Raising the Bar: The Common Core and Gifted Education

1. Raising the Bar: The Common Core and Gifted Education August 21, 2013 Sandra M. Alberti, Ed.D. Student Achievement Partners

2. Student Achievement Partners – Principles We hold no intellectual property Our goal is to create and disseminate high quality materials as widely as possible. All resources that we create are open source and available at no cost. We encourage states, districts, schools, and teachers to take our resources and make them their own. We do not compete for state, district or federal contracts Ensuring that states and districts have excellent materials for teachers and students is a top priority. We do not compete for these contracts because we work with our partners to develop high quality RFPs that support the Core Standards. We do not accept money from publishers We work with states and districts to obtain the best materials for teachers and students. We are able to independently advise our partners because we have no financial interests with any publisher of education materials. Our independence is essential to our work.

3. Why are we doing this? We have had standards. Before Common Core State Standards we had standards, but rarely did we have standards-based instruction. Long lists of broad, vague statements Mysterious assessments Coverage mentality Focused on teacher behaviors – “the inputs” Standards aligned vs. Standards based Standards vs. Standardization Standards vs. Curriculum

4. Principles of the CCSS Fewer - Clearer - Higher Aligned to requirements for college and career readiness Based on evidence Honest about time

5. Implications What implications do the CCSS have on what we teach? What implications do the CCSS have on how we teach? This effort is about much more than implementing the next version of the standards: It is about preparing all students for success in college and careers.

6. ELA/Literacy: 3 shifts Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction Reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence from text, both literary and informational

7. What makes Casey’s experiences at bat humorous? What can you infer from King’sletter about the letter that he received? “The Gettysburg Address” mentions the year 1776. According to Lincoln’s speech, why is this year significant to the events described in the speech? Non-Examples and Examples Not Text-Dependent Text-Dependent In “Casey at the Bat,” Casey strikes out. Describe a time when you failed at something. In “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” Dr. King discusses nonviolent protest. Discuss, in writing, a time when you wanted to fight against something that you felt was unfair. In “The Gettysburg Address” Lincoln says the nation is dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Why is equality an important value to promote?

8. Example? • EXAMPLES • James Watson used time away from his laboratory and a set of models similar to preschool toys to help him solve the puzzle of DNA. In an essay discuss how play and relaxation help promote clear thinking and problem solving.

9. ELA/Literacy: 3 shifts Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction Reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence from text, both literary and informational Regular practice with complex text and its academic language

10. Text Complexity • Appendix A • Supplement to Appendix A • Appendix B CCSS address what and how students read.

11. Mathematics: 3 shifts Focus: Focus strongly where the standards focus.

12. The shape of math in A+ countries Mathematics topics intended at each grade by at least two-thirds of A+ countries Mathematics topics intended at each grade by at least two-thirds of 21 U.S. states 1 Schmidt, Houang, & Cogan, “A Coherent Curriculum: The Case of Mathematics.” (2002).

13. Traditional U.S. Approach

14. Focusing attention within Number and Operations

15. Priorities in Mathematics

16. Mathematics: 3 shifts Focus: Focus strongly where the standards focus. Coherence: Think across grades, and link to major topics

17. Coherence: Link to major topics within grades Example: data representation Standard 3.MD.3

18. Mathematics: 3 shifts Focus: Focus strongly where the standards focus. Coherence: Think across grades, and link to major topics Rigor: In major topics, pursue conceptual understanding, procedural skill and fluency, and application

19. Conceptual understanding of place value…?

20. Conceptual Understanding of Place Value

21. Conceptual Understanding of Fractions

22. Assessment Examples: MA v. Hong Kong

23. Assessment Examples: MA v. Hong Kong

24. Assessment Examples: MA v. Hong Kong

25. Required Fluencies in K-6

26. Mathematical Practices Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. Reason abstractly and quantitatively. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others. Model with mathematics. Use appropriate tools strategically. Attend to precision. Look for and make use of structure. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

27. Continue to engage with the shifts Follow us on Twitter: @achievethecore www.achievethecore.org • Shifts • PD modules, iTunes U courses • Close reading exemplars • In Common - Student writing samples • Areas of focus in mathematics • Basal Alignment Project & Anthology Alignment Project • Toolkit for Evaluating Alignment of Instructional and Assessment Materials • Instructional Practice Guides

28. Key Characteristics of Leading Organizations Systems Thinking Learning Organizations Know – Really Know – the expectations

29. Your Turn Q & A