October 2012 VOL. 2 ISSUE 2
Division of Curriculum, Instruction, & Assessment
Partnering to Advance Quality Instruction and Student Achievement
Division of Curriculum, Instruction , & Assessment
Inside This Edition:
Common Core Q & A and
Resources, pgs. 1 – 3 Upcoming Assessments, pg. 4
PARCC and FCAT, pg. 5 DPP Reflective Practice, pg. 6
MTSS, pg. 7 Concordant Scores and Action Research, pg. 8
Social Studies, pgs. 9 - 10 PE and Health, pg. 10
Celebrate Literacy Week!, pg. 11 Math Bytes, pgs. 12 - 13 Science News, pgs. 14-15
All Things Literacy, pgs. 16-20 More CCSS on SHARE, pg. 21
Early Childhood Links to Literacy Conference. Pg. 21
St. Lucie Public Schools
St. Lucie Public Schools
Why is the Common Core State Stand-ards Initiative important? We want to make sure that every child across the country is given the
tools they need to succeed. High standards that are consistent across
states provide teachers, parents, and students with a set of clear expec-
tations that everyone can work toward together. This will ensure that
we maintain America’s competitive edge, so that all of our students are
well prepared with the skills and knowledge necessary to compete with
not only their peers here at home, but with students from around the
world.
These standards are a common sense first step toward ensuring our
children are getting the best possible education no matter where they
live.
Of course, standards cannot single-handedly improve the quality of our
nation’s education system, but they do give educators shared goals and
expectations for their students. For example, the common core state
standards will enable participating states to work together to:
Make expectations for students clear to parents, teachers,
and the general public;
Encourage the development of textbooks, digital media,
and other teaching materials aligned to the standards;
Develop and implement comprehensive assessment systems to measure student performance against the common core state standards that will replace the existing testing systems
that too often are inconsistent, burdensome and confusing; and
Evaluate policy changes needed to help students and educa-
tors meet the standards.
Will more standards mean more tests?
No. For states that choose to adopt these common standards,
having one set of standards will make it easier for states to pool
information and resources to develop a shared set of high-quality
tests to better evaluate student progress. The goal is not to have
more tests, but to have smarter and better tests that help stu-
dents, parents, and teachers.
Common Core State Standards Common Core State Standards Frequently Asked QuestionsFrequently Asked Questions
Source: http://www.corestandards.org/frequently
Division of Curriculum & Instruction Partnering to Advance Quality Instruction and Student Achievement
St. Lucie County
Your CCSS Questions and Clarifications
K-2 The learning targets represented on the scales are the CCSS. Some teachers have said, "What about the simpler ideas, the
CCSS are so broad." This is true. The CCSS are end of course, broad expectations for student learning.
We have moved towards a stronger focus on standards based grading. The targets are the learning targets outlined by CCSS. Teachers define daily learning targets in order to obtain each target over a specified unit/time length of instruction.
The strand for where to enter grades in Skyward has been labeled. This will help assist teachers when moving towards stand-ards based grading.
Thoughts have been shared that the standards in the units do not match Journeys. This is because the units and scales are based solely on the CCSS not Journeys. Journeys is our resource for teaching the standards. The standards are selected to provide depth and mastery for the identified focus standards for each unit of instruction.
CCSS are end of course expectations. In every new unit, new standards are bold. The standards from the previous unit remain as a reminder of what has been covered.
Other comments concerning the K-2 scales have been....the identified targets seem so difficult. These are the standards for the grade level. If teachers or students need to know what instruction is needed or should have been covered they can look down to the grade levels below. This is the spiral effect of the Common Core State Standards.
3-5
The largest area of clarification centers around the fact that the units do not follow Journeys. No, the units do not follow Jour-neys. The units have been designed to ensure depth and mastery of select, focus standards over a period of time. Journeys moves from skill to skill weekly (Main Idea, Compare/Contrast, Story Structure). Many of the skills are introduced and not formally revisited for weeks — in some instances after FCAT. Using the CLLG, teachers will provide a wide variety of reading selections and expose students to differing skills weekly. The standards identified by the Scope and Sequence as well as on the Scales are focus standards and should be woven into all selections during the specified time frame. Again the premise behind this is to teach for depth and mastery. The Journeys focus skill would simply become an additional learning target for that week.
