The Challenge of the CCSS
ELA Update
Michelle Marko
Holland Public Schools
2012
“Despite all the money and effort
devoted to developing the Common
Core State Standards- … -the study
forsees little to no impact on
student learning.”
The Brown Center Report on American Education (2012)
How will this
experience be different?
The time is ripe for
improvement…
…to consider ways to shift
and alter our practices,
and to weed out practices
that are not conducive
to meaningful learning.
Setting the Course to Maximize the Potential of CCSS
by Gretchen Owocki
Common Core State Standards
The goal is clear.
The pathway is not.
Guiding Questions
What do we want each student to learn?
How will we teach in a way that supports students’
achievement of the standards?
How will we know when each student has learned it?
How will we respond when a student experiences
difficulty in learning?
What do we want each
student to learn?
We are creating Learning Targets in
student friendly language.
We are deepening our understanding of the CCSS and
supporting research.
We are examining the expectations of performance
samples as they are developed.
How will we
teach in a
way that
supports
students’
achievement
of the
standards?
“…research has confirmed that the
teacher- not the program- is the most
important variable in student
achievement.”
Setting a Course to maximize the Potential of CCSS by Gretchen Owocki
How will we teach in a way that supports
students’ achievement of the standards?
~Within state variation
is 4 to 5 times larger
than the variation
between states.
~ Difference in
variation within a
building vs. across
several buildings is
even greater!
How will we teach in a way that supports
students’ achievement of the standards?
….profound impact
will come largely
from all teachers
applying them
consistently and
reasonably well.
Then, as teachers
continue to work in
teams to practice
and refine their
implementation, even
better results will
ensue.
p. 10 Focus by Mike
Schmoker
How will we know
when each student
has learned it?
How will we know when each student has learned it?
Fall 2014 Assessments Ready
for States to Use
Spring 2014 Field Test of Summative and Interim
Items & Performance Tasks
Fall 2013 Field Test
of Items/ Performance Tasks
2012 CCSS Test Items
Written by Teacher
Teams
Smarter Balanced Assessment
Consortium
Performance Task
Constructed Response
Students will
read… closely
and analytically
to comprehend
a range of
increasingly
complex
literary and
informational
texts.
Performance Task
Constructed Response
Students will
analyze within or
across texts:
Interpret,
specify, or
compare how
information is
presented across
texts.
Sample Constructed Response
From “How the Leaves Came
Down”
Excerpt from The Little Captive
Stimulus Text:
Below is a part of a poem about
leaves and a story about a
robin. Read the two texts and
think about how they are similar
and then answer the question
that follows.
Item Prompt:
Compare how the actions of the leaves are similar to
the actions of the little robin. Use details from both
the texts to explain similarities.
What grade do you think this
Constructed Response
represents?
Score Point 4 Sample:
The poem and the story are similar in how the presentations of the
actions of the leaves are similar to those of the little robin. First the Tree
tells the leaves that they are getting sleepy and will need to go to bed.
Similar to this is Bessie’s mother telling her to let the robin out its cage.
Next, the leaves beg the Tree for one more day to enjoy swinging in the
breeze, hoping the Tree will forget and allow them to stay on the Tree
until spring. This is similar to Bessie, who at first disobeys and does not
let the robin out its cage. Finally, though, she does let the robin out
because she does not want to disobey her mother. Finally, although not
described, the leaves fall. In “The Little Captive” the robin stays in the
cage at first, and then Bessie takes it out and holds it out an open window.
Finally the robin flies off but not without returning several times and
eating crumbs off the table. The story of the leaves is similar to the story
of the robin in both characters’ desire to stay where they are.
How will we respond when a student
experiences difficulty in learning?
How will we respond when a student
achieves above grade level
expectations?
“As challenging as it must have been to write this document…
that work is nothing compared to the work of teaching in ways
that bring all students to these ambitious expectations.”
Explore the Common Core by Lucy Calkins
Risk can lead to beauty!
Canyonlands National Park
Mesa Arch
Summer 2008