Gearing Up for the Common Core State Standards

1. Gearing Up for the Common Core State Standards Sandra M. Alberti Student Achievement Partners

2. Student Achievement Partners – Principles We hold no intellectual property Our goal is to create and disseminate high quality materials as widely as possible. All resources that we create are open source and available at no cost. We encourage states, districts, schools, and teachers to take our resources and make them their own. We do not compete for state, district or federal contracts Ensuring that states and districts have excellent materials for teachers and students is a top priority. We do not compete for these contracts because we work with our partners to develop high quality RFPs that support the Core Standards. We do not accept money from publishers We work with states and districts to obtain the best materials for teachers and students. We are able to independently advise our partners because we have no financial interests with any publisher of education materials. Our independence is essential to our work.

3. Our Agenda Making the Case – Why are we talking about standards? Major shifts in ELA/Literacy Major shifts in Mathematics Opportunities for Alignment • Resources • Professional Development • Assessment • Teacher Effectiveness

4. Results of 20+ years of standards Previous state standards did not improve student achievement. Gaps in achievement Gaps in expectations NAEP results ACT 2012 data – College Readiness Benchmark All 4 subject areas: 25% 3 subject areas: 15% 2 subject areas: 17% 1 subject area: 15% None 28% College remediation rates

5. Why are we doing this? We have had standards. Before Common Core State Standards we had standards, but rarely did we have standards-based instruction. Long lists of broad, vague statements Mysterious assessments Coverage mentality Focused on teacher behaviors – “the inputs”

6. What are our expectations? Based on the beliefs that A quality education is a key factor in providing all children with opportunities for their future It is not enough to simply complete school, or receive a credential – students need critical knowledge and skills This is not a 12th grade or high school issue. It is an education system issue Quality implementation of the Common Core State Standards is a necessary condition for providing all students with the opportunities to be successful after high school.

7. What is this all about? This is bigger than just implementation of a new set of standards. This is part of a larger reform effort to prepare students for college and careers. Great by Choice, Jim Collins Big Hairy Audacious Goal Preserve the Core, Stimulate Progress

8. We support these new, tougher academic standards that are currently being rolled out in classrooms across the country. These standards will better prepare students for college and the workplace, something of critical importance to the nation’s employers. The changes now under way in America’s schools hold great promise for creating a more highly skilled workforce that is better equipped to meet the needs of local, state and national economies.

9. Principles of the CCSS • Fewer - Clearer - Higher • Aligned to requirements for college and career readiness • Based on evidence • Honest about time

10. ELA/Literacy: 3 shifts Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction Reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence from text, both literary and informational

11. What makes Casey’s experiences at bat humorous? What can you infer from King’sletter about the letter that he received? “The Gettysburg Address” mentions the year 1776. According to Lincoln’s speech, why is this year significant to the events described in the speech? Non-Examples and Examples Not Text-Dependent Text-Dependent In “Casey at the Bat,” Casey strikes out. Describe a time when you failed at something. In “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” Dr. King discusses nonviolent protest. Discuss, in writing, a time when you wanted to fight against something that you felt was unfair. In “The Gettysburg Address” Lincoln says the nation is dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Why is equality an important value to promote?

12. Example? • EXAMPLES • James Watson used time away from his laboratory and a set of models similar to preschool toys to help him solve the puzzle of DNA. In an essay discuss how play and relaxation help promote clear thinking and problem solving.

13. ELA/Literacy: 3 shifts Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction Reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence from text, both literary and informational Regular practice with complex text and its academic language

14. Text Complexity • Appendix A • Supplement to Appendix A • Appendix B CCSS address what and how students read.

15. Reflecting on the Shifts

16. Mathematics: 3 shifts Focus: Focus strongly where the standards focus.

17. Traditional U.S. Approach

18. Focusing attention within Number and Operations

19. The shape of math in A+ countries Mathematics topics intended at each grade by at least two-thirds of A+ countries Mathematics topics intended at each grade by at least two-thirds of 21 U.S. states 1 Schmidt, Houang, & Cogan, “A Coherent Curriculum: The Case of Mathematics.” (2002).

20. Priorities in Mathematics

21. Mathematics: 3 shifts Focus: Focus strongly where the standards focus. Coherence: Think across grades, and link to major topics

22. Coherence: Link to major topics within grades Example: data representation Standard 3.MD.3

23. Mathematics: 3 shifts Focus: Focus strongly where the standards focus. Coherence: Think across grades, and link to major topics Rigor: In major topics, pursue conceptual understanding, procedural skill and fluency, and application

24. Required Fluencies in K-6

25. Fluency example Mark each equation true or false: 8 × 9 = 80 – 8 54 ÷ 9 = 24 ÷ 6 7 × 5 = 25 8 × 3 = 4 × 6 49 ÷ 7 = 56 ÷ 8

26. Conceptual Understanding of Place Value

27. Conceptual understanding of place value…?

28. Conceptual Understanding of Fractions

29. Application of math A bird flew 20 miles in 100 minutes a constant speed. At that speed: How long would it take the bird to fly 6 miles? How far would the bird fly in 15 minutes? How fast is the bird flying in miles per hour? What is the bird’s pace in minutes per mile?

