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Transitioning from VT's Reading and Writing GEs to
the Common Core: Benefits/Opportunities?
Challenges?
VTCLA
Sue Biggam; Co- Coordinator Literacy Leadership Initiative at UVM
January 6, 2012
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Learning Intentions…

Participants will leave with an understanding of what it
looks like to be college and career ready.

Participants will leave with some possible new practices and
resources that are linked to the Common Core.
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Participants will leave with an understanding of what might
be benefits and challenges related to the Common Core and
the upcoming SBAC assessment - and some ways to
address these.

Participants will leave with an understanding of how they
might share these ideas in their school, district, or SU.
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Three questions!

1. What was the best part of the holiday
break for you?
2. In your school or SU, what kind of
professional development has there been
related to the Common Core? ( school level?
SU wide, ESA sessions; other?)
3. What questions do you have about the
upcoming Common Core and the upcoming
SBAC assessment?
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Intention/purpose of the Common
Core standards

The purpose is to help ensure that all students are “college
and career ready.”

The Common Core standards also lay out a vision of what it
means to be a literate person in the twenty-first century
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Several key features of the standards:

Focus on RESULTS, rather than means
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Integrated model of literacy

Research and media skills blended into the standards
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Shared responsibility for literacy development
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Basic Structure /Parts of the
English Language Arts Common
Core & Literacy in History, Social
Studies, Science and Technical
Subjects
Standards for English
Language arts and
Literacy in History/
Social Studies , Science,
and Technical Subjects
(K-5)
Standards for ELA
6-12
Standards for
Literacy in
History/Social
Studies, Science
and Technical
Subjects 6-12
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Areas/Parts of the Common Core
for ELA K-5; 6-12
Reading:
-Literature
-Informational Text
Foundational Skills
Writing
Speaking/Li
stening
Language
Anchor
standards
&
Grade-level
progressions
( no anchor
standards)
Four clusters:
Anchor
standards
&
Grade-level
progressions
Anchor
standards
&
Grade-level
progressions
Anchor
standards
&
Grade-level
progressions
*Print Concepts;
•Phonological
Awareness
•Phonics and
word
recognition;
•Fluency
& Grade-level
progressions
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Clusters for Reading Literary and
Informational Text
(same clusters for both literary and informational– but
different content)

Key Ideas and Details

Craft and Structure
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Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
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Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
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Clusters for Foundational Skills

Print concepts

Phonological awareness
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
Phonics and Word Recognition
Fluency
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Clusters for Writing
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Text Types and Purposes

Production and Distribution of Writing
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Research to Build and present Knowledge

Range of Writing
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Clusters for Speaking and
Listening

Comprehension and Collaboration
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Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
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Clusters for Language

Knowledge of Language

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
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Conventions of Standard English
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Some sections of the Common Core to
pay particular attention to…

Introduction…

Page 7 : Students who are college and career ready
demonstrate… independence, content knowledge, etc.

Standard 10: Measuring text complexity: and range of text
types for gr K-5( p. 31) for gr 6-12 p. 57

Appendix A ( very helpful): Research Supporting Key
Elements of the Standards; Glossary of Key Terms
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Appendix B ( Text exemplars and related Performance tasks)
& Appendix C (examples of student writing) : Might be
useful when thinking about instructional resources for a
particular unit, formative assessments, etc?
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Other shifts in emphasis to pay attention to…
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Changes in reading: literary vs informational text ( 5050% at gr K-5; 45-55% at 6-8; 30-70% at gr 9-12.
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Changes in writing:
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at gr 4: 35% literary; 35% informational; 30% opinion
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At gr 8 30% literary; 35 % informational; 35%
opinion/argument
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At gr 11: 20% literacy; 40% informational; 40%
opinion/argument
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Turn and talk – what kind of impact do you think these shifts
will have on instructional practice and assessment?
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Still more aspects to pay attention
to….
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Emphasis on higher order/complex thinking
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Emphasis on text complexity
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Emphasis on vocabulary
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Emphasis on grammar
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Emphasis on using technology
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Emphasis on comparing two or more different types/genres
of text or other forms of media
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What is NOT part of the common
core standards…
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Early reading strategies ( rereading, self-correcting, self
monitoring, etc.)
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Comprehension strategies ( predicting, making connections,
etc. ( although summarizing, asking questions and inferring are
part of the common core: these may be seen as “results” vs
strategies?)

