Common Core/FCAT 2.0 Reading/Language Arts February 2012

1. Welcome. Please sign in. Common Core/FCAT 2.0 Reading/Language ArtsFebruary 2012

2. This morning: -Overview of Current Initiatives and Implications for the Classroom -A Presentation on Close Reading - Laurie Lee - Just Read Florida This afternoon: -Working with the FCAT 2.0 - Cara Zatoris, Lincoln High School Today’s Agenda

3. Let’s Take a Look at the Current State Initiatives.

4. What groups are most affected by the State Board of Education’s recent decision to change the FCAT Reading Achievement Levels?

5. New FCAT Reading 2.0 Achievement Levels

8. Students (grades 6-12) who scored Level 3 on the 2011 FCAT Reading who would be 2’s Under the New Achievement Levels • Chiles – 3 Deerlake – 44 • Godby – 4 Fairview - 81 • Lincoln – 3 Ft. Braden - 34 • Rickards – 1 Griffin - 52 • Cobb – 56 Montford - 84 • Nims – 52 Raa – 76 • Swift Creek - 52

9. What is the Common Core State Standards Initiative and where did it originate? • knowledge and skills students should have within their K-12 education so that they will graduate high school able to succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing academic college courses and in workforce training programs • a state-led effort coordinated by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). • English-language arts and math were the first subjects chosen for the common core state standards because these two subjects are skills, upon which students build skill sets in other subject areas. • The Common Core State Standards Initiative was and will remain a state-led effort

10. What is the Common Core State Standards Initiative and where did it originate? • The Common Core Initiative also includes 6–12 literacy standards in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. • States may incorporate these standards into their content courses or adopt them as content area literacy standards. • Florida’s adoption of Common Core includes implementation of the content area literacy standards. • Florida Statute includes Next Generational Content Area Professional Development (NGCARPD) for content area teachers.

11. Correlation Between Sunshine State Standards and Common Core Standards Focus: Literary Elements Informational Text

12. Review the organization of both sets of standards. • How are they organized differently? • What is significant about this difference? • Do not focus on the standards at this point. How are the Common Core Standards different from the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards?

13. Highlight references to literary elements throughout the Sunshine State Standards for Reading/Language Arts. • Highlight references to literary elements throughout the CCSS for English Language Arts/Science standards. • How are they different? Comparing FCAT 2.0 and Common Corefor your Grade Level

14. Highlight references to informational text throughout the Sunshine State Standards for Reading/Language Arts. • Highlight references to informational text throughout the CCSS for English Language Arts/Science standards. • How are they different? Comparing FCAT 2.0 and Common Corefor your Grade Level

15. The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) is a 24-state consortium working together to develop a common set of K-12 assessments in English and math. • The PARCC assessments will be ready for states to administer during the 2014-15 school year. • PARCC is contracting with two research universitiestodevelop models of innovative, online-delivered items and rich performance tasks proposed for use in the PARCC assessments. These prototypes will include both assessment and classroom-based tasks. What are the PARCC Assessments?

16. Review the Performance Items provided for you. • Select the literary standards from Common Core you identified earlier. • Locate the corresponding literature performance task. • What challenges will this present for teachers of language arts/reading? • How will it impact our teaching? Working with Common Core Performance Items

17. Determining Complexity of Text Why does text complexity matter? What factors determine complexity of text? How can I determine if a text is appropriate for my class? Are there resources to help me?

18. Purpose: Determine what distinguished the reading performance of students likely to succeed in college and not. • Process: • Set benchmark score on the reading test shown to be predictive of success in college (“21” on ACT composite score). • Looked at results from a half million students. • Divided texts into three levels of complexity: uncomplicated, more challenging, and complex. Text Complexity - ACT Study

19. Performance on complex texts is the clearest differentiator in reading between students who are more likely to be ready for college and those who are less likely to be ready. • Texts used in the ACT Reading Test reflect three degrees of complexity: uncomplicated, more challenging, and complex. ACT Study Findings

20. Question type and level (main idea, word meanings, details) is NOT the chief differentiator between student scoring above and below the benchmark. The degree of text complexity in the passages acted as the “sorters” within ACT. The findings held true for both males and females, all racial groups and was steady regardless of family income level. What students could read, in terms of its complexity--rather than what they could do with what they read—is greatest predictor of success. FCAT has complex passages and highly cognitive demanding questions. Recap of ACT Findings

21. Text Complexity • Text complexity is defined by: Qualitative measures – levels of meaning, structure, language conventionality and clarity, and knowledge demands often best measured by an attentive human reader. Quantitative measures – readability and other scores of text complexity often best measured by computer software. Quantitative Qualitative Reader and Task considerations – background knowledge of reader, motivation, interests, and complexity generated by tasks assigned often best made by educators employing their professional judgment. Reader and Task

22. A Four-step Process: Determine the quantitative measures of the text. Quantitative Qualitative Analyze the qualitative measures of the text. Reader and Task Reflect upon the reader and task considerations. Recommend placement in the appropriate text complexity band. Determining Text Complexity

