Connecting the Dots

CCSS, NWEA, DI… Help!An Overview of cerca

Today

Opportunities and Challenges of Supporting the Common Core State Standards Implementation AND Staying Focused Growth

Understanding how a set of Common Core State Standard-Aligned critical literacy practices can help teachers Differentiate Instruction for Growth on NWEA

“If you can’t see it the classroom, it’s not there.”

“There are only three ways to improve student learning at scale:

• You can raise the level of the content that students are taught.

• You can increase the skill and knowledge that teachers bring to the teaching of that content.

• And you can increase the level of students’ active learning of the content.

That’s it. Everything else is instrumental.”

—Richard Elmore “The Instructional Core” Gregory R.Anrig Professor of Educational Leadership, Harvard Graduate School of

Education

Cell Phones in Schools?

Text Evidence• Compact• Can be used to record

sounds and images• May contain software

applications

Bloom’s Cognitive Process Dimension

1. Remember 2. Understand3. Apply4. Analyze5. Evaluate6. Create

“Ya Know” vs. Purposeful Academic Language Development

CCSS-Aligned

From Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Appendix A: Research Supporting Key Elements of the Standards

...the Standards put particular emphasis on students’ ability to write sound arguments on substantive topics and issues, as this ability is critical to college and career readiness. English and education professor Gerald Graff (2003) writes that “argument literacy”is fundamental to being educated.The university is largely an “argument culture,” Graff contends....He claims that because argument is not standard in most school curricula, only 20 percent of those who enter college are prepared in this respect....When teachers ask students to consider two or more perspectives on a topic or issue, something far beyond surface knowledge is required: students must think critically and deeply, assess the validity of their own thinking, and anticipate counterclaims in opposition to their own assertions.

Real-Life Social Activity

Test or No Test

Debate-oriented discussion is a favorite, real-life social activity.

Do you ever go a day without one?

What is cerca?

• Education for Thinking

• A school-wide/district-wide common language and core set of leveled and adaptable tools and practices for developing critical literacy across all disciplines.

• A streamlined system for coordinating and differentiating instruction, centered on exploring essential questions through the common practices of academic discussion and claim-making in traditional academic writing, as well as in multimedia formats.

• An approach for debatifying content in service of developing skills and improving rigor and engagement for true cognitive growth and college & career readiness.

Research-Based

• The new Common Core State Standards focus on close reading and evidence-based argumentation as the key to academic literacy, career readiness, and rigorous thought.

• Using the cerca lens challenges students to read closely and critically with authentic motivation to move beyond comprehension into critical analysis, making instruction more rigorous so all students grow.

• Debate-centered, cerca is naturally social and participatory.

• Whole faculties can collaborate strategically around skill development, providing individualized support, regardless of teaching styles.

*See “Additional Resources” on page 25.

• Answers a specific question given in a prompt or asserts an independent claim generated by the student.

• Claim statement often suggests/addresses an audience.

• Tells readers why the issue is significant*. Providing key words as part of an essential question unit often helps students express this significance and their reasoning. For example, in discussions of Facebook and teens, “privacy,” “freedom,” and “safety” are key terms students will need.

*CCSS

claim

• Quotations from the text (Word for Word).

• Summary of text.

• Paraphrased information.

• Facts & statistics.

• Anyone engaged in the argument can find this and use it.

evidence

• The source of the greatest language and cognitive demands.

• This is thinking spelled out.

• Answers this question: “How does that evidence help prove the claim?”

• Where rigor and learning reside.

reasoning

counter-claim

• Bring it on! The counter-claim challenges students to consider other viewpoints by asking them to state an opponent’s argument and to develop a rebuttal from a shared value.

• A natural and serious game, debate is animated by counter- argument. Responsiveness to another argument makes the counter-claim in writing, play, discussion, or creation the most engaging aspect of cerca.

• Exploring opposing viewpoints is a strong thread throughout all academic standards, from the College Readiness Standards to the Common Core Standards. It is also a skill featured prominently in Advanced Placement assessments across disciplines.

audience-appropriate language

• Academic Language Learners (ALLs) and English Language Learners (ELLs) struggle with the power of their own ideas because they often lack the language or the confidence to express the abstract concepts and complex ideas that are the basis of reason- giving in all forms of argumentation.

