School Year
2014–2015
DoDEA College and Career Ready eBook
DoDEA College and Career Ready ––
providing a world-class education to
military-connected students
Table of Contents
DoDEA’s College and Career Ready Vision.................................................................................................... 2
Definition: College and Career Ready ...................................................................................................... 3
Why College and Career Ready Standards are Good for DoDEA .................................................................. 4
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) ............................................................................................................. 5
DoDEA College- and Career- Ready Stakeholder Engagement ..................................................................... 9
The Innovation Lab Network Framework for College & Career Readiness ................................................ 10
Crosswalk Comparison of Core Skills .......................................................................................................... 11
CCR Standards Implementation School Year Timeline ............................................................................... 12
DoDEA College and Career Ready Instructional Model .............................................................................. 14
DoDEA College and Career Ready Instructional Model Four Components with Elements ........................ 15
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DoDEA’s College and Career Ready Vision
The best way to prepare students for college, careers, and life
after high school is to ensure that they graduate with a strong
foundation in core academic areas that will open doors in the
future. Beginning in Pre-K and continuing through grade 12,
College and Career Readiness (CCR) is about preparing students
with the knowledge, skills and dispositions necessary for
successful postsecondary engagement (i.e., life after high
school). CCR student goals focus on student achievement
(results) that are aligned with college and work expectations
and internationally benchmarked toward the larger goal of
producing a national workforce to stabilize our Nation’s
economy. As a natural outgrowth of meeting the charge to
define college- and career-ready high school graduates who are
equipped with the knowledge, skills and dispositions for postsecondary success, becoming a literate
person in the 21st century is expected and widely applicable. DoDEA is committed to engaging its Pre-K
through grade 12 students in real learning for real life, college and career readiness.
Our mission at DoDEA to support military-connected children is
unique because we receive students who are engaged in CCR
from 45 sending states. We also accept the responsibility of
preparing students to successfully move through state
education programs, able to partake in grade-level activities
that align to the higher, clearer and deeper expectations of
standards-based instruction and next generation assessments
for college and modern careers.
Our next steps will communicate to all stakeholders our content
implementation priorities and how universal strategies aligned
to common objectives; students, curriculum, instruction,
technology integration and assessment will be connected
throughout the DoDEA school system. Our goal is to provide
standards-based instruction to every student. Our first two entry points for instruction are literacy and
mathematics, which are referred to nationally as the Common Core State Standards.
DoDEA College and Career Ready –– providing a world-class education to military-connected students
Definition: College and Career Ready
We define college as any postsecondary (after high school) education experience. This may include a
two-year and/or four-year higher education institution or a training program that has a course sequence
and examination. We define career as much more than a job. A career may also have a training
program or a certificate requirement that is often shorter than a two-year program. Being ready for
career also means that students will have an opportunity for longevity in their chosen profession,
advancement or promotion over time and that as an employee, they are mentally engaged in a
productive work life.
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Why College and Career Ready Standards are Good for DoDEA
 College and Career Ready Standards will allow DoDEA to
focus on how to effectively teach highly mobile militaryconnected students.
 College and Career Ready Standards have been adopted by
45 states nationwide, making the transition for military
dependent students easier as they move through the
Nation and the world.
 The DoDEA College and Career Ready Standards clearly
establish for parents and students the knowledge and skills
that students are expected to attain each year.
 College and Career Ready Standards are generally higher
and easier to understand; they link to lesson plans and
measures for student growth more efficiently than the
current DoDEA standards.
 College and Career Ready Standards support the goal of having more mathematics for all
students in high school.
 College and Career Ready Standards include reading, writing, listening, speaking and viewing
(through technology and technical subjects), providing a comprehensive scope for literacy skills.
 21st century technology and media skills are integrated throughout the College and Career
Ready Standards and are to be applied through instruction and student-created work.
 College and Career Ready Standards will allow DoDEA to access nationally-developed resources
to support the onset of national standards-based instruction –– supports and resources
developed by foundations, teachers, students and partners that DoDEA cannot provide alone.
