PA Common Core Standards

PA Common Core Standards:What are They and How Will They Impact Education at OASD?

11990s: Began implementing standards- based education1999: Adopted Standards for Mathematics, Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening.

2002-2006: Adopted additional standards in other content areas and revised the original Math and Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening standards.July 1, 2010Adopted improved standards in math and English Language Arts (ELA) to replace those adopted in 1999. These were based off the Common Core Initiative.

History of Academic Standards in PAAcademic Standards are not new to Pennsylvania. Beginning in the mid 1990s standards were drafted to communicate a common expectation of what students are expected to know and be able to do at specific grade levels. Standards are NOT a curriculum, but rather focus on essential concepts, knowledge and skills necessary for students to succeedthey were designed to increase student achievement and ensure that the academic expectations at each grade level were the same in every Pennsylvania Public School System. 2Multi-state effort that began in 2004

Became a formal effort coordinated by the NGA and CCSSO (including the PA Secretary of Education)

Standards developed in collaboration with state officials, teachers, parents across the country to develop model standards in math and English for states to consider using.What is Common Core?Common Core Standards Initiative began as a multi-state effort in 2004 and was then coordinated by the National Governors Association and Council of Chief School Officers. The common core standards have been designed to ensure that all students are College and Career Ready by the time they graduate. Additionally, they reflect the belief that across the United States, there should be similar expected levels of achievement upon graduation so that students in one state are not less prepared to compete in a global economy than students in another state. 3The Comon Core standards provide:

Clear and consistent standards for all states to consider when developing state-specific standards for math and English;

Evidence-based rigorous content;

Standards aligned with college and career readiness.

No state is required by federal law to adopt Common Core. Common Core State StandardsThe Common Core Standards are different in that there are fewer of them, yet they reflect a significant increase in rigor and depth of knowledge. 4Why Common Core?

The increasing competiveness of a Global Economy, the Internet together with rapidly advancing technology require us to prepare students today for jobs that dont even exist yet and to be prepared to solve problems we may not yet have. The demands of the business community and higher education officials for more rigorous academic standards to produce high school graduates who are ready to succeed in the workforce or college have also provided a sense of urgency to make significant changes in US Education. Skills today that are needed to succeed in the workforce after high school are the same skills needed to succeed in college according to business leaders and those in higher education. This video clip you are about to see will explain the rationale behind the Common Core Standards. 5Based on Common Core, but tailored to meet our state-specific needs

More rigorous than previous state standards

Fewer, clearer standards that require students to have depth of knowledge and increased critical thinking. What is Pennsylvania Common Core?In 2010, the Pennsylvania Board of ducation commissioned a study done by the University of Pittsburgh that found the recommended Common Core standards were highly correlated to math and English standards revisions the Board was already considering. Common Core is a baseline model for standards and Pennsylvania adopted standards above the recommended model. 6Revised math and ELA curricula aligned to PA Common CoreNew PSSA tests in grades 3-8Math 3-8 beginning 2015 (previously 2014)ELA 3-8 beginning 2015 (previously 2014)Elimination of PSSA Writing in grades 5 and 8

