Common Core Progression:Linking K-12 to Adult Education

Mr. James A. Bruni

• http://youtu.be/QfE5X-bn3uU

The Common Core

• Focus on learning expectations for students, NOT how students get there

• “The WHAT, not the HOW”• A voluntary state-led effort coordinated by

CCSSO and NGA to develop common standards for K-12 ELA and Mathematics

Why the CCSS?

• Disparate standards across states• Student mobility, transferring districts• Global competition• Today’s careers require different skills

Inconsistent State Standards

Low College Completion Rates

Remediation rates and costs are staggering

• As much as 40% of all students entering 4-year colleges need remediation in one or more courses

• As much as 63% in 2-year colleges

Degree attainment rates are disappointing• Fewer than 42% of adults aged 25-34 hold

college degrees

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Source: The College Completion Agenda 2010 Progress Report, The College Board

U.S.

Standards Criteria

• Fewer, Clearer and Higher• Aligned with college and career expectations• Include rigorous content and application of

knowledge through high order skills

Standards Criteria ctd.

• Build upon strengths and lessons of current state standards

• Internationally benchmarked, so all students are prepared to succeed in global economies and societies

• Based on evidence and research

CCR to CCSS

• Work with the CCR Standards became the foundation for Common Core

• Led by nationally recognized organizations- Achieve- Council of Chief State School Officers- National Governors Association- ACT- Educational Testing Service- College Board

National Application

• Approximately 40-70% of new community college students are placed in remedial courses

• Is this the fault of colleges?• Is this the fault of K-12 education?

What does this mean for stakeholders?

• CCSS prepares students with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in college and work

• Ensures consistent expectations regardless of a student’s zip code

• Provides educators, parents, and students with clear guideposts

Major Change and Mindset Shift

• CCSS are for ALL students, not just students seeking accelerated learning

• Will impact ALL teachers, not just ELA or Math teachers

• This is happening NOW

Shift focus from high school completion to college and career readiness for all

students.

Paradigm Shift

• “Almost overnight, the national educational paradigm shifted from guaranteeing universal access to guaranteeing universal performance” – unknown

Vision for CCSS

• Vertically “articulate” downward from college and career readiness standards

• Build in logical learning progressions• Focus on developmental appropriateness• Mantra- “Fewer, Clearer, Higher”

What are the “Core Standards”?

• English Language Arts (ELA)• Mathematics

• Relevant to preparing adult students for success in higher education and training programs

• Most important for adult learners

Intent of the CCSS

• Consistency• Equity• Competition• Clarity• Collaboration

How does this apply to Adult Ed?

• The Common Core State Standards contain critical skills that adults need to transition to career and/or postsecondary training

“Illiterate”- Toffler (1979)

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”

What does Literacy mean…

• When…• Trying to find the fastest route home from

work at rush hour?• Buying a cell phone or deciding on a plan?• Applying for a job?• Planning for retirement?

4 Interrelated CCR ELA/Literacy Strands

College & Career Readiness Anchor Standards

Reading Writing Speaking & Listening Language

Students who are college and career ready…

• Demonstrate independence• Build strong content knowledge• Comprehend and critique• Value evidence• Respond to varying demands of audience, task,

and purpose• Use technology and media strategically and

capably• Understand other perspectives and cultures

ELA Structure

• K-5

– Reading

• Foundational Skills

– Writing

– Speaking and Listening

– Language

6-12

Reading

Writing

Speaking and

Listening

Literacy in

History/Social

Studies, Science, and

Technical SubjectsAppendices A, B, C

Introduction

ELA Coding SystemEach strand is abbreviated in the standards

Grades K-5 • Reading Foundational (RF)• Reading Literature (RL)• Reading for Informational (RI)• Writing (W)• Speaking and Listening (SL)• Language (L)

Grades 6-12• Reading Literature (RL)• Reading Informational (RI)• Reading for History (RH)• Reading Standards for Science

and Technical Subjects (RST)• Writing for History, Science and

Technical Subjects.(WHST)• Speaking and Listening (SL)• Language (L)

