Project Based Learning Aligned to Common Core Standards

1. Project Based LearningAligned toCommon Core Standards Presenters: Sabrina Arney Joyce Geib Kelly Meade Mark Oberjuerge AIMS*: A CPA Lighthouse Academy *Aspirations in Medical Services Jordan High School Long Beach, CA

2. Common Core and Integrated Curriculum Projects: A Perfect Marriage Worried about how the Common Core State Standards are going to impact your integrated curriculum projects? Relax! Your projects epitomize the spirit of the Common Core! Revisit existing projects or build new ones aligned to the CCSS. Assess whether your projects are preparing your students for the new Smarter Balance Performance Tasks coming our way!

3. Objective Participants will familiarize themselves with the Common Core State Standards and new Smarter Balanced Performance Tasks and create integrated projects that allow students to practice these standards while preparing them for the new assessments. Sabrina

4. Common Core ELA Many current ELA assessments are not designed to challenge students to grapple with and think critically about: • Increasingly complex, grade-level text and its academic vocabulary • Multiple sources of evidence, including multimedia • Synthesizing cross-disciplinary information • Presenting information in creative, coherent, and logical ways • Argumentative and informational writing At a fundamental level, most current ELA assessments are not grounded in an understanding of college and career readiness; therefore, they do not send the right kinds of signals about how best to align instruction, curriculum, and academic interventions to the demands of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Sabrina See complete document of ELA CCSS in your folder titled “CCSS Resources”

5. Sabrina Common Core ELA New assessments are being designed to reflect the grade-level demands of and key shifts in the CCSS, including: • A focus on the close and analytical reading of complex, grade-level literary and nonfiction texts • A focus on text-based evidence and logical inference • A focus on argumentation and informational writing for a range of audiences and purposes, including the use of appropriate academic vocabulary • A focus on research and synthesis of multiple sources of information and evidence, including multimedia • A focus on effective speaking and listening skills Assessments will use computer-adaptive technology and complex performance tasks to measure accurately student achievement and growth toward college and career readiness.

6. See complete Math CCSS in your folder titled “CCSS Resources” Kelly Common Core Math High School Common Core State Standards encourage: • The practice of applying mathematical ways of thinking to real world issues and challenges • Rigorous definitions of college and career readiness • Emphasizing mathematical modeling The standards are organized in conceptual categories: • Number and quantity, algebra, functions, geometry, modeling and probability, and statistics • The intent is to develop modified pathways that incorporate the categories • CCSS are not a formula for pedagogy The Common Core State Standards give us the ability to create, collaboratively, meaningful projects/programs that integrate the math course pathways. The key in doing this is communication.

7. Kelly Common Core Math

8. How Did YOU Do? Highlight the CCSS standards in ELA and math that your last integrated project or benchmark allowed students to practice. If you have not yet developed an integrated project or benchmark, highlight the CCSS standards that you would LIKE your students to practice. Consider backwards mapping your projects so that by the 11th grade, students will have an opportunity to demonstrate proficiency in ALL or MOST of these standards. Joyce Check Your “Core” Knowledge

9. Mark Smarter Balanced Performance Tasks According to Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, “Performance tasks measure a student’s ability to integrate knowledge and skills across multiple standards—a key component of college and career readiness. Performance tasks will be used to better measure capacities such as depth of understanding, research skills, and complex analysis, which cannot be adequately assessed with selected or constructed-response items.”

10. A Close Look at a Smarter Balanced Performance Task Mark • Smarter Balanced performance tasks are being designed to support instruction aligned to the CCSS. As such, these tasks require: • Significant teacher-led set-up and facilitation of whole class discussions related to source material • Students to conduct research through the close reading of multiple complex, grade-level texts • Students to watch, listen to, and analyze multimedia sources • Students to demonstrate evidence of understanding through writing for a range of purposes and audiences • Students to express their ideas through the precise use of domain-specific academic vocabulary and language conventions (i.e. spelling, grammar, punctuation) • Students to manipulate technology tools to identify source evidence relevant to the task prompts and demonstrate their work product • Smarter Balanced requires one (1) performance task in both ELA and math for students in grades 3 through 8 and once in high school, typically by 11th grade. Performance tasks will be approximately 90-120 minutes in length per content area.