**Keystone Exams in Algebra I, Biology and Literatureclass of 2017 must pass in order to graduate.

What are the curriculum and assessment implications for our students?New PA Common Core Standards mandated by the state have required us to revise our math and ELA Curricula to align to the increased rigor of the Common Core. Although the standards are state mandated, the curriculum, the instruction and the resources we use are not mandated by the state. Remember that the standards are what the students should know and be able to do at each grade level and upon graduation. They are our learning targets. How we get our students to meet those targets is up to us. Therefore, we have already begun the work of revising our curriculum to provide an appropriate pathway to mastery of the standards for Math and ELA. The curriculum is not yet finalized, but we have already begun implementing it in math, grades K-5. New assessments aligned to the PA Common Core are expected in the spring of 2015, which means that students will be assessed differently in math and ELAthe biggest change in the assessments are that instead of a Reading PSSA and a separate writing PSSA, students will be given an ELA PSSA that assess both in grades 3-8. Also, as you know, the Keystone Exams in Algebra I , Biology and Literature are already in place. For now, the class of 2017 must pass these in order to graduate (this years 9th graders). 7Several delays:Timeline for implementing revised PSSA tests in grades 3-5 has changed. (from 2014 to 2015)July 1 implementation of PA Common Core delayed on May 20, 2013 for minor modifications to the regulations governing the standards and the Keystone Exams. School districts have been instructed to continue curriculum revisions and implementation of PA Common Core Standards as planned. On the political frontAs you may know or have heard, not all law makers in PA are on board to move to grade-level learning expectations that would bring PA Public School Instruction more in unison with 44 other states and the District of Columbia who are in the process of implementing the standards. As of this date, the official adoption of the PA Common Core Standards for ELA and Math has been postponed pending minor modifications to the regulations. It is expected that the standards themselves will remain and that is why we are continuing our work in aligning our curriculum and instruction with those standards. 8

Begin with the end in mindWhy the need to change how we assess?So, now we need to again ask why we need to instruct and assess our students in a way that increases rigor yet provides relevance for students and therefore enables them to make real world connections to their learning. 9PA Common Core Implications for English Language Arts

So, what is it really, then that we will be asking students to do differently in ELA? 10The Common Core State Standards for reading strongly focus on students gathering evidence, knowledge, and insight from what they read. 80-90% of the Reading Standards in each grade require text dependent analysis.

CLOSE READING Source: Smarter Balanced website

Close reading is a skill that is seen all the way through the new Common Core standards, beginning as early as Kindergarten. Close reading requires students to base their answers to questions on what they read in the textthis sounds like common sense; however.11Far longer amounts of classroom time spent on text worth reading and rereading carefully Base answers on what has been read, not opinions or experience

Recent study found that 80% of the questions students were asked when they are reading are answerable without direct reference to the text itself .Major Shift: Text-dependent questions Bringing the Common Core to Life" David Coleman Founder, Student Achievement Partners Chancellors Hall State Education Building Albany, NY April 28, 2011 Many questions asked of students in response to reading have traditionally been answerable without direct reference to the text itself. In our own data analysis we have consistently found that the test items which require students to respond using text based evidence and critical thinking skills such as analysis and interpretation of text are where are students are not performing wellin both literary and non-fiction text. Likewise, traditional curricula does not teach all of our students to do this on a consistent and pervasive basis as reflected now in the PA Common Core Standards. This presents a need for instructional shifts. 12Based on the information in the text Biography of Amelia Earhart, write an essay that summarizes and explains the challenges Earhart faced throughout her life. Remember to use textual evidence to support your ideas.

13Grade 7 Analytical Prose Constructed-Response Item #1Lets look at some sample response items that reflect the idea of increased rigor in ELA. How have the standards and assessment changed? What you see is a grade 7 common core test item. Notice the emphasis on the use of textual evidence to support ideas. 13You have read three texts describing Amelia Earhart. All three include the claim that Earhart was a brave, courageous person. The three texts are:

Biography of Amelia Earhart Earhart's Final Resting Place Believed Found Amelia Earharts Life and Disappearance

Consider the argument each author uses to demonstrate Earharts bravery.

Write an essay that analyzes the strength of the arguments about Earharts bravery in at least two of the texts. Remember to use textual evidence to support your ideas.

