English Language Arts
Mathematics
and
Special Education
8/17/2011
Why is this important?
• Currently, every state has its own set of
academic standards, meaning public education
students in each state are learning to different
levels
• All students must be prepared to compete with
not only their American peers in the next state,
but with students from around the world
www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards
Common Core Rationale
o Equity
Students expectations the same regardless of where they live
o College and Career Readiness
Students need to be more than proficient
o Comparability
State results will be comparable through common assessments
o Sharing of Resources
The ability to share instructional materials across state lines can improve practice
o Economies of Scale
Possible savings due to sharing of resources and assessments
o Student Mobility
Students moving into and out of states will have the same standards
Collaborative Conference for Student Achievement April 19, 2011
www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/acre/publications/2011/presentations
What are the Common Core
State Standards?
 Aligned with college and work expectations
 Focused and coherent
 Include rigorous content and application of knowledge through highorder skills
 Build upon strengths and lessons of current state standards
 Internationally benchmarked so that all students are prepared to
succeed in our global economy and society
 Based on evidence and research
www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards
Special Education Implications

PL 105-17 – Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of
1997 (IDEA)

Introduced the concept of aligning special education
reform with general education reform

Required students with disabilities (SWD) to



have access to the general curriculum
be involved in the general curriculum
progress in the general curriculum
Access to the General Curriculum: What It Really Means W. David Mills,
Section Chief Exceptional Children Division NC Department of Public Instruction June 2004
CFR 300.26 Special Education
(b) Individual terms defined
(3) Specially-designed instruction means
adapting, as appropriate to the needs of an
eligible child … the content, methodology, or
delivery of instruction –
(ii) To ensure access of the child to the
general curriculum, so that he or she can meet
the educational standards within the
jurisdiction of the public agency that apply to
all children.
Access to the General Curriculum: What It Really Means W. David Mills,
Section Chief Exceptional Children Division NC Department of Public Instruction June 2004
Access to the general curriculum “basically
means that education planning for
students with disabilities has as its
foundation the curriculum being taught
within the district and that curriculum be
presented at a level and in a manner in
which students with disabilities can
acquire the content.” (Tom Hehir, “Begin Early,
End Well.” The School Administrator, 56(24-26), 1999.)
Access to the General Curriculum: What It Really Means W. David Mills,
Section Chief Exceptional Children Division NC Department of Public Instruction June 2004
Accessing the General Curriculum

Access is not just about placement in general education classrooms, nor
can access be achieved through special education alone

A…problem is confusing inclusion or participation in the general classroom
with access to the curriculum.

When access seems to work, it is because teachers share a knowledge of
the general curriculum and have opportunities to discuss what are the most
important aspects of the curriculum to teach.

All teachers and other specialists…must be able to describe what they
expect a student to be able to do as a result of instruction in the curriculum

The school environment must promote flexibility and adaptability. The
critical resources, such as teachers and time, must be able to change in
response to student needs.
Accessing the General Curriculum: Including Students with Disabilities in Standards
Based Reform by Victor Nolet and Margaret J. McLaughlin Corwin Press, Inc. 2000
USDE’s 21st Annual Report to Congress, 1999
“Students can benefit from an emerging body of
research that emphasizes the importance of
universal design of curricula and instructional
materials and of strategies that support access to
the general education curriculum. Special
educators must possess content knowledge
necessary for delivering instruction; students need
access to instruction that is individually referenced,
intense, frequent and explicit.”
Access to the General Curriculum: What It Really Means W. David Mills,
Section Chief Exceptional Children Division NC Department of Public Instruction June 2004
21st Report to Congress, 1999, continued
“Special educators must have sound content knowledge and
pedagogical skills. Enhancing access to the curriculum requires
ongoing collaboration between general and special educators.
Most educators perceive the general educator as having the
subject content knowledge needed to teach the curriculum
objectives, while the special educator utilizes the modifications and
various instructional strategies needed to assist the learning of
students with disabilities. It is the combination of their expertise
that enhances learning for all students. This ‘blend’ can be
achieved in a variety of ways: co-teaching, joint planning,
modeling, coaching, etc. Additionally, joint participation and
leadership in curriculum development, professional development,
and instruction are critical to helping students with disabilities
access the curriculum.”
Access to the General Curriculum: What It Really Means W. David Mills,
Section Chief Exceptional Children Division NC Department of Public Instruction June 2004
North Carolina Professional Teaching
Standards

Standard III: Teachers know
the content they teach.

