Dorsey Chambers
Major Common Core Shifts directly affecting librarians
 Students are currently reading non-fiction only 7% of the time. CCSS
suggests that Informational Text needs to be 50% of the texts used in
classrooms and libraries
 Personal narratives and opinion writing have been valued in education but
now, the emphasis is on writing an argument based on the text / research
 Achieve a balance between short and extended texts
 Citing the text for arguments
 The use of mentor texts
 Creating sound persuasive arguments with evidence
 New focus on poetry through grade 12
 Reading and comprehending informational text in all content areas
 Read like a detective, write like a reporter
 Read less, think and discuss more
 Emphasis on Leveled reading or above level reading: Read aloud poetry,
non-fiction and more
 David Coleman’s speech:
http://usny.nysed.gov/rttt/resources/bringing-the-common-core-tolife.html
 Part 6
Discussion of the Common Core State Standards
for English Language Arts & Literacy
and"Letter from Birmingham Jail"
by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Part 6 Transcript
(42 KB)
 Common Core Standards are standards – they are not curriculum. They
determine what students should learn, not how they get there.
 Utilize the Crosswalk between AASL standards and Common Core
standards
 http://www.ala.org/aasl/guidelinesandstandards/commoncorecrosswalk
CCR Anchor Standard 10:
Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts
independently and proficiently.
Three-part model for determining text complexity:
1. Qualitative
2. Quantitative
3. Reader and Task
CPS Dept. of Libraries’ Lexile Statement
Recommended practices for use of Lexile measures in school library
collections
A call to action has come with the emergence of the Common Core State
Standards. These new standards have drawn attention to the issue of text
complexity and why it matters that our students steadily read more complex
texts. As quoted in Appendix A of the standards, “while reading demands in
college, workforce training programs, and life in general have held steady or
increased over the last half of the century, K-12 texts have actually declined in
sophistication.” In response to this, the authors of the CCSS have placed a
special emphasis on text complexity, and a three part model that blends
qualitative and quantitative measures of text complexity with reader and task.
Lexile measures
The quantitative measure of a text’s complexity provided by a Lexile range is one
of three dimensions that need to be consulted when determining text
appropriateness for instruction and student reading. However, that measure
alone is not enough. The Lexile measure of a text only provides a teacher with
information regarding a text’s quantitative measure (word frequency and
sentence length), not what the text demands of a reader as it relates to meaning,
structure, language or knowledge. Additionally, Lexile alone does not consider
the demands layered on by the task a student is asked to do with the text.
Leveled Text and School Libraries
The purpose of the school library is to serve as a resource for all students to
access books that interest them and support their learning. The school library is
intentionally organized by author and theme, using the Dewey Decimal system to
support the relationship between schools and the wider networks of libraries
across the city and beyond. A topically organized school library represents the
body of knowledge that is available to any learner who can browse, peruse and
then explore deeply. The CPS Department of Libraries recognizes that some
schools appreciate having information related to the level of a text (Lexile level)
available to students and staff in the school library. For that reason, the
Department of Libraries has built in the option of searching by Lexile number in
the S.O.A.R. Integrated Library System. In addition, while the CPS Department of
Libraries does not recommend externally labeling the books in the school library
by Lexile measure, librarians do have the option of having levels affixed inside of
books ordered through CPS vendors. Student browsing behaviors can be
profoundly altered with the addition of external reading level labels. The
Department of Libraries supports a minor’s right to access resources freely and
without restriction, a right which has long been and continues to be the position
of the American Library Association and the American Association of School
Librarians.
The additional statements below may also provide additional useful information
on this topic.
American Association of School Librarians. “Position Statement on the Value of
Independent Reading in the School Library Program
<http://www.ala.org/aasl/position-statement-value-independent-reading-schoollibrary-program > .”
American Library Association. “Labeling and Rating System: An Interpretation of
the Library Bill of Rights <
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/interpretations/labelingrating >
.” July 11, 2011.
