Transcript Common Core and Our Special Mission

Common Ground,
Common Understanding
Perspective on Standards Based
Thinking and Learning
Jason H. Lowrey, Ph.D.
WELS Common Core Task Force
Who is the audience?
• “I am hearing about the Common Core for the
first time.”
• “I have followed the media coverage of Common
Core and I’m interested in hearing more.”
• “I have followed media coverage of Common
Core and I have concerns.”
• “I have read the Common Core Standards and
feel that I have a good understanding of them
(but have questions or concerns).”
WELS and Common Core
• WELS CCSS Task Force
– Jim Rademan/Ken Proeber: CLS Coordinators
– Jason Lowrey: Chair- At Large Representative
– Eric Brown: Elementary Level Representative
– Keith Bowe: High School Representative
– Jon Roux: College Representative
– Denyse Schumacher: Technology Specialist
What year are we getting our students
ready for?
• When I say:
You say…
– Cloud
– Google
– 4G
– Network
“In 2005, Facebook didn't exist; Twitter was a sound; the cloud was
in the sky; 4G was a parking place; LinkedIn was a prison;
applications were what you sent to college; and Skype for most
people was typo. All of that changed in just the last few years.”
- Thomas Friedman
A brief timeline on CCSS
2008
Development
of a set of
unified
standards
discussed by
National
Governors’
Association
2010
Standards were
shared with
states for
adoption. US
Dept. of
Education
attaches Race to
the Top funds for
states that adopt
standards
2011
WELS assembles
Common Core
Task Force to
examine
standards and
discuss
potential
implement
2012
WELS Task Force
makes initial
presentation on
CCSS, stating
cautious
optimism of the
standards, and
some concerns
over data
collection and
implementation.
20132014
Public concern
emerges over
implementation
of standards in
public education
States begin to
reconsider
position on CCSS
and a few states
pull out of CCSS
(Indiana, Ohio,
Oklahoma)
This led us to wonder…
• If…
– Top down mandates were an issue for many, but WELS
doesn’t operate in this manner, and if…
– Implementation can be suspect if districts make all the
decisions for teachers without input. WELS doesn’t
operate like this, and if…
– States were taking money to be a part of this untested
system. WELS takes no federal money….
• WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE STANDARDS
THEMSELVES???
Timeline Continued
Conversation at Wisconsin Lutheran College- Oct. 6, 2014
Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt (R)
WI House of Representatives
Fond du Lac, WI
Former WELS Teacher
Initial Discussion August 19th
Dr. Sandra Stotsky
Common Core Validation Committee
Massachusetts Standards Author (2000-2009)
Opponent of CCSS
So… When we say “Common Core”…
• Are talking about the same thing?
• Are we discussing a nationwide initiative that has seen
its share of criticism for varied and sometimes valid
reasons…
or…
• Are we discussing a set of standards that promote
deeper learning and prepare students for college,
career, and Christian citizenship to a world in need of
Christ?
Current workforce demands indicate acute labor surpluses and
shortages.
SOURCE: Light, J. (2011). Labor Shortage Persists in Some Fields. Wall Street Journal
9
©BHEF
FORMATIVE QUESTION:
DESCRIBE A
COLLEGE & CAREER READY
High School Senior
Eighth Grader
Fifth Grader
Kindergartner
Your School?
What is the indicator of
student success?
When is a good ACT score a sign of college readiness?
2012 ACT Data for a WELS School:
Student average ACT Score: 23.9
Wisconsin State Average:
22.1
National Average:
21.1
2012 Readiness Data for same WELS High School
Readiness in all benchmarks for college:
(English, Math, Reading, Science) 45%
Readiness in all benchmarks for college (statewide) 31%
Less than half of our WELS students are ready for core course
work in college!
Is our “tried and true” instructional program really serving our
kids as well as we think?
Why Consider
Common Core Standards
in WELS?