Standard IV: Teachers
facilitate learning for their
students.

Standard V: Teachers reflect
on their practice.
2011 ELA Summer Institute Presented by NC Department of Public
Instruction
4/8/2015 • page
STANDARDS FOR
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
&
LITERACY IN HISTORY/SOCIAL STUDIES,
SCIENCE, AND TECHNICAL SUBJECTS
Design and Organization
Three main sections
 K−5 (cross-disciplinary)
 6−12 English Language Arts
 6−12 Literacy in History/Social Studies,
Science, and Technical Subjects
Shared responsibility for students’ literacy development
Three appendices
•
A: Research and evidence; glossary of key terms
•
B: Reading text exemplars; sample performance tasks
•
C: Annotated student writing samples
www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards
Design and Organization
Four strands




Reading
Literary
Informational
Reading Foundational Skills
Writing
Speaking and Listening
Language
An integrated model of literacy
Media requirements blended throughout
www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards
CCR Anchor Standards
The CCR Anchor Standards “anchor” the document and
define general, cross-disciplinary literacy expectations
that must be met for students to be prepared to enter
college and workforce training programs ready to
succeed.
Each CCR Anchor Standard has an accompanying
grade-specific standard that translates the broader CCR
statement into grade-appropriate end-of-year
expectations.
2011 ELA Summer Institute Presented by NC Department of Public Instruction
Design and Organization
College and Career
Readiness (CCR)
anchor standards
Broad expectations
consistent across
grades and content
areas
 Based on evidence
about college and
workforce training
expectations
 Range and content

www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards
Design and Organization
K−12 standards
Grade-specific endof-year expectations
 Developmentally
appropriate,
cumulative
progression of skills
and understandings
 One-to-one
correspondence with
CCR standards

www.corestandards.org/about-thestandards
Reading
Comprehension (standards 1−9)

Standards for reading literature and informational texts
 Strong and growing across-the-curriculum emphasis on
students’ ability to read and comprehend informational texts
 Aligned with NAEP Reading framework
Range of reading and level of text complexity
(standard 10, Appendices A and B)


“Staircase” of growing text complexity across grades
High-quality literature and informational texts in a range of
genres and subgenres
www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards
Reading Foundational Skills
Four categories (standards 1−4)
 Print concepts (K−1)
 Phonological awareness (K−1)
 Phonics and word recognition (K−5)
 Fluency (K−5)
•
•
Not an end in and of themselves
Differentiated instruction
www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards
Text Complexity
Reading Standards include over exemplar texts (stories and literature,
poetry, and informational texts) that illustrate appropriate level of
complexity by grade
Text complexity is defined by:
1. Qualitative measures – levels of meaning,
structure, language conventionality and
clarity, and knowledge demands
2. Quantitative measures – readability and
other scores of text complexity (word length
or frequency, sentence length, text cohesion)
3. Reader and Task – background knowledge
of reader, motivation, interests, and
complexity generated by tasks assigned
Reader and Task
http://www.achieve.org/files/CCSSJune22010FINAL.ppt#440,11,Slide 11
20
Read the passage silently.
“There are known knowns. There are things
we know that we know. There are known
unknowns. That is to say, there are things that
we know we don’t know. But there are also
unknown unknowns. There are things we
don’t know we don’t know.”
D. Rumsfeld, Newsweek (2003, p. 113)
2011 ELA Summer Institute Presented by NC Department of Public Instruction
Ask yourself…
• How many times did you read this?
• At what point did you stop understanding?
• What strategies did you use to gain
comprehension?
2011 ELA Summer Institute Presented by NC Department of Public Instruction
Three key questions to ask students after
they have read something:
They encompass three different levels of thinking.
(Sheridan Blau)
1.What does it say? (Literal level – comprehension)
(Foundational to answering the second question)
2.What does it mean? (Interpretation level)
(More than just appreciating a good story – themes)
3.What does it matter? (Reflection)
(The heart of why they read the book)
2011 ELA Summer Institute Presented by NC Department of Public Instruction
Scaffolding…
helps students access
complex texts directly.
allows the reader a first
encounter with minimal
clarifications.
guides the reader with followup support.
encourages re-reading.
Scaffolding doesn’t mean…
• reducing complexity of text.
• replacing the text.
• telling students what they are going to learn.
2011 ELA Summer Institute Presented by NC Department of Public Instruction
How To Scaffold
Model
 Provide constructive feedback
 Activate prior knowledge
 Build background
 Use supports

