Year Two of Implementing the Common Core State Standards: States' Progress and Challenges, a report by by Nancy Kober and Diane Stark Rentner at the Center on Education Policy in Washington.
Major threat to standards is implementation, not politics.
The vast majority of survey states are taking steps to familiarize state and district officials with the new standards and to align curriculum and assessments.
Most of the states in the survey do not expect to fully implement the standards until 2014-15 or later.
A majority of the responding states caution that having adequate resources is a major challenge to full implementation of the CCSS.
...addressing the teaching of writing, which received little emphasis in testing and accountability mandates under No Child Left Behind. Writing is, however, a central emphasis in the Common Core State Standards.
Because of the attention to writing in the Common Core State Standards, the National Writing Project provides a number of ways to help districts and teachers get the necessary professional development to successfully implement the standards in the classroom.
Most states that have adopted the common standards anticipate significant challenges in shifting to a computer-based assessment system designed for those standards, a new study tells us.
A survey released on January 25, 2012 by the Center on Education Policy shows:
Hardware
20 states anticipate a "major challenge" rounding up enough computers so all students can take the new tests, which are expected to be fully operational in 2014-15.
4 states said they expected getting enough computers to be a "minor challenge,"
9 others said they didn't anticipate a problem, or that it was too soon to tell.
Access and Bandwidth
adequate Internet access and bandwidth as a potential problem with the common assessments.
15 called it a major challenge;
10 called it a minor challenge.
8 said it wouldn't be a problem or that it was too soon to tell.
Tech Support
States are also worried about not having access to state-, district- or school-level expertise to help with technological problems as the tests are being given.
14 states called this a major challenge.
Technology Self-Assessment
The two consortia of states working on tests for the common standards are jointly designing a "technology needs assessment tool" that will help states and districts gauge their readiness for the common assessments, which are scheduled to be fully operational in 2014-15.
The self-assessment should be available for use in March.
Will you change your mind?
CEP researchers asked states whether their decision to adopt the common standards "might change" in 2011-12.
3 states answered yes.
States overwhelmingly reported that they were creating long-term implementation plans, adopting and implementing new assessments, and revising or creating curriculum materials.
Teacher Prep
...many also reported that they are aligning the content of teacher-preparation programs to align with the common standards, and that they are modifying teacher-evaluation or -induction programs to reflect those new expectations.
Lead high-level, authentic discussions. Teachers should craft good questions, and students should learn to cite textual evidence in their responses. For great ways to teach speaking and listening skills, see Teaching Critical Thinking by Terry Roberts and Laura Billings.
Focus on process over content. That doesn't mean content is not important. It means teachers shouldn't ask students to memorize vocabulary words or facts; instead, they should engage students in the gathering-information and learning process. (For suggestions, see Vocabulary at the Center by Amy Benjamin.) Also, it’s a mistake to think you have to nail each standard, one by one. The standards are not meant to be taught via isolated, discreet tasks. In the real world, skills overlap, and they must overlap in the classroom, too. For a great unit that combines multiple standards, check out this research unit by Heather Wolpert-Gawron.
Create assignments for real audiences and with real purpose. Don’t assign papers that are just for the teacher. Design projects with a real purpose, such as to solve a problem in your community. Have students present their findings to an authentic audience—online, in print, or in person. Students will benefit from these rich experiences and be more motivated to learn.
Teach argument, not persuasion. According to Appendix A of the CCSS, persuasive writing might “appeal to the audience’s self-interest, sense of identity, or emotions,” whereas a logical argument “convinces the audience because of the perceived merit and reasonableness of the claims and proofs offered rather than either the emotions the writing evokes in the audience or the character or credentials of the writer.” Teach students how to gather logical evidence.
Assign increasingly difficult texts. One way to increase text difficulty is to use text sets. For example, one teacher at the conference suggested combining The Odyssey with a Star Wars text and an NPR story on veterans and violence. Text sets increase engagement and help students make thoughtful connections. For more on this topic, see Barbara Blackburn’s Rigor Is NOT a Four-Letter Word.
This blog post was written by Eye On Education's Senior Editor, Lauren Davis.