6-12 Intensive Reading I, II, III are to follow the programs as these are research based interventions. Model scales will be provided
shortly for the intervention programs. Teachers using these intervention programs can utilize the SS and Scales as a bridge for the content focused on in ELA courses or as additional focus points for small group instruction.
English courses are responsible for the Reading standards outlined by SS. This can be supported by looking to the literacy rou-tines at each level. The routine will outline the minutes per week allocated to teaching the Reading standards. This is important due to the fact that this is the access to the guaranteed and viable curriculum for all students. As the content area teachers are focusing on CCSS, NGSSS must be addressed in ELA courses.
Division of Curriculum & Instruction Partnering to Advance Quality Instruction and Student Achievement
St. Lucie County
Parent Resources: CCSS and More Parent ResourcesParent Resources Parent guides to the CCSS are available from these sites: http://pta.org/4446.htm
http://www.cgcs.org/site/Default.aspx?PageID=244 These brochures are available to print and distribute to support the awareness of CCSS expectations and support.
Overview of GraduationOverview of Graduation Requirements Requirements
http://fcat.fldoe.org/pdf/fcatpass.pdf
Close Reading VideoClose Reading Video
http://www.scoop.it/t/common-core-state-standards/p/1643371200/douglas-fisher-close-reading-and-the-ccss-2-
what-it-looks-like
Text Complexity VideoText Complexity Video
http://www.shanahanonliteracy.com/2011/09/more-on-text-complexity-and-common-core.html
Division of Curriculum & Instruction Partnering to Advance Quality Instruction and Student Achievement
St. Lucie Public Schools
Upcoming
Assessments
ST. LUCIE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL TESTING SCHEDULE 2012-2013
Assessment Begin Date End Date Purpose Grade/Semester Subject
K-2: Journeys
Benchmark
Assessment 1
10/29/2012 11/7/2012 Formative K - 2 Reading
Go Math Customized
Benchmark 1
10/29/2012 11/7/2012 Formative K - 2 Math
*Benchmark
Assessment Quarter 1
10/29/2012 11/7/2012 Progress
Monitoring
Grades 3 - 12 Reading, Math,
Science, US History,
Civics*
SAT 11/3/2012 Acceleration High School College Readiness
Test
STATE TEST: Florida
Biology EOC - retakes
11/28/2012 12/3/2012 Summative High School Biology
SAT 12/1/2012 Acceleration High School College Readiness
Test
FCAT Writing Field
Test (Select Schools)
12/4/2012 12/5/2012 Grades 4, 8, & 10 Writing
STATE TEST: Florida
Algebra 1 EOC -
retakes
12/4/2012 12/13/2012 Summative Middle & High
School
Algebra 1
Stanford 10 (SAT 10) 12/6/2012 12/7/2012 Summative 3 - 4 split
(retained 3rd
Grade)
Reading
Comprehension
ACT 12/8/2012 Acceleration High School College Readiness
Test
STATE TEST: Florida
Geometry EOC -
retakes
12/14/2012 12/19/2012 Summative Middle & High
School
Geometry
Assessment
Type
Testing
Window
Paper and Pencil Test Computer Based Test (CBT)
*Quarter 1
Benchmarks
10/29/12
through
11/7/12
3, 5, 6 & 8 Reading
3-8 Science & Math
Gr 7 Civics
Gr 9 and 10 Reading
Physical Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics,
Algebra 1, Geometry
(Algebra 1 and Geometry Benchmarks Optional
for Middle School)
Gr 4 Reading OLA/paper
Gr 7 Reading OLA
Gr 11 US History OLA
Division of Curriculum, Instruction , & Assessment
St. Lucie Public Schools
Stay informed, and keep up with what is happening at PARCC.
Sign up for their electronic newsletter (PARCC Place) at: http://parcconline.org/
What you will receive: Information and resources for implementation of the
Common Core State Standards and updates on the release of PARCC assessment
items/task prototypes.
