Norwalk Public Schools’

MAY 2012 MAY 2012 46 STATES + DC HAVE ADOPTED THE 46 STATES + DC HAVE ADOPTED THE COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDSCOMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS

*Minnesota adopted the CCSS in ELA/literacy only

*Adopted by the CT State Board on July 7, 2010

RECENT CHANGES IN AMERICA…

• Common Core State Standards (CCSS)voluntary, but almost universal (46 States)

• Two testing consortia (PARC & SBAC), both promising computerized testing and performance assessments

• CCSS dictates change in content which will necessitate change in teaching practices

WHAT IS CCSS?

• A core set of academic standards in Mathematics and English/Language Arts collectively developed by states

• Science standards to be ready 2013

CCSS BENEFITS FOR STUDENTS

• They were adopted to bring about real and meaningful transformation of our education system to benefit all students

• They define the knowledge and skills all students need to succeed in college and careers

• Expectations will be consistent for all students

CCSS BENEFITS FOR PARENTS• Helps parents understand what students need to

know and be able to do

• Helps parents support their children and educators by making expectations clear and goals high

• Provides equal access to a high quality education

• Provides opportunities to meaningfully engage parents

CCSS BENEFITS FOR TEACHERS

• Allows for more focused teacher training

• Assures that what is taught is aligned with what is assessed

• Informs the development of a curriculum that promotes deep understanding for all children

WHAT WILL THE CCSS ACCOMPLISH?OVERVIEW

• Consistent Standards at each grade level for ALL states in Math, Language Arts & Science

• Higher standards for ALL students (rigor)• Prepares students to compete globally• More focused teacher training• National common assessments (tests) at each

grade level• Provides the opportunity to compare and

evaluate student achievement across states, Districts, schools, etc…

• Common assessments aligned to the Common Core will help ensure the new standards truly reach every student and “Proficiency” will be a national standard

• This means that every state will have an equal/comparable measure of student performance

CCSS AND THEN COMMON ASSESSMENT

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FEWER, CLEARER, HIGHER - DEPTH over BREADTH MATHEMATICS (K-8)

The K-5 standards provide students with a solid foundation in whole numbers, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions and decimals (less breadth but more depth)

The 6-8 standards describe robust learning in geometry, algebra, and probability and statistics

Modeled after the focus of standards from high-performing nations, the standards for grades 7 and 8 include significant algebra and geometry content

Students who have completed 7th grade and mastered the content and skills will be prepared for algebra, in 8th grade or after

Grades 9-12 organized in conceptual categories or modules/progressions under the headings:

• Number and Quantity• Algebra• Functions• Geometry• Statistics and Probability• Modeling

MATHEMATICS (9-12)

MAJOR SHIFTS K-5• Numeration and operation intensified, and introduced earlier

• Memory of basic addition and multiplication facts at specific grades

• Early place value foundations

• Regrouping as composing / decomposing

• Specific references are made to using the “standard algorithm”

• Emphasis on using unit fractions

• Emphasis on number line as visualization /structure

• Focus on properties of operations

MAJOR SHIFTS K-5 MATHEMATICS

• K – Count by 10’s and 1’s to 100, using fingers to represent addition and subtraction. Fluency with numbers to 20

• Gr. 1 – Count, read, write and represent numbers to 120

• Gr. 2 – Memory of all addition facts

• Gr. 3 – Memory of all multiplication facts. Study of fractions begins

• Gr. 4 – Fluently add and subtract multi-digit problems. Emphasis on unit fractions and using the number line

• Gr. 5 – Beginning of division

INSTRUCTIONAL SHIFTS IN MATH

• FOCUS“Less is more,” “Depth over Breadth,” Fewer topics

• COHERENCEDevelopmentally appropriate progressions: i.e. – What can or should a child learn at each grade level?

• RIGOR (balanced)Fluency (“fast & accurate”), Concepts (“Deep Understanding”) & Application (“Real World”)

The Standards comprise three main sections: a comprehensive K-5 section and two content area-specific

sections for grades 6-11, one in English language arts and one in history/social studies and science

Contains appendices with research supporting the standards, examples of illustrative texts, and samples of student writing

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

MAJOR SHIFTS K-5 IN LITERACY

• Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction and informational text

(50:50 info. Text to lit in K-5)

• Reading and writing grounded in evidence from text

• Regular practice with complex text and its academic vocabulary

• Increased emphasis on Speaking & Listening skills

ASSESSMENT SYSTEM COMPONENTS

Assessment system that balances summative, interim, and formative components for Language Arts and Mathematics:

• Summative Assessment (Computer Adaptive)

• Interim Assessment (Computer Adaptive)

• Formative Processes and Tools

• Exit exams for secondary subjects

COMPUTER ADAPTIVE TESTING (CAT)

-Automatically adjusts the level of difficulty to each child

- Provides more challenging questions until each student achieves a set percentage level

-Reporting the results can be made available more quickly-Test Security is preserved as students are presented with different items

QUESTIONS…

Common Core State Standards (home):

http://www.corestandards.org/

Connecticut State Department of Education:CT CCSS website: http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/cwp/view.asp?a=2618&q=322592

Norwalk Public Schools:

http://portal.norwalkps.org/default.aspx

Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC): http://www.k12.wa.us/SMARTER/

CSDE Web site at