11. Mark Nuclear Power: Friend or Foe? See complete version of the Performance Task in your folder titled “CCSS Resources”

12. Common Core and Integrated Project Based Learning: A Perfect Marriage!

13. Sabrina Why Project Based Learning? “Project-based learning is a model that organizes learning around projects. (Such) projects are complex tasks, based on challenging questions or problems, that involve students in design, problem-solving, decision making, or investigative activities; give students the opportunity to work relatively autonomously over extended periods of time; & culminate in realistic products or presentations…. Other defining futures….include authentic content, authentic assessment, teacher facilitation but not direction, explicit educational goals, cooperative learning, reflection, & incorporation of adult skills…. Particular models of PBL add a number of unique features. Definitions of ‘project-based instruction’ include features relating to the use of an authentic (driving) question, a community of inquiry, & the use of cognitive (technology-based) tools; & [others] add features of comprehensive school improvement, community service, & multidisciplinary themes.” -- Review of Research on Project-Based Learning

14. Quantitative Analysis Attainment of Credits Higher Attendance Rates Improved CAHSEE Pass Rate Improved End of Course Exam Scores Improved CST Results (no data available about the impact on CCSS scores) Greater Numbers of Students Earning CTE Certifications Better Participation and Improved Results of Various CTE Related Competitions Greater Employability of Students Higher College Acceptance Rates of Students Increased Graduation Rates Completion of a-g requirements Qualitative Analysis Students Feel Connected to School Students Show Ownership for Their Learning Students More Employable—Building Human Capital Students Have Better Attitude Toward Learning Students Get Along Better Students Have Greater Motivation to Attend Post-Secondary Learning Opportunities Students Have Stronger Social/Communication Skills Students Have More Confidence Students Behave Better in Classes Students Have Greater Self-Esteem Students Are Able to Demonstrate Their Talents and Skills Sabrina Project Based Learning See documents in your folder titled “PBL Materials Provided by CPA” to assist you in planning your projects.

15. Sabrina Developing Integrated Projects • Study your curriculums looking for natural points of integration (benchmarks) or identify a theme for larger projects. • Make sure to align your ideas to the CCSS and CTE standards. • Look at your curriculum maps and decide where the project fits in the school year. • Create detailed prompts that communicate the purpose of the project, the project description, due dates and to whom, guidelines for completing the work, project management tools, and sample rubrics.

16. Sabrina Developing Integrated Projects • Connect with industry/post-secondary /community partners to provide guest speakers, panel members, guidance, expertise, etc… • Create rubrics for assessing products. • Meet regularly with team members to monitor and adjust lesson plans as needed. • Reflect and evaluate the effectiveness of project. • Make adjustments and plans for next year! 

17. AIMS Projects: Are completed by grade level—smaller benchmarks and one larger project each year. Are backwards mapped; each project builds upon the knowledge and skills necessary for students to complete our Senior Capstone Project. Are integrated amongst the core classes (English, social science, science, and CTE). Are action-based; students have to DO something with the knowledge they gain. Involve community partners. Are aligned to Curriculum Standards (Old) and we are currently aligning them to CCSS. Prepare students for Smarter Balanced Performance Task because they involve researching and writing, show that students know how to use technology, and ask students to produce of a variety of products from grades 9 to 11. Joyce and Kelly An Example from AIMS For copies of our project and accompanying documents, look in your folder titled “Sample Project from AIMS.” Also, all the new CTE standards in are the folder titled “New CTE Standards.”

18. Joyce and Kelly Sample Project: 11th Grade Integrated ProjectCampaign for Golden State Humane Society—Vaccinate and Safeguard Your Pets! • Authenticity—Students created PSA’s and posters to educate the public about the need to vaccinate their pets—this product has social value in the North Long Beach community and meets CTE pathway standards. • Academic Rigor—Students acquired, read, synthesized and applied their knowledge to produce a research paper, PSA, and informative poster. In addition, they built a model of the causative molecule in their chemistry class and wrote about it in their papers.

19. Campaign for Golden State Humane Society—Vaccinate and Safeguard Your Pets! Applied Learning—Students organized an event to raise funds to contribute to existing organizations. Active Exploration—Students worked in the community and actually presented their Public Service Announcements to educate the Jordan public. In addition, their posters were displayed on campus or in the community. Adult Relationships—Students met with professionals who are doing this type of work for actual organizations. They contacted them by phone, email, or in person to get feedback and information for their projects. Joyce and Kelly

20. Campaign for Golden State Humane Society—Vaccinate and Safeguard Your Pets! Assessment—Students reflected on their learning in their Work Logs and on their Action Plans. Teams of adults worked together to grade the students’ products using a rubric that is similar to the ones used for scoring the Smarter Balanced Performance tasks. Student products were displayed during an exhibition of student work. Joyce and Kelly Refer to document “Developing Rubrics” in “Sample Project From AIMS” folder.

21. Kelly Assessing YOUR Projects! Use the Project Assessment form to assess your current projects for: • Authenticity • Academic Rigor • Applied Learning • Active Exploration • Adult Connections • Assessment Practices See “Project Assessment” document in the “main folder.”

22. Sabrina Thinking Ahead • Complete an Integrated Project Planning template that outlines how you are going to align your next integrated project or benchmark with CTE and CCSS standards. See “Integrated Planning Template” in the “main folder.”

23. Questions? Contact Information: Sabrina Arney, AIMS Lead Teacher sarney@lbschools.net 562-423-1471 ext. 2452