• Academic terms, discipline-specific sentence frames, and arguespeak can be provided to scaffold these challenges.• In reading, students can begin to see arguments with a kind of X-ray vision when they are given this support, providing more support and practice for challenging reading.

• Students can be taught about correct usage, punctuation, or even the aptness of a word choice, when we pay regular attention to these details within a systematic program.

Skill Development

• Standards and Skills-Aligned Task Templates and Rubrics

• Color-Coding System and Sentence Template-supported, systematic academic skill and language development for ALLs and ELLs

• Authentically Differentiated and Growth-Focused

Personalized Learning Delivered

Multi-Modal, Multi-Media Text/Tasks

Personalized & Collaborative

Differentiation made simple. 4 levels of texts. 4 levels of tasks.

CERCA Centers Samples

• Scorpions by Walter Dean Meyers• Building a progression of texts

CERCA Centers

Make-UpStation

Book Club Independent Reading

Station

Thinking about

Character

Thinking about

Text to X Connection

s

Persuasive Writing

Thinking aboutWords

Thinking

with CERCA

Learning Plan

Centers

Thinking about Connections

Thinking about Words

Thinking about Characters

Thinking about What Happened

Thinking with CERCA

Required Submissions

1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4*

1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4* Multiple options available.

Group or Individual Name _______________________________________________________________

Thinking about CERCA

CERCA prompts (con’t)13 Read from the beginning of the chapter

through “Jamal went down to the first floor, then into his homeroom. He went to the closet, got his coat, and left the school.”

Who should be held responsible for Jamal still having a gun later in the book, Jamal or the school?

CERCA

14 Read the whole chapter. Sassy’ s decision to make: Should Sassy tell Mama about Jamal having a gun?

CERCADecision Chart

15 Read from “’We got to talk,’ Jamal said?” through “Tito gave him his pencil, and Jamal wrote down the telephone number next to the We Deliver sign.”

Jamal’s decision to make: How will Jamal resolve his issues with the Scorpions?

CERCADecision Chart

16 “’Suppose he start something with you?’” “Remember what you said about being beaten up and then it’s over and not too bad?” “Yeah?” “So that’s what I’m going to do,” Jamal said. If he starts to beat me up, I’m just going to take it like a man. Then I’m going to walk away, and when I get home I’ll just wash up and laugh at him.”

Evaluate Jamal’s decision to allow Indian to beat him up. Was letting Indian this the only or best solution to his problems at this point?

CERCA

17-18 Read pages 182-186 and 195-201 Was Jamal a good friend to Tito? CERCA19-20 Read the last three chapters of the novel. Tito’s decision to make: Should

Tito keep his actions secret?

CERCA Decision Chart

Chapter

Close Reading Passage Opening and Closing Paragraphs (1st Sentence/Last Sentence)

Prompt CERCA Type

Thinking about Words

NWEA DescartesWord Analysis and Vocabulary Skills

191-200 201-210 211-220 220+

Chooses the synonym (term not used) for a

given word

Identifies the word that is a

synonym (term defined)

for a given word

Infers the meaning of a word using

contextclues, then

selects the word that has the same

meaning

Recognizes multiple

meanings for a given word

Thinking about Words Option 1: New Words in the Text

Word that has Same Meaning

Name:_________________

Word that has Opposite Meaning

Picture or Iconof Vocabulary

Part of Speech Sentence Using the Vocabulary Word

Vocabulary Word

Thinking about Words Option 4: Key Words and Academic Terms

Key terms I may need for discussing this book.

Name:_________________

Vocabulary Word

Dictionary Definition

Dictionary Definition 2

Synonym Antonym Picture or Icon that Represents the Word.