14Grade 7 Prose Constructed-Response Item #2Notice that the task asks the student to compare ideas across texts on the same topic and to analyze the arguments used by each author. Again, notice the need for students to anchor their response to evidence from the text. This use of text based evidence is seen throughout the PA Common Core Standards for ELA. Notice the level of the thinking skills required to perform this task. 1415Literary Analysis Task (Grade 10):Ovids Daedalus and Icarus andSextons To a Friend Whose Work Has Come to Triumph

Here is an example of a literary analysis task that might be found on the grade 10 Literature Keystone Exam. 15Part AWhich of the following sentences best states an important theme about human behavior as described in Ovids Daedalus and Icarus?Striving to achieve ones dreams is a worthwhile endeavor.The thoughtlessness of youth can have tragic results.*Imagination and creativity bring their own rewards.Everyone should learn from his or her mistakes.

16Grade 10 Evidence-Based Selected-Response ItemThe old PSSA would stop here, but the PA Common Core Keystone Exam for Literature asks students to go deeper into the text and to think much more critically. 16Part BSelect three pieces of evidence from Ovids Daedalus and Icarus that support the answer to Part A.

and by his playfulness retard the work/his anxious father planned (lines 310-311)*But when at last/the father finished it, he poised himself (lines 312-313)he fitted on his son the plumed wings/ with trembling hands, while down his withered cheeks/the tears were falling (lines 327-329)Proud of his success/the foolish Icarus forsook his guide (lines 348-349)*and, bold in vanity, began to soar/rising above his wings to touch the skies (lines 350-351)*and as the years went by the gifted youth/began to rival his instructors art (lines 376-377)Wherefore Daedalus/enraged and envious, sought to slay the youth (lines 384-385)The Partridge hides/in shaded places by the leafy treesfor it is mindful of its former fall (lines 395-396, 399)Not only are students asked to identify the theme, but they must support their answer with evidence from the text. 17Use what you have learned from reading Daedalus and Icarus by Ovid and To a Friend Whose Work Has Come to Triumph by Anne Sexton to write an essay that provides an analysis of how Sexton transforms Daedalus and Icarus.

As a starting point, you may want to consider what is emphasized, absent, or different in the two texts, but feel free to develop your own focus for analysis.

Develop your essay by providing textual evidence from both texts. Be sure to follow the conventions of standard English.

18Grade 10 Prose Constructed-Response ItemFinally, students are asked to take their close reading knowledge of the texts and use what they have learned to compare, contrast, analyze and draw conclusions about one work compared to the other, again, using textual evidence.

This, is increased rigor and requires critical thinking skills that we have traditionally reserved for our highest achieving students. Yet, the skills required for college and career readiness mean that we must teach to this standard for ALL students. 18Preparing our Students for College & Career

The PA Common Core also asks students to read a wide range of texts with increased complexity and increases the amount of informational text students are reading in all content areas at each grade level. A lexile level is one way to measure text complexity. A book, article or piece of text gets aLexile text measurewhen it's analyzed by MetaMetrics. For example, the first "Harry Potter" book measures 880L, so it's called an 880 Lexile book. A Lexile text measure is based on two strong predictors of how difficult a text is to comprehend: word frequency and sentence length. Many other factors affect the relationship between a reader and a book, including its content, the age and interests of the reader, and the design of the actual book.

On the chart, note the average 12th grader lexile reading levels and the lexile levels required for daily reading, post HS and entry-level career. The bottom line: our students need to read more at each grade level and in every content area. A students ability to read critically and analyze information and ideas put forth in text and media are critical to his or her academic and career success today. We can no longer afford to simply tell students what they need to know, but rather, we need to provide them with the tools to think critically and learn independently.