American Library Association. “Questions and Answers on Labeling and Rating
Systems < http://connect.ala.org/node/101941 > .” January 16, 2010.
American Library Association. “Restricted Access to Library Materials: An
Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights <http://ifmanual.org/restrictedaccess> .”
January 28, 2009.
http://www.ala.org/aasl/guidelinesandstandards/commoncorecrosswalk
Crosswalk of the Common Core Standards and the Standards for
the 21st-Century Learner
The following pages include tables that help school librarians learn how the AASL Standards for the 21st-Century Learner and the Common Core State Standards align.
English Language Arts
Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies
Reading Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects
Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, & Technical Subjects
Mathematics
Lessons submitted as part of the Standards for the 21st-Century Learner Lesson Plan Database contain an automatic crosswalk between AASL learning standards and the
Common Core State Standards.
English Language Arts
AASL Learning Standard to Common Core Standard(s) Crosswalk
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Standard 1
Standard 2
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
Standard 3
Standard 4
Common Core Standard to AASL Learning Standard(s) Crosswalk
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Kindergarten
Grade 1
Grade 2
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
Grade 6
Grade 7
Grade 8
Grades 9 & 10
Grades 11 & 12
English Language Arts Crosswalk - Grade 4
Common Core Standard ©
CC.4.L.1 Conventions of Standard English: Demonstrate command of the
conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
CC.4.L.1.a Conventions of Standard English: Use relative pronouns (who, whose,
whom, which, that) and relative adverbs (where, when, why).
CC.4.L.1.b Conventions of Standard English: Form and use the progressive (e.g., I
was walking; I am walking; I will be walking) verb tenses.
AASL Standard(s)
CC.4.L.1.c Conventions of Standard English: Use modal auxiliaries (e.g., can, may,
must) to convey various conditions.
CC.4.L.1.d Conventions of Standard English: Order adjectives within sentences
according to conventional patterns (e.g., a small red bag rather than a red small
bag).
CC.4.L.1.e Conventions of Standard English: Form and use prepositional phrases.
CC.4.L.1.f Conventions of Standard English: Produce complete sentences,
recognizing and correcting inappropriate fragments and run-ons.*
CC.4.L.1.g Conventions of Standard English: Correctly use frequently confused
words (e.g., to, too, two; there, their).*
CC.4.L.2 Conventions of Standard English: Demonstrate command of the
conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when
writing.
CC.4.L.2.a Conventions of Standard English: Use correct capitalization.
CC.4.L.2.b Conventions of Standard English: Use commas and quotation marks to
mark direct speech and quotations from a text.
CC.4.L.2.c Conventions of Standard English: Use a comma before a coordinating
conjunction in a compound sentence.
CC.4.R.I.1 Key Ideas and Details: Refer to details and examples in a text when
explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
1.1.3 Develop and refine a range of questions to frame search for new
understanding.
1.1.6 Read, view, and listen for information presented in any format (e.g., textual,
visual, media, digital) in order to make inferences and gather meaning.
2.1.1 Continue an inquiry-based research process by applying critical thinking skills
(analysis, synthesis, evaluation, organization) to information and knowledge in
order to construct new understandings, draw conclusions, and create new
knowledge.
CC.4.R.I.2 Key Ideas and Details: Determine the main idea of a text and explain
how it is supported by key details; summarize the text.
CC.4.R.I.3 Key Ideas and Details: Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in
a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based
on specific information in the text.
1.1.7 Make sense of information gathered from diverse sources by identifying
misconceptions, main and supporting ideas, conflicting information, and point of
view or bias.
CC.4.R.I.4 Craft and Structure: Determine the meaning of general academic and
domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject
area.
CC.4.R.I.5 Craft and Structure: Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology,
comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or
information in a text or part of a text.
CC.4.R.I.6 Craft and Structure: Compare and contrast a firsthand and secondhand
account of the same event or topic; describe the differences in focus and the
2.2.2 Use both divergent and convergent thinking to formulate alternative
information provided.
conclusions and test them against the evidence.