• The standards provide a way to include better critical
thinking and problem solving skills that many schools
currently offer.
• The skills provide a unified way to discuss expectations of
our students within WELS.
• A common language to speak as we expand collaborative
efforts with schools.
• Excellent way to better develop K-12 continuity among
federations
• Deeper learning and better ways to articulate knowledge.
The Shift to Performance Based
Standards
– Fewer, higher and clearer targets for learning
• Going from “coverage” to “uncoverage”
– Student must be engaged in meaningful units of
study
• Variety of sources of information (not only textbook)
• Variety of instructional formats (not only lecture)
• Variety of conceptual difficulty and complexity
– Students must be guided in “complex texts”
• Being able to summarize, analyze and synthesize
author’s ideas
Key shifts to consider in Math:
• Focus on fewer topics
– In grades K–2: Concepts, skills, and problem solving related to addition and
subtraction
– In grades 3–5: Concepts, skills, and problem solving related to multiplication
and division of whole numbers and fractions
– In grade 6: Ratios and proportional relationships, and early algebraic
expressions and equations
– In grade 7: Ratios and proportional relationships, and arithmetic of rational
numbers
– In grade 8: Linear algebra and linear functions
• Coherence
– Linking the thinking and topics across grade levels
• Rigor
– conceptual understanding,
– procedural skills and fluency
– application.
Salman Khan: Founder, Khan Academy
https://www.khanacademy.org/coach-res/reference-for-coaches/common-coreconversations/v/common-core-standards-introduction
What does this look like in class?
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/surface-area-lesson#
Or… How about “The Cookie” http://vimeo.com/84400463
Key shifts to consider in ELA
• Regular practice with complex texts and their
academic language
– How students work with these texts is huge!
– Close Reading
• Reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence
from texts, both literary and informational
– Must be able to support claims from text
– “Prove it”
• Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction
– Added focus on informational text
Putting this all together
A great selection on how to put the CCSS all
together in a classroom…
http://vimeo.com/64250980
1st Grade
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/teachi
ng-declaration-of-independence
9th Grade
Shifts for WELS Teachers
• Expect instructional approach to change in the future
– Sage on the stage vs. facilitator role
– Teaching the individual vs. teaching the class
• Differentiation!!!
• Keep your bar set high
– Students should expect to be challenged in the way they
think versus the amount of work they receive
• Prioritize
– “Do less better” mentality
– Coverage vs. Depth
• Collaborate
What Common Core is NOT…
• Your curriculum! Schools still have autonomy
to teach what you believe is important. How
students learn the material may undergo a
change.
– Common Misconception:
• Curriculum= Textbook NO!!!
• Curriculum is determined by the faculty. The textbook
is merely a tool to meet the curriculum needs.
What does it mean to
“unpack” a standard?
A collaborative process used to identify the
key elements of each standards
• Know: The facts of the curricular standard
• Understand: The concepts related to the curricular
standard
• Do: The procedural application and extended thinking
associated with the learning
Benjamin Bloom’s
Taxonomy of Learning
Unpacking the CCSS – Group Activity
It’s all about the verbs and the nouns…
Elementary Example
Standard
Verbs
Nouns
Skills Necessary
STEP 1: Choose a Standard
STEP 2:
Identify the
verbs
STEP 3: Identify
the nouns
Step 4: Identify the
skills needed
Reading Informational Text:
Anchor Standard: Read closely
to determine what the text says
explicitly and to make logical
inferences from it; cite specific
textual evidence when writing
or speaking to support
conclusions drawn from the
text.
RI.1.1- Ask and Answer
questions about key details in a
text.
•
•
Ask
Answer
•
•
Key Details
Text
• How to frame good
questions (who, what,
where, when, why, how)
• Find specific items in a
piece of text.