– Sensory
– Graphic
– Interactive
– Language
2011 ELA Summer Institute Presented by NC Department of Public Instruction
Examples of Scaffolding
Modeling/Demonstrations
Realia and Multi-media
Pictures
Visuals
Hands-on
Manipulatives
2011 ELA Summer Institute Presented by NC Department of Public Instruction
Scaffolding: Organizers
Venn Diagram
Concept Map
Sequence
2011 ELA Summer Institute Presented by NC Department of Public
Instruction
Writing
Writing types/purposes (standards 1−3)




Writing arguments
Writing informative/explanatory texts
Writing narratives
Strong and growing across-the-curriculum emphasis on students writing arguments
and informative/explanatory texts

Aligned with NAEP Writing framework
Production and distribution of writing (standards 4−6)


Developing and strengthening writing
Using technology to produce and enhance writing
Research (standards 7−9)

Engaging in research and writing about sources
Range of writing (standard 10)

Writing routinely over various time frames
www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards
The Starring Role of Argument

CCSS places particular emphasis on students’ ability
to write sound arguments on important topics and
issues to prepare students for college and career.
2011 ELA Summer Institute Presented by NC Department of Public Instruction
Speaking and Listening
Comprehension and collaboration (standards 1−3)

Day-to-day, purposeful academic talk in one-on-one,
small-group, and large-group settings
Presentation of knowledge and ideas (standards 4−6)
 Formal sharing of information and concepts,
including through the use of technology
www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards
Language
Conventions of standard English
Knowledge of language (standards 1−3)
 Using standard English in formal writing and speaking
 Using language effectively and recognizing language varieties
Vocabulary (standards 4−6)
 Determining word meanings and word nuances
 Acquiring general academic and domain-specific words and
phrases
www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards
Vocabulary
Three Tiers of Words
 Tier One words – words used in everyday speech
 Tier Two words - general academic words that are far
more likely to appear in written texts than in speech.
 Tier Three words - domain-specific words that are
specific to a domain or field of study and key to
understanding a new concept within a text.
www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_A.pdf
Key Advances
Reading
•
Balance of literature and informational texts
•
Text complexity
Writing
•
Emphasis on argument and informative/explanatory writing
•
Writing about sources
Speaking and Listening
•
Inclusion of formal and informal talk
Language
•
Stress on general academic and domain-specific vocabulary
ELA Overall
•
•
•
Direct link to college and work readiness
Literacy standards for science and social studies
Clear vertical progressions across grades
www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards and Collaborative Conference for Student Achievement April 19, 2011
www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/acre/publications/2011/presentations
Vertical Alignment Example
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading
Key Ideas and Details - Literature
Anchor Standards
Kindergarten
Grade 1
Grade 2
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
Read closely to
determine what
The text says
explicitly and to
make logical
inferences from
it; cite specific
textual
evidence when
writing or
speaking
to support
conclusions
drawn from the
text.
With prompting
and support, ask
and answer
questions about
key details in a
text.
Ask and
answer
questions
about key
details in a text.
Ask and
answer
such questions
as who, what,
where, when,
why, and how
to demonstrate
understanding
of key details
in a text.
Ask and
answer
questions to
demonstrate
Understanding
of a text,
referring
explicitly to the
text as the
basis for the
answers.
Refer to
details
and examples
in a text when
explaining
what the text
says
explicitly and
when drawing
inferences
from the text.
Quote
accurately
from a text
when
explaining
what the
text says
explicitly
and when
drawing
Inferences
from the
text.
STANDARDS FOR
MATHEMATICS
Design and Organization
Standards for Mathematical Practice
 Carry across all grade levels
 Describe habits of mind of a mathematically expert student
Standards for Mathematical Content
 K-8 standards presented by grade level
 Organized into domains that progress over several grades
 Grade introductions give 2–4 focal points at each grade level
 High school standards presented by conceptual theme
(Number & Quantity, Algebra, Functions, Modeling,
Geometry, Statistics & Probability)
www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards
Design and Organization



