Roberta L. Wohle, Ed.D., Assistant Professor Fairleigh Dickinson University roberta1@fdu

1. Facilitating Successful Transitions to CollegeImplications from the Common Core State Standards Roberta L. Wohle, Ed.D., Assistant Professor Fairleigh Dickinson University roberta1@fdu.edu

2. Program Description Despite the increased enrollment of individuals with disabilities in postsecondary programs, many students struggle to complete their college education. Insufficient "academic college readiness" appears to be one factor contributing to poor retention rates. This workshop will introduce participants to the potential impact of the recently adopted Common Core State Standards on preparing "all" students for the academic demands of college.

3. Learning Outcomes Participants will become familiar with: • the knowledge, skills, and dispositions included in the Common Core State Standards; • strategies for incorporating standards-based curriculum and instruction into the transition planning process; and • a process for selecting accommodations that provide full access to standards-based instruction, while promoting a high level of student independence.

4. Defining College and Career Readiness When students graduate/exit high school, what do you believe they should know and be able to do? • Academically ?? • Socially ?? • Behaviorally ?? What does “college readiness” mean to you?

5. What are the Common Core State Standards(CCS)? Why were the CCS developed? • The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) released the Common Core Standards (“the Standards”) in June 2010. • The Standards initiative represents a first time shift from individual state standards to a national set of expected educational outcomes. • Through the Standards initiative, a shared set of K-12 grade level benchmarks for English language arts and mathematics has been established.

6. What are the (CCS)? Why were the CCS developed? • The purpose of the Standards is to ensure that all students across the United States are prepared for success in postsecondary education and the workforce. • The Standards were developed in response to data indicating that too many students (nondisabled and students with disabilities) graduate from high school, entering postsecondary educational settings, in need of remediation in English language arts and mathematics.

7. Purpose of the Standards A fundamental goal of the Standards is “to promote a culture of high expectations for all students.”

8. What do the Standards tell us about the skills, knowledge, and learning dispositions needed for “college readiness?” English Language Arts • an integrated approach to literacy, setting requirements not only for English language arts (i.e., reading, writing, speaking, and listening), but also for literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects); • increased attention to literary nonfiction than has been traditionally emphasized; • a grade-by-grade “staircase” of increasing text complexity;

9. What do the Standards tell us about the skills, knowledge, and learning dispositions needed for “college readiness?” • emphasis on three mutually reinforcing writing capacities: writing to persuade, to explain, and to convey real or imagined experience, with an increasingly strong focus on writing arguments/opinions and informative/explanatory texts; • attention to language “vocabulary” (i.e., understanding words and phrases, their relationships and nuances, and acquisition of general academic and domain specific words and phrases)

10. What do the Standards tell us about the skills, knowledge, and learning dispositions needed for “college readiness?” Mathematics • strong math foundation in whole numbers, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions and decimals; • emphasis on application of math concepts and procedures, with an end view of robust applications; • concentration on geometry, Algebra, probability and statistics in middle school; and • emphasis in high school on the application of mathematics to novel situations.

11. Application of the Common Core Standards to Students with Disabilities “Students with disabilities must be challenged to excel within the general curriculum and be prepared for success in their post-school lives, including college and/or careers. These common standards provide an historic opportunity to improve access to rigorous academic content standards for students with disabilities.”

12. Application of the Common Core Standards to Students with Disabilities In order for students with disabilities to meet high academic standards and to fully demonstrate their conceptual and procedural knowledge and skills in mathematics and English language arts, their instruction must incorporate supports and accommodations, including: • supports and related services designed to meet the unique needs of these students and to enable their access to the general education curriculum; • an Individualized Education Program (IEP) which includes annual goals aligned with and chosen to facilitate their attainment of grade-level academic standards; • high-quality, evidence-based, individualized instruction and support services;

13. Application of the Common Core Standards to Students with Disabilities • instructional supports for learning―based on the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL)―which foster student engagement by presenting information in multiple ways and allowing for diverse avenues of action and expression; • instructional accommodations ―changes in materials or procedures― which do not change the standards, but allow students to learn within the framework of the Common Core; and • assistive technology devices and services.

14. What are assumptions and implications for students with disabilities with regard to the DESIGN of Standards-based curriculum and instruction? • Students with disabilities have the potential to learn and demonstrate the knowledge and skills included in the Common Core Standards • The Common Core Standards (CCS) will be the primary focus of instruction for students with disabilities

15. What are assumptions and implications for students with disabilities with regard to the DESIGN of Standards-based curriculum and instruction? There are appropriate instructional strategies, techniques, materials, supports and accommodations that will be responsive to the individualized learning needs of students with disabilities, that will enable them to: • Access the standards • Participate in and benefit from CCS related learning experiences and activities • Demonstrate understanding and application of the standards;

16. What are assumptions and implications for students with disabilities with regard to the DESIGN of Standards-based curriculum and instruction? • Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) will reflect standards-based instructional content and appropriate instructional supports and accommodations; and   • The intent of the Standards is consistent with federally mandated transition requirements for transition planning, i.e., preparation for postsecondary education and employment.

17. What are the implications of the Standards for the DESIGN of standards-based Individualized Education Programs and Transition Planning? Instructional Priorities: • Foundational Skills for Literacy and Math • Knowledge and Application of Processes, Procedures, Routines • Automatic, Fluent Performance of Skills and Processes • Higher Order Thinking, Problem Solving, Executive Functions (Habits of Mind) • Learning Dispositions (e.g. Sustained Attention, Persistence, Reflectivity, Cognitive Flexibility, Accuracy and Precision)

18. What are the implications of the Standards for the DESIGN of curricular, instructional, and assessment accommodations of high school students with disabilities and transition planning? Scaffold instruction low enough to create access and high enough to reach common core standards (Reference: Jan Sheinker, June 21, 2010) Scaffold instruction low enough to ensure access and high enough to promote independent performance

19. A Framework for the Consideration of Supports and Accommodations: Scaffolding to Independence • Entry: Target behavior is performed at a low rate or not at all. • Acquisition: Through instruction, target behavior is performed with high accuracy. • Proficiency: Target behavior is performed with high accuracy and fluency. • Maintenance: Rate and accuracy of target behavior is maintained. • Generalization: Rate and accuracy of target behavior is generalized to other settings, persons, or materials. • Application: Target behavior is extended.

20. Implications of the Common Core State Standards for Higher Education • Aligning Key Policies for College Readiness • Development of K–12 Assessments and Alignment with College Placement Policies • Teacher Preparation and In-Service Professional Development • Collaboration regarding the Impact of Supports and Accommodations