THE COMMON CORE AND
NEW STATE EXAMINATIONS
Pelham
Memorial High
School
THE COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS
 In July, 2010, The Board of Regents adopted the Common Core
State Standards (CCSS) for English Language Arts & Literacy, and
Mathematics.
 In January, 2011 , New York -specific additions were incorporated
into the NYS Common Core Leaning Standards (CCLS).
 As a result, New York State has been engaged in a revision of the
current State assessment program to measure the New York
State P-12 CCLS.
 In the summer of 2011 , NYSED articulated the 12 instructional
shifts necessary for alignment with the CCLS. These are:
6 INSTRUCTIONAL SHIFTS IN ELA
Common Core Shifts in ELA/Literacy
Shift 1
Pre-K-5, Balancing Informational & Literary Texts
Shift 2
6-12, Knowledge in the Disciplines
Shift 3
Staircase of Complexity
Shift 4
Text-based Answers
Shift 5
Writing from Sources
Shift 6
Academic Vocabulary
IN LAYMAN’S TERMS, THIS MEANS . . .
 Students read non-fiction, essays, and speeches in
addition to stories.
 Students learn through reading rather than other
activities.
 Reading gets harder each year, leading towards college level.
 Classroom experiences should be rooted in text.
 Students use evidence from texts in discussions and
written arguments.
 Students complete short, focused research writing.
 Students build the vocabulary they need to read complex
texts at each level.
VOCABULARY ACQUISITION
 An important focus of the CCLS is on students’ ability to
independently access texts.
 In order to do this, they must develop a wide reaching
vocabulary that can be used across all of their subject areas.
 We are therefore engaged in an interdisciplinary focus on
vocabulary including:
 Direct instruction via vocabulary textbooks
 6-12 study of Greek and Latin roots, prefixes, and suffixes
 Collaborative focus on “Tier 2” (general academic) words (calibrate,
itemize, periphery, faltered, unabashedly)
 Subject specific focus on “Tier 3” (domain specific ) words
(legislature, circumference, aorta, metonymy)
 Alignment of classroom language to CCLS terms (argument, claim,
evidence, synthesize, tone, rhetoric)
WHAT’S A “LEXILE”?
 A Lexile score is one measure through which the
complexity of a particular text can be measured.
 The CCLS set target bands for each grade level to
“stretch” to if students are to stay on track for
college readiness.
 For 6 th grade it’s 925L to 1070L. For 11 th grade it’s
1185L-1385L.
 The Hunger Games is 810L. Moby Dick is 1200L.
 Most non-fiction texts have a higher Lexile level than
fiction texts.
6 INSTRUCTIONAL SHIFTS IN MATH
Common Core Shifts in Mathematics
Shift 1
Focus
Shift 2
Coherence
Shift 3
Fluency
Shift 4
Deep Understanding
Shift 5
Application
Shift 6
Dual Intensity
IN LAYMAN’S TERMS, THIS MEANS . . .
 Students will be instructed in fewer standards in
order to gain a deeper understanding.
 Content will spiral each year in order to provide
building blocks for new content.
 Computational Fluency is stressed.
 Students can explain “why”, not just the “how,” of
mathematics.
 Students must apply his/her math knowledge to a
given application or scenario.
 Both PROCESS and CONTENT are stressed as key
aspects of learning in the math classroom.
THE COMMON CORE 3-8 EXAMS
 In Spring 2013, New York State administered the
first ELA/Literacy and Mathematics Common Core
tests in grades 3-8.
 According to NYSED, these tests were created to
provide families and educators with better measures
of student proficiency in the knowledge and skills
students need to succeed in college and careers .
 The tests differed from previous exams in a number
of key ways:
ELA 8 – 2010 VS. 2013
MULTIPLE CHOICE
2010
2013
ELA 8 – 2010 VS. 2013
SHORT RESPONSE
2010
2013
ELA 8 – 2010 VS. 2013
EXTENDED RESPONSE
2010
2010
2 1
0 3
2013
MATH 8 – 2010 VS. 2013
MULTIPLE CHOICE
2010
2013
MATH 8 – 2010 VS. 2013
EXTENDED RESPONSE
2010
MATH 8 – 2010 VS. 2013
EXTENDED RESPONSE
2013
ELA REGENTS IMPLEMENTATION
 All students first entering Grade 9 in the 2013-14
school year or thereafter must pass the new Regents
Exam in ELA (Common Core) to meet graduation
requirements.