Content standards define what students should understand
and be able to do
Clusters are groups of related standards
Domains are larger groups that progress across grades
www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards
Design and Organization
Focal points at each grade level
www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards
Math Common Core Attributes




Focus and coherence
– Focus on key topics at each grade level
– Coherent progression across grade level
Balance of concepts and skills
– Content standards require both conceptual understanding and
procedural fluency
Mathematical Practices
– Fosters reasoning and sense-making in mathematics
College and career readiness
– Level is ambitious but achievable
Common Core State Standards 6 – 12 Mathematics Presented by NC Department of Public Instruction 2011 Summer Institute
Overview of K-8 Mathematics
Standards
The K- 8 standards:
– The K-5 standards provide students with a solid
foundation in whole numbers, addition, subtraction,
multiplication, division, fractions and decimals
– The 6-8 standards describe robust learning in
geometry, algebra, and probability and statistics
– Modeled after the focus of standards from highperforming nations, the standards for grades 7 and 8
include significant algebra and geometry content
– Students who have completed 7th grade and
mastered the content and skills will be prepared for
algebra, in 8th grade or after
http://www.achieve.org/files/CCSSJune22010FINAL.ppt
Overview of High School Mathematics
Standards
The high school mathematics standards:
– Call on students to practice applying mathematical ways of
thinking to real world issues and challenges
– Require students to develop a depth of understanding and
ability to apply mathematics to novel situations, as college
students and employees regularly are called to do
– Emphasize mathematical modeling, the use of mathematics
and statistics to analyze empirical situations, understand them
better, and improve decisions
– Identify the mathematics that all students should study in
order to be college and career ready.
– High school standards are organized around five conceptual
categories: Number and Quantity, Algebra, Functions,
Geometry, and Statistics and Probability
http://www.achieve.org/files/CCSSJune22010FINAL.ppt
Standards for Mathematical Practices
1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of
others.
4. Model with mathematics.
5. Use appropriate tools strategically.
6. Attend to precision.
7. Look for and make use of structure.
8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.
Common Core State Standards 6 – 12 Mathematics Presented by NC Department of Public Instruction 2011 Summer
Institute
Mathematical Practices
1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
DO STUDENTS:

Use multiple representations (verbal descriptions, symbolic, tables,
graphs,etc.)?

Check their answers using different methods?

Continually ask, “Does this make sense?”

Understand the approaches of others and identify correspondences between
different approaches?
Common Core State Standards 6 – 12 Mathematics Presented by NC Department of Public Instruction 2011
Summer Institute
1. Make sense of problems and
persevere in solving them.
4/8/2015 • page 44
Mathematical Practices
2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
DO STUDENTS:

Make sense of quantities and their relationships in problem situations?

Decontextualize a problem?

Contextualize a problem?

Create a coherent representation of the problem, consider the units
involved, and attend to the meaning of quantities?
Common Core State Standards 6 – 12 Mathematics Presented by NC Department of Public Instruction
2011 Summer Institute
Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
cc: onlinemathtutor.org
4/8/2015 • page 46
Mathematical Practices
5. Use appropriate tools strategically.
DO STUDENTS:

Consider the available tools when solving mathematical problems?

Know the tools appropriate for their grade or course to make sound
decisions about when each of these tools might be helpful?

Identify relevant external mathematical resources and use them to pose
and solve problems?

