Adoption of the Alignment
to the
PA Common Core Standards
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Moon Area School District
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Content standards: describe what students should know
and be able to do throughout the pre-kindergarten – 12
continuum
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Targets for instructional mastery, essential for success in all
academic areas
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A “staircase of complexity” to enable students to graduate
“college and career ready”
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Foundational Skills (Pre K – 5)
Reading Informational Text
Reading Literature
Writing
Speaking and Listening
*The full set of PA Common Core Standards may be reviewed on the
MASD Curriculum Portal.
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Professional Development
Curriculum review and analysis by grade level
Identify transition needs by grade level
Determine proposed solutions to address needs at all grade
levels
Public review & Board adoption
PDE requires districts to implement PA Common Core standards
by July 1, 2013.
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Curriculum Writing (Summer 2013)
Implementation (Fall 2013)
Review & Revise as necessary (Summer 2014)
“Children who are
particularly likely to have
difficulty with learning to
read in the primary
grades are those who
begin school with less
prior knowledge and skill
in relevant domains.”
–Snow, C. E. et al. (1998)
Preventing reading difficulties
in young children. National
Academy Press. Washington,
DC.
•
Building awareness: Pre K standards
included in 2012-2013 Child Find
publication
•
Forming Partnerships: Pre K Summits
& Fair (Received $800 grant to cover costs)
•
Encouraging Early Learning:
Distribution of Lexia® accounts to
Moon Area Pre-K students
• Through Moon Area preschool programs
• Through Kindergarten Round-Up
• On request

Early Intervention for struggling readers
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Increase reading of informational text (non-fiction)
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Increase writing with robust vocabulary
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Increase emphasis on grammar

Increase use of differentiated instruction strategies
Moon Area School District’s Goal
All students will read on or above
grade level by the end of 3rd grade
so they may successfully make the
transition from “learning to read” to
“reading to learn.”
“Children who will
probably need
additional support for
early language and
literacy development
should receive it as
early as possible.”
– Snow, C. E. et al.
(1998), p. 9.
Early Intervention for Struggling Readers
There were discussions with
administration and Title I teachers
about thetypes
of reading
programs available for MASD learners.
Continuation of current Title I reading program strategies
which included leveled intervention with targeted students
per diagnostic analysis
Revising the current Title I reading program model to
determine what researched-based intervention would be
compatible with the MASD student population
Aligning the decision to the design of the Common Core for
Language Arts
Early Intervention for Struggling Readers
A Pro and Con list was developed to further determine what
programs looked like in the school districts that were visited
The Pro and Con list was shared with administration and
Title I staff to make a determination on the type of program
to implement
School visits were conducted to allow Title I teachers and
administration to see the reading programs in action
Early Intervention for Struggling Readers
Early Intervention for Struggling Readers
Wilson Fundations® by Wilson
Language Corporation
Site visit was conducted at
Chartiers Valley School District
on 2-28-13
Leveled Literacy Intervention
by Fountas and Pinnell
Site visit was conducted at
Quaker Valley School District
on 2-22-13
Early Intervention for Struggling Readers
Pros
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Phonics-based and builds on
literacy objectives as outlined in
the Common Core State
Standards
Clear progress monitoring
establishes goal success
Multi-sensory lesson delivery
Targets specific areas of need
There is a writing journal
encouraging a connection
between reading and writing
Training is appropriate and
meets the needs of teachers
Can be implemented by the
special education staff
Cons
Consumables are needed yearly
in order to implement the
program successfully
Early Intervention for Struggling Readers
Pros

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Engaging lessons utilizing the
leveled readers which
encourages students to attend
to the text
Writing booklet- encouraging a
connection between reading and
writing
Special education teachers can
also use the program with their
students
Cons
Not strong in the phonics
development area
The teacher will need to
supplement their phonetic
instruction
Wilson Fundations® best supports the learners in
the MASD for the following reasons:
Phonics development
Connections established between phonetics and
writing
Structure provides consistency across the
District and optimizes student growth
Multi-sensory presentation and practice of
information
Early Intervention for Struggling Readers
Early Intervention for Struggling Readers
Curriculum
$2514 for 60 hrs.
Materials
$24,000 serving
250 students/yr.
Professional
Development
$10,400 for 6 days
*Reoccurring cost of consumable materials: est. $2800/yr.
• Reading a-z.com:
Subscription to Common
Core Aligned Resource Portal
• Grades K-5
• Regular, special, and gifted
education
• Cost: $5000/year for 80
teachers impacting about
1,800 students!
• Multi-year licensing agreements
offered at discounted rates.
If the link to pay the video above does not work ,
please visit www.readinga-z.com , and click the
“Take a Tour” video located in the upper right
section of the webpage.
Earth - $5.21/student
Pittsburgh’s Rivers - $16.49/teacher
Polar Mammals - $5.21/student
Who Was Walt Disney? - $3.74/student
Total Cost - $4347
$11.96
• Rivers: Nature’s Wondrous Waterways
$4.49
• What Happens to Our Trash?
$3.74
• Who Was Albert Einstein?
$3.74
• Who Was Roald Dahl?
$3.74
• Who Was Steve Jobs?
$22.46
• Exploring Ecology
$23.49
• Poetry Lessons to Meet the CC State Standards
$13.46
• Z Is for Zeus: A Greek Mythology Alphabet
Total - $2381
•
Kindergarten: My Word Book
• ($50.40 /set of 25)
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1st & 2nd: Words I Use When I Write
• ($53.63/set of 25)
•
3rd & 4th: More Words I Use When I Write
• ($61.95/set of 25)
“Primary-grade children should be expected to spell previously studied words and
spelling patterns correctly in their final writing products. Writing should take place
regularly and frequently to encourage children to become more comfortable and
familiar with it.”
-Snow, C. E. et al. (1998), p. 8.
 Utilize
tools
free online
o FunEnglishGames.com
o Funbrain.com
o Chompchomp.com
 Consistent
use of
consumable
grammar workbook
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Strengthen degree of mastery
 Analyzing information from multiple sources on the same topic
 Supporting claims with credible evidence, with consideration to
opposing viewpoints
 Linking digital publications to sources
 Analyzing the impact of multimedia information on a verbal or written
message
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Updated Teacher’s edition online – for supplemental PA CC
resources (6-year subscription provided free of charge)
Winter Keystone Literature Exam
 Designed to align to a 10th grade PA CC curriculum as an “end of
course” exam
 All juniors participated in December
 Over 90% earned proficient scores
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All K-12 English Language Arts courses will be aligned to the PA
Common Core State Standards.
o On Hands Schools will import the new PACC standards into our
documents according to the PA Standards Crosswalk, saving us $5000
in curriculum revision costs.
o Cost of curriculum writing for new courses and nonfiction units: $3352.
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K-3 Reading Intervention – Wilson Fundations
o Materials: $24,000
o Professional Development: $10,400
o Curriculum writing – accounted for in above total
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Nonfiction units for grades 3 & 4: $6728
Writing/Vocabulary Journals: $2157
PACC resources for Differentiated Instructional strategies
o Reading A-Z.com subscription: $5000/year
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Total Costs for PA Common Core Transition: $51,637