 All students who first entered Grade 9 prior to the
2013-14 school year may meet the requirements for
graduation by passing the new Regents Exam in ELA
(Common Core) or the Regents Comprehensive Exam
in English (2005 Learning Standards), while that
exam is still being offered.
ELA REGENTS IMPLEMENTATION
MATH REGENTS IMPLEMENTATION
 All students first entering an Algebra program in the
2013-14 school year or thereafter must pass the new
Regents Exam in Algebra (Common Core) to meet
graduation requirements.
 All students who first entered an Algebra program
prior to the 2013-14 school year may meet the
requirements for graduation by passing the new
Regents Algebra Exam (Common Core) or the
Integrated Algebra Regents Exam ( 2005 Learning
Standards), while that exam is still being offered.
MATH REGENTS IMPLEMENTATION
TEST BLUEPRINT –
CCLS ENGLISH REGENTS
 PART 1 - READING COMPREHENSION
 60 minutes




2 – 3 texts
Up to approximately 2,600 words total
Each test will contain at least one literature and one informational text.
Students will perform a close reading of the texts and answer 24 multiple
choice questions.
 PART 2 – WRITING FROM SOURCES
 90 minutes
 2 – 5 texts
 Up to approximately 2,600 words total
 Each test will contain at least two informational texts and, in addition, may
contain graphics or one literature text.
 Students will perform a close reading of the texts and write a source -based
argument, as directed by the task.
TEST BLUEPRINT –
CCLS ENGLISH REGENTS
 PART 3 – TEXT ANALYSIS
 30 minutes
 1 text
 Up to approximately 1,000 words
 Each test will contain one literature or one informational text.
 Students will perform a close reading of the text and write a
two to three paragraph response that identifies a central idea
in the text and analyzes how the author’s use of one writing
strategy (literary element or literary technique or rhetorical
device) develops this central idea.
WHAT’S “NEW” ABOUT THE NEW ENGLISH
REGENTS?
 Emphasizes the use of specific text -based evidence and a demand
for close reading of the text.
 Multiple-choice questions may involve multiple steps to arrive at a
correct answer.
 More complex literar y and informational texts.
 Students write an evidence -based argument using a collection of
authentic texts that relate to a specific event, topic or issue.
 Students write a 2-3 paragraph response that identifies a central
idea in a text and analyzes how the author’s use of one writing
strategy (literar y element or technique or rhetorical device)
develops this central idea .
 No listening section.
 No Critical Lens essay.
CCLS ELA REGENTS – 2013 VS. 2014
MULTIPLE CHOICE
2013
2014
CCLS ELA REGENTS – 2013 VS. 2014
SHORT RESPONSE VS. TEXT ANALYSIS
2013
2014
CCLS ELA REGENTS – 2013 VS. 2014
CRITICAL LENS VS. WRITING FROM SOURCES
2013
2014
TEST BLUEPRINT –
CCLS MATH REGENTS
WHAT’S “NEW” ABOUT THE NEW MATH
REGENTS?
 Multiple-choice questions may involve multiple steps to arrive at a
correct answer.
 Questions ask students to compare graphs, functions, or situations
that are presented in separate ways (ex: words, graph then table);
 Assessments will include more questions that require students to
take multiple steps in order to solve them;
 Change from 30 to 24 multiple choice questions
 Integrated Algebra: 3 2 -point, 3 3-point, and 3 4 -point questions
 Common Core Algebra: 8 2-point, 4 4-point, and 1 6-point questions
CCLS MATH REGENTS – 2013 VS. 2014
2013
2014
CCLS MATH REGENTS – 2013 VS. 2014
2013
2014
The difference between
two numbers is 28. The
larger number is 8 less
than two timesthe
smaller number.
Find both numbers.
Donna wants to make trail mix
made up of almonds, walnuts
and raisins. She wants to mix
one part almonds, two parts
walnuts, and three parts
raisins. Almonds cost $12 per
pound, walnuts cost $9 per
pound, and raisins cost $5 per
pound.
Donna has $15 to spend on the
trail mix. Determine how many
pounds of trail mix she can
make.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Parent Links:
• http://www.engageny.org/parent-and-family-resources
• http://www.engageny.org/sites/default/files/resource/attachments/parent_wo
rkshop_common_core_resources_for_parents_to_learn_more.pdf
Sample Questions:
• http://www.engageny.org/resource/sample-student-work-from-the-2013-nys-elacommon-core-test
Information about the New Regents:
• http://www.engageny.org/resource/regents-exams
QUESTIONS?