CCSS 101 and PARCC 101
What these projects mean to education in
Berkshire County
November 28, 2012
College and Career
Readiness:
The Rationale for
Change
2
Rationale for change:
• Our current marker is 10th grade requirements for the
Competency Determination (CD).
• One-quarter of our students do not enroll in college within 16
months of graduating from high school.
• 37% of graduates take at least one remedial course during their
first semester in college; that number rises to 65% at
community colleges.
3
Rationale for change, continued:
• All students need to be prepared for and encouraged to pursue
postsecondary education/training opportunities (with college as
just one option) by taking a rigorous and relevant program of study.
• All students need to be prepared for and encouraged to pursue
postsecondary education/training opportunities (with college as
just one option) by taking a rigorous and relevant program of study.
• More Massachusetts adults will need to have higher levels of
education in order to be prepared for jobs in 21st century careers
that allow them opportunities for advancement.
4
The Process of Developing a Definition of College and
Career Readiness (CCR) for Massachusetts
•Massachusetts sought public review of a draft definition in Fall
2012.
•The Boards of Elementary and Secondary Education and Higher
Education are set to deliberate on the proposed draft in
December 2012.
5
From the Massachusetts Draft Definition of
College and Career Readiness:
• Build the academic knowledge and develop the intellectual and
personal qualities that are essential to successfully complete
entry-level, credit-bearing college courses and enter
economically viable career pathways
• Ensure academic preparation in essential learning competencies
in English language arts/literacy and mathematics as contained
in the Common Core State Standards and MassCore
• Develop learning competencies including mastery of learning
strategies, collaboration, communication, and skills in problem
solving
6
From the Massachusetts Draft Definition of College and
Career Readiness (cont.):
• Demonstrate higher order thinking skills of analysis; synthesis
and evaluation; and thinking critically, coherently, and creatively
• Build a foundation grounded by motivation, intellectual
curiosity, flexibility, discipline, self- advocacy, responsibility, and
reasoned beliefs
7
Draft Definition Survey Summary
•1360 participants– with 48% from P-12 and 47% from higher
education
•Of the participants 75% were P-12 teachers and 67% were higher
education faculty
•For each section of the definition 49% agreed and over 29%
agreed strongly
•For each section of the definition less than 10% disagreed and less
than 4% strongly disagreeing
8
Draft Definition Survey Summary-continued
Many comments were provided which help provide improved
wording, clarity and clear context for the definition in
Comments focused in several areas:
• The expectation of “all students…”and what if a student does not
meet expectation
• Lack of attention or mention of ELL , Special Education and other
groups of students with specific learning challenges
• Confusion around shared education foundation between college and
career
• Subject areas not mentioned e.g. sciences, arts…
• More state control and testing
• Singular emphasis on job training
9
Why Common Core State Standards?
• Preparation: The standards are anchored in College and Career Readiness.
• Competition: The standards are internationally benchmarked.
• Equity: Expectations are consistent for all (not dependent on a student’s
zip code)
• Clarity: The standards are focused, coherent, and clear.
• Collaboration: The standards create a foundation to work collaboratively
across states and districts
10
*Ready for first-year credit bearing, postsecondary coursework in mathematics and English without the need for
remediation.
45 states + D.C. have adopted the
Common Core State Standards
11
* Minnesota adopted the CCSS in ELA only
Common Core State Standards
English Language Arts and Literacy in History/
Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects
Key Shifts in ELA/Literacy
13
Source:
1. CONTENT
Build knowledge through content-rich nonfiction and
informational texts
14
2. TEXTUAL
EVIDENCE
Reading and writing are grounded in textual evidence
15
3. TEXT COMPLEXITY
Regular practice with complex text and academic and
domain-specific vocabulary
16
There’s also a new
standard:
Listening and Speaking
17
Motifs in the Reading Strand
• By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature [informational
texts] at the high end of the grades 2–3 text complexity band
independently and proficiently.
• By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature [informational
texts, history/social studies texts, science/technical texts] at the high
end of the grades 6–8 text complexity band independently and
proficiently.
