Understanding Common Core State Standards

2. UnderstandingCommon Core State Standards Welcome to the Webinar!We will begin shortly. Your CLI Online Host is Mark R. Truitt

3. Background • College and career readiness standards developed in summer 2009 • Common Core State Standards are based on the college and career readiness standards and present a K-12 learning progression in Language Arts and Mathematics • Final Common Core State Standards released June 2, 2010

4. Common Core State Standards Evidence Base 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 progression. Mathematics Belgium (Flemish) Canada (Alberta) China Chinese Taipei England Finland Hong Kong India Ireland Japan Korea Singapore • English language arts • Australia • New South Wales • Victoria • Canada • Alberta • British Columbia • Ontario • England • Finland • Hong Kong • Ireland • Singapore

5. Background • Forty-eight states, two territories, and the District of Columbia participated in the development of the Standards (only Alaska and Texas opted out but both have indicated an interest in participating at some point) • State led – coordinated by the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) not the U.S. Department of Education • States must adopt the Standards as written without any changes. To see the states that have adopted the Standards, click here.

6. Why are they important? • Aligned with college and work expectations rather than commonalities found in the state standards • Include rigorous content and application of knowledge through higher-order skills • Internationally benchmarked by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) • Currently, states have very different standards which results in students learning different concepts and at varying levels of thinking; adoption will ensure consistent expectations of learning across states • Students must be prepared to compete internationally

7. Benefits for States and Districts Benefits for States and Districts • Allows collaborative professional development to be based on best practices • Allows the development of common assessments and other tools • Enables comparison of policies and achievement across states and districts • Creates potential for collaborative groups to get more mileage from: Curriculum development, assessment, and professional development

8. Standards do NOT define… • How teachers should teach • All that can or should be taught • The nature of advanced work beyond the core • The interventions needed 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 • A curriculum

9. Examine the organizational structure of the Common Core State Standards Identify the Domains used in the Common Core State Standards The Process: Organizational Structure

10. Design and Organization - ELA • The English Language Arts domains are: • Reading: Literature • Reading: Informational Text • Writing • Speaking and Listening • Language • Reading: Foundational Skills (K-5) Media requirements are built in(technology and multi-media are incorporated as part of the expectations) Video on implications for teachers and administrators

11. Design and Organization - ELA Two categories of Standards: • College and Career Readiness (CCR) • Broad expectations consistent across grades and content areas • Based on evidence about college and workforce training expectations • Range and content statements (statements about what students need to know and be able to do to be proficient) • K-12 Standards • Grade specific end-of-year expectations • Developmentally appropriate • One-to-one correspondence with CCR standards

12. Literacy Standards for History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects • Complement – not replace – content standards • Responsibility of the teachers in science, social studies, history, and technology not the Language Arts teachers This will be a huge change for teachers in these areas, requiring professional development and changes in both instruction and assessment.

13. Common Core State Standards • Important but insufficient to be effective in improving education and getting all students ready for college or the work force. • Must be partnered with a content-rich curriculum and robust assessments, both aligned to the Standards. The Standards will require a great deal of work on the part of schools and districts to construct a comprehensive curriculum around the Standards. Schools and districts will also need to build units of instruction that incorporate strategies and interventions for specific groups of students. Curriculum Mapper and Instruction Planner are two tools that will greatly enhance your ability to build both.

14. Design and Organization -Mathematics High School – Conceptually Organized • Two models • Traditional sequence (algebra, geometry, algebra II with some data, probability and statistics) • Integrated sequence(3 courses each treating aspects of algebra, geometry, data and probability and statistics • States can select which of the two models they want to adopt. The implications are enormous as schools and districts build new mathematics curricula around either of the two models, especially if they choose the integrated sequence.

15. Design and Organization • Domain - Highest level of organization in a grade level • Clusters - Standards (define what students must know and be able to do) • Standards for Mathematical Practices– identifies what students should do, are meant to highlight the processes, proficiencies, and dispositions that should be woven through the mathematical content standards at each grade level, and are meant to be assessed. • Focal Points at each grade level (based on NCTM) - These are the REALLY important things for each grade level.