Report: Preparing for Change (EPE Research Center)
Good news:
"Many CCSS supporters cheered at the report’s main finding, which indicated that all but one state—Wyoming—“reported having developed some type of formal implementation plan for transitioning to the new, common standards.” There is cause for excitement—this is a clear indication that states are taking CCSS implementation seriously and that they are working to reorient their education systems to the new standards."
Reason for concern:
"States may be spending a tremendous amount of time and energy developing and implementing plans that might not address the essential curricular and instructional changes the CCSS demand."
As Dan Meyer showed examples of word problems in textbooks -- one suggested students could use equations to calculate the size of a right triangle to buy a bandana for their dog -- the audience frequently laughed.
Meyer said three things make him optimistic:
States are adopting the Common Core State Standards curricula in which students must use math to analyze realistic problems, understand them better and make decisions.
South Carolina is adopting those standards, and they will eventually be implemented in Beaufort County schools, local educators say.
Meyer also is excited about digital textbooks, which could take students step-by-step through solutions, rather than overwhelming them with lengthy, complicated word problems in printed textbooks.
Video: Visit English and math classrooms who have already begun to adapt to the new Common Core standards. See what changes teachers are making in their practice to adapt to the new standards.
Myth: The Standards do not prepare or require students to learn Algebra in the 8th grade, as many states’ current standards do.
Fact: The Standards do accommodate and prepare students for Algebra 1 in 8th grade, by including the prerequisites for this course in grades K‐7. Students who master the K‐7 material will be able to take Algebra 1 in 8th grade. At the same time, grade 8 standards are also included; these include rigorous algebra and will transition students effectively into a full Algebra 1 course.
The new (standards-based) report cards will use four different notations to indicate students’ progress toward end-of-year grade-level standards. A plus sign indicates that a student exceeds standards. An “n/a” mark indicates that standard hasn’t been taught or assessed yet.
"The common-core effort is a great example of leveraging lessons from other countries," says Andreas Schleicher of OECD
CCSS authors...
examined other countries' standards or curricula, as well as international comparisons done by researchers, the Washington-based policy group Achieve, and by the groups that administer such tests as PISA; the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, or PIRLS; and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, or TIMSS.
Math
According to William G. McCallum, a University of Arizona math professor who co-led the writing of the math standards, the writers drew on math standards from those countries and others, including Australia, Canada, Finland, Japan, and New Zealand, and states such as California, Florida, Massachusetts, and Minnesota.
A particularly thorny area of the standards was algebra, McCallum says. The writers found that countries took varied approaches to the timing of content typically associated with an Algebra 1 course, he says. They "had to look at what was ambitious but also possible," in consultation with states whose experts were collaborating on the standards, according to McCallum.
Although a few states, such as California, want all 8th graders to take Algebra 1, the writers decided to "strike a balance," crafting guidelines that "get into serious algebra in 8th grade," without requiring classic Algebra 1 elements such as quadratic equations, he says.
ELA
The writing team studied standards or curriculum from Finland, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United Kingdom; the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario; and the Australian states of New South Wales and Victoria, among others, alongside those of U.S. states such as California and Massachusetts.
In literacy, Eresh found that many higher-performing countries place a greater emphasis on listening and speaking skills and on students' ability to build arguments from evidence. Those emphases dovetailed with U.S. surveys of employers and college faculty, who find students weak at skills such as making oral presentations and writing persuasive, well-founded essays, she says.
As a result, the common standards zero in on students' ability to draw evidence from text and use it to mount arguments. They define sets of speaking and listening skills, such as "propelling conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence."
Required reading - another lesson from abroad, Eresh says, was the level of demand in the books recommended in countries' standards or required in their curricula.
Key
What's taught in schools is important, many experts say, but all parts of a country's education system, including teacher training, assessment, and parental support, have to be harmonized to be effective.
On January 19, 2012 Dr. Douglas Fisher presented to Vocabulary teacher's on the importance of Vocabulary Instruction and the Common Core State Standards. He ...
"The Common Core State Standards have brought text complexity measurement to the forefront of many educational reform agendas," said MetaMetrics President and co-founder Malbert Smith III, Ph.D. (pictured above)
"As schools and districts begin to implement the new standards, the education community as a whole must utilize proven text measurement tools -- like Lexile measures -- that will allow all stakeholders to realize the promise of college and career ready standards."