Back to Benjamin Bloom…
Grades K-2
Refer, answer, ask
Unpacking the CCSS – Group Activity
It’s all about the verbs and the nouns…
Middle Grade Example
Standard
Verbs
Nouns
Skills Necessary
STEP 1: Choose a Standard
STEP 2:
Identify the
verbs
STEP 3: Identify
the nouns
Step 4: Identify the
skills needed
Reading Informational Text:
Anchor Standard: Read closely
to determine what the text says
explicitly and to make logical
inferences from it; cite specific
textual evidence when writing
or speaking to support
conclusions drawn from the
text.
RI.5.1- Quote accurately from a
text when explaining what the
text says explicitly and when
drawing inferences from the
text.
•
•
•
Quote
Explain
Drawing
Inferences
•
•
Text
Inferences
• To comprehend what is
read
• Draw Inferences
• Cite Specific Examples
• Cite details to support
inferences
• Analyze the text
• Find examples in
multiple locations of a
piece of text/multiple
texts
Back to Benjamin Bloom…
Grades 3-6
Infer, Analyze
Quote, Explain
Unpacking the CCSS – Group Activity
It’s all about the verbs and the nouns…
High School Example
Standard
Verbs
Nouns
Skills Necessary
STEP 1: Choose a Standard
STEP 2:
Identify the
verbs
STEP 3: Identify
the nouns
Step 4: Identify the
skills needed
Reading Informational Text:
Anchor Standard: Read closely
to determine what the text says
explicitly and to make logical
inferences from it; cite specific
textual evidence when writing
or speaking to support
conclusions drawn from the
text.
RI.11-12.1- Cite strong and
thorough textual evidence to
support analysis of what the text
says explicitly as well as
inferences drawn from the text,
including determining where the
text leaves matters uncertain.
•
•
•
•
•
Cite
Support
“Analyze”
“Infer”
Determine
•
•
•
•
Strong and
Thorough Textual
Evidence
Analysis
Inferences
Uncertain matters
•To comprehend what is
read
• Draw Inferences
• Cite Specific Examples
• Cite details to support
inferences
• Analyze the text
• Find examples in
multiple locations of a
piece of text/multiple
texts
• Finding nuances of text
where items aren’t
spelled out
• Evaluating the author’s
use of details
Back to Benjamin Bloom…
Grades 7-12
Determine
Cite, Support Infer, Analyze
How will Common Core
success be measured in schools?
• Testing Consortia: Smarter Balanced and
PARCC developed standardized tests.
– Field testing began in states in 2014
– WELS has NOT endorsed, recommended, or
suggested these tests to date
• WELS has historically used Terra Nova testing
– Newly designed test will be used in fall 2015
Sample Test Questions
• Terra Nova, Grade 3:
Four sisters are lining up for a picture in
order, from tallest to shortest. Tonya is 49
inches tall, Arlene is 52 inches tall, Monica is
65 inches tall, and Hannah is 60 inches tall.
Which order should they line up in?
❍ Tonya, Hannah, Arlene, Monica
❍ Tonya, Arlene, Hannah, Monica
❍ Monica, Hannah, Arlene, Tonya
❍ Monica, Hannah, Tonya, Arlene
Sample Test Questions cont.
PARCC Test: Grade 3
“The Field”
file:///C:/Grade%203%20Mathematics%20(The
%20Field)%20%20%20PARCC.htm
More on test rigor
Terra Nova Reading Test: Grade 7
http://classroom.jc-schools.net/7th/7th-read.pdf
Smarter Balance Reading Test: Grade 7:
http://www.ode.state.or.us/wma/teachlearn/commoncore/ela.07.cr.1.11.053v1.pdf
Questions???
Common Core and Our Mission
• Common Core Learners need to:
–
–
–
–
–
Collaborate with others
Create Opportunities
Critically Think
Contribute
Converse
IN ORDER TO…
– Connect to a world in need of Christ!
This is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in
knowledge and depth of insight. So that you may be able to
discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the
day of Christ. – Philippians 1:9-10