MetaMetricsis a privately held educational measurement and research organization.[1]The psychometricians at MetaMetrics have developed TheLexileFramework for Reading, The Lexile Framework for Writing, and The Quantile Framework for Mathematics.[2]The Lexile measures from the Lexile Framework are reported from state assessments from 20 states and used worldwide.[3]The organization aims to have the measures from these frameworks used to encourage better educational practices and improve learning by linking assessment with instruction and matching students with targeted materials.[4]The organization is headquartered inDurham, North CarolinawithinResearch Triangle Park.[5]In both 2007 and 2008, MetaMetrics was given The Best Place to Work award by theTriangle Business Journal.[6]

19GradeHistorical Text Measures2012 CCSS Text Measures*1230Lto 420L190L to 530L2450L to 570L420L to 650L3600L to 730L520L to 820L4640L to 780L740L to 940L5730L to 850L830L to 1010L6860L to 920L920L to 1070L7880L to 960L970L to 1120L8900L to 1010L1010L to 1190L9960L to 1110L1050L to 1260L10920L to 1120L1080L to 1340L11 and 121070L to 1220L1180L to 1390LLexile levels today and with Common Core Rigor increased 2-3 Grade LevelsLexile levels have increased to match the rigor of the common core. As you can see, what was once a grade 4 Lexile level is now a grade two lexile. The bar has been raised significantly. At OASD, we have already begun to address this with the implementation of Reading and Writing workshop. Students are reading more than they ever have been asked to read in school, which, over time, will increase their reading level. The instruction within Reading and Writing workshop will provide students with opportunities to think more critically about what they are reading, anchor their responses to text and apply new learning to real reading situations vs. artificially structured text found in a reading series or program. 20PA Common Core Implications for Mathematics

How does the PA Common Core change the expectations for Math Curriculum and Instruction?21Move away from "mile wide, inch deep" curricula identified in TIMSS.Learn from international comparisons.Teach less, learn more.Less topic coverage can be associated with higher scores on those topics covered because students have more time to master the content that is taught.22Focus Ginsburg et al., 20051 minute

The Third International Math and Science Study (TIMSS) not only ranks assessment performance of many industrialized nations, but also analyzes the education systems of those countries. The TIMSS study showed that the U.S. covers far more topics than those countries that significantly outperform us. In the U.S. we have been covering more topics with the net result of learning less about them.Interestingly, the slogan on the Singapore Ministry of Educations website is Teach less, learn more. By focusing curriculum and instruction, teachers have the opportunity to support students in the development of strong foundations that pay off as the progress through more complex math concepts. {read quote from bottom of slide} Teach more than how to get the answer and instead support students ability to access concepts from a number of perspectivesConceptual understanding supports the other aspects of rigor (fluency and application)23Solid Conceptual UnderstandingDeveloping those strong foundations means increasing rigor. What does that look like in math?

One aspect of rigor is building solid conceptual understanding. Once we have a set of standards that are in fact focused, teachers and students have the time and space to develop solid conceptual understanding. {read the slide} There is no longer the pressure to quickly teach students how to superficially get to the answer, often relying on tricks or mnemonics. The standards instead require a real commitment to understanding mathematics, not just how to get the answer. As an example, it is not sufficient to simply know the procedure for finding equivalent fractions, but students also need to know what it means for numbers to be written in equivalent forms. Attention to conceptual understanding is one way that we can start counting on students building on prior knowledge. It is very difficult to build further math proficiency on a set mnemonics or discrete procedures. 1.OA.6. Add and subtract within 20, demonstrating fluency for addition and subtraction within 10. Use strategies such as counting on; making; decomposing a number leading to a; using the relationship between addition and; and creating equivalent but easier or known.

2.OA.2. Fluently add and subtract within 20 using mental strategies. By end of Grade 2, know from memory all sums of two one-digit numbers

3.NBT.2. Fluently add and subtract within 1000 using strategies and algorithms based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction.

4.NBT.4. Fluently add and subtract multi-digit whole numbers using the standard algorithm.