MetaMetrics(R), developer of the widely adopted Lexile(R) Framework for Reading, is pleased to announce that more than 100,000 educators and other individuals have registered to use its free Lexile Analyzer(R) to determine the Lexile measure of various classroom and personal texts.
Quantitative Measure of Text Complexity
Lexile measures evaluate how complex a text will likely be for a reader to comprehend so that the reader can be matched with texts that best complement his or her unique ability level and reading goals. In the past two years alone, users have analyzed nearly one million text files.
The Lexile Analyzer measures text complexity by evaluating various characteristics of the complete text, including word frequency and sentence length. Generally, texts with longer sentences and words of lower frequency have higher Lexile measures, while texts with shorter sentences and words of higher frequency have lower Lexile measures.
Common Core State Standards
The importance of measuring text complexity has gained national attention now that nearly all states have adopted and are implementing the new Common Core State Standards.
The Common Core stresses the need for students to engage with texts of appropriate complexity as they advance through school.
The English Language Arts Standards utilize Lexile measures to evaluate text complexity and provide Lexile bands for reading comprehension development to help inform curriculum and assessment decisions that will ultimately prepare students for college and career text demands and to guide publishers in creating grade-level content.
To date, the number of words examined by the Lexile Analyzer exceeds 1.5 billion.
If there were ever an argument for investing in career- and college-readiness, the impact of the economic crisis in recent years provides one:
In 2009, unemployment globally was more than twice as high for those who did not complete high school compared with university graduates. In the United States, it was three times as high—15.8 percent for high school dropouts, compared with 4.9 percent for college graduates.
Those numbers offer an indicator that even though the United States overall has one of the most educated workforces in the world, its lead is slipping.
With 41 percent of the adult population holding a postsecondary degree, the United States ranks among the top five educated countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development , a global network of 34 developed countries that identifies and analyzes issues including education.
But among Americans ages 25 to 34, the U.S. ranks 15th in the percentage with a higher education degree compared with other OECD countries.
The United States has the distinction of being the only OECD country, in fact, where attainment levels for those just entering the labor market are lower than those about to leave the labor market.
Globally, higher education is widely embraced as vital to economic growth—but countries differ in their approaches. In Asia, there is a commitment to improving education with national policies and focused curriculum to better prepare students for college. European countries have beefed up vocational systems and modernized career training.
What's Working
Experts say the United States is making some progress on defining what it means to be college and career ready.
Adoption of the common core by most states has brought together educators from K-12 and higher education to better articulate the expectations for students progressing from high school to college.
The high school standards aim to set a rigorous definition of college- and career-readiness and emphasize math, reading, and writing skills that are required in college and the workplace.
The nation also has been a leader in Advanced Placement and in dual-enrollment and early-college high schools where students can earn college credit while still in high school.
Summer bridge programs are another strength of the American system, experts say, providing additional supports to help students transition into college.
And states are driving innovation with new approaches to encouraging pathways to postsecondary training.
The texts of beginning reading instruction influence children’s reading performances, which, in turn, predict subsequent success. This report describes how well two quantitative indices identified in the Common Core State Standards—Lexiles and Coh-Metrix—discriminate among different levels and types of beginning reading texts. The differences across text levels predicted by Lexiles were due to sentence length, not vocabulary. Only one of five Coh-Metrix measures—referential cohesion—predicted increased difficulty of beginning texts. Neither system gave sufficiently specific information to match beginning readers with texts. Other systems are needed to make optimal matches between beginning readers and texts.
"The gap, between what will be expected for student demonstration of knowledge and the currently reality of what is expected as an assessment of that student knowledge - in the majority of our K-12 schools - is wider than the Grand Canyon. "
To better understand the gap, first we need to understand exactly how far we need to go.
What will be expected
PARRC's math test will include four types of assessment questions:
"Innovative, machine-scorable, computer based items;
items that call for written arguments or justifications;
critiques of mathematical reasoning, or proof that students "attend to precision" in math; and
items involving real world scenarios.
The performance based assessment in math will count for 40% to 50% of a student's points in that subject, and the end of course exam will yield 50% to 60% of the points.
What is expected now
To better understand where we currently stand, consider this informal poll from my recent speaking experience with about 300 K-12 mathematics educators.
This group was already a skewed audience because they were attending the conference, as part of their own interest in all things CCSS.