Thinking about Characters

NWEA Descartes Literature: Literary Elements and Techniques

191-200 201-210 211-220 221 - 230

- Analyzes character traits (term not used) in literary text

- Determines a character's feelings and/or emotionsbased on the information found in literary texts

- Determines a character's feelings and/or emotionsbased on the information found in literary texts

- Infers the conflict in a literary text

- Analyzes to determine the problem presented in literary texts

- Infers the reason behind a character's actions

- Infers the qualities (emotional and/or physical) of acharacter based on information found in literary texts

-Infers the reason behind a character'sfeelings/emotions

- Identifies the qualities (emotional and/or physical) of acharacter in literary texts

- Analyzes techniques used by an author to developcharacters in literary text

- Evaluates character development in literary text

- Infers the qualities (emotional and/or physical) of acharacter based on information found in literary texts

Thinking About Characters Option 2: Understanding Character

Character 1:

Values:

Concerns:

Influences:

Feelings:

Problems:

Name:________________

Character 2::

Values:

Concerns:

Influences:

Feelings:

Problems:

Thinking About Characters Option 4a: Predicting Character Choice

I predict ________________________________ will... _________________________(Character Name)

______________________________________________________________________

because _______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

I predict this decision will affect their character development in the following ways….

Name:________________

Effect 1 Effect 2 Effect 3

Persuasive Writing

Persuasive Writing Center• Jamal was able to bring a gun into school without being caught. Bringing weapons into

schools has become a problem that schools face. One way to try to prevent weapons from coming into the schools would be through random possession checks. This would give a teacher or principal the right to search through students’ back packs, desks, and lockers. Write a persuasive essay to convince the school board that schools should have the right to randomly search students’ possessions?

• Jamal was bullied by Dwayne to the point that he would do anything to get him to leave him alone. Bullying is another common problem within schools today. Cyber bullying is one form of bullying that has become common in the last few years. Facebook allows an easy way for students to cyber bully. Write a persuasive essay convincing the government that children under 16 should not have a Facebook page.

• Dwayne made fun of Jamal for the clothes that he wore and that made Jamal feel bad about himself. Chicago Public Schools worry that the same mistreatment could happen to their students at school so they have enforced a uniform policy. Write a persuasive essay convincing the government to make uniforms mandatory for all elementary aged students.

• Mr. Davidson only focused on the negative actions of Jamal and hoped that Jamal would do something that would allow him to be kicked out of school. Suspending kids is a common consequence used within schools to punish kids for misbehavior. Write a persuasive essay to convince the school board that suspending kids is not an effective form of punishment.

Progressions of Texts

• Build opportunities for students to access more complex texts through background knowledge development.

• Provide opportunities for all students to engage in rigorous close reading and argumentation by differentiating text levels for various levels of readiness.

Pre-K Practice Example

Pre-K Read-Aloud: What evidence from the picture might make people think that elephants are like people? Who is the big elephant? Who might the little elephants be?

2nd Grade: What evidence does the author give us that help us understand her claim that elephants are social? Use exact words from the text?Locates information in short passages (1 to 3 sentences) of informational text containing simple sentence construction (RiT 171-180)

Pre-K Practice Example

CERCA Prompt: What evidence and reasoning does the author provide to support his claim that elephants are smart? Do you agree or disagree with this position?

• “Identifies the supporting details in short (3 to 8 sentences) passages of informational text.” containing one or more compound sentences ”

• “Paraphrases information found in complex informational text.”

• “Locates and paraphrases information in informational text (5-6 paragraphs)”

(Norm: Rit199.8 BOY 4th grade 2011)

Assessing Descartes

Grade 4, Standard 2: Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text.

• CERCA Prompt Level 1: What is the main idea of ________, and how does the author support this main idea with key details?

• CERCA Prompt Level 4: What evidence and reasoning does the author provide to support his argument that ________? Do you agree or disagree with this position?

• CERCA Sentence Starter Stem:The main idea of _______ by _____ is ____. The author supports this claim with key details such as _____, ____, and _____ in order to prove that _____.

Descartes as CCSS

What evidence and reasoning does the author provide to support his argument that ________? Do you agree or disagree with this position?