23. Quantitative Measures • Measures such as: • Word length • Word frequency • Word difficulty • Sentence length • Text length • Text cohesion Step 1: Quantitative Measures

24. Read and discuss the article entitled “Lexile-to-Grade Correspondence.” As you read, consider the following questions: • What is the purpose of Lexile Measures? • For what purposes should teachers NOT use Lexile Measures? • What is IQR? What function does it serve? • What is a stretch text? • What other considerations exist for text selection in a classroom? Quantitative Measures

25. Remember, however, that the quantitative measures is only the first of three “legs” of the text complexity triangle. Our final recommendation may be validated, influenced, or even over-ruled by our examination of qualitative measures and the reader and task considerations. Quantitative Measures

26. Additional Resources • Lexile Measures and the Common Core State Standards • http://www.lexile.com/using-lexile/lexile-measures-and-the-ccssi/ • Accelerated reader and the Common Core State Standards • http://doc.renlearn.com/KMNet/R004572117GKC46B.pdf • Coh-Metrix • http://cohmetrix.memphis.edu/cohmetrixpr/index.html • Coh-Metrix calculates the coherence of texts on a wide range of measures. It replaces common readability formulas by applying the latest in computational linguistics and linking this to the latest research in psycholinguistics. Quantitative Measures

27. Step 2: Qualitative Measures • Measures such as: • Structure • Language Demands and Conventions • Knowledge Demands • Levels of Meaning/Purpose At your table, provide one or two examples of the four components that are considered in qualitative measures. When possible, cite a piece of text that illustrates your example. The Declaration of Independent has a cause-effect structure/organization, which is more challenging than a simple narrative.

28. Step 3: Reader and Task • Considerations such as: • Motivation • Knowledge and experience • Purpose for reading • Complexity of task assigned regarding text • Complexity of questions asked regarding text

29. A Four-step Process: Determine the quantitative measures of the text. Quantitative Qualitative Analyze the qualitative measures of the text. Reader and Task Reflect upon the reader and task considerations. Recommend placement in the appropriate text complexity band. Determining Text Complexity

30. Choose an excerpt of text from Appendix B as a starting place: We could…. Use available resources to determine the text complexity of other materials on our own. or… Where do we find texts in the appropriate text complexity band?

31. Common Core Lesson Plans by Grade Common Core Curriculum Maps http://www.commoncore.org/free/

32. Review the texts for your particular grade and subject. See CCSS Appendix Table of Contents. Discuss with your colleagues the appropriateness of documents in the Appendix for your standards and students. Also discuss the question: “How can we ensure that the documents we use in our classes are appropriately complex?” Be prepared to share with the group. The Common Core Standards also focus on Performance Tasks that include written response to complex texts.

33. Lunch Time

34. 2012 FCAT 2.0 Please answer questions on pretest to the best of your knowledge.

35. More standards are addressed on the 9th and 10th grade tests than are addressed on the 6th, 7th, or 8th grade tests. False Each FCAT 2.0 question must be written to address only one benchmark. False FCAT 2.0 Pre-Test

36. One benchmark may be broken down into multiple tasks reflected by different types of questions. FCAT 2.0 Pre-Test True Words used in vocabulary questions may be two grade levels above the tested grade. True

37. Test writers may use the exact wording from the passage for correct answer choices in low complexity questions. False In multiple choice items, one-word answer choices are always arranged alphabetically; longer answer choices are always arranged by length. True FCAT 2.0 Pre-Test

38. What is the passing score, or score to achieve a level 3, for your grade level? FCAT 2.0 Pre-Test

39. What is the percentage of literary text vs. informational text for your grade level? FCAT 2.0 Pre-Test

40. What is the percentage of points in each reporting category for your grade level? FCAT 2.0 Pre-Test

41. What is the average length of a text for your grade level? FCAT 2.0 Pre-Test

42. What is the percentage of low, moderate, and complex questions for your grade level? FCAT 2.0 Pre-Test

43. Low Complexity – may require a student to solve a one-step problem • Moderate Complexity – may require multiple steps • High Complexity – may require a student to analyze and synthesize information • The complexity of a question can be affected by the complexity of its answer choices! FCAT 2.0 Pre-Test

44. If you’ve got the time, check the specs!

46. Talk with your table about lesson/activities that you do to help prepare students for FCAT. • List strategies on chart paper. • Be prepared to share with the group. Test Prep: The Elephant in the Room

47. M/HS Content Focus & Sample Item Crosswalk

48. With a partner or a group, choose a passage from the provided common core text exemplars. • Using the sample questions as a guide, write at least two multiple choice questions (with 4 answer choices). • Make sure to represent 2 different reporting categories. M/HS Content Focus & Sample Item Crosswalk

49. Comprehension increases when all teachers implement the following 5 practices: • Making close reading and rereading of texts and complex questions central to lessons, • Providing scaffolding that does not preempt or replace text, • Asking text dependent questions from a range of question types • . Emphasizing students supporting answers based upon evidence from the text • Providing extensive research and writing opportunities (claims and evidence). Beyond Test Prep -Just Read, Florida!