 College and Career Ready Standards sustain creativity and flexibility in teaching; the standards
require a significant shift in instructional practice as well as new approaches by teachers to help
students master more critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
 College and Career Ready Standards are good for DoDEA because they are designed to be
relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge, skills and social foundations that our
students need for success in both college and careers.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The purpose of the FAQs for the DoDEA College and Career
Ready Innovation is to answer some of the questions often
asked throughout our school system. Although the Common
Core State Standards are a part of this innovation, they
specifically address two content areas for student learning.
The DoDEA College and Career Ready Innovation addresses all
aspects of the educational system, such as standards,
curriculum, professional development, assessments,
technology integration and more.
1) What are education standards?
Education standards are statements of common understanding about what students should know and
be able to demonstrate at specific grade levels, by providing clear goals for measuring student learning.
2) Why do we need educational standards?
Educational standards serve as beginning points for teachers when they make decisions about what
students need to learn. In a standards-based system, educational standards serve as the foundation to
which curriculum, instruction and assessment are aligned.
3) What are the DoDEA College and Career Ready Standards (DoDEA CCRS)?
The DoDEA CCRS include three components: knowledge, skills and dispositions (sometimes called social
foundations). Students need background knowledge in a variety of subjects in order to efficiently and
productively engage in the academic and career
products of learning and work. The skills students
are required to demonstrate are written as learning
goals for a variety of content areas (knowledge) and
are based on the research work of experts in their
respective fields. The dispositions of the DoDEA
CCRS include such attributes as creativity,
collaboration, communication, critical thinking,
persistence, tenacity, regulating behavior and
emotions, approaches to learning, and other
expressions of what is sometimes called engaging in
habits of mind.
DoDEA has adopted and implemented standards in content areas for years. Examples include
mathematics, literacy, science, social studies, technology, early learning, the arts, career development
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and physical education. The new DoDEA standards in literacy and mathematics are commonly referred
to as the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) (see question four).
4) What is the Common Core State Standards Initiative?
The CCSS Initiative was led by the National Governors
Association and the Council of Chief State School
Officers to establish a single set of clear educational
standards for English language arts/literacy and
mathematics that states can share and voluntarily adopt.
The state-led effort created standards that have been
informed by evidence of best practices and standards
implementation across the Nation and the world. The
standards are designed by a diverse group of teachers,
experts, parents, and school administrators, so they
reflect both our aspirations for our students and the realities of the classroom. The CCSS are also
designed to ensure that students graduating from high school are prepared to go to college or enter the
workforce no matter where they live or how many schools they attend during their Pre-K – grade 12
education.
The CCSS are written in two content areas, and both are divided into two parts by grades: grades K–5
and 6–12. The two content areas are officially titled Mathematics and English Language Arts & Literacy
in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects. Each CCSS document also comes with an
appendix(s) that includes additional information.
5) Do the CCSS, or other content standards, define how teachers teach in our schools?
The CCSS are not a curriculum. They are a clear set of
shared goals and expectations for what knowledge
and skills will help our students succeed, identified by
grade level. Classroom teachers, building principals,
superintendents, Headquarters and others will decide
how the standards are to be met.
DoDEA will continue to develop curriculum, and
teachers will continue to devise lesson plans and
tailor instruction to the individual needs of the
students in their classrooms.
6) Will DoDEA have assessments connected to the CCSS?
Yes. States that adopted the CCSS are currently collaborating to develop common assessments that will
be aligned to the CCSS. These assessments are expected to be available for implementation in DoDEA
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classrooms in 2017. DoDEA has yet to select an assessment consortium or design an assessment system
that will align to the CCSS.
7) What evidence indicates that CCSS will lead to better results for students?
The CCSS were written by experts in education and are
designed to ensure they reflect the best current
thinking in education, the realities of the classroom,
and aspirations for our children. Based on the best
practices in standards development and
implementation, these research-based standards
incorporate the best and highest of previous state
standards in the U.S. and are internationally
benchmarked to the top performing nations around
the world. Thus, there is full expectation that students
will be better prepared for life after high school if they
are able to master the knowledge and skills articulated
in the standards. Current evidence shows that high
school graduates spend time and money taking noncredit bearing courses at two- and four-year colleges
because they do not meet the academic requirements for postsecondary coursework. Raising the
standards before students graduate and aligning assessments to measure student learning makes sense
for future student achievement and work opportunities in the future.