And yet, when I asked this group how many of them have looked at the Common Core States Standards for their grade level or their high school, less than 25% raised their hands.
When I asked how many of them were working on current plans to change their instruction to align with the CCSS Mathematical Practices there were no more than 30-35 hands.
Scaffolding the question, I asked how many of them at least knew about the CCSS Mathematical Practices aspect of the Common Core Standards (which explains part of the assessment goals of the performance aspects of the PARCC assessments listed above), there were a few more hands and when I asked them to name and describe 2 of those 8 practices, it was difficult.
Why no sense of urgency?
We are still in a very very early awareness stage of understanding the expectations of the Common Core Mathematics curriculum and the impending assessments in three years. As reported by the Editorial Project in Education (EPE) research center only 7 out of 47 states at the state department level have fully developed plans for this transition. If this is the level of planning at the state level, no wonder it has not yet bled into an urgency mode at the local school and district level - much less the classroom.
Pretty Far Off?
As one high school teacher reminded me last week: "I have heard there is such a thing, but they are telling me it is pretty far off, and it probably won't happen anyway". I walked away wondering who "they" was, and if he really understood the benefit to teaching the mathematics curriculum for deeper student understanding.
So, what can you do? Mind the GAP.
The Bottom Line
Don't wait for your state to tell you what to do.
Don't wait to start the discussions in your elementary school, middle school or high school. Spend intentional time this summer working on collaborative lesson designs that model the Mathematical Practices for mathematics teaching and learning.
Build your own bridge to close the gap, and make sure you and your students are prepared for what is sure to become a very fast three years from now.
Launched on Jan. 18, Wolfram Alpha’s Wolfram Education Portal is a free website, currently in beta testing, that offers teaching tools and materials such as an interactive textbook, lesson plans aligned with the Common Core State Standards, and supplemental materials that include demonstrations, widgets, and videos.
"We have to understand that over time, as these standards get put in place there's going to be a shift in what courses are important."
As educators in 45 states prepare to implement the Common Core State Standards, professionals on the college side have also been encouraged to prepare for the coming administration of the new set of assessments.
At a recent webinar hosted by the College Board, Jay Goff, vice president for enrollment at Saint Louis University, reminded postsecondary professionals that the standards have implications for the admission process. "This is the chance to lead rather than react," he said.
Below are frequently asked questions about the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects.
"The transition to the Common Core State Standards should be underway.
Students in grades K-2 should be working with the standards now.
Full implementation should be in place for all grade levels during the 2013-2014 school year."
Assessments
The timeline for the development and implementation of assessments aligned to the Common Core State Standards is:
2012-13 School Year: First year pilot/field testing and related research and data collection
2013-14 School Year: Second year pilot/field testing and related research and data collection
2014-15 School Year: Full operational administration of PARCC assessments
Summer 2015: Set achievement levels, including college-ready performance levels
“Right now, we know that students in Massachusetts are multiple grade levels ahead of students in Tennessee,” said Emily Barton, the state’s assistant commissioner for curriculum and instruction. “We hear from employers all the time that they can’t find people with the math skills, in particular, to compete for the jobs, so they have to go to other states.
“We’re losing out on contracts that could come to Tennessee, losing out on jobs in Tennessee, because our students are not better prepared.”
For the first time, Tennessee will be tested on the same standards as much of the nation — tests that require students to apply what they’ve learned to real-life situations. Under a teacher evaluation system introduced this year, their scores will determine whether their teachers get or keep tenure.
The following blog post was written by Eye On Education's Senior Editor, Lauren Davis.
At the NCTE convention in November, everyone was buzzing about the Common Core State Standards. Teachers wanted to know how the new standards will alter what they teacher and how they teach it.
Lead high-level, authentic discussions.
Focus on process over content.
Create assignments for real audiences and with real purpose.
"Two separate groups are now working on creating those tests and this much we know — they’re going to be different."
In fact, Education Week magazine this week wrote about the latest word on the new assessments, including the widely anticipated fact that they will probably be given online.
This is one reason why Indiana is moving rapidly toward administering ISTEP and end-of-course exams online, so it will be ready when the common core assessments come down the line in a couple of years.
Many states are likely to move to these new common core assessments as their primary state exams, which could mean as fairly sudden shift away from pencil-and-paper, fill-in-the-bubble tests.
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