Common Core State Standards

CHANGE IS HAPPENING1Common Core State Standards (CCSS)By 2013 all of Californias K-12 schools will be implementing Californias CCSS.

Some schools and school districts have already started implementing the new standards.

Californias Curriculum Frameworks and Teaching Performance Assessments (TPAs) are being changed to align with the new standards.

2CCSSAt the end of the 2014-15 school year, students in Grades 3-8 and Grade 11 will be given summative assessments in English language arts and in mathematics aligned to the new standards.

3CCSSBy the time students who are now entering our credential programs finish our programs, all of Californias K-12 schools will be implementing the CCSS.

Will our credential candidates be prepared to work in a Common Core environment?

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CCSS

How about our . . . .Multiple Subject Credential candidates?Single Subject Credential candidates?Education Specialist Credential candidates?Reading and Literacy Leadership Specialist Credential candidates?Educational Administration Credential candidates?5CCSS HighlightsThe standards were developed by first asking What do students need to know or understand and be able to do to be College and Career Ready by the end of grade 12?

Then the writers built a staircase of knowledge and skills that students need to acquire by the end of each grade, K through 12, to be College and Career Ready by the end of grade 12.

6CCSS HighlightsFor each grade, the standards

define end-of-year expectations (CCSS, ELA, p. 4)

define what all students are expected to know and be able to do, not how teachers should teach (CCSS, ELA, p. 6, emphasis added) 7CCSS HighlightsTeachers are thus free to provide students with whatever tools and knowledge their professional judgment and experience identify as most helpful for meeting the goals set out in the standards. (CCSS, ELA, p. 4)

8CCSS HighlightsThe standards are intended to be a living work: as new and better evidence emerges, the standards will be revised accordingly (CCSS, ELA, p. 3)

Such changes in California will, however, require another adoption cycle.

9CCSS HighlightsTo date, the CCSS have been adopted by 45 states and 3 territories.

all the states except Alaska, Minnesota, Nebraska, Virginia, and Texas.10CCSS HighlightsThere are two parts to the standards:

English Language Arts & Literacy in History/ Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Mathematics

11CCSS HighlightsBoth parts have introductions that are rich with information about the thinking and intentions of the standards writers.

Both parts have appendices.

California did not adopt the appendices, but there is valuable information in them as well.

12CCSS HighlightsThe English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects has three main sectionsK5 English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects612 English Language Arts612 Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects13CCSS HighlightsThe writers of the Language Arts standards looked at the text complexity that students need to be able to read by the end of Grade 12 to be College and Career Ready (CCR).

They then created a staircase of text complexity through the grades that students need to be able read with comprehension to reach this goal.

www.lexile.comGradeK-12-34-56-89-1011-CCRLexile ratingN/A450-790770-980955-11551080-13051215-135514CCSS HighlightsGradeLexileExamples of narrative texts within each range11-CCR 1215-13551310: War and Peace 9-10 1080-13051100: Pride and Prejudice 6-8 955-11551030: Harry Potter and the Half Blood 990: Tale of Two Cities 4-5 770-980 880: Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone 870: James and the Giant Peach 2-3 450-790 680: Charlottes Web K-1 N/A 60: The Chick and the Duckling15CCSS HighlightsThe Language Arts standards have separate, parallel strands for narrative and informational text, grades K-12.

The standards expect teachers, beginning in kindergarten, to teach to both types of texts, 50/50.

In grades 6-12 this is largely accomplished by content area teachers teaching reading and writing in their respective disciplines.16CCSS HighlightsThe standards insist that reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language be a shared responsibility across the school.

Beginning in grade 2, the standards expect students to read with comprehension: informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in their text level complexity grade band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed, at the high end of the range by the end of the year. 17CCSS HighlightsThe Language standards have separate, parallel strands for three types of writing, K-12:Opinion/ArgumentativeInformative/ExplanatoryNarrative

There are exemplars of childrens writing of each of these types of text for each grade in Appendix C.18CCSS HighlightsIn Grades 6-12, the standards require teachers of content areas to use their content area expertise to help students with the particular challenges of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language in their respective fields. (CCSS, ELA, p. 3)19CCSS HighlightsWhile the standards delineate specific expectations in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language, each standard need not be a separate focus for instruction and assessment. (CCSS, ELA, p. 5)

A given task can involve more than one aspect of literacy (e.g., writing about something one has read).20CCSS HighlightsThe CCSS do not replace Californias 1998 History-Social Science and Science Standards, rather, they supplement them.21CCSS HighlightsHowever, this new emphasis on reading with comprehension and on writing in History-Social Science and in Science is a major change in the History-Social Science and the Science Standards in California.