8) Are there any identified flaws with the literacy or mathematics Common Core Standards?
DoDEA has not identified flaws in the literacy and mathematics standards but has articulated intentional
design limitations. The CCSS do NOT define:
 How teachers should teach
 All that can or should be taught (school systems are encouraged to add additional standards,
about 15% more)
 The nature of advanced work beyond the core standards
 The interventions needed for students well below grade level
 The full range of support for English language learners and students with special needs
 Everything needed to be college- and career-ready
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9) Why are the CCSS for just literacy and mathematics?
Literacy and mathematics were the subjects
chosen for the CCSS because students build skills
in these content areas that support their success
in other subjects. Because literacy and
mathematics skills enhance other learning
content success, they are most frequently
measured to provide evidence of student
learning. Standards that have gone through
similar design, writing, validation studies and
review by experts are currently being considered
in states across the Nation. As standards are
adopted by states, DoDEA will evaluate the content, rigor and organization of those standards and
consider future adoptions so that all military-connected students, regardless of where they live, can
move seamlessly through different school systems and are learning what they need to know so they are
ready for college or a career after high school graduation.
10) How will the College and Career Ready Standards be implemented?
The process of fully implementing the new standards touches numerous systems including curriculum,
instruction, assessment, professional development and technology integration (instructional practices
and student-created work). It will require time for teachers to focus on their grade-level curriculum and
determine what instructional shifts should be reflected for their students to increase in knowledge and
skills. It will also require collaboration across grade levels for planning and revisions of curriculum.
Administrators and building principals will guide
and lead the transition to higher standards for a
cohesive and coordinated approach that includes
instructional training and classroom
implementation. Working together,
Headquarters, area and district administrators,
principals, teachers and educators will chart a
path to prepare parents and help students
achieve the standards.
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DoDEA College- and Career- Ready Stakeholder Engagement
The purpose for the creation of the DoDEA task
forces, Planning and Cross-Functional Teams for
College- and Career-Ready Innovation, is to be
transparent and intentional about engaging with
DoDEA stakeholders globally. It is our objective to
collaborate broadly with representation from every
level of our professional staff as we continue to
implement the DoDEA college- and career-ready
(CCR) standards-based education system. Our agency
comprises many diverse roles and responsibilities,
and it is imperative for us as a school system to have
input from every level. Our work binds us all to meet
the needs of teachers as we move to unify our school system and ensure students are prepared for the
rigors of today’s postsecondary institutions and careers.
All of our teams include a member from Headquarters (HQ) leadership who serves to coordinate the
work of each group with the goals and objectives of the five-year delivery plan in its entirety. Also from
HQ, each team includes department heads and subject matter experts in order to support and
coordinate programs in the areas as well as at the district Level. Additionally, each team has
representation from teachers, principals, superintendents, curriculum directors, technology and
assessment expertise as well as content specialists, as appropriate. In general, the teams range in size
from 10 – 20 people and include professionals from all three geographic regions.
Some of our current teams are:
CCR Assessment Cross-Functional Team – Works to develop assessment protocols aligned to CCR
CCR Planning Team – HQ led instruction-focused; coordinates priorities, logistics, budget, and scale
College and Career Ready Standards Literacy (CCRSML) Cross-Functional Team – Literacy team for
standards implementation for Pre-K – grade 12
College and Career Ready Standards Mathematics (CCRSML) Cross-Functional Team – Mathematics
team for standards implementation for Pre-K – grade 12
Implementing College and Career Standards – A professional development process through the Council
of Chief State School Officers; meeting schedule varies, attendees determined by agenda
Solutions Task Force – HQ led for non-instructional systemic school system solutions
May 6, 2015
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The Innovation Lab Network Framework for College & Career Readiness
The Innovation Lab Network (ILN) State Framework for College, Career, and Citizenship Readiness, and
Implications for State Policy (Council of Chief State School Officers, February 2013): This link leads to a
PDF document that discusses the ILN Framework for College, Career, and Citizenship Readiness (CCCR)
consisting of three equal domains – knowledge, skills, and dispositions (KSD). The deeper learning
outcomes braided within KSD—are mutually reinforcing, and they are not contradictory. They have
concrete meaning and can be expressly taught, learned, and measured. This will require multiple,
robust measures that help us examine how they interact to advance learning.