Division of Curriculum & Instruction
St. Lucie Public Schools
Deeper into Teacher Reflective Practice & the DPP
Excellent Resource for DPP Reflective Practice The 2012-13 academic year has seen all teachers in St. Lucie Public Schools design and
embark on a Deliberate Practice Plan. This has been done with the knowledge that expertise does not
happen by chance. It requires deliberate, focused practice coupled with feedback. Teachers have
selected several elements from Domain 1 of the Framework and will use the year to gain expertise in
the pedagogical skills of their craft through a structured process.
Part of the Deliberate Practice Plan was
a step in which teachers took their goals and
created action steps to achieve those goals.
Many teachers created an action step that
includes research around their targeted element.
This may include reading certain chapters of a
book, analyzing peer reviewed articles, and
seeking out many other sources of information.
However, this has some teachers wondering,
“Where are other rich sources of research on
my chosen elements?” If this is the case for
you, please click on the link below to access a
highly valuable resource document.
Have you ever wondered where to start
looking for information regarding specific
elements? You know that the Art & Science of
Teaching is a great source, but you may want to
extend your research and may not always have
the time to find exact pages that answer your
immediate needs. Well, the attached resource outlines every single element, and then gives you the
page number in all of Marzano’s books that correspond with you element. For example, what if you
are working on Element 18: What do I typically do to help students examine errors in reasoning?
The attached resource, Resources for Reflective Practice, will give you a list of specific
strategies from that element and details on where to seek out knowledge. For example, just one slice
of Element 18 deals with identifying errors of faulty logic. Look at the element in the attached link
and for this very specific strategy you will find this information:
ASOT (pp. 77–79)
ASOT-HAND (pp. 95–99)
TA21CS (pp. 44–46)
Using a key you can find that the titles of these books are The Art & Science of Teaching, The AST
Handbook, and Teaching and Assessing 21st Century Skills. This is just one example from the pages
and pages of specific research information that you will find in Resources for Reflective Practice.
Check this out now and get one action step closer to achieving your growth goals.
RESOURCE FOR REFLECTIVE PRACTICE
http://www.marzanoresearch.com/documents/reproducibles/becoming_reflective/
additionalresroucesforreflectivepractice.pdf
Secondary MTSSSecondary MTSS The first AIMSweb benchmarking window closed October 15th. There were follow-up training webinars for LAMs on October 18th. At this point, everyone should be just about finished with survey level assessments, determining goals for students and scheduling progress monitoring. Now that we have the bench-marking data, we need to fill out an inter-vention summary form for each Tier 2 group. This should occur during a Group PST meeting. Please contact your RtI specialist if would like assistance with this process. Structured and protected time for your different PSTs to meet is the biggest key to your successful MTSS implementation, and most middle and high schools are right on track! Core PST meetings are scheduled and Group PSTs have been meeting weekly according to the meeting calendar. If you haven't scheduled your meetings yet, please contact Amy Slacum for assistance.
Division of Curriculum & Instruction Partnering to Advance Quality Instruction and Student Achievement
St. Lucie County
MTSS ElementaryMTSS Elementary
Why is Walk to Intervention recom-
mended for students in Grades K-5?
All Students are involved in direct instruc-
tion in their specific area of need. (FAPE) Writing
Science
Math
Reading
FCAT Prep
Enrichment
Only intervention teachers will need to be
trained on implementing the identified
research based materials. Progress Monitoring
Forms / Attendance
Response Meetings
Communication efforts through adminis-
trators and coaches to 12-15 intervention
teachers will support a focused approach. RTI Meetings
Trainings
Data Collection
Monitoring PM Probes
The tiered paperwork is not as heavy with
12-15 interventionists. Forms
Attendance
Graphs
Easy to Manage Groups
Materials for Tier 2 and 3 interventions are
shared among intervention teachers in
grades K-5.
Concordant Scores to Meet Concordant Scores to Meet
High School Graduation High School Graduation
Requirements Requirements
Differ by 9Differ by 9thth Grade CohortGrade Cohort
For the cohort entering 9th Grade 2009-
2010, concordant score opportunities remain the
same as they were (current ACT or SAT concord-
ant scores). Students may also meet the gradua-
tion requirement with a score of at least 241 on
the FCAT Reading 2.0
Retake exam. (The
FCAT 1.0 for
Reading has been elim-
inated, so the 241
score replaces the old
score requirement.)
Most students im-
pacted by this information are our current sen-
iors.
