Common Core & PARCC: New Directions for the Success of All

Students at Mountz

February 23, 2015

John E. BormannChief School Administrator

Kerri WalsiferSupervisor of Testing

District Goal: To ensure the graduates of HW Mountz School are on

the high path to college and career readiness.

What does it mean to be college & career ready?

◼ Students Graduate from High School

◼ Students need NO Remediation in College or Workplace Training Programs

College and Career Readiness Video

Percent of ACT-Tested School Graduates Meeting College Readiness Benchmarks, 2013

The ACT® college readiness assessment is a curriculum- and standards-based educational and career planning tool that assesses students’ academic readiness for college. Graph obtained from ACT, American College Testing.

Lexile-Based Reading Readiness Text Complexity Curve, 2013

A Lexile measure is a valuable piece of information about either an individual's reading ability or the difficulty of a text, like a book or magazine article. Graph obtained from MetaMetrics.

Why are we focused on college and career readiness in a grade PreK-8 school?

...the teacher can focus on the learning expectations for their grade level.

By your child meeting the learning expectations at their

current grade...

...the teacher does not have to review previous grade-level skills.

...they are gaining the prerequisite skills for the next grade level.

What does it mean to be college & career ready in a PreK- 8 School in New Jersey?

◼ 90% of Students in 3-8 are Proficient or Higher on the NJASK Language Arts Test

◼ 90% of Students in 3-8 are Proficient or Higher on the NJASK Math Test

◼ 20% of our students are taking Algebra I before leaving 8th grade

◼ Less than 7% of our students are absent for 10% or more days

◼ Students are given opportunities to excel beyond regular grade-level course work

◼ Students receive educational exposure to the Arts, Health & Fitness, Technology/Research Skills, World Languages, & 21st Century Skills

NJDOE, 2015

At HW Mountz School 93% of Students in 3-8 are Proficient or Higher on the NJASK Language Arts Test (up from 66% in 12-13)

At HW Mountz School 96% of Students in 3-8 are Proficient or Higher on the NJASK Language Arts Test (up from 92% in 12-13)

At HW Mountz School 50% of Students are taking Algebra I before leaving 8th grade

At HW Mountz School less than 6% of Students are absent for 10% or more days (based on 2013-2014 data)

At HW Mountz School students are given opportunities to excel - Accelerated ELA, Acclerated Math, G &T, Open Enrichment Convocations

At HW Mountz School students are exposed to all of these areas in each grade level and we implement at 1:1 Technology initiative in grades 3-8

Enter the Common Core Standards:A PreK-12 Guide to College & Career

Readiness

◼ The Common Core Standards are intended to…▪ Increase Rigor of Instruction▪ Increase the Number of College Graduates▪ Increase American Competitiveness

◼ The Common Core is designed to…▪ Improve College & Career Readiness by increasing

and improving…▪ Non-Fiction Reading▪ More Complex / Difficult Reading▪ Math Instruction Beyond “Memorization”▪ Critical Thinking & Problem Solving

Common Core Video

Reading-for-Information using Informational Text is Key to College & Career Readiness

50% to 70% of All Reading

Achieve 3000Classroom Libraries

Science, SS, ELA, HealthNewsela,

NYTimes, etc.Treasures

Using Evidence and Argument is Key to Writing for College & Career Readiness

Source: National Assessment Governing Board. Writing framework for the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress, pre-publication edition. Iowa City, IA. ACT, Inc.

Research Simulation Tasks

Literary Analysis Analysis-Based

Narrative

Science, SS, ELA

Classroom Discussion

Writing Porfolios/Rubrics

Stretching Students to Read Higher Level Text is Essential for College and Career Readiness

Student Reading Ability Must Increase 2 to 3 Grade Levels

Achieve 3000

Scholastic Reading

Inventory

Measuring Up

Common Core Appendix B

Fountas & Pinell

DIBELS & Fundations

Being fluent with key math skills is essential to College & Career Readiness

“Fluency- can carry out skill quickly and without support”

Common Core Math Fluency Requirements at achievethecore.org

Timed Fluency Tests

Flash Cards

Tech-Based Games

Stretching Students to Problem Solve at Higher Levels of Complexity is Essential to College & Career

Readiness

The Quantile Framework is a scale that describes a student's mathematical achievement and the difficulty of specific mathematical skills and concepts. It works a lot like a ruler or thermometer, except rather than measuring length or temperature, the Quantile Framework measures readiness in mathematics learning. MetaMetrics, 2014.

Scholastic Math Inventory

Measuring Up

enVision K-5

Big Ideas 6-8

Algebra I Grades 7-8

Costs: Depends How You Look at It...