•
•
•
Knowledge: mastery of rigorous content knowledge across
multiple disciplines and the facile application or transfer of
what has been learned;
Skills: the strategies that students need to engage in higherorder thinking, meaningful interaction with the world around
them, and future planning; and
Dispositions: mindsets (sometimes referred to as behaviors,
capacities, or habits of mind) that are closely associated with
success in college and career.
Elements within the domains knowledge, skills, and dispositions that have the highest impact
on college, career, and readiness are:
KNOWLEDGE
Mastery of rigorous content and
the facile application or transfer
of what has been learned to
complex and novel situations
•
•
•
•
•
Common Core State
Standards
Career & Technical
Education
Other Content Areas &
Essential Literacies
Global Competence
Applied Knowledge
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SKILLS
The capacities and strategies
that enable students to learn
and engage in higher order
thinking, meaningful interaction
planning for the future
• Critical thinking
• Problem solving
• Working collaboratively
• Communicating
effectively
• Metacognition & selfawareness
• Study skills & learning
how to learn
• Time/goal management
• Creativity & innovation
DISPOSITIONS
Socio-emotional skills or
behaviors that associate with
success in college, career, and
citizenship
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Agency (Self-efficacy)
Initiative
Resilience
Adaptability
Leadership
Ethical behavior & civic
responsibility
Social awareness &
empathy
Self-control
Crosswalk Comparison of Core Skills
The skills listed in the chart below lead to “deeper learning outcomes” and are essential to academic and
lifelong success. The most common skills across the chart include communication, collaboration,
critical thinking, problem-solving, adaptability, and initiative. The numbers in parenthesis represent
the frequency each phrase appears in the chart below.
Core Skills CCR
Wagner
The National
Academies
ATC21S
P21
Applied Knowledge (1)
Agility and
adaptability
Complex
communications
/social skills
Citizenship and
life
Communication
and
collaboration
Collaboration (4)
Collaboration
across networks
and leading by
influence
Adaptability
Collaboration
Creativity and
innovation
Adaptability (3)
Accessing and
analyzing
information
Non-routine
problem-solving
Career and
personal
Critical thinking
and problemsolving
Communication (6)
Critical thinking
and problemsolving
Selfmanagement/
Selfdevelopment
Communication
Information,
media and
technology skills
Critical Thinking (4)
Curiosity and
imagination
Systems thinking
Creativity and
critical thinking
Life and career
skills
Initiative (2)
Effective oral and
written
communication
Information and
communications
technology (ICT)
Integrity (1)
Initiative and
entrepreneurship
Information
literacy
Intellectual Curiosity (1)
Leadership (1)
Problem-solving (4)
Learning to
learn,
metacognition
Problem-solving,
decision-making
and learning
Social
responsibility
The 10 Skills That Will
Get You Hired
No. 1 Critical Thinking
(found in 9 out of the 10 most
in-demand jobs)
No. 2 Complex ProblemSolving
(found in 9 out of the 10 most
in-demand jobs)
No. 3 Judgment and DecisionMaking
(found in 9 out of the 10 most
in-demand jobs)
No. 4 Active Listening
(found in 9 out of the 10 most
in-demand jobs)
No. 5 Computers and
Electronics
(found in 8 out of the 10 most
in-demand jobs)
No. 6 Mathematics
(found in 6 out of the 10 most
in-demand jobs)
No. 7 Operations and Systems
Analysis
(found in 5 out of the 10 most
in-demand jobs)
No. 8 Monitoring
(found in 5 out of the 10 most
in-demand jobs)
No. 9 Programming
(found in 3 out of the 10 most
in-demand jobs)
No. 10 Sales and Marketing
(found in 2 out of the 10 most
in-demand jobs)
Self–awareness (1)
Self–control (1)
Self-efficacy (1)
Source: Forbes
Social & Personal Responsibility (1)
Study Skills (1)
Time & Goal Management (1)
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CCR Standards Implementation School Year Timeline
MAY 2015
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DoDEA College and Career Ready Instructional Model
Four Components for Systemic Implementation
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DoDEA College and Career Ready Instructional Model
Four Components with Elements
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