30. Mathematical Practices Don’t Bureaucratize Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. Reason abstractly and quantitatively. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others. 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.

31. Reflecting on the Shifts

32. Resources Achievethecore.org Follow us on Twitter: @achievethecore

33. Publishers Criteria Publishers Criteria for ELA/Literacy K-2 Publishers Criteria for ELA/Literacy 3-12 Publishers Criteria for Mathematics K-8

34. Resources for both Math and ELA/Literacy PARCConline.org Smarterbalanced.org

35. Assessment Assessments WORTHY OF INSTRUCTIONAL IMMITATION “Aligned” to the Standards Resources therefore grounded in the CCSS Operational 2014-2015 *on line administration

36. Professional Development 1. Ready 2. Fire 3. Aim

37. Teacher effectiveness: instructional practice evidence guides

38. The Challenge of Aligning Expectations for Teacher Practice to the Requirements of the Common Core Danielson The Common Core will require important shifts in teacher practice, particularly in the areas related to instruction. But current widely adopted teacher observation frameworks are not yet designed to address the requirements of the Common Core. D1: Planning and Preparation D2: Classroom Environment D1: Classroom Strategies and Behaviors D2: Planning and Preparing D3: Instruction D4: Professional Responsibilities D4: Collegiality and Professionalism D3: Reflecting on Teaching Marzano

39. Developing Clear and Consistent Expectations for Instructional Practice To ensure clear and consistent expectations for instructional practice in a manner that is respectful to teachers, it will be necessary to: Create clear, measurable, subject-specific guidance on Common Core aligned instructional practice. Adjust existing subject-neutral teacher observation frameworks so that the structures invite evidence of Common Core aligned instructional practice. Ensure that, where appropriate, expectations for instructional practice – both subject-neutral and subject-specific – are grounded in the Common Core shifts.

40. Guiding Principles for Design Aligned with the Common Core • Designed to increase teachers’ understanding of and support for the Core Standards. • Grounded in specific and measurable practices that support the Core Standards. Humane and fair in its substance and timing • Designed to be implemented in a respectful manner. • Makes sure that teachers have the resources & support to do what is being asked of them. • Makes the full picture of expectations over time available and clear. Aligned with other tools and supports for teachers • Designed to inform a system that supports the ongoing development of teachers. • Linked to high quality tools and supports. • Able to form the backbone of professional development. • Leads to appropriate alignment of expectations across the system (i.e. teachers, principals, schools). • Invites teachers to take ownership in the development of the tool. Invites shared responsibility Scalable and informs continuous improvement • Allows for clear and practical implementation. • Enables evidence of teacher practice and student work to be gathered and communicated to inform continuous refinement and provide information about implementation of the Common Core.

41. All Work Must be Grounded in the Shifts ELA/Literacy Building knowledge through content-rich non-fiction text Reading and writing grounded in evidence from text, both literary and informational Regular practice with complex text and its academic language Mathematics Focus: Focus strongly where the standards focus Coherence: Think across grades, and link to major topics Rigor: In major topics pursue conceptual understanding, procedural skill and fluency, and application with equal intensity

42. Standards Aligned Instructional Practice in English Language Arts (Examplefor Grades 3-5) When the shifts in ELA/Literacy are effectively integrated into instructional practice, evidence of the following can typically be observed: Evident in Each Lesson A high quality text or texts is at the center of the lesson. Questions and tasks are text dependent and text specific. All students are productively engaged in the work of the lesson using evidence. Evident Over the Course of the Year • Students encounter an appropriate balance and sequence of texts. • Students are asked to practice the range of tasks the standards demand. • Student work demonstrates that students meet the expectations for foundational skills and ELA standards. Evident Beyond the Classroom The teacher productively collaborates with other teachers to improve practice.

43. Standards Aligned Instructional Practice in Mathematics (Examplefor Grades K-8) When the shifts in Mathematics are effectively integrated into instructional practice, evidence of the following can typically be observed: Evident in Each Lesson Materials and instruction support the focus and coherence of the Standards. All students grow in their capacity for rigor in mathematics. All students practice the discipline of mathematics in grade-appropriate ways. Evident Over the Course of the Year • Focus: Students focus strongly where the Standards focus. • Coherence: The lessons and tasks students encounter reinforce coherence across and within grades. • Rigor: Students pursue conceptual understanding, procedural skill & fluency and application with each intensity. Evident Beyond the Classroom The teacher productively collaborates with other teachers to improve practice.

44. Key Characteristics of Leading Organizations Systems Thinking Learning Organizations Know – Really Know – the expectations

45. Power of the Shifts Know them – both the what and the why Internalize them Apply themto your decisions about • Time • Energy • Resources • Assessments • Conversations with parents, students, colleagues Continue to engage with them: • www.achievethecore.org • Follow us on Twitter: @achievethecore

46. Gearing Up for the Common Core State Standards Sandra M. Alberti Student Achievement Partners