22CCSS HighlightsWhile the CCSS do not replace Californias current Science standards, California is part of a national movement to adopt the Next Generation of Science Standards.

The Next Generation of Science Standards have already been approved by legislation.

They will replace the current Science standards if approved by the State Board by fall 2012.23CCSS HighlightsMathematics is considered a technical subject.

Therefore, teachers of mathematics are also expected to teach reading with comprehension and writing in their discipline.

CCSS HighlightsHowever, unlike History-Social Studies and Science, the CCSS for Mathematics will replace Californias current standards for mathematics.

They rely heavily on insights of the National Council of Teacher of Mathematics (NCTM) and the National Research Councils report, Adding It Up (CCSS, Mathematics, p. 6)CCSS HighlightsThey begin with what is known about how students mathematical knowledge, skill, and understanding develop over time. (CCSS, Mathematics, p. 4)

They stress conceptual understanding as well as procedural skills. (CCSS, Mathematics, p. 4)

They aim to counter the tendency for mathematics curriculum to be a mile wide and an inch deep by being focused and coherent. (CCSS, Mathematics, p. 3)CCSS HighlightsThe Math standards for grades K-5 have four major strands (called domains) that continue throughout K-5, plus Counting in Kindergarten and Fractions in grades 4 & 5.

DomainK12345Counting and CardinalityOperations and Algebraic ThinkingNumbers and Operations in Base TenMeasurement and DataGeometryNumbers and Operations: FractionsCCSS Highlights

Grades 6 through 12 have other domains.

Domain678H.S.Ratios and Proportional RelationshipsExpression and EquationThe Number SystemGeometryStatistics and ProbabilityFunctions (up to & including Calculus)Number and QuantityAlgebraModeling28CCSS HighlightsThe standards do not dictate curriculum or teaching methods. For example, just because topic A appears before topic B in the standards in a given grade, it does not necessarily mean that topic A must be taught before topic B (CCSS, Mathematics, p. 5)

The standards say educators should make every effort to meet the needs of individual students based on their current understanding (CCSS, Mathematics, p. 5)

CCSS HighlightsTwo consortiums have been awarded Race to the Top grants to develop assessments for the CCSS.

The SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC)

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

CCSS HighlightsStates may join either or both consortia as participating members but only one consortium as a governing member.

California is a governing member of the SBAC.

As a governing member, it has a leadership role and formal voting status.

CCSS HighlightsIn both consortiums, students will be required to take the assessments using computer technology.

The types of computer technology allowed by SBAC are specified on its website. They include touch-based devices such as tablets (e.g., iPads).

CCSS HighlightsSBACs assessments will be adaptive:

If a student answers a question correctly, he/she will be given a harder question.If he/she answers a question incorrectly, he/she will be given an easier question.

CCSSRead all about itThe CCSS are at www.corestandards.org/the-standards

Californias augmented CCSS are at www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cc

CCSSRead all about itCalifornias augmentations in Californias CCSS are underlined. For example: Grade 1: Measurement and Data 3. Tell and write time in hours and half-hours using analog and digital clocks. 3.1 Relate time to events (e.g., before/after, shorter/longer).CCSSRead all about itSBAC provides information about itself and its plans at www.smarterbalanced.org

The California Dept. of Educations SBAC page is at www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sa/smarterbalanced.aspCCSSRead all about it

Recommended Readings: Pathways to the Common Core: Accelerating Achievement by Calkins, Ehrenworth, and Lehman (Heinemann, 2012). [This book discusses the English Language Arts part of the CCSS.]37CCSSOur part. . . .

What changes do we need to make in our various credential programs?

Individually?

Collectively?

Within our respective disciplines?

CCSSQuestions we might ask:

Will all our credential candidates understand the CCSS?

Will all our credential candidates understand the role of background knowledge in making sense of print and in the writing process?

Will all our credential candidates be prepared to help their students with the technology required to take the assessments?

Will all our credential candidates. . .?