Mining the Best Resources for
Common Core State Standards
Sandra M. Alberti, Ed.D.
Student Achievement Partners
www.achievethecore.org
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Standards-Based Instruction
• Clear expectations
• Clear connection of classroom activities to
expectations
• Clear information on student progress toward
meeting expectations.
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The Shifts
1. Balancing Informational & Literary Text
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2. Knowledge in the Disciplines
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3. Staircase of Complexity
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4. Text-based Answers
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5. Writing from Sources
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6. Academic Vocabulary
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1. Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction.
2. Reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence
from text, both literary and informational
3. Regular practice with complex text and its academic
language
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Mining Resources
Bring it back to the Standards – Is it Working for Kids?
How do you know? Evidence/(formal and informal) Assessment
What do you need?
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Evaluation of Resources
1. Issue of Alignment to Common Core State
Standards
2. Other Considerations?
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Tools for Evaluation of Alignment - History
1. Common Core State Standards
2. Publishers’ Criteria for ELA/Literacy
3. Publishers’ Criteria for ELA/Literacy K-2
Publishers’ Criteria for ELA/Literacy 3-12
4. Tri-State Rubric EQuIP Rubric
5. Instructional Materials Evaluation Tool (IMET)
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Suite of Tools to Evaluate Alignment
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What is the Toolkit? An Overview
Purpose:
• To catalyze the impact that the CCSS can have on student
achievement by building and applying a common vision of CCSS
aligned, high quality instructional and assessment materials
What it is:
• Collaboration between Achieve, CCSSO and Student Achievement
Partners
• A resource that brings together a set of interrelated, freely
available tools for evaluating instructional and assessment
materials for alignment to CCSS
Audience:
• Educators
• Developers
www.achievethecore.org
Key Design Features
• Derived from or closely aligned with the guidelines provided in the
Publishers’ Criteria
• The Publishers’ Criteria were developed from the perspective that
publishers and purchasers are equally responsible for ensuring high
quality instructional materials. They do not define, endorse or
prescribe curriculum; those decisions are, and should be, local
within each state or district.
• Included tools do not address all factors that may be important in
determining whether instructional materials and assessments are
appropriate in a given local or state context but instead aim to
clearly articulate the criteria for alignment to the CCSS
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Types of Tools in the Toolkit
Type of Tool
Used for Evaluating
Instructional Materials Comprehensive mathematics and English language
Evaluation Tool (IMET) arts or reading curricula in print and digital format.
EQuIP Rubric for
Lessons and Units
Lesson plans and units of instruction in mathematics
and English language arts/literacy.
Assessments or sets of assessments and item banks
for mathematics and English language arts/literacy,
Assessment Evaluation
including interim/benchmark assessments, and
Tool (AET)
classroom assessments designed to address a grade
or course.
Assessment Passage
and Item Quality
Criteria Checklist
Assessment passages and assessment items or tasks.
www.achievethecore.org
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What’s In and What’s Out?
OUT
IN
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Leveled texts (only)
Reading any ‘ol text
Solely literature
Collection of unrelated texts
Mostly text-to-self questions
Personal opinions about issues
Accent on literary terminology
Emphasis on pre-reading
Reading strategies
Reading foundations
(peripheral and detached)
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Daily encounters w/complex texts
Texts worthy of close attention
Balance of literary and info texts
Coherent sequences of texts
Mostly text-dependent questions
Evidence-based analyses
Accent on academic vocabulary
Emphasis on reading & re-reading
Reading strategies
Reading foundations
(central and integrated)
It all boils down to. . .
Texts Worth Reading
and
Questions Worth Answering!
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Engageny.org Resources
Aligned to the Common Core State Standards.
Your choice:
• adopt
• adapt
• create
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Non-Negotiable Criteria:
I. Text Selection
NON-NEGOTIABLE 1: Complexity of Text:
• Quantitative data for grade-band placement
• Qualitative features for grade-level placement
The submission exhibits concrete evidence that research-based
quantitative measures as well as qualitative analysis have been
used in selection of complex tests that align to the standards.
Further, submissions include a demonstrable staircase of text
complexity as materials progress across grade bands.