Stamina in reading (although stamina in writing IS addressed!)
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Poetry ( it is included in the reading standards, not in writing)
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Other?
+ “Vision activity” Page 7: what students who are
“college and career” ready should be able to do…
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These are not actual standards, but give a “portrait” of
students who meet the standards as set out in the Common
Core.
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Read through this page (in your handouts) …
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Thoughts?
Turn and talk with someone beside you…
What do you think of these descriptors? What do they
actually mean?
What would instruction look like in an environment that
models and engages students in this kind of learning?
* at the primary level? (choose one)
* upper elementary
* middle- HS level
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Whole group debrief…
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How might you introduce these descriptors to teachers, or
students?
Ideas?
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Assessment based on Common
Core Standards
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Assessment Framework ( also known as “content
specifications”) is now available for feedback: go to:
www.smarterbalanced.org
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First SBAC ( Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium)
assessment will take place in spring of 2015
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Will consist of computer –adaptive assessment and also
performance –based assessments
DIGITAL CLEARINGHOUSE of
formative tools, processes and
exemplars; released items and tasks;
model curriculum units; educator
training; professional development
tools and resources; scorer training
modules; and teacher collaboration
tools. (free)
INTERIM assessments ( need to be
purchased)
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Last 12 weeks of year*
COMPUTER
ADAPTIVE
TESTS w/
Re-take Option
PERFORMANCE TASKS Each:
•Reading/Writing
•Math
Four Major Claims for SMARTER Balanced Assessment
Consortium Assessments of the Common Core State Standards
for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies,
Science, and Technical Subjects ( FINAL VERSION!)
Claim #1 - Students can read closely and analytically to
comprehend a range of increasingly complex literary and
informational texts.
Claim #2 - Students can produce effective and well-grounded
writing for a range of purposes and audiences.
Claim #3 - Students can employ effective speaking and listening
skills for a range of purposes and audiences.
Claim #4 - Students can engage in research / inquiry to
investigate topics, and to analyze, integrate, and present
information
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Turn and Talk…
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How similar do you think these 5 claims are to some of the
“big ideas” (enduring understandings) or “power standards”
that are currently being used at your school or SU?
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What might be a benefit of these claims? a challenge?
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Whole group debrief
+ Resources/approaches
that might be useful
for schools and curriculum leaders
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Areas of the Common Core handout: what is different/new? What approaches
are we already using that could help in these areas? What else do we need in
terms of resources or professional development? (in handouts)
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Highlighting what is different/across the Common Core’s grade-level
progressions ( perhaps at a vertical team mtg?)
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“Unpacking” the Common Core standards template (in handouts)
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“Publisher’s Criteria” ( from David Coleman and Susan Pimentel) – for gr K-2;
3-12 (available at the VT DOE website)
http://sites.google.com/site/commoncoreinvermont/home
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VT’s Transition to the Common Core State Standards – with embedded
resources - available on DOE site----http://sites.google.com/site/commoncoreinvermont/home
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Hunt Institute videos – available on You Tube and on the VT Dept of Ed
website:
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheHuntInstitute#p/u/13/FZXwEaHrdbo or
http://sites.google.com/site/commoncoreinvermont/home
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Other resources that might be useful for
schools and curriculum leaders
Standards of Practice from the DRAFT State Literacy Plan .
These were drafted by a team of VT teachers, literacy
specialists, higher education professionals and consultants to
link intentionally to the “anchor standards” in the Common
Core, and provide a resource for instruction. (See sample
page in your handouts.) To find the resource online, go to the
VT READS website: www.vriuvm.org
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“The Challenge of Advanced Texts” by Marilyn Jager Adams,
in Hiebert’s “Reading More, reading better: Are American
students reading enough of the right stuff? NY: Guilford
Publications, 2009.
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Learning Progressions from Karin Hess. (Dec. 2011) (see
pages in handouts) Soon to be posted at: www.nciea.org
Let’s take some time to look closely at these …
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Turn and talk…
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What other resources or professional development have you
found to be useful?
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How might you use these in your work?
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Whole group debrief
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Integrating literacy standards
across the content areas:
Two key areas:
 Text
Complexity, higher level
thinking, vocabulary and discussion
to build comprehension
 Writing
(especially argument/opinion
and short research reports)
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Text Complexity, higher level thinking and
discussion… for strengthening comprehension and
demonstrating understanding
Some familiar (and some of these may not be so familiar)
approaches and resources that might be used: ( we’ll try some
of these…)
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Questioning The Author (Beck and McKeown) – in handouts
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Two text complexity templates (adapted by by the VT DOE from
Kansas Dept of Ed)- in handouts
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Jennifer Seravallo’s post-it approach for assessing
comprehension strategy use:
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From basic/concrete to sophisticated /abstract ( in handouts)
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Text Complexity, higher level thinking and
discussion… for strengthening comprehension and
demonstrating understanding
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Peter’s Johnston’s work: Choice Words – see handout of
“dialogic “ talk
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Text structure categories and lists of signal/transition words ( K
Hess) – in handouts
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Comprehension Conversation cards ( from Fountas and Pinnell
assessment) – in handouts
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Four Door approach for Reciprocal Teaching ( Lori Oczkus) – in
handouts
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Socratic Circles – in handouts
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Others?
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Vocabulary
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We’ll try some of these approaches… (some familiar, some
may not be as familiar…)
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Morphological analysis- Gr 2- 12
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Chart of roots to be taught – in handouts
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Root tree- in handouts
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Ode to a root – in handouts
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Powerful Vocabulary approach ( adapted from Sandra Whittaker,
author of Word Play, Stenhouse) for gr. 3-12-( in handouts)
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Other approaches you have found successful for vocabulary? (
e.g., vocabulary notebooks, Concept of Definition charts, subject
specific word walls, Overheard conversations… others?)
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Writing: especially opinion/argument and
short research projects
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“TBEAR” approach for response to text, opinion/argument or
other constructed response tasks (adapted by Karin Hess
khess@nciea.org) - in handouts
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Discussion web (Alvermann, 1991)- in handouts
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Proposition/support outlines (Buehl, 2001) – in handouts
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Inquiry chart (Doug Buehl) ( in handouts)
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“Put it in your own words” Julie Coiro’s template for
“synthesizing from online sources without plagiarizing”
(adapted by Sue Biggam, and teachers at Union 32 Middle
School) – in handouts
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Other?
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Debriefing…
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Which of these approaches and resources might be useful at your
grade level/span?
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What are some other resources that you are currently using that you
are wiling to share? (place on a post-it and we’ll collect and
disseminate/share …)
Exit cards:
 What was useful about today?
 What might have improved the day?
 Other thoughts/comments?
Thank you for coming!