Has it caused schools to incur additional costs for technology upgrades?

OR

Has it caused schools to make spending on technology upgrades to support student learning a

priority?

Enter the Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC):

An Assessment Tool for Measuring College & Career Readiness

Priority Purposes of PARCC Assessments:1. Determine whether students are college- and career-

ready or on track 2. Assess the full range of the Common Core Standards,

including standards that are difficult to measure3. Measure the full range of student performance, including

the performance of high and low performing students4. Provide data during the academic year to inform

instruction, interventions and professional development5. Provide data for accountability, including measures of

growth6. Incorporate innovative approaches throughout the

system

ACCOMMODATIONS FOR SPECIAL ACCESSIBILITY FOR ALL

● Modifications and accommodations for special needs students are built into the test in order to provide all students with an opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.

● PARCC is equipped with accessibility features that can be

used by ALL students, not just those with special needs.

PARCC Assessment System

17

PARCC ELAGr 3-5 = 50% Info - 50% LitGr 6-8 = 60% Info - 40% Lit

Grade Level LEXILE- CC Appendix BWC 3-5 = 300-500

WC 6-8 = 400-1000

Performance-Based Assessments

March 2- March 27Computer-based

End-of-Year AssessmentsApril 27- May 22Computer-based

Literary Analysis

Time (min)Gr 3-8 = 75

Selected Response Questions

Extended Writing Task

Research Simulation

Task

Time (min)Gr 3 = 75

Gr 4-8 = 90

Selected Response Questions

Extended Writing Task

Narrative Task

Time (min)Gr 3-8 60

Selected Response Questions

Extended Writing Task

Session 1

Time (min)Gr 3-5 75Gr 6-8 60

Selected Response Questions

Session 2

Time (min)Gr 3-5 None

Gr 6-8 60

Selected Response Questions

Total Score of 1-5Total Time 270-360 min

parcconline.orgNJDOE, 2014

PARCC MathGrade Level Quantile

Application of Skills/Concepts Only

Performance-Based Assessments

March 2- March 27Computer-based

End-of-Year AssessmentsApril 27- May 22Computer-based

Session 1

Time (min)Gr 3-8 = 50

Selected Response Questions

Extended Problem Solving Task

Session 2

Time (min)Gr 3-8 = 50

Selected Response Questions

Extended Problem Solving Task

Session 1

Time (min)Gr 3-8 55

Selected Response Questions

Session 2

Time (min)Gr 3-8 55

Selected Response Questions

Total Score of 1-5Total Time 210 min

parcconline.orgNJDOE, 2014

What have we been doing as a professional staff to prepare for PARCC?

Use of Professional Learning Team Periods to do the following..

Preparing for PARCC is not in addition to good teaching and learning but part of good teaching and learning.

○ Unpacking the Common Core Standards to inform curriculum and instruction

○ Studying PARCC blue-prints and samples to inform classroom assignments and assessment

○ utilizing district Common Core-aligned assessment data to inform curriculum and instruction

○ sharing the PARCC technology infrastructure with students during instructional activities and administering classroom assessments online

● dialoguing with students about accessibility features for PARCC

1. Ask your children..they have been working with it for several months!

2. Visit the practice tests...can you navigate them? If not... ask your children…they can!

3. Examine how worthy the tasks are...can you “pass” them? If not...observe your

children….they WILL surprise you!

What will PARCC look like?

PARCC PRACTICE TESTS

MORE BENEFICIAL DATA TO SUPPORT STUDENTS

NJASK◼ Total score in ELA and

Math◼ Cluster Scores

◼ Reading◼ Writing◼ 5 Topics in Math

◼ Post-School Year◼ Mailed Home

PARCC◼ Total score in ELA and

Math◼ Cluster Scores◼ Reading◼ Writing◼ 5 Topics in Math

◼ Item Analysis per Grade and Student

◼ Within Weeks*◼ Digital

HOW CAN DATA ASSIST THE BOE?● Focus boards on the evaluation policies on student achievement.● Measure the district’s progress meeting goals to improve student

achievement: academic, character, citizenship and values,● Deepen community understanding about shared responsibility for

student achievement.● Set student achievement goals with .your community.● Evaluate the effectiveness of policies and practices.● Identify new issues or challenges.● Diagnose problems and revisit solutions.● Identify new solutions to problems.● Create shared accountability with .your community.● Provide opportunities to celebrate successes● Make smart, informed decisions.

WHAT CAN PARENTS ASK?

● Is my child growing appropriately toward meeting standards for learning?

● What is my child’s school and teacher doing to support his or her growth towards meeting those standards for learning?

● What can I do, as a parent, to support the school, teacher, and my child in helping students meet those standards for learning?