FLUENCY.Timed Tests?This slide shows the Common Core learning progression of addition and subtraction. Note:Grade 1students are asked to add and subtract using a variety of strategiesmany that you and I have never even heard of (same for many elementary teachers)Grade 2students are asked to use mental strategies to add and subtract.Grade 3it jumps from addition and subtraction within 20 to within 1000 using strategies and for the first time, the algorithms that we learned as kids. Why the jump? Students now have a more solid conceptual base so they can add and subtract larger numbers much more easily and begin to use the algorithm. Grade 4This is the first time students are asked to add and subtract, now multi-digit whole numbers, using the standard algorithm. These standards reflect the landings that the common core video clip referred to. They ensure that students have number sense and conceptual understanding PRIOR to learning the algorithm for addition and subtraction. Wh? Because the conceptual knowledge and number sense provide the foundation, or landing, that allows students to build towards the next landing on the staircase. For example, I learned math by memorizing my math factsaddition, subtraction, multiplication, division. When it came time for more abstract concepts, I struggled. I lacked the conceptual understanding and the number sense necessary to apply my basic knowledge of mathematical operations to more abstract mathematical concepts. Likewise, our students who are not provided with the opportunities to build that solid conceptual understanding are extremely limited in their ability to solve more complex problems, and therefore, they struggle. Add to that a student who struggles with memorizing math facts and you have a student who, by the time he or she reaches 5th grade has already decided that they are not good at math and may not even try anymore.

Fluency means different things at different times. Read the standards closely!!!24Traditional U.S. Problem

Which fraction is closer to 1: 4/5 or 5/4 ?

Same Problem with SMP integration

Which number is closer to 1: 4/5 or 5/4. Using a number line, explain why this is so.

(Daro, Feb 2011)

Standards for Mathematical Practice in a ClassroomThis is also reflected in standards for mathematical practice that are included in the PA Common Core standards. These standards require students to have more conceptual knowledge and greater number sense vs. memorizing facts and formulas. 25McDonalds Claim(Is it True or False?)

Wikipedia reports that 8% of all Americans eat at McDonalds every day. In the US, there are approximately 310 million Americans and 12,800 McDonalds. The average McDonalds store can serve 1,500 people a day.

Do you believe the Wikipedia report to be true? Using mathematical evidence, defend your position.

Is your position a fact, an opinion, or an estimation?(Briars, Feb 2011)Standards for Mathematical Practice in a ClassroomRelevance, as well as rigor is reflected in performance tasks on the new assessments such as this. Think back to the video clip of the job interviewsimply memorizing facts and formulas and answering MC questions on tests do not prepare our students for real world application of knowledgeand this is what colleges and employers are looking for today. 2627Here is an example of a place value chart that you get when you search for place value worksheets online. It is also a non-example of work that would elicit conceptual understanding. As you can see, it would not be possible to assess whether your students had a conceptual understanding of place value by them completing this worksheet. It would be fairly obvious to a student who does not understand place value that the first number goes with hundreds, the 2nd number with tens and so on. Even on g, where it could have shown deeper understanding, the worksheet places a 0 for tens to eliminate any need for thinking. 28Here is a snapshot of a worksheet practicing place value understanding. You can see how a teacher would be able to assess a students conceptual understanding of place value more clearly with the results of this worksheet. In problems 6-8, the base ten units in 106 are bundled in different ways. This is helpful when learning how to subtract in a problem like 106-37. In #9, we see that if the order is always given correctly, then all we do is teach students rote strategies without thinking about the size of the units or how to encode them in positional notation. School in the United States appears to be where the relatively young go to watch the relatively old work.

Problem: The Teacher-centered Classroom

SAY: How do the new standards impact instruction? We have to change the way we teachTeachers dominate the floor in thinking, talking, and coming up with solutions, when it should be students doing these things. Teachers need to become the facilitator of knowledge rather than the deliverer of it.

Culturally embedded teaching patterns are difficult to change, but change is not impossible. Japanese teachers have made a major shift from the whole-class instruction and recitation that used to be their norm. Stigler and Hiebert report that this reform took several decades and required a systematic approach to educational change, including explicit learning goals for students, a shared curriculum, supportive administrators, and sustained efforts by teachers to make gradual improvements in their practice.