For the cohort entering 9th Grade 2010-2011 and
later, concordant score opportunities will not be
available until 2013. Concordance studies are in
progress now, but concordant scores on ACT or
SAT will not be set until the studies are completed
and the State Board acts on the results. That
means that students in these cohorts cannot use a
concordant score to meet graduation require-
ments. These students may meet the graduation
requirement in Reading with a 245 on an FCAT
2.0 Retake exam. This would affect our students
who are juniors
now.
Division of Curriculum & Instruction Partnering to Advance Quality Instruction and Student Achievement
St. Lucie County
Division of Curriculum, Instruction , & Assessment Partnering to Advance Quality Instruction and Student Achievement
St. Lucie Public Schools
Social Studies is Common Core Social Studies continues to break new ground in the implementation of Common
Core State Standards in Literacy for Grades 6-12. While History Fair is well estab-
lished, over the past three years additional initiatives that, like History Fair, im-
prove content knowledge and support the rigor required by Common Core have
been rolled out.
Project Citizen
For Grade 7 Civics, Project Citizen is a hands-on student-led project where an entire class works
collaboratively to solve a school or community public policy problem. Through research, consensus
building, analysis, and peer teaching, students identify the problem, hypothesize and propose solu-
tions, and develop an action plan to implement a new policy or change an existing one. We began
Project Citizen when the District transitioned to Civics in the 2010-2011 school year. Last year, St.
Lucie County had three of the five finalist teams at the state competition. A team from Dan McCarty
School won best oral presentation at the State Showcase held in West Palm Beach. This year’s Pro-
ject Citizen Showcase will be at Samuel S. Gaines Academy on Thursday, January 17, 2013 from
4:30 to 8:30.
DBQ
We also began a phased roll out of DBQ Project in 2010. DBQ stands for document-based ques-
tion. It is a literacy-based method for teaching social studies content where students analyze multi-
ple primary and secondary source documents incorporating close reading, inferring meaning, and
data analysis to answer a question. The question is answered through an argumentative essay in
which students cite evidence from the sources to justify their response. It has proved both popular
with teachers and students, and effective in improving students’ reading, writing, and critical think-
ing skills.
This year while we continue to increase capacity for document-based
writing in history related courses in Grades 6-11, we also are expand-
ing. In an exciting development, teams of 4th and 5th grade teachers
from four Title I pilot program schools recently completed training to
begin using DBQ Project in their classes. In addition, a gap has existed
at the secondary level in Grade 7 Civics. All Civics teachers will be
trained in the just-released Civics DBQ’s on November 6th leading to a
seamless implementation in Grades 6-11. We will continue to focus on
increasing capacity in all schools as we move forward.
Division of Curriculum, Instruction , & Assessment Partnering to Advance Quality Instruction and Student Achievement
St. Lucie Public Schools
More on Social Studies
Judges Needed
If you would like to help judge our students’
work on Project Citizen or History Fair,
please contact Tim Norfleet,
Dates for each event are listed below.
Important Upcoming Events
10/31 Deadline for entries in the Daughters
of the American Revolution American
History Essay Contest (grades 5-8).
11/6 Civics DBQ Training for all Grade 7
Civics teachers*, 8:00-3:30 in the
Community Room.
ERO Session ID is 05611106120001
11/16 Deadline for entries in the Daughters
of the American Revolution Junior
American Citizens Contest
(grades K-12).
1/17 District Project Citizen Showcase,
4:30-8:00 at Samuel S. Gaines
Academy
3/2 District History Fair, 8:00-2:30 at
Oak Hammock
3/6 District History Fair Awards
Ceremony, 6:00-8:00 at Fort Pierce
Central’s Auditorium
*Civics teachers who have had DBQ Project
training for World or US History do not need
to attend the training but will receive the
Civics materials.
Public Review of Public Review of
Next Generation Next Generation
Sunshine State Sunshine State
Standards for Standards for
Health Education Health Education
and Physical Educationand Physical Education
The Florida Department of Education
has facilitated a review and revision
of the Next Generation Sunshine
State Standards (NGSSS) for Health
Education and Physical Education.
The draft documents are ready for
public review.
The link to review the draft for Health
Education and to provide feedback
can be found at http://http://
www.surveymonkey.com/s/2WQRP73www.surveymonkey.com/s/2WQRP73.
