Common Core State Standards

Agenda

8:30-9:00Why Common Core State Standards

9:00-9:30Common Core State Standards Overview

9:30-9:45Valley Springs Implementation Plan

10:00-11:30Dig into Common Core Standards

11:30-12:30Lunch

12:30-1:15Overview of the TLI Alignment

1:15-3:30TLI Alignment1Common Core State StandardsSummer, 2011

Presented by Judy GreenInformation fromArkansas Department of Education2Did you know?By 2018, 63% of all jobs are expected to require postsecondary education.Currently only 26% of young adults (25-34) in the United States have college degrees. Source: Higher Ed3

State-led effort coordinated by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practicesand the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO)with assistance from Achieve, ACT, and the College Board (SAT)www.corestandards.org

Over the past year, the nations governors and state school chiefs have achieved consensus around a set of math and English standards, developed voluntarily and without federal involvement, through what we know as the Common Core State Standards Initiative.So, what is the Common Core State Standards Initiative?a significant and historic opportunity for states to collectively develop and adopt a core set of academic standardsMost of you are already well acquainted with the website, but just in case you are not, this is the first place you will want to check outThe website has many resourcesPowerpoints, documents, recorded webinars, frequently asked questions, Messaging toolkit, etc.

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Status of State Adoption of Common Core State Standards

AR State Board of Education adopted on July 12, 2010Most states have signed on to adopt the Common Core Standards.The Arkansas State Board of Education adopted these on July 12, 2010

5Why Common Core State Standards?6Too many students graduate from high school unprepared to succeed in college and/or 21st century careers.

Results?puts students future opportunities at risk has a harmful effect on our states and the nations economyExpectations GapAcross the country, far too many students graduate from high school without the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in postsecondary education and 21st century careers.There is an Expectations Gap, a disconnect between what students must do or know to earn their diploma and what they need to be able to do or know in order to be successful in college and careers.Not only does this put students future opportunities at risk, it has a harmful effect on our states and the nations economy.

6Mission StatementThe standards are designed to beRobust Rigorous Relevant to the real world

The Common Core State Standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. Standards are research-based and internationally benchmarked

7Common Core State Standards are not intended to be new names for old ways of doing business. They are a call to take the next step. Excerpt from Common Core State Standards Document

The shift to Common Core State Standards will require systemic change with EVERYTHING focused on achieving those standards.Every issue, every decision, and every expenditure of an organizational resource (human or financial) must be judged on its consistency with the point of our compass.If we are clear and consistent in our pursuit of and support for student learning, we can monitor our direction and adjust our course with relative ease. Like explorers, we must remember to frequently consult our compass and adjust accordingly.8

First comes standards and then comesAssessment!More recently, the states again teamed up --- this time for federal funding --- to develop new assessment systems that align with the common core standards.

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NEXT GENERATIONASSESSMENTS10To develop assessments that dont simply measure whether students can fill in a bubble on a test, but whether they possess 21st century skills like problem-solving and critical thinking and entrepreneurship and creativity.What is the Goal of theseNext Generation Assessments? 112 Testing ConsortiaSmarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC)

Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC)

New assessments will be ready by 2014-2015Originally I believe there were six assessment consortiums, but they were encouraged to combine their efforts. Today there are two assessment consortiums at work, Smarter Balanced and PARCC.Smarter has 31 member states and has received about $160 million dollars. The Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) has 26 member states and has received about $186 million dollars.You must understand that these two organizations are working from the SAME Common Core Standards. They are NOT in competition with one another, they are both working on the same missionTo develop assessments that dont simply measure whether students can fill in a bubble on a test, but whether they possess 21st century skills like problem-solving and critical thinking and entrepreneurship and creativity.

12Key features in PARCC

Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers

Highlights from the PARCC Summaryhttp://www.achieve.org/PARCCsummary

Remember, Arkansas is one of 26 states! This is a consortium!13States will adopt common assessments and performance standards.

For the first time, meeting standards in one state will mean the same thing as in the other states.14Assessment system will be anchored in college and career readiness.

Higher-education faculty will play a key role in defining what it means to be college-ready.Assessments in grades 3-8 will measure whether students are on track to achieve readiness by high school graduation.15Students will take parts of the assessment at key times during the year.