• By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend literature [informational
texts, history/social studies texts, science/technical texts] at the high
end of the grades 9–10 text complexity band independently and
proficiently.
18
Overview of Writing Strand
• Expect students to compose arguments and opinions,
informative/explanatory pieces, and narrative texts
• Focus on the use of reason and evidence to substantiate an argument or
claim
• Emphasize ability to conduct research – short projects and sustained
inquiry
• Require students to incorporate technology as they create, refine, and
collaborate on writing
• Include student writing samples that illustrate the criteria required to
meet the standards (See standards’ appendices for writing samples)
19
Speaking and Listening and Language Strands
Speaking and Listening
• Focus on speaking and listening in a range of settings, both formal and
informal academic, small-group, whole-class discussions
• Emphasize effective communication practices
• Require interpretation and analysis of message as presented through oral,
visual, or multimodal formats
Language
• Include conventions for writing and speaking
• Highlight the importance of vocabulary acquisition through a mix of
conversation, direct instruction, and reading
• To be addressed in context of reading, writing, speaking and listening
Media and Technology are integrated throughout the CCSS
20
Standards for History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical
Subjects
Reading Standards for History/Social Studies, Science, and
Technical Subjects
• Knowledge of domain-specific vocabulary
• Analyze, evaluate, and differentiate primary and secondary sources
• Synthesize quantitative and technical information, including facts presented
in maps, timelines, flowcharts, or diagrams
Writing Standards for History/Social Studies, Science, and
Technical Subjects
• Write arguments on discipline-specific content and informative/explanatory
texts
• Use of data, evidence, and reason to support arguments and claims
• Use of domain-specific vocabulary
21
Common Core State
Standards for Mathematics
2011 Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for
Mathematics
Key Instructional Shifts in Mathematics
•
The Common Core State Standards emphasize coherence at each
grade level – making connections across content and between
content and mathematical practices in order to promote deeper
learning.
•
The standards focus on key topics at each grade level to allow
educators and students to go deeper into the content.
•
The standards also emphasize progressions across grades, with the
end of progression calling for fluency – or the ability to perform
calculations or solving problems quickly and accurate.
•
The Standards for Mathematical Practice describe mathematical
“habits of mind” or mathematical applications and aim to foster
reasoning, problem solving, modeling, decision making, and
engagement among students.
•
Finally, the standards require students to demonstrate deep
conceptual understanding by applying them to new situations.
Source:
23
Organization of MA Curriculum Framework for
Mathematics
Grade-Level Standards
•PreK-8 grade-by-grade standards organized by domain
•9-12 high school standards organized by conceptual categories
Standards for Mathematical Practice
•Describe mathematical “habits of mind”
•Connect with content standards in each grade
24
Eight Standards for Mathematical Practice
•
Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them
•
Reason abstractly and quantitatively
•
Construct viable arguments and critique the understanding of
others
•
Model with mathematics
•
Use appropriate tools strategically
•
Attend to precision
•
Look for and make use of structure
•
Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning
25
Overview of 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
26
Format of High School Mathematics Standards
• Content/Conceptual categories: overarching ideas that describe strands of
content in high school
• Domains/Clusters: groups of standards that describe coherent aspects of the
content category
• Standards: define what students should know and be able to do at each grade
level
• High school standards are organized around five conceptual categories: Number
and Quantity, Algebra, Functions, Geometry, and Statistics and Probability
• Modeling standards are distributed under the five major headings and are
indicated with a () symbol
• Standards indicated as (+) are beyond the college and career readiness level but
are necessary for advanced mathematics courses, such as calculus, discrete
mathematics, and advanced statistics. Standards with a (+) may still be found in
courses expected for all students
27
Model Course Pathways for Mathematics
Courses in higher level mathematics: Precalculus, Calculus (upon completion of Precalculus),
Advanced Statistics, Discrete Mathematics, Advanced Quantitative Reasoning, or other
courses to be designed at a later date, such as additional career technical courses.
Algebra II
Mathematics III
Geometry
Mathematics II
Algebra I
Mathematics I
Pathway A
Traditional in U.S.