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Non-Negotiable Criteria:
I. Text Selection
NON-NEGOTIABLE 2: Range of Text:
• K-5 50% literature/50% informational
• 6-12 more literary nonfiction
• Sequence or collection of texts that build knowledge about
topics
• Anchor texts for close reading
• Additional materials for independent reading
Materials reflect the distribution of text types and genres
required by the standards.
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Non-Negotiable Criteria:
I. Text Selection
NON-NEGOTIABLE 3: Quality of Texts
• Texts worth reading: content-rich and well crafted
• Non-fiction text enable students to develop rich content
knowledge. Produced by authorities in the discipline
• 50% of informational texts use informational text structures
(rather than narrative)
The quality of texts is high – they are worth reading closely and
exhibit exceptional craft and though and/or provide useful
information.
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Non-Negotiable Criteria:
II. Questions and Tasks
NON-NEGOTIABLE 4: Text-dependent and Text-Specific Questions:
• Require use of textual evidence, including supporting valid
inferences from the text
• TDQs elicit attention to the specifics of the text and their impact.
• Q and tasks assess the depth and complexity of analytic thinking
required by standards at grade level (not every standard with
every text!)
• Q &T support students in unpacking the academic language
prevalent in complex text (vocabulary and syntax)
At least 80% of all questions in the submission are high-quality textdependent and text-specific questions. The overwhelming majority
of these questions are text specific and draw student attention to
particulars of text
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Non-Negotiable Criteria:
II. Questions and Tasks
NON-NEGOTIABLE 5: Scaffolding and Supports:
• Pre-reading activities and scaffolding are focused and begin with
the text; no more than 10% of time
• Materials do not confuse or substitute mastery of strategies with
comprehension of text
• Q & T require careful comprehension
• Vocabulary supports the development of meaning of the text
• Materials offer assessment opportunities that measure progress
The submission provides all students, including those that read
below grade level, with extensive opportunities to encounter and
comprehend grade-level complex text as required by the standards.
Materials direct teachers to return to focused parts of the text to
guide students through rereading, discussion and writing.
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Non-Negotiable Criteria:
III. Foundational Skills
NON-NEGOTIABLE 6: Foundational Skills (grades 3-5):
• Demand knowledge of grade-level phonic patterns and world
analysis skills
• Encourage students to use context to confirm or self-correct
word recognition and understanding.
• Provide instruction and practice in word study
• Build fluency in oral and silent reading
Materials provide explicit and systematic instruction and
diagnostic support for concepts of print, phonics, vocabulary,
syntax and fluency.
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Non-Negotiable Criteria:
IV. Writing to Sources and Research
NON-NEGOTIABLE 7: Writing to Sources:
• Students analyze and synthesize sources in their writing
o Analysis, claims, inform
• Increased focus on argument and informative writing (or
blending)
Exposition
Persuasion/
Argument
Narrative
Grades 3-5
35%
30%
35%
Grades 6-8
35%
35%
30%
HS
40%
40%
20%
• Writing opportunities are prominent and varies
• Extensive practice with short, focused research
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Non-Negotiable Criteria:
V. Speaking and Listening
NON-NEGOTIABLE 8: Speaking and Listening:
• Texts used in prompts must meet the criteria for complexity,
range, and quality
• Increased focus on argument and informative writing (or
blending)
• Materials develop active listening skills: taking notes on main
ideas, asking questions and elaborating on others’ remarks
• In oral presentations students are required to marshal
evidence
• Frequent opportunities for discussion; emphasize use of
academic language
Tasks for speaking and listening reflect true communication skills
required for college and career readiness.
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Non-Negotiable Criteria:
VI. Language
NON-NEGOTIABLE 9: Language:
• Materials address the grammar and language convents in the
standards
• Real-world activities for student practice with natural
language
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Tri-State/EQuIP Rubric
http://www.achieve.org/EQuIP
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Let’s Look at Some Key Resources
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Basal Alignment Project/Anthology Alignment Project
Mini-Assessments
In Common
Tools for PD
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iTunes U
PD modules
Text Complexity Resources
Writing Text Dependent Questions
5. Am I doing the Core?
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Instructional Practice Guides = Evidence Collection Guides
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Wrap-Up
• Implementation of the CCSS requires standardsdriven instruction supported by high quality
instructional materials and assessments.
• There will never be just one resource that meets all
the needs of all contexts, we therefore need a set
of criteria that are grounded in the CCSS that can
be widely applied to the judgment of potential
resources.
www.achievethecore.org