October, 2012
Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

An alignment analysis was conducted in
February of 2011.
All Show-Me Standards for Communication
Arts were represented in the CCSS.

Taking a Closer Look
Identifying Shifts in
Teaching and Learning READING

“…while reading demands in college, workforce training programs, and life in general have held steady or increased over the last half century , K-12 texts have
actually declined in sophistication… ”
(CCSS Appendix A, p.2 )

1600
Interquartile Ranges Shown (25% - 75%)
1400
1200
1000
800
600
High
School
Literature
College
Literature
High
School
Textbooks
College
Textbooks
* Source of National Test Data: MetaMetrics
Military Personal
Use
Entry-Level
Occupations
SAT 1,
ACT,
AP*

Text Complexity
Grade
Bands in the
Standards
K-1
2-3
4-5
6-8
9-10
11-12
Old Lexile Ranges Lexile Ranges
Aligned
To CCR
N/A
450-725
645-845
860-1010
960-1115
1070-1220
Expectations
N/A
420-820
740-1010
925-1185
1050-1335
1185-1385

Levels of meaning
Structure
Language conventions and clarity
(CCSS 6-12, p. 57;
Appendix A, p. 5-7)
Readability measures
Other scores of complexity
Lexiles, Accelerated
Reader, Coh-Matrix
Variations: motivation, knowledge, experience
Variables: purpose/complexity of task; questions posed
(Figure 4, Appendix A, p. 10-12)

Elementary and secondary students are not required to read enough informational text independently even though expository text makes up the vast majority of the required reading in
college and the workplace .
(CCSS Appendix A, p.2)

Appendix B


NAEP Assessment Writing Framework 2011

Taking a Closer Look
Identifying Shifts in
Teaching and Learning WRITING

15

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

Incorporate process with writing types
(Standards 1-3)

WRITING
Grade 1: With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
Grade 4: Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources ; take notes and categorize information, and provide a list of sources.
Grade 7: Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation .
Grades 11-12: Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas , avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation

Appendix C

Taking a Closer Look
Identifying Shifts in
Teaching and Learning – Speaking and
Listening

22

Focus on collaborative discussions

 formal and informal academic, small-group, whole-class discussions

Emphasize effective communication practices

Require interpretation and analysis of message
 Oral

Visual
 Multimodal formats

Taking a Closer Look
Identifying Shifts in
Teaching and Learning – Language

24

Include conventions for writing and speaking

Highlight vocabulary acquisition
 conversation

 direct instruction reading

Are integrated in context of



 reading writing speaking listening

3 Tiers of Words
3
Domain-specific
General academic words found more in text than speech
2
1 Everyday speech

Taking a Closer Look
Identifying Shifts in
Teaching and Learning – CONTENT LITERACY

I walked slowly to my friend’s house.
I slowly walked to my friend’s house.
H
2
0≠0
2
H a + b = b + a

•
•
•
Include photographs and artwork superfluous to text – may not be referenced in text
Often require students to integrate new information – graphs, charts, timelines, et.al.
Requires reader to determine if information is
 descriptive
 sequential
 relational/hierarchical
 causal


Represent alternate forms of the same information

Read recursively – from diagram to text, and back

Beg reader to transform information from one form to another* (ability to do this is evidence of full understanding)

Presents close connections among prose, graphs, charts, formulas

 http://www.dese.mo.gov/divimprove/curriculum/do cuments/ccr-ccss-ela-implementation-plan-2011.pdf

Examine the text complexity of currently used materials against the text exemplars provided in
Appendix B of the Common
Core State Standards (CCSS) document.

Begin discussions concerning how to increase students’ ability to read text of increasing complexity at all levels.

Emphasize nonfiction text
.

Teach “close” reading. “Close” reading means reading for the purpose of uncovering layers of meaning and allowing for deep comprehension.

Emphasize writing instruction, particularly argumentative/opinion and information/explanatory writing at all levels.

Examine the writing samples provided in Appendix C to become familiar with the expected proficiency levels at each grade level.

Intentionally teach vocabulary in context, particularly general academic and domainspecific vocabulary.

Emphasize student collaboration and peer feedback for presentations and projects
.

Incorporate technology into instruction, student learning, and assessment.

Begin discussion among teachers of all content areas to determine how to help students meet the particular challenges of reading, writing, listening, speaking, and language in their respective fields.

Diane Audsley
Director of English Language Arts
Missouri Department of Education diane.audsley@dese.mo.gov