The link to review the draft for Physi-
cal Education and to provide feed-
back can be found
at http://www.surveymonkey.com/http://www.surveymonkey.com/
s/6SG6L6Vs/6SG6L6V. .
These reviews will be open from
October 12 to
November 12, 2012.
A Message From Kelly Seay About
This Year ’s Celebrate Literacy Week
The 5th annual Celebrate Literacy, Florida! event is coming up January 14-18, 2013. This year we are invit-ing all of our SRO’s to read to their corresponding Elementary school’s VPK, K, and/or 1st grade classes. FDOE will provide the books and will be donating them to the schools after the readings. Please contact your school’s SRO and be sure he/she is on the lookout for more information. Each SRO will be responsible for scheduling a day and time during the event week to read. The schools will be responsible for letting me know how many books will be needed. Thanks and Happy Reading!!
Kelly Seay Kelly Seay, M.Ed. Deputy Director of Educator Rela-tions Florida Depart-ment of Educa-tion Just for Teachers 850.245.5029
2013 Celebrate
Literacy Week
DOE Memorandum
Please view the following links that
were released from the Department of
Education concerning Celebrate
Literacy Week, Florida!
http://info.fldoe.org/docushare/dsweb/
Get/Document-6533/dps-2012-163.pdf
http://info.fldoe.org/docushare/dsweb/
Get/Document-6534/dps-2012-163a.pd
http://info.fldoe.org/docushare/dsweb/
Get/Document-6535/dps-2012-163b.pd
http://info.fldoe.org/docushare/dsweb/
Get/Document-6536/dps-2012-163c.pd
St. Lucie County
Division of Curriculum, Instruction, & Assessment Partnering to Advance Quality Instruction and Student Achievement
Division of Curriculum, Instruction , & Assessment Partnering to Advance Quality Instruction and Student Achievement
St. Lucie Public Schools
MATH CONCEPT BYTE
Connecting Math to Literacy Common Core
Students should be exposed to solving word problems in all lessons! An effective strategy to use with your students is Close Reading. With students you should read the problem, next have students read the problem, and then students should be involved in text marking. This will help students deepen their knowledge on key ideas, craft and structure and the integration of knowledge and ideas.
MACC.K12.MP.2 - Reason Abstractly and Quantitatively Mathematically proficient students make sense of quantities and their relationships. They are able to
decontextualize (represent a situation symbolically and manipulate the symbols) and contextualize
(make meaning of the symbols in a problem) quantitative relationships. Younger students recognize
that a number represents a specific quantity. They connect the quantity to written symbols. Quantita-
tive reasoning entails creating a representation of a problem while attending to the meanings of the
quantities, not just how to compute them.
To support our students in this practice, we can ask our students:
What do the numbers used in the problem represent?
What is the relationship of the quantities?
Could we have used another operation or property to solve this task? Why or why
not?
Click on the picture to see MP.2 in action!
Contact Liz Pruitt or Chris Sternfels for information!
Division of Curriculum, Instruction , & Assessment Partnering to Advance Quality Instruction and Student Achievement
St. Lucie Public Schools
MATH TECHNOLOGY SPOTLIGHT
Fast Fact: Did you know that our Core Resource has a treasure trove of
electronic resources?
If so, did you know that they have new updates regularly?
GoMath has recently provided an additional intervention resource. The resource pro-
vides an online video tutorial of skills being taught in your classroom. To find this won-
derful resource, click the “resources” tab at the top of the screen after logging in.
Choose “Mathematics“ as the subject and then scroll to the bottom of the screen until
you see “Online Florida Intervention.”
Glencoe has recently updated their eAssessments (formerly Advance Tracker). This up-
date allows teachers to create and customize assess-
ments and assignments that can be completed online
or printed. Comprehensive reports can be generated
for online tests and assignments.
Pearson has a feature under the planning tab called
“My Test.” This selection allows teachers to create
benchmark specific questions for an online or paper
pencil experience. Ability to create benchmark specific questions can help you re-
assess deficiencies and allow students to track their progress. Please click on the word
“Pearson” for additional information.
United Way Campaign
Get Ready, Get Ready to be a Cheerful Giver
The United Way Campaign for 2012-2013 is coming your way.