Pathway B
International Integrated approach (typical
outside of U.S.)
28
The PARCC Consortium
Massachusetts is a PARCC state
• PARCC includes 23 states that have joined together with the goal of
creating a next-generation assessment system in Mathematics and
English based on Common Core State Standards
• MA is one of 19 Governing PARCC states with Commissioner Chester
chair of the Governing Board and Commissioner Freeland co-chair of
the Advisory Committee on College Readiness
• PARCC includes supporting tools that will help states increase the
number of students who graduate high school ready for college.
30
The PARCC States
PARCC: The Higher Education Context
• The goal of PARCC is to indicate whether high school students are
prepared for entry-level, credit-bearing coursework in English
Language Arts and Mathematics without the need for
remediation.
• PARCC may replace Accuplacer if determined to be a more
accurate assessment of a graduate’s proficiency in English
Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics.
PARCC Is a Next-Generation Assessment
• PARCC will offer tools to support teaching and learning—content
frameworks, prototype sample assessment tasks, and professional
development modules
• PARCC will focus on measuring whether students are on track for
college and career readiness
• PARCC will leverage use of technology
Proposed PARCC Performance Levels
• Level 5: Superior command of the knowledge, skills, and
practices embodied by the CCSS assessed at the grade level/
course.
• Level 4: Solid command …
• Level 3: Partial command …
• Level 2: Limited command …
• Level 1: Very Limited command …
• Level 4 is pitched to a level of rigor currently described
by NAEP’s Proficient level (solid command of the
content) and is the proposed level for earning a college
and career ready determination.
Assessment Design: English Language Arts/Literacy
and Mathematics, Grades 3-11
2 Optional Assessments/Flexible Administration
Diagnostic
Assessment
• Early indicator of
student knowledge
and skills to inform
instruction,
supports, and PD
• Non-summative
Mid-Year Assessment
• Performance-based
• Emphasis on hardto-measure
standards
• Potentially
summative
Speaking And Listening Assessment
• Locally scored
• Non-summative, required
Performance-Based
Assessment (PBA)
• Extended tasks
• Applications of
concepts and skills
• Required
End-of-Year
Assessment (EOY)
• Innovative,
computer-based
items
• Required
Goal #2: Build a Pathway to College and Career
Readiness for All Students
K-2
formative
assessment
being
developed,
aligned to
the PARCC
system
K-2
College
readiness
score to
identify who
is ready for
college-level
coursework
Timely student
achievement data
showing students,
parents and educators
whether ALL students are
on-track to college and
career readiness
3-8
High School
ONGOING STUDENT SUPPORTS/INTERVENTIONS
Targeted
interventions &
supports:
•12th-grade
bridge courses
• PD for
educators
SUCCESS IN
FIRST-YEAR,
CREDIT-BEARING,
POSTSECONDARY
COURSEWORK
PARCC Timeline
SY 2010-11
Launch and
design phase
SY 2011-12
Development
begins
SY 2012-13
SY 2013-14
First year
pilot/field
testing and
related
research and
data collection
Second year
pilot/field
testing and
related
research and
data collection
SY 2014-15
Full
administration
of PARCC
assessments
Summer 2015
Set
achievement
levels,
including
college-ready
performance
levels
PARCC mathematics assessments will include three types of tasks.
Task Type
Description of Task Type
I. Tasks assessing
concepts, skills and
procedures
•
•
•
•
Balance of conceptual understanding, fluency, and application
Can involve any or all mathematical practice standards
Machine scorable including innovative, computer-based formats
Will appear on the End of Year and Performance Based Assessment
components
II. Tasks assessing
expressing
mathematical
reasoning
•
Each task calls for written arguments / justifications, critique of
reasoning, or precision in mathematical statements (MP.3, 6).
Can involve other mathematical practice standards
May include a mix of machine scored and hand scored responses
Included on the Performance Based Assessment component
III. Tasks assessing
modeling /
applications
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Each task calls for modeling/application in a real-world context or
scenario (MP.4)
Can involve other mathematical practice standards.
May include a mix of machine scored and hand scored responses
Included on the Performance Based Assessment component
For more information see PARCC Item Development ITN Appendix D.