• Locate important details in uncomplicated passages

• Make simple inferences about how details are used in passages

Descartes as College Readiness Standards (Assessed on EPAS)

NWEA-EXPLORE Correlation

*College readiness EXPLORE Benchmark in Reading: 15*RIT Scores: NWEA-ACT Linking Study*Percentile: 2011 Norm Study

*College readiness EXPLORE Benchmark in Math: 17

*RIT Scores: NWEA-ACT Linking Study

*Percentile: 2011 Norm Study

RIT Score (Spring)

Percentile (Spring)

% Probability of Meeting College Readiness Benchmark

# Pershing Students

Minimum 225 57% 45% 217

Minimum 230 70% 64% 191

Minimum 235 80% 82% 102

Minimum 240 88% 96% 67

Minimum 245 93% 100% 30

NWEA-EXPLORE Correlation: Reading

RIT Score (Spring)

Percentile (Spring)

% Probability of Meeting College Readiness Benchmark

# Pershing Students

Minimum 240 62% 53% 196

Minimum 245 72% 70% 139

Minimum 250 81% 85% 96

Minimum 255 88% 93% 61

Minimum 260 92% 99% 53

Minimum 265 95% 100% 45

NWEA-EXPLORE Correlation: MATH

Total 8th Graders in Pershing: 1400

School A

School B

Discussion around Data Movement

Principals demand for grade & classroom data

by Spring 12!

Ambitious Instruction in English

Sample (Before)

Grade 4 Reading/ELA Sample: What is the main idea of “Elephants Cooperate, Proving How Smart They Really Are” by Charles Q. Choi and what key details does he use to support it?

The main idea of Elephants Cooperate, Proving How Smart They Really Are is elephants may be smarter than we think.

First off an elephant can see itself in a mirrors, only some animals can do this (humans apes and dolphins).

Elephants also will help each other. For example, the elephants work together to get a bucket of corn.

Finally an elephant will stay with their mate, unlike crows, hyenas.

After that I think that elephants are very intelligent.

Sample (After)

Grade 4 Reading/ELA Sample: “Elephants Cooperate, Proving How Smart They Really Are” by Charles Q. Choi.

The main idea of “Elephants Cooperate, Proving How Smart They Really Are,” by Charles Q. Choi is that elephants are pretty smart. The author supports this claim with key details such as the fact that they can see themselves in mirrors, work together, the help each other. That only goes for a couple of other animals, which are dolphins, apes, and humans. Choi begins the summary of his research telling us that people used to think that elephants were not as smart as them. He starts giving us reasons. He gives the test results to persuade us. The elephants would work together to get corn. “They had to coordinate their efforts so that each could get a tasty bucket of corn.” This shows that the elephants will cooperate to get the corn. Most animals such as lions will fight each other to get the food, but elephants will work together to make sure they both get the food.

After (continued)

Some people might argue that other animals work together too, but an elephant will keep going for a very long time, but others don’t. “Elephant behavior is flexible.” If they grew up learning how to do something they will do it, but other animals don’t change. Elephants are smart enough. They can start a community. Some animals can build a structure like a nest. It is a structure. It is built by a living thing. When you build something, it is not like you are just taking over something that is built for you. Choi proves to us that elephants are smart by telling us about the test results, which show that the elephants are not evolved or smart enough to build a structure but they will work together to help themselves. That’s pretty smart because they can learn and change.

Sample Rubric

The writer clearly stated their claim, explaining the underlying significance of the issue.

Writer uses sufficient, valid, and relevant evidence from another source to support claim through direct quotation (word-for-word) and summary and paraphrase as necessary.

Writer effectively explains exactly how or why the evidence supports the claim of the paragraph(s).

Writing contains an effective concluding statement that follows from and supports the argument presented, making the significance of the issue and reasoning behind the argument clear.

Writing demonstrates skillful use of words and phrases that would appeal to the audience to make an effective argument in which the claim is explicitly supported by evidence and sound reasoning. The paragraph flows like one piece of writing as opposed to separate parts stitched together.

Writing contains no errors in X.

Writer states a claim but does not develop the claim’s significance.

Writer uses some valid or relevant evidence from another source to support claim through summary, paraphrase, or direct quotation (word-for-word), but evidence is not sufficient to prove claim.

Writer explains how evidence from the text supports the claim of the paragraph but too much of the thinking behind the argument is left unstated.

Writing contains a concluding statement that follows from and supports the argument presented, but may be mechanical or simply repetitious.

Choice of words and/or development of sentences and phrases make it difficult for the writer to make an effective argument in which the claim is explicitly supported by evidence and sound reasoning.

Writing contains less than 3 errors in X

Writer states an unclear claim or does not state a claim at all.