We are looking forward to another successful year.
More information is forthcoming about our St. Lucie County Public Schools
United Way Kickoff, hosted by Lavienia Crenshaw.
So, Get Ready, Get Ready to Unite our Way to a better tomorrow.
Contact Liz Pruitt or Chris Sternfels for information!
SCIENCE NEWS
SCIENCE NEWS Science Showcase
This year’s showcase will coincide with the Intel St.
Lucie Regional Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF)
and will take place on Indian River State College’s
campus in the Science Building - N. The School
Showcase projects only need to be a representation
of their scientific testing of a question. The intent is
for 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students to have fun test-
ing a burning question. Go to SHARE for more de-
tails.
NSPIRE Day
Dario Lazarazu, a mathematics teacher at SLWCHS
conducted a workshop on October 2nd on the use of
NSpire calculators and Navigator system in the class-
room. The goal of this workshop was to develop a
better understanding of graphing calculators and the
potential they have to create collaborative units.
Attending an NSpire workshop allows the teachers to
use the District set of 10 NSpire calculators and the
wireless navigator system that wirelessly connects all
the students' Nspires to the teacher’s computer.
STEM Geology Saturday
Thirteen Title One teachers attended a unique
science in-service Saturday, September 22, 2012.
Through the use of a variety of different teaching
methods including experiential learning, the Geology
Saturday in-service gave Title One middle school
teachers content, curricular and pedagogical
knowledge to develop effective lessons organized
into cohesive units within Big Idea 6 “Earth Struc-
tures.” The teachers in the picture to the right are
determining the limestone content of different beach-
es along Florida’s east coast. Teachers also made
rock collections for their classrooms and learned how
Florida’s geological history was shaped by the rise
and fall of the ocean’s sea level.
VGTI/ St. Lucie Schools Partnership
Continues
VGTI and St. Lucie Public Schools will continue a
partnership that improves instructional opportunities
and enhances student achievement in science by
having students interact with scientists from VGTI.
Three programs will continue to expand this year.
First, our ongoing “Saturday with a Scientist” pro-
gram will enable 150 fifth grade students district-
wide to conduct experiments with help from real
scientists. Second, two juniors from each of our
district’s six high schools will have an opportunity
to “Shadow a Scientist” by observing researchers at
VGTI’s new state-of-the-art facility in the Tradition
Center for Innovation. Students will get an authen-
tic look into the daily life of a scientist at a research
laboratory. In the spring, our district’s seventh
graders will be presented with a “VGTI Grand Chal-
lenge.” Guided by their science teachers, students
will work collaboratively by class to formulate a
creative solution to a problem posed by VGTI scien-
tists via a video message.
Title One Indian River Lagoon
Interdependence Day On Saturday, November 3rd, Smithsonian Institute
will host an in-service for Title One teachers cover-
ing Big Idea 17, Interdependence. Teachers will
meet at the Smithsonian Museum and Aquarium.
They will receive instruction on lagoon community
dynamics and food chains, seine the Indian River
Lagoon, and receive their saltwater collection
license for classroom aquariums. Teachers will also
be instructed on how to maintain a saltwater a
aquarium.
Why do you think FCAT 2.0 Writing scores
were over all lower in 2012 compared to prior
years?
You may have said something like conventions,
grammar, or support. The changes mentioned
were included in the expanded expectations. Con-
ventions are now being looked at equally in how
they affect the fluency of the essay as well as the
support in terms of the quality of details being spe-
cific, developed, and relevant.
In the past, the expectation focused more on stu-
dents getting their ideas down on paper and less on
the conventions in terms of overall fluency. What
Pearson referred to as a run on 4, in the past, where
the writer would tell us everything he/she knows,
which may have been repetitive, a bit off focus, and
trying to develop ideas, is no longer a 4 with the
new expectations.
The rubric did not change. The rubric allows for
wide interpretation. The Anchor Sets illustrate the
range of quality acceptable within the rubric. By
changing our focus to the Anchor Sets for scoring
versus the rubric as our primary source, we will be
better equipped the expectations at each score
level.
In 2013, students will have 60 minutes to re-
spond to the writing prompt instead of 45 minutes.
