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,

tim.norfleet@stlucieschools.org .

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

mary.huffstetter@stlucieschools.org

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