Writer uses insufficient, invalid, and irrelevant evidence to support claim through summary, paraphrase, or direct quotation (word-for- word).

Writer fails to explain or fails to explain clearly how evidence from the text supports the claim of the paragraph.

Writing contains an unclear concluding statement, one that does not clearly follow from or support the argument presented, or no concluding statement at all.

Writing is difficult to understand and ineffective in communicating the reasoning or the relationships that link the evidence to the claim.

Writing contains more than 4 errors in X.

Claim

Evidence

Reasoning

ConclusionClaim

AppropriateLanguage

Conventionsof Usage and

Punctuation

Component 1 2 3 4 5

Sample Rubric

RL.10, RI.10, W.1a 3

W.1 6

W.1 7

W.1 1

L.6,W.1 1

Additional Requirements

2

CCSS Score Earned Weight Revision Priority Level 1-5 Notes and Suggestions

Why Debatify? Why Write?

• Real, timely, trackable, and actionable data.

• Valued across disciplines and pedagogical styles.

• Common & meaningfully repeatable tasks with differentiated texts and skills focus helps teachers address the practical challenges of differentiated instruction/personalized learning.

• Given accessible texts and a good reason to argue, students can and do get what it says, what it means, and why it matters.

• Parents can finally understand our language.

What’s In It For Me?

• School LeadersA complete set of tools to help the entire team strategically orchestrate efforts around student skill development.

• TeachersStudents gain a better understanding of content, produce better writing, and engage with each other productively.Collaborative focus allows for shared practices among teachers, making the whole team’s focus clear to students and mutually reinforcing.

• StudentsActually understand what we mean when we are talking about literacy skills. Develop intellectual values and refine powerful thinking, reading, writing, listening and speaking skills that apply to all areas of their lives. See the explicit connections between real life and school life.

• ParentsShare a vocabulary that gives them a way to understand what students are supposed to know and be able to do and how teachers are strategically orchestrating efforts to help them achieve.

Additional Resources

Anderson, Lorin W., David R. Krathwohl, Benjamin Samuel Bloom, and Benjamin Samuel Bloom. A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing: a Revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives : Complete Edition. New York: Longman, 2001. Print.

“Common Core State Standards Initiative | The Standards | English Language Arts Standards.” Common Core State Standards Initiative | Home. Web. 02 July

2011. <http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards/english-language-arts-standards>.

Graff, Gerald, and Cathy Birkenstein.“A Progressive Case for Educational Standardization.” Academe 94.3 (2008): 16–20.

Hillocks, George. Teaching Argument Writing, Grades 6-12: Supporting Claims with Relevant Evidence and Clear Reasoning. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2011.

Print

Kozulin, Alex. Vygotsky’s Educational Theory in Cultural Context. UK: Cambridge UP, 2003. Print.

Kuhn, Deanna. Education for Thinking. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 2008. Print. Reeves,

Douglas B. “The 90/90/90 Schools Study | The Leadership and LearningCenter.” http://www.leadandlearn.com/90-90-90

Wormeli, Rick. Fair Isn’t Always Equal: Assessing & Grading in the DifferentiatedClassroom. Portland, Me.: Stenhouse, 2006. Print.

Connect With Us

• Register at www.thinkcerca.com to begin using online cerca System for personalizing CCSS Literacy Instruction this fall.

• Contact Us for District Implementation Planning & Professional Development!

www.thinkcerca.com

Eileen Murphy Buckley

773-255-1928info@thinkcerca.com

@thinkcerca

Additional Data of Interest

K-8 Educators may be interested in seeing additional slides based on ACT.org research findings.

MATHEMATICS SCIENCE

ENGLISH READING

Relative Magnitude of Effect in Predicting Eleventh/Twelfth-Grade College and Career Readiness (All Students)

Increases in ACT College Readiness Benchmark Attainment Associated with Various Academic Interventions

Increases in ACT College Readiness Benchmark Attainment Associated with Various Academic Interventions (All Students)

Increases in ACT College Readiness Benchmark Attainment Associated with Various Academic Interventions (All Students)

Increases in ACT College Readiness Benchmark Attainment Associated with Various Academic Interventions (All Students)

Impact of Reading Achievement & Achievement in Other Areas