The two lined pages provided for essay writing will
remain as the focus is on the quality to improve,
not the quantity. In order to achieve a high score,
a focus on the quality of the response through effi-
cient planning, development of support, and a
clear, natural consistent tone is essential.
FCAT 2.0 Writing is one measure of a stu-
dent’s writing ability. There is so much more to
teaching writing than this one way. If our primary
focus is to teach for FCAT Writes, one would think
we would have a preponderance of 6’s and we
don’t. It’s not working. Teach good writing for
multiple purposes.” (2013 FAQ FCAT 2.0
Writing)
Resource from DOE: Anchor Sets http://fcat.fldoe.org/writing-prompts.asp
Resource from DOE: 2013 FAQ FCAT 2.0 Writing http://fcat.fldoe.org/fcat2/pdf/13fcat2writing.pdf
Resource from District: Narrated PowerPoint: Teachers/Staff site Scope and Sequence Select Grade Level Resources Understand Writing FCAT 2.0
FCAT 2.0 Writing
Print Awareness
Print awareness includes the concept of
book orientation. At this stage, a student
will begin to demonstrate understanding
of the concept of a word. The student will
discover that written words are represent-
ed as discrete units; as wholes unto them-
selves and physically separate from each
other.
Phonemic Awareness Phonemic awareness is the understanding
that the sounds of spoken language work
together to make words. A phoneme is a
single speech sound (e.g., the letter t
represents the sound /t/).
Phonics Phonics is the understanding that there is
a relationship between phonemes (the
sounds of spoken language) and graph-
emes (the letters and spellings that repre-
sent these sounds in written language).
When phonics instruction is being given,
teachers systematically teach students
how to relate letters and sounds. This in-
cludes breaking down spoken words into
sounds to promote spelling and blending
sounds from printed words to promote
reading.
Vocabulary Vocabulary refers to the words that we
must know in order to communicate ef-
fectively. Vocabulary can be learned indi-
rectly (e.g., through being read to,
through conversations with adults) or di-
rectly (e.g., through specific word instruc-
tion or through strategies such as break-
ing longer words down into familiar
parts).
Fluency
Fluency refers to the ability to read text
accurately and quickly. Fluency is im-
portant because it provides a bridge be-
tween word recognition and comprehen-
sion. Fluent readers do not have to con-
centrate on decoding so they can focus
their efforts on making meaning of the
text.
Comprehension Comprehension refers to the ability to
make meaning out of text. Prior
knowledge will contribute to comprehen-
sion as the student begins to remember
facts, sequence, and main ideas of infor-
mation read. Sometimes there may be
gaps in comprehension due to lack of ex-
periences. It is therefore important to as-
sess for comprehension difficulties, and
to teach what the student doesn’t under-
stand in an effort to increase reading
comprehension.
Foundational Skills for
Reading
Division of Curriculum, Instruction , & Assessment Partnering to Advance Quality Instruction and Student Achievement
St. Lucie Public Schools
DISTRICT READING ENDORSEMENT CLASSES WILL BEGIN IN THE SPRING!
Pursuant to Rule 6A-5.066, F.A.C. and Section 1012.575, F.S the District Level Reading
Endorsement Matrices and Courses must be rewritten and reworked to meet the demands
of the Common Core State Standards and the results of the National Panel of Literacy.
The Reading Endorsement Competencies will change as seen below. All previous cours-
es will still count towards successful completion of the Reading Endorsement.
There are two ways to obtain Reading Endorsement in the state of Florida.
1. Complete the District approved Reading Endorsement Plan (Consisting of 5 Courses)
Competency 1 (To be offered in the Spring by FDLRS)
Competency 2 (To be taken by an online provider, visit the SHARE homepage for ad-
ditional information)
Competency 3 (To be taken by an online provider, visit the SHARE homepage for ad-
ditional information)
Competency 4 (To be offered in the Spring through
FDLRS)
Competency 5 (To be offered by the District in the
Spring)
2. State Board Rule requires completion of fifteen (15) se-
mester hours in reading coursework based upon scientifi-
cally based reading research with a focus on both the pre-
vention and remediation of reading difficulties to include:
6 semester hours in understanding reading as a process of student engagement in
both fluent decoding of words and construction of meaning;
3 semester hours in the administration and interpretation of instructional assess-
ments to include screening, diagnosis, and progress monitoring with purposes of pre-
vention, identification, and remediation of reading difficulties;
3 semester hours in understanding how to prescribe, differentiate instruction, and
utilize appropriate strategies and materials based upon scientifically based reading re-
search in order to address the prevention, identification, and remediation of reading
difficulties in order to increase reading performance; and
3 semester hours in a supervised practicum to obtain practical experience in in-
creasing the reading performance of a student(s) with the prescription and utilization of
appropriate strategies and materials based upon scientifically based reading research to
address the prevention.