CC.4.R.I.7 Integration of Knowledge and Ideas: Interpret information presented
1.1.4 Find, evaluate, and select appropriate sources to answer questions.
visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines,
animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information 1.1.6 Read, view, and listen for information presented in any format (e.g., textual,
contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.
visual, media, digital) in order to make inferences and gather meaning.
2.2.1 Demonstrate flexibility in use of resources by adapting information strategies
to each specific resource and by seeking additional resources when clear
conclusions cannot be drawn.
CC.4.R.I.8 Integration of Knowledge and Ideas: Explain how an author uses
reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text.
CC.4.R.I.9 Integration of Knowledge and Ideas: Integrate information from two
texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.
1.1.6 Read, view, and listen for information presented in any format (e.g., textual,
visual, media, digital) in order to make inferences and gather meaning.
1.1.7 Make sense of information gathered from diverse sources by identifying
misconceptions, main and supporting ideas, conflicting information, and point of
view or bias.
2.1.2 Organize knowledge so that it is useful.
3.1.3 Use writing and speaking skills to communicate new understandings
effectively.
CC.4.R.I.10 Range of Reading and Complexity of Text: By the end of year, read
and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and
technical texts, in the grades 4-5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding
as necessary at the high end of the range.
 Utilize CPS Recommended Purchasing Lists
Common Core Appendix B Text Exemplars
Grades 4–5 Text Exemplars....................................................................................63
Stories......................................................................................................................63
Carroll, Lewis. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland....................................................63
Burnett, Frances Hodgson. The Secret Garden........................................................63
Farley, Walter. The Black Stallion..............................................................................64
Saint-Exupéry, Antoine de. The Little Prince.............................................................64
Babbitt, Natalie. Tuck Everlasting..............................................................................64
Singer, Isaac Bashevis. “Zlateh the Goat.”................................................................64
Hamilton, Virginia. M. C. Higgins, the Great..............................................................64
Erdrich, Louise. The Birchbark House.......................................................................65
Curtis, Christopher Paul. Bud, Not Buddy.................................................................65
Lin, Grace. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon....................................................66
Poetry...........................................................................................................................66
Blake, William. “The Echoing Green.”...........................................................................66
Lazarus, Emma. “The New Colossus.”.......................................................................... 67
Thayer, Ernest Lawrence. “Casey at the Bat.”............................................................ 67
Dickinson, Emily. “A Bird Came Down the Walk.”....................................................68
Sandburg, Carl. “Fog.”................................................................................................69
Frost, Robert. “Dust of Snow.”...................................................................................69
Dahl, Roald. “Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf.”..............................................69
Nichols, Grace. “They Were My People.”.....................................................................69
Mora, Pat. “Words Free As Confetti.”............................................................................69
Informational Texts.........................................................................................................70
Berger, Melvin. Discovering Mars: The Amazing Story of the Red Planet.......70
