CSSS Instructional Shifts Assessment Tool
Team Version
Directions for Use
The purpose of this tool is to provide a snapshot of the degree to which students are being exposed to the six instructional shifts
associated with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). This tool is not designed for use as a classroom observational tool. Rather,
it provides teachers with CCSS-based language to identify the instructional shifts that they will want to embed in their teaching
practice. Department, single grade level, cross-disciplinary, multi-grade level, and/or instructional leadership teams can use this tool.
It is important to identify the group to be rated before beginning the assessment. Teachers first independently rate each component of
a specific shift using the following Likert Scale:
1 = rarely occurs
2 = sometimes occurs
3 = often occurs
4 = consistently occurs
Meeting as a group, teachers then discuss their individual rankings and consensually agree on a level of evidence for each
component. They can then move to developing a goal and literacy action plan for implementing the goal. For further direction on
how to develop the literacy action plan, see Taking the Lead on Adolescent Literacy: Action Steps for Schoolwide Success.
Shift 1: Balancing Informational and Literary Texts
1. Students are provided with a wide range of texts across the school day.
2. Students are provided with opportunities to build and use background knowledge “through” and
“with” literary and informational texts.
3. Students are provided with the background knowledge and literacy strategy support they need to meet
the cognitive demands of literacy and informational texts.
Shift 2: Literacy Across Content Areas
4. Students are taught strategies for accessing and understanding informational and literary texts that can
be applied across disciplines.
5. Students have opportunities to build knowledge and make connections about the world through texts
rather than relying solely the teacher, media, or activities.
Shift 3: Text Complexity
6. Students are provided with increasingly complex texts as they move through the grades.
7. Students are provided with appropriate support and scaffolding to deepen their comprehension as they
read increasingly complex text.
8. Students are provided with leveled texts to gradually build independence.
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You may use this version locally if you send feedback (and/or questions) on how to make it better to Dr. Judith Irvin
(jirvin@NLProject.org) or Dr. Jan Mickler (mjmickler@NLProject.org).
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CSSS Instructional Shifts Assessment Tool
Team Version
9. Students are given sufficient time to successfully engage with complex texts.
10. Students engage in rigorous and guided discussion opportunities about complex text.
Shift 4: Text-Dependent Questions and Answers
11. Students are provided with opportunities to read, reread, and reference various texts.
12. Students are taught to read closely and deeply into a variety of texts to answer questions and support a
point of view.
13. Students are provided opportunities to have deep, evidence-based conversations about text content.
14. Students ask and create text-dependent questions.
Shift 5: Evidence-Based Writing
15. Students are given opportunities and support to write from multiple sources about a single issue or
topic.
16. Students are provided with opportunities and support to synthesize and analyze ideas across many
texts to draw an opinion or conclusion.
17. Students are given examples of good writing to learn text features and structures to apply to their own
writing.
18. Students are provided with rubrics and student work to learn how to self-evaluate their writing
products.
Shift 6: Academic Vocabulary
19. Students are taught academic vocabulary that can be transferred applied to other content areas.
20. Students are taught domain specific vocabulary that is central to a specific content area.
21. Students are taught how to figure out the meanings of unknown words.
22. Students are provided opportunities to use academic vocabulary in their writing and discussions.
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You may use this version locally if you send feedback (and/or questions) on how to make it better to Dr. Judith Irvin
(jirvin@NLProject.org) or Dr. Jan Mickler (mjmickler@NLProject.org).
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