Through-course assessments

Through-course assessments in each grade will be combined with more stream-lined end-of-the-year tests to produce a more complete picture of student performance.These assessments will measure student learning closer to the time when classroom instruction takes place and will give feedback throughout the year, allowing educators to adjust instructional practices or give extra support to students who need it. Assessment will be embedded in instruction by administering through-course assessments in grades 3 thru high school in both English and MathThrough-course assessments will occur after approximately 25% and 50% of the instructional time has passed.A longer performance-based task will occur when approximately 75% of the instructional time has passed.Summative assessment will occur on the computer after approximately 90% of the instruction is completed.A students score will be a combined score consisting of the three through-course assessments and the summative assessment. The PARCC partnership plans to use all four required components to calculate weighted annual combined scores.The combined results will be back quickly enough to be placed on the students report card.16Assessments will be computer based.

Technology plays a powerful role in students lives. Unfortunately, it is US that cant keep up!The majority of the new assessments will be designed to be administered by computer.This will enable faster turnaround of results AND it will allow for innovations in testing by leveraging new technologies.EX: adjusting to a students level grading by artificial intelligenceMoving to computer-based testing will also reduce costs for states.17Assessments will include sophisticated items and performance tasks.

Assessments, both the end-of-year and through-course, will include challenging performance tasks and innovative, computer-enhanced items that elicit complex demonstrations of learning and measure the full range of knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in college and 21st century careers.The assessments will help model effective classroom instruction.

18To develop assessments that dont simply measure whether students can fill in a bubble on a test, but whether they possess 21st century skills like problem-solving and critical thinking and entrepreneurship and creativity.Goal of Next Generation Assessments19What else can we expect to see?Science (draft by Fall 2011)English Language Development Standards for ELLs (within 1 year)Social Studies (within 2 years)Arts (development may begin January 2011)20Intended Outcomes of PARCC AssessmentsReport achievement based on clear expectations; ability to compare across state linesUse results in school accountability determinations and educator evaluationsIntegrate assessment system with standards, curriculum, resources, and professional workRapid use of data to guide instruction

21Standards and assessments are only the foundation upon which states will construct high-quality curriculum, professional development, and all the other pieces that will support teachers preparing to teach to these new standards and students learning at higher levels.

---Education Secretary Arne Duncan22What are the Common Core State Standards?A set of shared K-12 learning expectations for students in English language arts and mathematicsProvide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learnDesigned to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers23Why does Arkansas need CCSS?Help ensure that students are receiving a high quality education consistently, from school to school and state to stateProvide a greater opportunity to share experiences and best practices within and across states that will improve our ability to serve the needs of students24Will the CCSS prevent local teachers from deciding what or how to teach?No. Local teachers, principals, superintendents, and others will decide how the standards are to be met.Teachers will continue to develop lesson plans and tailor instruction to the individual needs of the students in their classrooms.Local teachers, principals, superintendents, and school boards will continue to make decisions about curriculum.25Standards do not tell teachers how to teach, but they do help teachers understand the knowledge and skills their students should have so that teachers can build the best lessons for their classrooms26Will the CCSS completely replace Arkansass existing academic standards for mathematics and English language arts?Yes. However, many of Arkansass current academic standards and student learning expectations align to the CCSS, although the CCSS may introduce some content at different grade levels and the breadth and depth of topic complexities may be greater.27Will we see a drop in test scores due to the more rigorous standards?The new standards require a higher level of mastery of information and concepts and this higher bar may impact student scores, at least initially. There is a dip in scores for a short period of time until schools are able to incorporate all the changes that are part of the CCSS. As the new requirements are established, our scores will rise.28Will states receive financial help to implement the CCSS?Resources designed to support the standards have the potential to be shared readily with all statesA Joint Task Force on the Mathematics has united to help support mathematics educators in the implementation of the new CCSSA primary goal of this group is to create a CCSS implementation website that includes a variety of tools and resources for K-12 teachers29A Common Core Curriculum Mapping Project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has designed English language arts curriculum maps for use by school districts.It is anticipated that, in the future, textbooks and curriculum resources could be available through open source environments for use by all participating states.

30The 25 states in the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers PARCC) plan to develop content frameworks, units of study and performance tasks aligned to the CSS, and additional resources. These will be available for all of our school districts to use. The economies of scale that the CC will bring to Arkansas will allow our state to spend more of its k-12 budget on other vital efforts to support teaching and learning in the classroom. 31THE BIG QUESTIONWHAT SHOULD WE BE DOING RIGHT NOW IN PREPARATION FOR IMPLEMENTING THE COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS?Approach in a positive manner; open-mind; communicate with our stakeholders we tend to panic at first really look at where we are High Standards are already here!32

Guiding Questions for Understanding the Common Core State StandardsWhat are we currently doing that is in line with the content of these standards? What is different between these standards and what we are currently teaching?33What changes in practice will these standards necessitate? How will we go about making these changes? What support will we need?