In the typical U.S. lesson, however, students first watch their teacher solve low-level problems and then repeat the procedure on numerous similar problems. Whereas the tapes from Japan and Germany reveal that three-fourths of teachers develop concepts during a lesson, most U.S. teachers simply state concepts. The typical U.S. lesson places greater emphasis on memorizing facts and formulas than on understanding the underlying rationale. U.S. students usually follow the teachers lead, while their Japanese counterparts spend much of their lesson doing challenging mathematics. These patterns of pedagogy, Stigler and Hiebert conclude, are part of culturally embedded systems. Shifting classroom practice from routine rehearsal of skills toward higher-order thinking, independent inquiry, and sustained work on challenging problems is not a simple matter of introducing teachers to new technology or techniques. Learning to teach is less like learning to use a computer than like learning how to participate in family dinners: teaching is learned through watching and engaging in the approaches that one is expected to emulate. Pedagogical approach is bound up with a web of cultural assumptions.29Essential Questions:

What can we do to improve our standardized test scores? How can we increase student engagement, critical thinking and problem solving ability K-12? How can we create K-12 pathways for our students to college and career readiness? How Does OASD Measure Up to PA Common Core?

Our scores on the old PSSAs have been relatively flat for the past few years in both reading and math. Our subgroups have been struggling and our teachers and administrators have been working very hard to determine how to change that. 30The Balanced Achievement Model: LEARNING FOCUSED SCHOOLS Research-Based InstructionComprehensive Literacy K-12Catching Kids UpAssessmentPA Common Core Standards Driven CurriculumLeadershipConsistent and PervasiveContinuous Improvement

From those essential questions, has come our work in school improvement that follows the Learning Focused Schools model. This is not a program, but rather, provides a framework for balanced achievement for ALL students. It relies on:

1. PACC standards driven curriculumthis work was begun K-12 in all content areas, with particular emphasis on ELA and Math as we continue to revise the curriculum to meet the new standards.

2. Research-based instructionthis will be the focus of our PD for teachers this coming school year and it will provide teachers with strategies for effective teaching practices that allow us to raise the bar for learning. 3. Comprehensive Literacy K-12Literacy must be a part of all subject areas, not just ELA

4. Catching Kids Upthis must be a focus if all students are to meet the increased rigor of the new standards. 5. Assessmentwithin this model we will be learning to assess students in ways that check for deeper levels of understanding for all students and reflect the relevance and rigor required by the PACC. 6. If we are consistent and pervasive in our practices, and with district leadership working in unison to support these efforts, then we will have continuous improvement. This work is underway. Teachers have been working hard to revise curricula, we have a comprehensive plan that addresses each of the balanced achievement components, the administrative team is unified and working toward common goals, and we have begun the necessary professional development to improve our practice. It is an exciting time to be a part of the Octorara Community as we work to better serve our students and their families.

31AND SUSTAINABLE CHANGE TAKES TIME FOR IT IS A PROCESSCHANGE IS NECESSARY TO REACH OUR GOALS

32Quality Education for All StudentsFinal Thoughts on Common Core Standards from Grant Wiggins, a nationally recognized assessment expert who has been working in assessment reform for more than twenty-five years.

Far too much of the resistance to the standards is driven by adults and their issues, in my view, rather than by consideration of what kids are entitled to. Kids are entitled to a great education that prepares them for achieving their dreams. Kids are entitled to consistency across teachers and schools and in transition from schools to colleges. Kids are entitled to teachers who focus on outcomes not merely good intentions or coverage. Without a tighter alignment between each students experience and the wider world we are hurting their dreams and limiting their options.

I lived through an earlier time of no common standards; I taught in an era when you could pretty much do what you wanted. It was fun for teachers but not so great for average or struggling learners. (Hard to believe, but in 1960 only half of Americans graduated from high school.) We have rightly taken on the moral burden of educating everyone; good for us. We cant back off that commitment now.

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