Reading Strand Grade Level Standard

Content contained is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported

License

READING LITERATUREThe first section of the code represents one of the strands, in this case, Reading Literature

GRADE 6This section represents the grade level for the standard, in this case, grade six

STANDARD 2The third section represents the number for the standard itself, in this case, standard 2

RL.6.2There are 3 parts to each coded standard

Six Shifts in ELA

• 1- Balancing Literary and Informational Text• 2- Knowledge in the Disciplines• 3- Text Complexity• 4- Text-Based Answers• 5- Writing from Sources• 6- Academic Vocabulary

Literature includes–Stories–Drama–Poetry–Folktales

Informational Text includes– Personal essays– Literary nonfiction– Speeches– Opinion pieces– Biographies– Memoirs

Grade Level Literary Informational

4 50% 50%

8 45% 55%

12 30% 70%

1- Balancing Literary and Informational Text

2- Knowledge in the Disciplines

• Students build knowledge about the world through TEXT rather than teacher or activities

• Content area teachers emphasize reading and writing in planning and delivery

• K-5- emphasis on literary experiences in content specific domains (science and history/social studies)

• 6-12- content specific literacy, reading is critical in content areas

3- Text Complexity

“Complex text is typified by a combination of longer sentences, a higher proportion of less-frequent words, and a greater number and variety of words with multiple meanings.”

PARCC Model Content Frameworks• Staircase of complexity, each grade level is a step

of growth• More time for close and careful reading• ALL students should have access to complex texts

Example Lesson:

• A Close Reading of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address

• Short, important historical document• Appropriate for 9-10 text complexity band• Taught over three classes• Lesson includes reading, vocabulary, discussion,

and writing taskshttp://engageny.org/resource/curriculum-exemplars/

4- Emphasis on Text-Based Questions and Answers

• Rich discussion dependent on common text• Develop habits for making evidence based

arguments in discussion and writing• Students frequently engage in rich and

rigorous evidence based conversations about text

5- Writing Using Evidence and Sources

• Writing Standards (1-3)• Writing Arguments/Opinions (Persuade)• Writing Informative/Explanatory Texts (Explain)• Writing Narratives (Convey real or imagined

experience)• Production and Distribution of Writing (4-6)• Develop and strengthen writing• Using technology to produce and enhance writing• Research (7-9)• Engage in research and writing about sources

6- Academic Vocabulary

• Building transferable vocabulary needed to access grade-level

• Vocabulary that crosses content• Focus on pivotal, commonly found words

Language

• Conventions of Standard English• Knowledge of Language Standards (1-3)

• Academic Discussion• Rich discussion dependent on common text• Higher-level questioning• Connections to text• Make arguments in discussion and writing

Speaking and Listening Standards

• Comprehension and collaboration• Presentation of knowledge and ideas• Research and media skills

Impact on Instruction

Elements of strong writing instruction:• Study writing models• Specific goals for writing products• Explicit writing strategy instruction• Process writing approach• Writing for content learning• One-on-one conferences with students• Student opportunities to write creatively

Sample Lesson

• Students will watch a video clip called “Waiting for Change”- The Battle for the Penny

• Students will state their opinion and provide reasons to support that opinion based on evidence from the text.

