Common Core State Standards & Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium Parent Training

1. Common Core State Standards & Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium Parent Training Nicole Graham Post University EDU 699

2. Introductions Introductions Overview of Session A and Session B Download a QR scanner

3. Session A Agenda Common Core Overview 8 Mathematical Practices & The Standards Shifts in Mathematical Teaching Questions/Break Smarter Balanced Overview Links for More Information Questions?

4. Session A Objectives • By the end of this session, you will be able to: • Compare and contrast standardized testing theories between CMT & SBAC • Explain the math standards for your child’s grade along with the eight mathematical practices

5. Common Core Beginning (CGCS Video Maker, 2013)

6. Common Core Background Adopted voluntarily by 43 states Created in 2009 for English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics Created to ensure that all students can perform certain skills at the end of specific grade levels Meant to guarantee all students who graduate high school are college ready with 21st century skills (Common Core Standards Initiative, 2014)

7. The Standards Are… Research- and evidence-based Clear, understandable, and consistent Aligned with college and career expectations Based on rigorous content and application of knowledge through higher-order thinking skills Built upon the strengths and lessons of current state standards Informed by other top performing countries in order to prepare all students for success in our global economy and society (Common Core Standards Initiative, 2014)

8. The Standards Are… • NOT a federal law • States voluntarily adopted the CCSS and related assessments • NOT a national curriculum • The CCSS provide a common set of goals, but states, districts, schools, and teachers will continue to determine how to meet those goals • NOT a way to promote more standardized testing (Jones and King, 2012)

9. Questions? What questions do you have about the CCSS?

10. Shifts in Mathematics • The CCSS includes 3 major shifts: • Focus • Coherence • Rigor • Focuses on a smaller set of topics in each grade • Students learn a conceptual understanding of topics, develop procedural skill and fluency, and learn how to apply math inside and outside the classroom (Common Core Standards Initiative, 2014) (Jones & King, 2012)

11. Shifts in Mathematics (Continued) • Stress coherence across grades • Topics progress from grade level to grade level and build on prior knowledge • Strive for rigor in concepts taught • Conceptual understanding – Learn a variety of ways to represent topics and find connections between multiple perspectives • Procedural skill and fluency – Practice skills to achieve accurate calculations • Application – Apply math to real-world scenarios beyond rote practice (Common Core Standards Initiative, 2014) (Jones & King, 2012)

12. The Standards at a Glance (Pagano, G., 2014)

13. The Standards at a Glance (Continued) (Pagano, G., 2014)

14. Expressions & Equations Progression Grade 6 Apply and extend previous understandings of arithmetic to algebraic expressions Reason about and solve one-variable equations and inequalities Represent and analyze quantitative relationships between dependent and independent variables (Common Core Standards Initiative, 2014)

15. Expr. & Eq. Progression (Continued) Grade 7 Use properties of operations to generate equivalent expressions Solve real-life and mathematical problems using numerical and algebraic expressions and equations (Common Core Standards Initiative, 2014)

16. Expr. & Eq. Progression (Continued) Grade 8 Work with radicals and integer exponents Understand the connections between proportional relationships, lines, and linear equations Analyze and solve linear equations and pairs of simultaneous linear equations (Common Core Standards Initiative, 2014)

17. 8 Mathematical Practices The CCSS developed 8 overarching mathematical practices that encapsulate what all math students should strive for: Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them Reason abstractly and quantitatively Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others (Common Core Standards Initiative, 2014)

18. 8 Mathematical Practices (Continued) 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 (Common Core Standards Initiative, 2014)

19. Shift in Mathematics Teaching (Kappan, 2013)

20. Shift in Mathematics Teaching (Continued) (Kappan, 2013)

21. Questions? What questions do you have about shifts in mathematics teaching?

22. New Standardized Tests • In 2010, US Department of Education created a “Race to the Top” assessment grant program to support Common Core Standards • Two companies: Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) and Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) were awarded funds • States have choice of two assessment tests • Connecticut opted for the SBAC Tests • Some schools piloted the SBAC tests during the 2013-2014 • All schools will take the SBAC during the 2014-2015 school year (Jones & King, 2012) (Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, 2014)

23. SBAC Overview • Designed with a focus on college readiness • Encompasses state and federal support to use state-of the-art measurement techniques • Goal is to provide a more authentic assessment of student readiness • Tests include adaptive computer questions, items for students to manipulate, and performance tasks that ask students to use a variety of skills to solve complex real-world problems (Jones & King, 2012)