Carlisle, Madelyn Wood. Let’s Investigate Marvelously Meaningful Maps........ 71
Lauber, Patricia. Hurricanes: Earth’s Mightiest Storms............................................ 71
Otfinoski, Steve. The Kid’s Guide to Money: Earning It,
Saving It, Spending It, Growing It, Sharing It........................................................ 71
Wulffson, Don. Toys!: Amazing Stories Behind Some Great Inventions........... 71
Schleichert, Elizabeth. “Good Pet, Bad Pet.”.............................................................. 71
Kavash, E. Barrie. “Ancient Mound Builders.”............................................................. 71
Koscielniak, Bruce. About Time: A First Look at Time and Clocks..................... 71
Banting, Erinn. England the Land.............................................................................. 72
Hakim, Joy. A History of US....................................................................................... 72
Ruurs, Margriet. My Librarian Is a Camel: How Books
Are Brought to Children Around the World.... 72
Simon, Seymour. Horses..................................................................................... 73
Common Core State Standards for english language arts & literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical
subjects
appendix B | 8
Montgomery, Sy. Quest for the Tree Kangaroo:
An Expedition to the Cloud Forest of New Guinea......................................... 73
Simon, Seymour. Volcanoes................................................................................... 74
Nelson, Kadir. We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball............. 74
Cutler, Nellie Gonzalez. “Kenya’s Long Dry Season.”.............................................. 74
Hall, Leslie. “Seeing Eye to Eye.”......................................................................... 74
Ronan, Colin A. “Telescopes.”............................................................................... 75
Buckmaster, Henrietta. “Underground Railroad.”........................................ 76
CPS Dept. of Libraries
2012 Recommended Purchasing Lists
aligned to Common Core Standards
http://cpslibraries.wikispaces.com/purchasinglistscurrent
Grade 4
Author
Stories
Anglesberger,
Tom
Cronin, Doreen
Graff, Keir
Han, Jenny
Hannigan,
Katherine
Hiranandani,
Veera
Title
The Strange Case of Origami
Yoda
The Trouble with Chickens
The Other Felix
Clara Lee and the Apple Pie
Dream
Publisher
Copyright
Amulet
Balzer & Bray
Roaring Brook
2010
2011
2011
Little, Brown
2011
True (…Stort of)
Greenwillow
2011
Whole Story of Half a Girl
Delacorte Press
2012
Holm, Jennifer
Ignatow, Amy
Lincoln, Peirce
Maclachlan,
Patricia
O'Connor, Sheila
Pinkney, Andrea
Davis
Scieszka, Jon
Sheth, Kashmira
Poetry
Turtle in Paradise
The Popularity Papers: Research
for the Social Improvement and
General Betterment of Lydia
Goldblatt and Julia GrahamChang
Big Nate Strikes Again
Random House
2010
Amulet
Harper
2010
2010
Waiting for the Magic
Sparrow Road
Atheneum
Putnam
2011
2011
Bird in a Box
Little, Brown
Simon &
Schuster
Balzer & Bray
2012
Amistad
Norwood House
Wordsong
2011
2011
2010
Norwood House
Creative
Editions
Groundwood
Books
2011
Collins
2011
Clarion Books
Harper Collins
2011
2011
Dutton
2010
Norwood House
2011
Spaceheadz #1
Boys Without Names
Huntington, Amy
The Great Migration: Journey to
the North
Rena and Rio Build a Rhyme
Zombies! Evacuate the School
Penelope and Pip Build a Prose
Poem
Lewis, J. Patrick
Skywriting: Poems to Fly
Lightfoot, Gordon
Myers, Walter
Dean
O'Connell,
George
Silverstein, Shel
Canadian Railway Trilogy
We Are America: A Tribute from
the Heart
Emma Dilemma: Big Sister
Poems
Everything on It
Mirror Mirror: A Book of
Reversible Verse
Greenfield, Eloise
Hall, Pamela
Holbrook, Sara
Singer, Marilyn
St. John,
Amanda
Sophie and Sadie Build a Sonnet
Informational Texts
2010
2010
2010
2010
Abdul-Jabbar,
Kareem
Adler, David
Cunningham,
Kevin
Fields, Jan
Johnson, Jen
Cullerton
What Color is My World: The Lost
History of African American
Inventors
Fractions, Decimals and Percents
Migration from Africa
You Can Write Excellent Reports
Napoli, Donna Jo
Seeds of Change
If You Lived Here: Houses of the
World
Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and
the Trees of Kenya
Owings, Lisa
Poison Dart Frogs
Owings, Lisa
Perdomo, Willie
Petrie, Kristin
Pinkney, Andrea
Davis
Quinlan, Julia J.
Sobol, Richard
Stout, Glenn
Stout, Glenn
Tonatiuh, Duncan
The Komodo Dragon
Clemente!