Use technological tools to explore and deepen their understanding of
concepts?
Common Core State Standards 6 – 12 Mathematics Presented by NC Department of Public Instruction 2011 Summer Institute
Use appropriate tools strategically.
4/8/2015 • page 48
Key Advances
Focus and coherence
•
•
•
Focus on key topics at each grade level.
Focus in early grades on number (arithmetic and operations) to build a solid
foundation in math
Coherent progressions across grade levels.
Balance of concepts and skills
•
•
Content standards require both conceptual understanding and procedural fluency.
Evened out pace across the grades
Mathematical practices
•
Foster reasoning and sense-making in mathematics.
College and career readiness
•
•
Level is ambitious but achievable.
High school math focus on using math and solving messy problems, similar to what
would see in the real world
www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards and
Collaborative Conference for Student Achievement April 19, 2011
www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/acre/publications/2011/presentations
Intentional Design Limitations
What the Standards do NOT define:






How teachers should teach
All that can or should be taught
The nature of advanced work beyond the core
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
www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards
Significant challenges in implementing
CCS for students with disabilities


Council for Exceptional Children views the CCS as
providing the opportunity to continue the trend of
greater access to the general curriculum while
enhancing successful transition opportunities and
improving results for all students with disabilities.
That positive outlook, however, does not
camouflage the very real challenges inherent in
teaching to these more rigorous standards or the
accountability of schools and, now, teachers in
moving students to mastery of them.
The most significant challenge will be in
preparing and further developing the knowledge
and skills of not only special educators, but all
teachers who are sharing the instructional
responsibilities for students with disabilities.
Common Core Standards: What Special Educators Need to Know (CEC
Today, May 2010)
Challenges


If teachers do not approach IEP development, i.e., the present
level and the goals/objectives, with a sure knowledge of the
grade-level standards for the student and the skill to scaffold
instruction low enough to create access and high enough to reach
the standard, the potential for mastery is never known or
demonstrated. If teachers are not familiar with efficient and
frequent means of assessing progress, they won’t know how
instruction needs to be adjusted to increase the possibility of
mastery. If teachers are not deeply knowledgeable of the
strategies for teaching reading and math that have been shown to
produce results, the likelihood that any student with a disability
will be able to navigate these standards in reading/language arts
and math is slim.
The special educator’s purpose is to be as knowledgeable as she
or he can be about what social and academic skills a student
needs to access, or perform successfully in, the general
curriculum. The challenge for the field is to do everything possible
to make sure every special educator feels confident that she or he
can achieve that purpose.
Common Core Standards: What Special Educators Need to Know (CEC Today, May 2010)
EC Information on DPI website
OCCUPATIONAL COURSE OF STUDY CROSSWALKS



OCS Algebra I
OCS Biology
OCS English I and II
EXTENDED CONTENT STANDARDS
English Language Arts

Extended K-5 ELA

Extended 6-8 ELA

Extended High School
Science

Extended K-2 Science

Extended 3-5 Science

Extended 6-8 Science

Extended High School Life Science

Extended HS Biology A&B
Mathematics

Extended Mathematics K-5

Extended Mathematics 6-8

Extended Essential Standards Financial Management

Extended Mathematics Algebra A & B
Conclusion
The promise of standards
These Standards are not intended to be new names
for old ways of doing business. They are a call to take
the next step. It is time for states to work together to
build on lessons learned from two decades of
standards based reforms. It is time to recognize that
standards are not just promises to our children, but
promises we intend to keep.
www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards
Old Boxes


People are the next step
If people just swap out the old
standards and put the new CCSS
in the old boxes





into old systems and procedures
into the old relationships
Into old instructional materials
formats
Into old assessment tools,
Then nothing will change, and
perhaps nothing will
Resources
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/acre/resources/facilitator-guide.pdf
(Resources for ELA pg. 81, Math pg. 93-94, IT pgs. 89-92)
 http://elaccss.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Resources
(Access to ELA Appendix A,B,C)
 http://corestandards.org/
 http://commoncore.org/
 http://www.freetech4teachers.com/
 http://www.insidemathematics.org/
 http://illustrativemathematics.org/
 http://www.corestandards.org/assets/CCSSI_Mathematics_Appendix_A.pdf
(High School Appendix for Math)
 http://www.maine.gov/education/lres/math/documents/Common_Core_Sta
ndards-Standards_for_Mathematical_Practice.pdf
(Mathematical Practices document)