24. CMT vs. SBAC (Bethany Community School, 2013)

25. Sample Questions (Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, 2014)

26. Sample Questions (Continued) (Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, 2014)

27. Sample Questions (Continued) (Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, 2014)

28. Compare and Contrast Activity • Take a look at the examples of former math CMT questions* • Identify which Standard the question fits • http://www.corestandards.org/ • How would you turn them into SBAC questions? • What aspects would you keep? • What aspects would you change? • Write down your thoughts • Share with small group • Gallery walk *(Connecticut State Department of Education, 2014)

29. Want to Learn More? • Website for Common Core • http://www.corestandards.org/ • Website for Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium • http://www.smarterbalanced.org/ • Contact Me! • [e-mail address]

30. Survey Please take a few moments and let me know what you thought about this training!

31. Session B Agenda Brief summary of Session A Benefits of Parental Support at Home Online Environment

32. Session B Objectives • By the end of this session, you will be able to: • Find or create engaging math activities for your children • Blogabout completing two engaging activities and support one another in the process • After engaging in extracurricular activities with you at home, your children will be able to increase their academic performance compared to peers who do not participate in these activities

33. Parental Support from Home • Parental involvement is known to increase student’s academic achievement • During the middle school years, parental involvement in the form of engaging in activities that supplement the curriculum have the most impact on achievement • Helping with homework was the only form of parental involvement that has a negative effect on student achievement! (Altschul, 2011 and Degner, 2013)

34. Enriching Activities • Expand on students’ learning outside of the school day • Are interactive and project focused • Focus on using previously learned concepts in new ways • Impart knowledge while being fun • Apply knowledge and skills learned in school to real-life experiences • Develop strong relationships between children and caring adults • Provide opportunities for authentic decision-making • Allow the potential for student leadership (Learning Point Associates, n.d.)

35. Online Environment Overview Website: http://mathcommoncoreresources.weebly.com/

36. Choose an Activity! • Find at least 1 activity you would like to try with your child at home • Pick a date on your calendar to do the activity! • Write down the idea you found online • What do you need to accomplish the activity? • What do you want your child to accomplish by the end of the activity?

37. Using the Online Environment • Try at least 2 engaging activities with your children at home • Blog about your experience on the resource website • What activity did you try? • Did you modify it from what the website suggested? • How did you implement the activity? • What worked/didn’t work? • Did you find a resource that wasn’t posted on the website?

38. Want to Learn More? • Website for Common Core • http://www.corestandards.org/ • Website for Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium • http://www.smarterbalanced.org/ • Contact Me! • [e-mail address]

39. Survey Please take a few moments and let me know what you thought about this training!

40. Resources Altschul, I. (2011). Parental involvement and the academic achievement of Mexican American youths: What kinds of involvement in youths’ education matter most? Social Work Research, 35(3), 159-170. Bethany Community School. (2013). CMT vs SBAC – Board of Education Presentation. Retrieved from http://www.bethany-ed.org/page.cfm?p=1127 CGCS Video Maker. (2013). Three-minute video explaining the Common Core State Standards. Retrieved from http://vimeo.com/51933492 Common Core State Standards Initiative. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.corestandards.org/

41. Resources (Continued) Connecticut State Department of Education. (2014). Connecticut Mastery Test Fourth Generation Math Handbook. Retrieved from http://www.csde.state.ct.us/public/csde/cedar/assessment/cmt/math_handbook.htm Degner, K. (2013). Demography as destiny: The role of parental involvement and mathematics course taking patterns among 9th grade students. Current Issues in Education, 16(3), 1-18. Faulkner, V. (2013). Why the Common Core changes math instruction. Kappan Magazine, 95(2), 59 – 63. Jones, A. G., & King, J. E. (2012). The Common Core State Standards: A Vital Tool for Higher Education. Change, 44(6), 37-43. doi:10.1080/00091383.2012.706529

42. Resources (Continued) Learning Point Associates. (n.d.). Academic Enrichment Project. Retrieved from http://www.learningpt.org/promisingpractices/index.html Pagano, G. (2014, January). Smarter balanced assessments: Mathematics overview. Connecticut State Department of Education Literacy Workshops. Retrieved from http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/pdf/student_assessment/smarter_balanced/alw/mathematics_overview.pdf Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.smarterbalanced.org/

43. Resources for Images Common Core State Standards Initiative. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.corestandards.org/ Microsoft Word Clipart Gallery. (2014). QR Stuff. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.qrstuff.com/ Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.smarterbalanced.org/