Mission Nutrition (Series)
Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood
Up by Sitting Down
Different Kinds of Maps
The Buzz on Bees: Why Are they
Disappearing?
The Life of Rice: From Seedling
to Supper
Baseball Heroes
Yes, She Can!
Diego Rivera: His World and Ours
Velasquez, Eric
Grandma's Gift
Laroche, Giles
Rotner, Shelley
Candlewick
Press
Holiday House
HeinemannRaintree
Capstone Press
2012
2010
2012
2012
Lee and Low
2010
Houghton Mifflin
Simon &
Schuster
Bellwether
Media
Bellwether
Media
Holt
Checkerboard
2011
Little, Brown
PowerKids Press
2010
2012
Holiday House
Candlewick
Press
Houghton Mifflin
Houghton Mifflin
Abrams Books
Walker
Publishing
2010
2010
2012
2012
2010
2012
2010
2011
2011
2011
2010
 REACH teacher evaluation plan
CPS Dept. of Libraries’ REACH Performance Tasks
http://www.cps.edu/News/Press_releases/Documents/ReachFAQ.pdf
What is REACH ?
REACH Students (Recognizing Educators Advancing CHicago’s Students) is a new and comprehensive teacher evaluation system that will provide
teachers with unprecedented tools and support to improve their practice and better drive student learning.
Frequently Asked Questions
 What standards are being assessed?
Grade 1
AASL - American Association of School Librarians
Standards Assessed
1: Inquire, think critically and gain knowledge.
Auxiliary Standards
Standard
1.1.4 Find, evaluate and select appropriate sources to answer questions.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grade 4
AASL
Standards Assessed
1.1.4 Find, evaluate, and select appropriate sources to answer questions.
Auxiliary Standards
CCSS 4.W.8 English Language Arts: Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print
and digital sources; take notes and categorize information, and provide a list of sources.
Grade 7
Standard Set
AASL
Standards Assessed
1.1.4 Find, evaluate, and select appropriate sources to answer questions.
Auxiliary Standards
CCSS 7.W.8 English Language Arts: Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms
effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding
plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
 Who is participating in Performance Assessments?
 Which grade levels will K-8 librarians assess?
 Who created them?
 When are they administered?
 How do student growth scores impact a librarian’s evaluation?
 What are the next steps?
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Will REACH be implemented in all schools?
Components of REACH will be implemented in all schools in the 2012-2013 school year. However, all teachers will not receive an end of
the year summative performance rating based on the new system. All teachers will learn about REACH and experience components. For
instance, all teachers will receive feedback on teacher practice using the REACH Framework for Teaching.
How will implementation be phased in?
Elementary Schools
-2013.
Probationary Teachers and Tenured Teachers who received a summative rating of satisfactory or unsatisfactory in 2011-2012 will
receive a summative rating in the 2012-2013 school year based on teacher practice and student growth.
See below for samples of Performance Assessment Tasks
Library Grade 1 Performance Task
Directions for the Librarian: The Librarian will read each question aloud, allowing no more than 3 minutes per
question for the students to circle their answers.
1. Which book
has
information
about real
bears?
Circle the
best
answer.
2. Which book
has a fiction
story about
bears?
Circle the
best
answer.
3. Where can
you find
information
about
dinosaurs?
Circle the
best answer.
Conducting State Research – Rhode Island
Project
Library Grade 4 Performance Task
Task 1. As part of a project on Rhode Island, your teacher has asked
you to list and describe several industries found in this state today.
Examine the following Tables of Contents and choose which book
would contain the needed information.
Grade 4 Performance Assessment Continued
a.
b.
c.
