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Aligning Reading & Writing Assessments to the Common Core: FLACS to the rescueCandace Black2014 NYSAFLT Rochester Regional Conference

+Introductions – who are we? Level?

Are you a Checkpoint A teacher?Are you a Checkpoint B teacher?

Language?Are you a Spanish teacher?French?German?Italian?Latin?Chinese? Arabic? Or other?

+Introductions – who are we?

How many of you participate in an exam consortium to write exams each year?

How many of your write your own Checkpoint A or B exams each year?

How many of you know what FLACS is or use the FLACS exam?

+Workshop Agenda

Review of the Common Core State Standards for Reading/Writing

Examples (Regents questions that meet the standards and new questions)

Small group work time to develop sample text-based questions

Large group share

+Workshop Agenda

How do we prepare our students for this new assessment?

The FLACS exam – benefits & how to participate?

+Changes to the implementation of the Common Core State Standards Recent delay in CC

implementation = Class of 2022!

Take advantage of this gift from NYSED to incorporate the CCSS into your LOTE lessons and assessments!

+Reading in the Common Core

There are 11 CCSS Reading standards.

R3, R5, R6, and R10 are relatively complex – let’s relegate them to LOTE checkpoint C and/or English.

Common Core State Standards for Literacy

+Reading in the Common Core

This person expresses his ideas through

(1)dance

(2) technology

(3) sculpture

(4) words

+Reading in the Common Core

What is being advertised?

(1) a resort hotel

(2) a music CD

(3) a tourist discount card

(4) a sightseeing cruise

+Reading in the Common Core

What does the article say about meals delivered to the home in France?(1) They are not available.(2) They are not very popular.(3) They are considered nutritious.(4) They are imported from the United States.

+Reading in the Common Core

According to this article, why did the Convention adopt the metric system in France?

(1) to accept a peace treaty

(2) to avoid confusion

(3) to help navigators

(4) to celebrate a national holiday

+Reading in the Common Core

We don’t really do this…yet.Which statement about this product is supported by both advertisements/passages?(1) It is very inexpensive.(2) It was invented by a teenager.(3) It can only be purchased online.(4) It has many different uses.

+Reading in the Common Core

We already do this, by definition!

+Small group work time

With a group of 2-4 people around you, choose a reading from the packet:

Restaurant ad

Want ad – job posting

Develop a common core-aligned question for your reading.

+Large group share

+Writing in the Common Core

There are 11 CCSS Writing standards.

We do many of these already…W3 - Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

+Writing in the Common Core

Checkpoint A task (current)

+Writing in the Common Core

Here’s the difference…

W1 - Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

some of the CCSS require writing tasks that are text-based.

+Writing in the Common Core

W8 - Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.

+Writing in the Common Core

W9 - Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

+Writing in the Common Core

So how will we prepare students for these new standards?

Let’s look at how we could use our standard LOTE readings (short or long passages) to incorporate CCSS standards into our writing assessments.

+Checkpoint A Writing

+Checkpoint A Writing (CCSS)

You are planning a party for your brother’s 13th birthday. Read the advertisements and write an e-mail to your friend discussing the location you would like to choose for the party. Include: The reasons for your selectionThe kinds of foods you will be serving

Note that the student must read the passage and include information (this is no longer just suggested).

Note that the student must make an argument or offer an opinion AND justify it.

+Checkpoint A Writing (CCSS)

What would an ideal student text look like?Cara Maria,

Domenica è il compleanno di mio fratello. Io voglio avere la sua festa al ristorante “Italo’s”. Loro servono la carne e a mio fratello piace molto la bistecca. La domenica costa solo E 14.00 e possiamo mangiare molto. Possiamo anche ballare! Questo posto è perfetto. Io inviterò dieci dei suoi amici e ci divertiremo molto. Vuoi venire?

Tanti baci, Francesca

Student offers opinion.

Student justifies opinion.

Student uses conventions appropriate to the text type chosen.

+New Checkpoint A Rubric

+New Checkpoint A Rubric

Satisfies the task, connects all ideas to task/purpose, refers to and incorporates many supporting details from source(s), and exhibits a logical and coherent sequence of ideas throughout.

+New Checkpoint A Rubric

Satisfies the task; connections are implied with few irrelevancies. Refers to and incorporates some supporting details from source(s).

+New Checkpoint A Rubric

Satisfies the task; connections may be unclear with some irrelevancies. Few supporting details or references to source(s) included.

