the common core state standards…. what are they? how will they inform instruction? what are the...
TRANSCRIPT
The Common Core State Standards….
What are they?
How will they inform instruction?
What are the assessments going to be like?
What does this mean for teachers next year?
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The Common Core State The Common Core State Standards Initiative….Standards Initiative….
Beginning in the spring of 2009, Governors and state commissioners of education from 48 states, 2 territories and the District of Columbia committed to developing a common core of state K-12 English-Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics standards.
www.corestandards.org
Standards Development Standards Development ProcessProcess
College and career readiness standards developed in summer 2009
Final Common Core State Standards released on June 2, 2010
Adopted by the Board of Regents in NYS on January 10, 2011
What are the Common Core What are the Common Core State Standards (CCSS)?State Standards (CCSS)?Aligned with college and work
expectations
Include rigorous content and application of knowledge through higher-order thinking skills
Build upon strengths and lessons of current state standards
Internationally benchmarked so that all students are prepared to succeed in our global economy and society
The CCSS….Articulate what students should know
and be able to do (i.e., content and skills)
Are organized to be fewer and clearer
Provide for greater depth of learning
Reflect college and career readiness
Emphasize coherence, focus, and rigor
Why is this important?Why is this important?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
Key Advances: ELAKey Advances: ELAReading Balance of literature and informational texts “Staircase” of increased text complexity
Writing Emphasis on argument and informative or
explanatory writing, which begins as opinion in the earliest grades
Emphasis on writing that references sources
Speaking and Listening Inclusion of formal and informal talk
Language Stress on general academic and domain-
specific vocabulary
Key Advances: ELAKey Advances: ELA
Standards for reading and writing in history/
social studies, science, and technical subjects
Complement rather than replace content standards in those subjects
Responsibility of all teachers to focus on reading and writing in all content areas
Alignment with college and career readiness
expectations
Key differences between existing state standards and the CCSS….click below to view.
https://www.communityoflearning.org/bbcswebdav/library/Library%20Content/CCSS%20Video%20Presentations/4_Jaime_KeyDifferences/4_Jaime_KeyDifferences.html
Key Advances: MathematicsKey Advances: MathematicsFocus and coherence Focus on key topics at each grade level. Coherent progressions across grade levelsBalance of concepts and skills Content standards require both conceptual
understanding and procedural fluency.Mathematical practices Foster reasoning and sense-making in
mathematics.College and career readiness Level is ambitious, but achievable.
What the Standards do NOT What the Standards do NOT define:define: How teachers should teach All that can or should be taught The nature of advanced work
beyond the core The interventions needed for
students well below grade level The full range of support for English
Language Learners and students with special needs
Everything needed to be college and career ready
What about the assessments?
The goal for 2014-2015 is to have….
“Through-course” assessments developed by the Achieve Partnership in ELA and Math (grades 3- 11)
Assessments will be given at three points during the school year near the end of quarters with an end-of-year comprehensive assessment
Results within 2 weeks
Computer-delivered and computer-based
ELA Assessment: ELA Assessment: Mode of AdministrationMode of AdministrationAll of the through-course
components will be administered in an online, computer-based mode in grades 6–11. Students will type their responses, in alignment with the CCSS, which explicitly require students to develop keyboarding skills sufficient to this task.
Promises for the Promises for the AssessmentsAssessmentsTeachers will be able to focus
their instruction on clear targets rather than guessing which standards the tests might cover, and those targets will represent meaningful progress toward an evidence-based standard of college and career readiness.
The assessments will include challenging performance tasks and innovative, computer-enhanced items that elicit complex demonstrations of learning and measure the full range of knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in college and 21st-Century careers.
Assessments will take place throughout the school year so that assessment of learning can take place closer in time to when key skills and concepts are taught.
The assessments will provide information that is useful in informing:◦Teaching, learning, and program
improvement;◦Determinations of school effectiveness;◦Determinations of principal and
teacher effectiveness for use in evaluations and the provision of support to teachers and principals; and
◦Determinations of individual student college and career readiness, such as determinations made for high school exit decisions, college course placement to credit-bearing classes, or college entrance.
(US Department of Education, 2009)
Just introducing new standards and assessments will not transform instructional practice.
Teaching practices must transform to:
◦Foster students’ higher-order thinking skills.
◦Engage students through problem-based or project-based learning.
◦Prepare students for distributive and performance-based assessments.
Professional Development Needs…Teachers will need assistance
with….◦Developing an understanding of the
Common Core content standards.◦Understanding the structure of the
common assessments.◦Creating and scoring performance
tasks and assessments that employ higher ordering thinking skills.
◦Learning to interpret and use data to inform instruction.
Implementation TimelineImplementation Timeline
Implementation Timeline 2011-12NYS Professional Development
Institute for District Network Teams – August 2011
CCSS professional development turnkey training for teachers and principals – Fall 2011
Recommendation that all teachers deliver at least one unit of study aligned with the CCSS each semester during the 2011-12 school year.
A unit of study aligned with the CCSS in ELA & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects would include:
•a focus on close readings of texts for understanding
•a series of text-dependent questions
•extensive writing opportunities that require students to draw information from multiple sources of information
•a focus on notetaking and summarizing of texts
•opportunities for students to share their work orally with their peers
Sample core curriculum maps in ELA and units of study….
To view Common Core Curriculum maps - click here
The Promise of StandardsThe CCSS are not intended to be new names for old ways of doing business. It has been recognized that it is time for states to work together to build on lessons learned from two decades of standards based reforms.
Challenges lie ahead for instructional leaders and
teachers…..
There will be no major changes to curriculum next year. We will proceed thoughtfully and deliberately to align curriculum and instruction with the CCSS over the course of the next
several years!
Thank you. Enjoy your summer vacation!
Please e-mail questions that you may have as a result of this presentation to Carol Gold in the Curriculum and Instruction Office.