Getting to the Core: one district’s approach to CCSS

1. Getting to the Core:one district’s approach to CCSS Christopher Bronke English Department Chair Downers Grove North High School cbronke@csd99.org Janice Schwarze English Department Chair Downers Grove South High School jschwarze@csd99.org

2. Overview Objectives: By the end of this workshop, participants will: • know one approach to unpacking and aligning the CCSS ELA 9th and 10th grade speaking and listening standards across all disciplines • have a sense where their school is in the process compared to other schools nation-wide • walk away with ideas for CCSS professional development

3. Where is your school in the process?

4. Planning and Decision Making • Why speaking and listening first? • And what is the plan for Reading and Writing? • Why cross-disciplinary? • Gaining administrative support • Four full-day meetings • Two guiding principles: • Instructing vs. assigning • Not new, just aligned = more time, not less

5. The Committee

6. The Process—Meeting One: Unpacking the Standards • Unpacking the standards—a natural place to start • assessment Literacy in D99 (Stiggins) • committee planning member as district coach • The Process • two groups per standard, two standards per group • groups unpacked both of their standards • groups paired up to create consensus—repeat for 2nd standard • whole-group processing

7. The Process—Meeting One: Unpacking the Standards • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9–10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.1a Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas. • I can identify my own opinion on a given topic of discussion prior to a discussion. • I can identify evidence in a given text or research material that supports my thinking on the topic of discussion. • I can combine evidence from a given text or research material to form arguments or draw conclusions on a topic prior to a discussion. • I can predict the counterarguments or other ideas that may be presented in the discussion. • I can plan questions based on the given text/material that will help me to better understand and/or challenge the counterarguments/ideas on the topic of discussion. • I can organize my ideas, evidence, and questions prior to the discussion so that I can easily refer to them during a discussion. • The information from text/research that I include in my comments during the discussion demonstrates reasoning that supports my idea or argument I am putting forth. • I verbally cite the source of facts that I use during a discussion. • I incorporate information presented in my reading or research into the questions I ask of others in the discussion.

8. The Process—Meeting Two • Goals for December meeting: • Generate more buy-in • Know what others are doing • Understand how the targets are useful • Begin discussion of common rubrics

9. The Process—Meeting Two

10. The Process—Meetings 3 and 4 • Work to be done: • finalize learning targets • sequence and importance • finalize skill sequence • department responsibilities • create common rubric(s) • identify professional development needs

11. Professional Development—our ideas • Menu of “courses” for August institute day(s) • respected teachers from all departments as trainers • Speaking and Listening Coaches • literacy coaching model • Flipped Classroom • Opportunities for teachers to share what they do • brown bag lunches • department meeting presentations • after school sessions for salary schedule credit

12. Professional Development—Your ideas • What is your school doing for speaking and listening professional development? • What professional development is your school doing for CCSS as a whole?