*You MAY NOT combine these two pathways towards Endorsements.
Florida Reading Endorsement Information
St. Lucie Common Core Book ReviewSt. Lucie Common Core Book Review
“Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe and take for
granted; nor to find talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider."
(Bacon, 1625)
The overall premise and learning that was taken
away from reading this book was that by strength-
ening students’ complex thinking and problem
solving skills, teachers enable students to deepen
comprehension of text.
Packed with examples and tools, this practical
guide prepares teachers across all grade levels and
content areas to teach the most critical cognitive
skills from the Common Core State Standards.
The book is separated in seven sections that focus on seven student pro-
ficiencies. Within the seven proficiencies are three essential thinking
skills. The authors of the book suggest that when teaching and learning
is focused on the seven key student proficiencies, mastery of the
Common Core State Standards is increased.
The 21 thinking skills outlined in the text either appears explicitly in the
standard and others occur implicitly within the language of the standard.
...continued on next page
Seven Key Student Proficiencies:Seven Key Student Proficiencies: 1 - Critical Thinking - Analyze, Evaluate, Problem Solve
2 - Creative Thinking - Generate, Associate, Hypothesize
3 - Complex Thinking - Clarify, Interpret, Determine
4 - Comprehensive Thinking - Understand, Infer, Compare
5 - Collaborative Thinking - Explain, Develop, Decide
6 - Communicative Thinking - Reason, Connect,
Represent
7 - Cognitive Transfer of Thinking - Synthesize,
Generalize, Apply
...continued from previous page
A Closer Look at a Thinking Skill: Analyze
“No way of thinking or doing, however ancient, can be trusted without proof.”
“Critical thinking begins with the ability to analyze, the most prevalent think-
ing skill in the ELA standards. Analysis involves the tedious task of taking ide-
as and objects apart, looking carefully at the various parts, and then recogniz-
ing the ideas by the similarities and ideas found. Analyzing is the opposite of
synthesizing, putting things together” (How to Teach Critical Thinking Skills
within The Common Core, pg. 15).
One instructional strategy recommended by the book for teaching this
skill is the use of the acronym PART.
Stay Tuned for the Next Common Core Book Study Preview
Examples from the CCSS: Thinking Skill Analyze
Key Ideas and Details: RL.8.1.1 Cite the textual evidence that most
strongly supports an analysis of what the
text says explicitly as well as inferences
drawn from the text.
Phonics and Word Recognition: RF.4.3.3 Know and apply grade level phonic and
word analysis skills in decoding words.
Preview the whole situation
Assess similarities and differences
Reorganize by these similarities and differences
Turn the analysis to a summary or synthesis
Division of Curriculum, Instruction , & Assessment Partnering to Advance Quality Instruction and Student Achievement
St. Lucie Public Schools
St. Lucie Public Schools
PK Teachers & Paraprofessionals (of 3-4 year-old or 4-5 year-old students)
Save The Date!
WHAT: Early Childhood Links to Literacy
Conference
WHEN: Saturday, January 12, 2013
WHERE: Fort Pierce Central High School
* Keynote Speaker: Dr. Mel Jurado, Florida Office of Early Learning
* General Session on Brain-based Instruction & Learning: Dr. Pam Schiller
* Parent Track Provided by the Parent Academy
* Engaging Break-Out Sessions, A Book Fair, Vendors, Lunch, Prizes & More!
Please plan on joining us!
For more information, contact:
Mary Huffstetter, Early Childhood Coordinator
772-429-5548
Common Core Support
Log onto the Share website
Click on Educator Resources
Locate Scope and Sequence
Click on the grade level that you
teach
Locate Units and Scales
Click on Understand the SLC Units
and CCSS