34How can social studies, science, and technical subject areas begin to use the literacy standards in their content areas? What support will they need?

35What is ADE doing to help schools transition to the CCSS?A detailed crosswalk that identifies which standards match between the two sets - and indicates the degree to which the Arkansas standards are found within the new Common Core Standards - has been completed and sent to districts and education cooperatives.36Common Core State Standards Task ForceProfessional Development Leadership Teams Additional resources will be forthcoming from ADE; PARCC and AchieveADE Website - Area has been designated for CCSS Initiative Maximize the use of technologyADEs professional development unit will be working with school districts and education cooperatives to establish leadership teams to assist with the transition to the new standards.

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Understanding the Common Core State Standards

38Common Core State Standards Design Building on the strength of current state standards, the CCSS are designed to be:

Focused, coherent, clear and rigorousInternationally benchmarkedAnchored in college and career readiness* Evidence and research based

*Ready for first-year credit-bearing, postsecondary coursework in mathematics and English without the need for remediation.

*Ready for first-year credit-bearing, postsecondary coursework in mathematics and English without the need for remediation.

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Common Core State Standards for Mathematics40Grade-Level Standards K-8 grade-by-grade standards organized by domain9-12 high school standards organized by conceptual categoriesStandards for Mathematical PracticeDescribe mathematical habits of mind Standards for mathematical proficiency: reasoning, problem solving, modeling, decision making, and engagement Connect with content standards in each grade

Common Core State Standards for Mathematics Learning mathematics is not just about knowing, understanding, and applying its concepts, principles and all the associated procedures. Its not just even about acquiring the capacity to solve problem, to reason and to communicate. It is only when these capacities become part of students thinking habits that one can be said to be mathematically literate. A habit is any activity that is so well established that it occurs without thought on the part of the individual.4142The K- 8 standards:The K-5 standards provide students with a solid foundation in whole numbers, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions and decimalsThe 6-8 standards describe robust learning in geometry, algebra, and probability and statistics Modeled after the focus of standards from high-performing nations, the standards for grades 7 and 8 include significant algebra and geometry contentStudents who have completed 7th grade and mastered the content and skills will be prepared for algebra, in 8th grade or after Overview of K-8 Mathematics Standards4243Format of K-8 Mathematics StandardsDomains: overarching ideas that connect topics across the gradesClusters: illustrate progression of increasing complexity from grade to grade Standards: define what students should know and be able to do at each grade level

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Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/ Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects4445Common Core State Standards forEnglish Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical SubjectsCollege and Career Readiness (CCR) Standards Overarching standards for each strand that are further defined by grade-specific standards Grade-Level Standards in English Language Arts K-8, grade-by-grade9-10 and 11-12 grade bands for high school Four strands: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, and LanguageStandards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical SubjectsStandards are embedded at grades K-5Content-specific literacy standards are provided for grades 6-8, 9-10, and 11-12

4546Overview of Reading StrandReadingProgressive development of reading comprehension; students gain more from what they read Emphasize the importance of grade-level texts that are of appropriate difficulty and are increasingly sophisticated Standards for Reading Foundational Skills (K-5)Reading Standards for Literature (K-12)Reading Standards for Informational Text (K-12)Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies (6-12)Reading Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects (6-12)4647Overview of Writing StrandWritingExpect students to compose arguments and opinions, informative/explanatory pieces, and narrative textsFocus on the use of reason and evidence to substantiate an argument or claimEmphasize ability to conduct research short projects and sustained inquiryRequire students to incorporate technology as they create, refine, and collaborate on writingInclude student writing samples that illustrate the criteria required to meet the standards (See standards appendices for writing samples)

4748Overview of Speaking and Listening and Language StrandsSpeaking and Listening Focus on speaking and listening in a range of settings, both formal and informal academic, small-group, whole-class discussionsEmphasize effective communication practices Require interpretation and analysis of message as presented through oral, visual, or multimodal formatsLanguageInclude conventions for writing and speakingHighlight the importance of vocabulary acquisition through a mix of conversation, direct instruction, and readingTo be addressed in context of reading, writing, speaking and listeningMedia and Technology are integrated throughout the standards.4849Overview of Standards for History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical SubjectsReading Standards for History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical SubjectsKnowledge of domain-specific vocabulary Analyze, evaluate, and differentiate primary and secondary sources Synthesize quantitative and technical information, including facts presented in maps, timelines, flowcharts, or diagramsWriting Standards for History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical SubjectsWrite arguments on discipline-specific content and informative/explanatory textsUse of data, evidence, and reason to support arguments and claims Use of domain-specific vocabulary

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