What Do Catholic School Parents Need to Know About the Common Core State Standards?

1. What Do Catholic School Parents Need to Know About the Common Core State Standards?

2. What Are the Common Core State Standards? “The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are a coherent progression of learning expectations in English Language Arts and Mathematics designed to prepare K-12 students for college and career success.” -Spotlight on the Common Core State Standards

3. Who has adopted the CCSS? • 46 states have adopted the CCSS for Math and English Language Arts. • 4 states have not adopted the standards: • Nebraska • Texas • Alaska • Virginia • More than 100 Catholic Dioceses have adopted the CCSS- even the Diocese of El Paso!

4. More About the CCSS… • The standards are focused, coherent, clear, and rigorous. • The standards are internationally benchmarked. • The standards are anchored in College/Career Readiness standards. • The standards are evidence and research based.

5. Where did the CCSS come from? • Coordinated by the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State Officers (CCSSO) • Written by… • K-12 teachers • Postsecondary faculty • State curriculum and assessment experts • Discipline Area Researchers • National organizations

6. CCSS: Evidence Based • Standards from individual high-performing countries and provinces were used to inform content, structure, and language. Writing teams looked for examples of rigor, coherence and progressions.

7. Top Performing Countries • Mathematics: • Belgium • Canada ( Alberta) • China • English Language Arts • Australia ( New South Wales and Victoria) • Canada ( Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario) • England

8. Why do schools need to adopt the CCSS? • Global competition for jobs. • Equity: high expectations for all students regardless of their zip codes. • Different state standards across the USA. • Current graduates are not prepared for college or careers.

9. Skills for a Knowledge Economy “The rigor that matters most for the twenty-first century is demonstrated mastery of the core competencies for work, citizenship and life-long learning. In today’s world it’s not how much you know that matters; it’s what you can do with what you know.” -Tony Wagner The Global Achievement Gap

10. Why Should Catholic Schools Adopt the CCSS? • Expectation that US schools use CCSS to guide curriculum, instruction and assessments. • History of rigorous expectations for Catholic schools and focus on higher-order skills. • Alignment of textbooks and standardized tests to the CCSS. • New teacher preparation. • Linked to the accreditation process.

11. CCSS Timeline • 2009 • Development of CCSS began. • June 2010 • Final English Language Arts and Mathematics standards released after opportunity for public review. • Spring 2015 • PARCC assessments administered to students in grades K-12.

12. What’s not in the Standards • How teachers should teach. • All that can or should be taught. • The nature of advanced work beyond the CCSS. • The interventions for students well below grade level. • The full range of support for English language learners and students with special needs. • Everything needed to be college and career ready.

13. College and Career Readiness (CCR)Standards • What do students need to know to be college and career ready by the end of grade 12?

14. CCR and CCSS: Reading Literature • 10 CCR standards for Reading • CCR Standard # 1: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text. • CCSS RL# 1: Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.

15. K-12 ELA CCSS Standards • Reading • Literature RL ( K-12) – 10 standards • Informational Text RI (K-12)- 10 standards • Foundational RF (K-5)–4 standards (cross disciplinary) • Reading in History RH (6-12)- 10 standards • Reading in Science and Tech. Subjects RST (6-12)-10 standards • Writing • Speaking and Listening • Language

16. Grade Progressions • Standard 1.RL.1: Ask and answer questions about key details in a text. • Standard 5.RL.1:Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. • Standard 8.RL.1: Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

17. Six Shifts • Balance of Literary & Informational Text • Literacy in Content Areas • Increasing Complexity of Texts • Text-based Questions and Answers • Writing Using Evidence • Academic Vocabulary

18. Goal of Close Reading • The ability to discern and cite evidence from the text to support one’s assertions. • Analytic Reading + Analytic Writing = Analytic Thinking!

19. Close Reading • Video of a Close Reading in a 6th grade classroom: students are reading an informational text The Making of a Scientist.

20. K-12 CCSS for Mathematics • Grade-Level Standards • K-8 organized by domain • 9-12 organized by conceptual categories • Standards for Mathematical Practice • Describe mathematical “habits of mind” • Connect with content standards in each grade

21. Grades K-5 Math CCSS • Require that students acquire a solid foundation in the following: • Whole numbers • Addition, subtraction, multiplication and division • Fractions • Decimals

22. Grades 6-8 CCSS Math • Describe robust learning expectations for • Geometry • Algebra • Probability • Statistics • Math curricula in grades 7-8 includes significant algebra and geometry content. * * Students who complete grade 7 and have mastered the content/skills will be prepared for algebra in grade 8 or in high school.

23. 8 Standards for Mathematical Practice • Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. • Reason abstractly and quantitatively. • Construct viable arguments and critique the understanding 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.

24. Dan Meyer TED Video: Math Curriculum Makeover • www.youtube.com

25. Dan Meyer TED Video: Math Curriculum Makeover

26. CCSS Assessments: Spring 2015 • # 1 Goal = Create high quality assessments • PARCC and Smarter Balance: assessment consortiums • PARCC Goal: “ Our intent is not to create another punitive test- but to create a valuable diagnostic that can tell us what is working well and what is not.”

27. Innovations in Item Types • Evidence-Based Selected Response (EBSR) • Technology-Enhanced Constructed Response (TECR) • Range of Prose Constructed Responses (PCR)

28. Grade 3 Sample ERBC Part A What is one main idea of “How Animals Live ?” • There are many types of animals on the planet. • Animals need water to live. • There are different ways to sort animals.* • Animals begin their life cycles in different forms. Part B Which sentence from the article best supports the answer to Part A? • “Animals get oxygen from air or water.” • Animals can be grouped by their traits.”* • “Worms are invertebrates.” • “All animals grow and change over time.

29. Grade 6 Sample TECR Drag the words from the word box into the correct locations on the graphic to show the life cycle of a butterfly as described in “How Animals Live.” Words:

30. PARCC Assessments • Moving beyond multiple choice questions as they are hard to write to assess the rigor of the CCSS. Focus on production not just identification to determine mastery. • Currently: • 2 PARCC provided assessments in 2014-2015 • Summative and near end of year • 1= machine scored • 1= written responses

31. THANK YOU!