Career Readiness • (CCR) anchorstandards were written • first and describe expectations for the • end of high school. • The CCSS were then back-mapped • down to kindergarten to ensure that • students would be on track early to • meet rigorous end of high school • literary goals.

36. Design and Organization College and Career Readiness (CCR) Anchor Standards • Broad expectations • consistent across grades • and content areas • Based on evidence • about college and • workforce training • expectations

37. CCR Anchor Standards • Please locate the CCR Anchor Standards for Reading. • Options: read around (one or two standards) or one person reads all 10 standards • Reminder: these are expectations at the end of high school. • What do you notice about these standards?

38. Review of ELA Anchor Standards Writing = 10 standards Speaking and Listening = 6 standards Language = 6 standards These documents are located in the back of your packet.

40. Feature of the CCSS: Increased Rigor As students move along the plane of a particular learning trajectory, they study the same expectation each year at ever increasing increments of complexity and sophistication. CCSS Reading Standards for Literature

41. This is called the “spiral effect”. • The “spiral effect” metaphor relates to the • ascending level of difficulty embedded in • the content of each succeeding • grade-specific standard as it approaches • the CCR Anchor Standard.

42. Increased Rigor = “The Spiral Effect” • Review the Example of Spiral Effect handout. • Highlight how the difficulty increases in each grade level. • Work alone or with your partner.

44. The Classroom Connection What does increased rigorin the standards mean for classroom instruction?

45. • CCSS Anchor Standards • The Spiral Effect Which of these (or both) would you review with your grade level group? How? Why?

46. A Closer Look at the English Language Arts Standards

47. Standards Review • Please locate your CCSS grade level standards. • Grades K-2 • Grades 3-5 STANDARDS FOR English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

48. Reading Standards for Literature & Informational Text • Skim page to see general layout. • What do you notice about the subheadings? • Same as Anchor Standards • How many standards are there? 10 • Follow along as we do a page-walk. [Four strands.]

49. Reading: Literature + Informational Text • Choose one grade level and examine standards 1-10. • Highlight to show your understanding: • Green: Good to go; I teach this skill now. • No color: Not so sure about this. • Pink: Oh my gosh! I didn’t see that coming. When finished, skim the other grade levels until your peers are finished.

50. Stand and find a partner from another table. • Share: • how you marked the standards • what you noticed