38
Grade 7 Illustrative
Sample Item
39
Grade 7 Sample Illustrative Item: Speed
Task Type I: Tasks assessing concepts, skills and procedures
Alignment: Most Relevant Content Standard(s)
•7.RP.2b. Identify the constant of proportionality (unit rate) in tables,
graphs, equations, diagrams, and verbal descriptions of proportional
relationships.
•In addition, see 7.RP.2d: Explain what a point (x, y) on the graph of a
proportional relationship means in terms of the situation, with special
attention to the points (0, 0) and (1, r) where r is the unit rate. (The
“explain” portion is not required in the task, but the task involves some of
the concepts detailed here.)
Alignment: Most Relevant Mathematical Practice(s)
•MP.2 enters (Reason abstractly and quantitatively), as students must
relate the graphs and tables to each other via the unit rate and then to the
context at hand.
40
Grade 7 Sample Illustrative Item Key Features and Assessment Advances
• The PARCC assessment will seek to preserve the focus of the Standards by
thoroughly exploring the major work of the grade.
• In this case, a multi-point problem is devoted to a single standard about
proportional relationships, which are a major focus in grades 6 and 7.
• Unlike traditional multiple choice, it is difficult to guess the correct answer
or use a choice elimination strategy.
• Variants of the task could probe understanding of unit rates and
representations of proportional relationships by showing different scales on
the two graphs, and/or by presenting the data in tables C and D with the
ordered pairs not equally spaced in time.
41
42
High School Sample Illustrative Item: Seeing Structure in a Quadratic Equation
Task Type I: Tasks assessing concepts, skills and procedures
Alignment: Most Relevant Content Standard(s)
•A-REI.4. Solve quadratic equations in one variable.
a) Use the method of completing the square to transform any quadratic equation
in x into an equation of the form (x – p)2 = q that has the same solutions. Derive
the quadratic formula from this form.
b) Solve quadratic equations by inspection (e.g., for x2 = 49), taking square roots,
completing the square, the quadratic formula, and factoring, as appropriate to
the initial form of the equation. Recognize when the quadratic formula gives
complex solutions and write them as a  bi for real numbers a and b.
Alignment: Most Relevant Mathematical Practice(s)
•Students taking a brute-force approach to this task will need considerable symbolic
fluency to obtain the solutions. In this sense, the task rewards looking for and making
use of structure (MP.7).
43
•
44
ELA Test Prototype for Grade Seven:
Below are three claims that one could make based on the article
“Earhart’s Final Resting Place Believed Found.”
•Claims
• Earhart and Noonan lived as castaways on Nikumaroro Island.
• Earhart and Noonan’s plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean.
• People don’t really know where Earhart and Noonan died.
Part A
•Highlight the claim that is supported by the most relevant and sufficient
evidence within “Earhart’s Final Resting Place Believed Found.”
Part B
•Click on two facts within the article that best provide evidence to support
the claim selected in Part A.
45
ELA Test Prototype for Grade Seven, continued:
You have read three texts describing Amelia Earhart. All three include the
claim that Earhart was a brave, courageous person. The three texts are:
•“Biography of Amelia Earhart”
•“Earhart's Final Resting Place Believed Found”
•“Amelia Earhart’s Life and Disappearance”
Consider the argument each author uses to demonstrate Earhart’s bravery.
Write an essay that analyzes the strength of the arguments about Earhart’s
bravery in at least two of the texts. Remember to use textual evidence to
support your ideas.
46
ELA Test Prototype for Grade Ten:
Use what you have learned from reading “ Daedalus and Icarus ” by Ovid
and “ To a Friend Whose Work Has Come to Triumph ” by Anne Sexton to
write an essay that analyzes how Icarus’s experience of flying is portrayed
differently in the two texts.
Develop your essay by providing textual evidence from both texts. Be sure
to follow the conventions of standard English.
47
Questions?
Robin Getzen, Lenox Public Schools
rgetzen@lenoxps.org
Charles Kaminski, Berkshire Community College
ckaminsk@berkshirecc.edu