• http://www.timeforkids.com/photos-video/video/waiting-change-76516

The OCTAE CCR for Adult Education Reading Panel validated key shifts in instruction prompted by the CCSS

• Complexity: Regular practice with complex text (and its academic language)

• Evidence: Reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence from text

• Knowledge: Building knowledge through content-rich informational texts

--Susan Pimentel, Student Achievement Partners

Features of the CCSSM

• Emphasis on mathematical practices• Attention to focus and coherence• Increased focus on algebraic concepts and

expressions in middle grades• Problem solving and reasoning• Mathematical modeling• Standards for STEM readiness

Six Shifts in Common Core Math

• 1- Focus• 2- Coherence• 3- Fluency• 4- Deep Understanding• 5- Application• 6- Dual Intensity

1- Focus

• Narrow and deepen the scope of how time and energy is spent in math

• Focus deeply on only concepts prioritized in the standards (NCTM critical areas)

GradeFocus Areas in Support of Rich Instruction and Expectations of Fluency and Conceptual Understanding

K–2 Addition and subtraction - concepts, skills, and problem solving and place value

3–5Multiplication and division of whole numbers and fractions – concepts, skills, and problem solving

6 Ratios and proportional reasoning; early expressions and equations

7 Ratios and proportional reasoning; arithmetic of rational numbers

8 Linear algebra

2- Coherence

• Connect learning within and across grades so students can build new understanding onto foundations built in previous grade levels

• Think across grades and link to major topics• Rely on conceptual understanding of core

content, then build on it• Each standard is not “new” learning, rather an

extension of previous learning

Staircase designed in the OA domain.

Coherence = Alignment:Grade Level Progressions

46

3- Fluency

• Structured time to practice core functions such as single digit multiplication

• Intent- students will be more able to understand and manipulate complex concepts

• Students are expected to have speed and accuracy with simple calculations

• No more rote memorization!

Required Fluencies K-6

48

Grade Standard Required FluencyK K.OA.5 Add/subtract within 5

1 1.OA.6 Add/subtract within 10

2 2.OA.22.NBT.5

Add/subtract within 20 (know single-digit sums from memory)Add/subtract within 100

3 3.OA.73.NBT.2

Multiply/divide within 100 (know single-digit products from memory)Add/subtract within 1000

4 4.NBT.4 Add/subtract within 1,000,000

5 5.NBT.5 Multi-digit multiplication

6 6.NS.2,3 Multi-digit divisionMulti-digit decimal operations

* Fluency = able to determine an answer in 1-3 seconds

4- Deep Understanding

• Students deeply understand and can operate easily within a concept before moving on

• Learn more than the “trick” to get the answer correct- they learn the math

• Algorithm vs. Strategies• Increased rigor• Conceptual understanding, procedural skill

and fluency, then application

Conceptual Understanding

• “Getting the right answer” is no longer sufficient

• Students see math as more than a set of mnemonics or discrete procedures

• Conceptual understanding supports the other aspects of rigor (fluency and application)

5- Application

• Students use math and choose the appropriate concept for application even when they are not prompted to do so

• “Real World” Applications

6- Dual Intensity

• Students are practicing and understanding• A balance, with increased intensity

Two sets of standards for mathematics

• Math Domain Standards by grade level• K-12 Mathematical Practice Standards

Domains by Grade Bands

54

K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Geometry Geometry Geometry

Measurement & Data Measurement & Data Statistics & Probability

No. and Operations Base 10

No. and Operations Base 10

The Number System

Operations and Algebraic Thinking

Operations and Algebraic Thinking

Expressions and Equations

CountingCardinality

Number and OperationsFractions

Ratios andProportions Relationships

Functions

Standards for Mathematical Practice

Guiding principles to make the student:• A clear and effective communicator• A self-directed and lifelong learner• A creative and practical problem solver• A responsible and involved citizen• An integrative and informed thinker

8 Standards for Mathematical Practice

• Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them• Reason and abstract quantitatively • Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning

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

CCSS and Adult Ed

• Chance for Adult Education to be recognized as an integral part of the educational system

• Adult Educators can align with the K 12 ‐standards and still hold true to the commitment to be relevant and appropriate for adult learners

• They do articulate a college and career readiness framework of standards for states to employ voluntarily in strengthening adult education programs.

Big Picture

• CCSS are K-12 content standards…• Accountability applies to K-12 schools…• Consortia tests are Grade 3- High School…

However…

• CCSS will impact adult programs in:- Funding- Instruction- Assessment