16. Key Features • Focus and coherence • Focus on key topics at each grade level • Progression across grade levels • Balance of concepts and skills • Require both conceptual understanding and procedural fluency • Mathematical practices • Promote reasoning and sense-making • College and career readiness • Ambitious but achievable

17. Frequently Asked Questions • Will there be a “common assessment?” Two consortia are currently working on this. Funding is coming from the USDOE Race to the Top Funds. PARCC Smarter Balanced

18. Next Generation of Assessments • Realistic, complex performance tasks, immediate feedback, and incorporate accommodations for a range of students • Better measure of higher-order thinking skills so vital to success in the global economy of the 21st century • Students must analyze and solve complex problems, communicate clearly, synthesize information, apply knowledge, and generalize learning to other settings

19. Key Features of PARCC’s Assessment Proposal States in PARCC will adopt common assessments and performance standards The Partnership’s assessment system will be anchored in college and career readiness Students will take parts of the assessment at key times during the school year, closer to when they learn the material PARCC assessments will be computer based PARCC assessments will include sophisticated items and performance tasks to measure the standards more effectively Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC)

20. SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) Key Points SBAC will create state-of-the-art adaptive online exams, using “open source” technology. The online system will provide accurate assessment information to teachers and others on the progress of all students, including those with disabilities, English language learners and low- and high-performing students. The system will include: • the required summative exams (offered twice each school year); • optional formative, or benchmark, exams; and • a variety of tools, processes and practices that teachers may use in planning and implementing informal, ongoing assessment.

21. Frequently Asked Questions Must a state adopt the Common Core as written?Adoption is voluntary and may look very different in each state, including the timeline for implementation (must be adopted word-for-word)

22. Frequently Asked Questions • Will all states have exactly the same set of Standards?State adopts 100% of the common core K-12 standards in ELA and mathematics (word for word), with option of adding up to an additional 15% of standards on top of the core.

23. Frequently Asked Questions • Will there be additional Standards?At this time Science frameworks are being created which will be the basis for science standards but this is not a part of the CCSSO or the NGA. Work began on the Social Studies Common Core in October 2010.

24. References General References on the Common Core • http://corestandards.org/ • http://www.edexcellence.net/publications-issues/publications/now-what-imperatives-and.html

25. References • Science: http://www.nsta.org/about/standardsupdate.aspx http://scienceblogs.com/tfk/2010/07/national_science_standards_dra.php • Social Studies: http://www.socialstudies.org/commonstandards http://www.socialstudies.org/draft_common_standards_elicit_kudos_and_criticism

26. Assessment Consortiums • PARCC http://www.achieve.org/PARCC • Smarter Balanced http://www.k12.wa.us/smarter/

27. For additional professional development information Collaborative Learning Inc. 1s660 Midwest Rd, Suite 310 Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181 800.318.4555 markt@clihome.com support@clihome.com www.clihome.com

28. National Governors Association Founded in 1908, the National Governors Association (NGA) is the collective voice of the nation’s governors and one of Washington, D.C.’s most respected public policy organizations. Its members are the governors of the 50 states, three territories and two commonwealths.NGA provides governors and their senior staff members with services that range from representing states on Capitol Hill and before the Administration on key federal issues to developing and implementing innovative solutions to public policy challenges through the NGA Center for Best Practices. For more information, visit www.nga.org. Return

29. Council of Chief State School Officers The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) is a nonpartisan, nationwide, nonprofit organization of public officials who head departments of elementary and secondary education in the states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and five U.S. extra-state jurisdictions. CCSSO provides leadership, advocacy, and technical assistance on major educational issues. The Council seeks member consensus on major educational issues and expresses their views to civic and professional organizations, federal agencies, Congress, and the public. Return

31. 12 Governing States Arizona Arkansas District of Columbia Florida (Fiscal Agent) Georgia Illinois Indiana Louisiana Maryland Massachusetts (Board Chair) New York Rhode Island Tennessee PARCC States • 14 Participating States • Alabama • California • Colorado • Delaware • Kentucky • Mississippi • New Jersey • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Pennsylvania • South Carolina

32. SMARTER Balanced Assessment States • 14 Advisory States • Alabama • Colorado • Delaware • Iowa • Kentucky • New Hampshire • New Jersey • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Pennsylvania • South Carolina • South Dakota • Wyoming • 17 Governing States • Connecticut • Hawaii • Idaho • Kansas • Maine • Michigan • Missouri • Montana • Nevada • New Mexico • North Carolina • Oregon • Utah • Vermont • Washington (lead state) • West Virginia • Wisconsin