The CCS and ELL Learners

1. The CCS and ELL Learners Julia Lara JLara Educational Consulting, LLC Nov 2, 2010

2. Overview of Presentation • Part 1 • Introduction • Provide an overview of the common core standards, Implication for ELL learners • Review of conditions that support ELL student achievement at the school level • Questions, Exercise

3. Why Common Core Standards? • Consistent expectations. There is wide variability across states. • Clear guidepost for development curricula, professional development, assessments • Economies of scale • Greater comparability of research findings

4. Average Reading Literacy Scores of 15 Year-Old Students by Country Rank Country Score 1 Finland 544 2 Korea 534 3 Canada 528 4 Australia 525 5 New Zealand 522 6 Ireland 516 7 Sweden 514 8 Netherlands 513 9 Belgium 508 10 Norway 500 11 Switzerland 499 12 Japan 498 13 Poland 497

5. 14 France 496 15 United States 495 16 Iceland 492 17 Denmark 492 18 Austria 491 19 Germany 491 20 Czech Republic 489 21 Hungary 482 22 Spain 481 23 Luxembourg 479 24 Portugal 478 25 Italy 476 26 Greece 472 27 Slovak Republic 469 28 Turkey 441 29 Mexico 400 Source: National Center for Education Statistics, “International Outcomes of Learning in Mathematics Literacy and Problem Solving: PISA 2003 Results from the U.S. Perspective” (2003).

6. Average Combined Mathematics Literacy Scores of 15 Year-Old Students by Country Rank Country Score 1 Finland 544 2 Korea 542 3 Netherlands 538 4 Japan 534 5 Canada 532 6 Belgium 529 7 Switzerland 527 8 Australia 524 9 New Zealand 523 10 Czech Republic 516 11 Iceland 515 12 Denmark 514 13 France 511 14 Sweden 509

7. 15 Austria 506 16 Germany 503 17 Ireland 503 18 Slovak Republic 498 19 Norway 495 20 Luxembourg 493 21 Poland 490 22 Hungary 490 23 Spain 485 24 United States 483 25 Portugal 466 26 Italy 466 27 Greece 445 28 Turkey 423 29 Mexico 385 Source: National Center for Education Statistics, “International Outcomes of Learning in Mathematics Literacy and Problem Solving: PISA 2003 Results from the U.S. Perspective” (2003

8. Common Core standards • Standards define what students should know and be able to do to be successful in college and careers • Are state developed for K-12 in English/language arts and mathematics • Lead organizations Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and National Governor’s Association (NGA) • Source: Susan Pimentel, Presentation 9/27/2010 CCSSO Meeting CCS and ELLs

9. Limitations • Standards do not specify how they should be taught • Nature of advance work beyond the core • Interventions for students below grade level • Supports for ell learners

10. key Features • Research based • Aligned with college and work expectations • Rigorous and • Internationally benchmarked

11. Design and organization ELA/Literacy Standards • K-5 (cross disciplinary) • 6-12 English Language Arts • 6-12 Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects • Four Strands • Reading • Writing • Speaking and Listening • Language

12. ELA standards what is different? • Reading: • Emphasis on informational texts • Focus on text complexity and what students read: • Example from appendix B of the CCS website

13. Example

14. Writing • Emphasis on argument and informative/explanatory writing • Grade 4: 50% literary, 50% informational • Grade 8: 45% 55% • Grade 12: 30% 70% • Writing about sources • Types of writing: Students are expected to • Persuade, explain, and convey experience • Grade 4: 30% (persuade), 35% explain, and 35% experience

15. writing • 8th grade: 35% persuade 35% explain, 30% experience • 12th grade: 40% persuade, 40% explain, 20% experience

16. Speaking and listening • Day to day purposeful academic talk • Inclusion of formal and informal talk

17. language • Stress on general and academic specific vocabulary • Ask students to assess the degree to which their writing and speaking differs from formal English • Standards include rules of standard written and spoken English

18. Mathematics Standards • Carry across all grade levels • Describe habits of mind of a mathematically expert student • Standards for Mathematical Content • K-8 standards presented by grade level • Organized into domains that progress over several grades • Grade introductions give 2-4 focal points at each grade level • High School standards presented by conceptual frame (numbers and quantity, algebra, functions, modeling, geometry, statistics and probability]

19. Examples of performance tasks [math elementary] • From grades 1-5 same domains, but different standards with increasing complexity as they move up the grade sequence: • Operations and algebraic thinking • Numbers and operations in base ten • Numbers and operations—fractions • Measurement and data • Geometry • Mathematical Practices

20. Middle school [6,7,8] • Ratios and Proportional Relationships • The Number System • Expressions and Equations • Geometry • Statistics and Probability • Mathematical Practices

21. HS statistics and probability • Interpreting Categorical and Quantitative Data [domain] • Summarize, represent, and interpret data on a single count or measurement variable[cluster] • 1. Represent data with plots on the real number line (dot plots, histograms, and box plots). • 2. Use statistics appropriate to the shape of the data distribution to compare center (median, mean) and spread (interquartile range, standard deviation) of two or more different data sets.

22. What are the implications of the CCS for ELL learners? • Expectations in term of student performance are higher. • Educators will need to identify methods and materials that will help ELLs met the standard, and • Districts will need to develop methods that will reliable and validly assess ELLs knowledge and skills

23. Essential supports that influence student learning • The classroom Black Box • Professional Capacity • School Learning • Parents, School, Community Ties • Instructional Guidance

24. How four essential supports influence student learning* The Classroom Black Box Professional Capacity Technical Core Dynamics of Student Learning Teacher’s Knowledge & Skill a Supports for Classroom Instruction Teacher Learning (P.D.) Motivation School-based Professional Community b Time + c School Learning Climate d School Participation Supplemental Resources Teacher’s Academic Press & Personal Support Norms e j Order & Safety Parent, School, Peer Academic Norms Instructional Guidance g Community Institutional Social Support h f Curriculum Alignment Direct Services to Schools Community Ties i Nature of Academic Demand & Tools to Support It Parental Press/Support for Learning School’s Efforts to Engage/Support Parents * Taken from Anthony S. Bryk, et. al., Organizing Schools for Improvement: Lessons from Chicago, The University of Chicago Press, 2010.

25. The role of leadership • Key role for school-based change • Management • Instructional • Inclusive – facilitative

26. Conditions that support ell student learning: context • Shared vision for Reform • Leadership and advocacy on behalf of ELLs • Empowerment of ELL Office • External Forces as catalysts for Reform

27. Promising Practices---CGCS • Adoption of language development strategies • Continuous Support for implementation • A culture of collaboration and shared responsibility • Strategic school staffing • High quality, relevant professional development • Use of student data • Reallocation and strategic use of ELL funds

28. Findings: Review of Research on ELL learners • Instruction in the primary language aids achievement • Good instruction for ELLs is similar to good instruction for other, non-ELLs • Ells require instructional accommodations

29. Additional Supports • Predictable, clear, and consistent instruction • Extended explanations, opportunities to practice • Visual cues, • Similarities/differences • Building on students prior knowledge • Clarifying difficult words • Targeting vocabulary • Paraphrasing students remarks and encouraging expansion

30. exercize • Given the essential support model, and the findings of the CGCS, lets focus on your school. Discuss with your team members for the next 10 minutes two or more of the following questions: • 1. How is your school in creating conditions that support all learners, and particularly ELLs? • 2. What are you doing well? • 3. What are your challenges you are facing? • 4. What do you want to accomplish relative to ELL learners? • 5. What supports do you need at the leadership and instructional level?

31. Report Out to larger group