The Tri-State Rubric:
A Tool To Align Lesson Plans and
Units to the Common Core State
Standards
Illinois State Board of Education
English Language Arts Content
Specialists
Hosted by Kathi Rhodus, June 2012
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Today’s Target
Gain knowledge about the Tri-State Rubric - a tool to
help teachers and district personnel know if a lesson
plan/unit is aligned to the Common Core State
Standards.
Lesson Plan
or Unit
The History Behind the Tool
The Tri-State Collaborative (comprised of
educational leaders from Massachusetts, New York,
and Rhode Island and facilitated by Achieve) has
developed criterion-based rubrics and review
processes to evaluate the quality of lessons and
units intended to address the Common Core State
Standards for Mathematics and ELA/Literacy. Now
representatives from more than 25 states regularly
convene to fine-tune the rubric.
This presentation will focus on the ELA/Literacy rubric.
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Purpose
The primary purpose of this process:
To provide specific input for
improvement of instruction,
so teaching and learning are
aligned with the Common Core State
Standards.
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Tri-State Quality Review Rubric
is designed to evaluate:
•
Lessons that include instructional activities and
assessments aligned to CCSS, extending over a few
class periods or days.
•
Units that include integrated and focused lessons aligned
to CCSS extending over a longer period of time.
•
The rubric is NOT designed
to evaluate a single task or activity.
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The Tri-State Rubric Consists of
Four Dimensions
Dimension #1
Alignment to the Rigors of CCSS
Dimension #2
Key Areas of Focus in the CCSS
Dimension #3
Instructional Supports
Dimension #4
Assessment
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Step #1
Understand the Rubric
Identify the following components on the Tri-State Rubric.
 The criteria that define the rubric are organized as a checklist
describing quality in four dimensions.
 The most critical criteria are considered “must haves” for a quality
CCSS lesson/unit and are marked with **.
 There is a rating scale for each dimension using 3, 2, 1, or 0.
 There is an “overall” rating scale using E,E/I,R or N.
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Step #2
Use the Rubric & Criteria to Evaluate a Lesson/Unit
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Record the grade and title of the lesson/unit at the top of the rubric.
Scan the lesson/unit.
Identify the grade-level CCSS that the lesson/unit targets.
Do a close reading of text that serves as the centerpiece for the
lesson/unit.
Analyze the lesson unit for evidence of Dimension One. Check the
criteria for which there is clear and substantial evidence of meeting
the descriptors.
Determine a rating for Dimension One.
Circle the rating at the bottom of the column.
Use the criteria to make observations and recommendations about
this lesson/unit.
Continue the same process with each dimension.
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Step #3
Determine an Overall Rating
The four dimensional ratings for a particular lesson or unit
can tell a lot about its current status as an exemplar of
CCSS instruction.
For example: A lesson rated 3-3-2-1 might be seen as well aligned with
the CCSS and its Areas of Focus, but needs some additional thinking
about Instructional Supports and some significant revision in its
approach to Assessment.
1. Review the patterns of the checked criteria and the
ratings for each of the four dimensions.
2. Make a summary judgment about the overall quality
using E, E/I, R or N.
3. Record the Overall Rating on the top right of the Rubric.
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Feedback Format
• The two page format is used during the
review process and includes columns for
recording observations, comments, and
suggestions for improvement.
• The one page format contains the entire
rubric including dimensions, criteria, and
ratings.
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Resources
• Tri-State Rubric
http://engageny.org/resource/tri-state-quality-review-rubricand-rating-process/
Contact Information
Sarah McCusker,100 N. First Street, Springfield, Illinois
smccuske@isbe.net (217) 524-4832
Erik Iwersen, Area I-A,B,D eiwersen@s-cook.org
(708) 544-4891
Amy Robinson, Area I-C arobinson@dupage.k12.il.us
(630) 495-6080
Jill Brown, Area II jbrown@kidsroe.org
(815) 636-3060
Katy Sykes, Area III and IV ksykes@i-kan.org
(815) 937-2950
Kathi Rhodus, Area V and VI krhodus@stclair.k12.il.us
(618) 825-3900
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