Wild Rhode Island
The United States: Rhode Island
History of Rhode Island
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Introduction …..................................3
The Ocean State …...…...............3
Forests ….........................................4
Fast Facts ......….........................9
Birds ….............................................5
History .…..…..............................11
Coastal Life …….........…..................7
People .…..…..............................15
Winter in Rhode Island ..…...............9
Industry …....…............................19
Visitation Guide ..........................…13
Natural Resources …...................24
Glossary ….....................................15
Things To Do ...............................26
Index ….…......................................17
Index ….......................................30
Resource Selected: ________________
Founders ……..................................4
The Colony ….............................…..6
Early Industry ...…............................9
The American Revolution …......….11
Becoming a State …......................16
Glossary .…....….............................19
Index ….....……...............................23
Explanation:
Why is your selected resource the best choice to locate a good answer for this question?
Include specific details from the resource to explain your choice such as: parts of the
resource, headings, key words, titles, dates and other information.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________
Grade 7
It is science fair time again! You have chosen the following question for your experiment and research paper:
Does smell influence a person’s ability to identify the taste of food?
Please evaluate the attached three sources on your topic - a book, a database and a website. You need to choose the one source that you think
best meets your research needs, considering four criteria: format, currency (up-to-date), author reliability, and appropriateness and relevancy of
information.
Part I:
First, read the three sources and complete the selection criteria grid for each source. The purpose of this grid is to help you justify the one best source. If the
information is not available, write N/A in that box.
After you complete the grid, move on to the Student Response Document. This document contains three parts that must be completed using the sources and
the selection criteria grid.
Part II:
If you needed to locate more resources on this topic, what additional keywords would you use in your research process? Make a list of five additional
keywords and/or topic-related words that would yield the best search results if you were to continue to find more information to answer your research
question. Write the keywords in Part II of the Student Response Document.
(PERA) = Performance Evaluation Reform
Act
of 2010
Deadline
Requirement
Scale
Sept. 1, 2012
New principal evaluations
ALL schools
Sept. 1, 2012
New teacher evaluations
≥ 300 schools
Sept. 1, 2013 New teacher evaluations
ALL schools
 Law stipulates that CPS/CTU work together for 90 days to build system
o CPS/CTU PERA negotiations began on December 9, 2011 & extended past
the 90 day window
o CPS implemented its last, best offer on March 29, 2012
 Requirements:
o Summative ratings change to Excellent, Proficient, Needs Improvement,
Unsatisfactory
o All evaluators must complete ISBE-approved certification assessment
o Teacher & principal evaluations must include measures of “professional
practice”
o Teacher & principal evaluations must include student growth as a
“significant factor”
 Student growth: Must include multiple measures of student
learning
 All evaluators must be trained and pass the ISBE certification assessment
PARCC assessments
• New assessment system starting in 2014
• Replaces ISAT and PSAE as Illinois accountability measure
• Will feature a variety of performance, multiple choice, and non-standard item
formats
REACH Students
Recognizing Educators Advancing CHicago Students
Phased and Staggered Implementation based on
Multiple Measures
“Evaluation systems should include multiple measures, not just observations or
value-added alone.”
“Combining the three approaches (classroom observations, student feedback,
and value-added student achievement gains) capitalizes on [teacher] strengths
and offsets their weaknesses.”
Gathering Feedback for Teaching Combining High-Quality Observations with Student Surveys and
Achievement Gains by Thomas J. Kane and Douglas O. Staiger (2012)
 Definition: Type III Assessment
• ISBE: “An assessment that is rigorous, aligned with the course’s
curriculum, and that the evaluator and teacher determine measure
student learning in that course.”
• Definition: Performance Task
• A written or hands-on demonstration of mastery, or progress
towards mastery, of a particular skill or standard.
• Beginning of the year and end of the year administration measures
student mastery of identified over the course of an academic year on
a few skills (depth over breadth).
 Performance Task Development
• The Department of Assessment and content area departments will
lead the development of all performance tasks.
• Performance Tasks will be designed by subject-specific teams made
up teachers from across the district and CPS content leads.
• Application process to identify teacher participants
CPS Libraries have 3 Performance Task Assessment Teams
Grade 1
Grade 4
Grade 7