+New Checkpoint A Rubric

Makes at least one statement which satisfies the task. Remaining statements are irrelevant to the task. Refers poorly to source(s) with no supporting details provided.

+Writing in the Common Core

Checkpoint B task (current)

+Checkpoint B Writing (CCSS)Single text

+Checkpoint B Writing (CCSS)Single text

Your family took a trip to Martinique this past winter. Write a blog about your trip to Martinique including details from the travel suggestions you read prior to your trip.

OR

Your family is planning a trip to Martinique. Write an email to your friend describing what you would like to do based on the travel suggestions. Note the revised text types (blog, email) which require the student to adjust language for audience (register).

+Checkpoint B Writing (CCSS)Multiple texts

+Checkpoint B Writing (CCSS)Multiple textsYour school is sponsoring a trip to France this summer. In addition to visiting Paris, your teacher is giving you the option of selecting another city in France to visit. Read the descriptions of the four cities, and write an email to your teacher using information from your articles to explain which city you would like to visit.

Note that the student must read the passage and include information (no longer just suggested).

Note that the student must make an argument/offer an opinion AND justify it.

+New Checkpoint B Rubric

+New Checkpoint B Rubric

Accomplishes the task; refers to and incorporates many details from source(s) – text, video, and/or audio - that support the development of the task, but there may be minor irrelevancies.

+New Checkpoint B Rubric

Accomplishes the task; refers to and includes some details from source(s) – text, video, and/or audio - that support the development of the task, but there may be some irrelevancies.

+New Checkpoint B Rubric

Accomplishes the task; refers to and includes few details from source(s) – text, video, and/or audio - that support the development of the task. There are many irrelevancies.

+New Checkpoint B Rubric

Attempts to accomplish the task; makes some reference to source (text, video and/or audio), but provides few or no supporting details.

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• 7 day weather forecasts• Hotel descriptions• Movie reviews• Itineraries• Schedules• Exhibition blurbs• Store ads• Contest ads• City street maps• Age-appropriate articles

Authentic texts to use with students

+How do we prepare our students for this new assessment?Incorporate age-appropriate, but

gradually more difficult reading materials at all levels.

Ask preliminary information-gathering questions to check students understanding.

Ask evaluative questions (orally and in writing) that require the student to make an argument or offer an opinion and justify it with evidence from the reading.

+How do we prepare our students for this new assessment?Overtly teach writing strategies including link words such as because, I think, I agree, etc…

Incorporate CCSS-type assessments on our unit assessments.

Use the rubrics to score student assessments. Give students feedback on their writing using the rubrics.

+The FLACS Organization

Foreign Language Association of Chairpersons & Supervisors

Formed in response to the cancellation of the LOTE Proficiency and Regents exams.

www.flacs.org

+The FLACS Organization

A consortium of schools across NYS who wish to use a common benchmark for these exams.

+FAQs about FLACS

Membership is on a year-to-year basis.

Cost is $50 – only one membership per district is required.

For that one membership, your school receives access to field-tested exams at both Checkpoints A & B in 5 languages: Spanish, French, Italian, German & Chinese.

All this for $50 and you don’t have to attend a local consortium to write your own exam EVERY year and miss instructional days as a result.

+FLACS – the process

One member joins (done every year).

Superintendent fills out an online application to participate in the exam consortium (done every year).

On June 2, (approximately 2 weeks prior to the exam date), the Superintendent will receive a link to the password-protected site that contains all of the Checkpoint A & B exams (Spanish, French, Italian, German & Chinese) and the Teacher Dictation scripts.

School must make enough copies for students and keep exams in secure location until exam is administered.

Exam must be administered on the date selected (June 23, 2014 – Checkpoint A = AM; Checkpoint B = PM)

Scoring keys are released the day of the exam.

+FLACS – the exam itself

The Checkpoint A exam has a few slight differences from the format/point value of the former Proficiency exam. The required word count for the writing section was

increased from 30 to 50 words.

The speaking portion remains 30 points, however, since teachers are no longer permitted to score assessments in which they have a vested interest, FLACS recommends the following for this section:

Student performs a total of 3 tasks, with 5 utterances or interactions with the teacher for each task.

The speaking tasks remaining the same as the SLP.

+FLACS – the exam itself

The Checkpoint B exam is identical to the format/point value of the former Regents exam.

In 2015, the writing section of this exam will be document-based to align it with the CCSS and students will be asked to begin writing in different text types (notes, letters, emails, etc...).

+Questions?