comparing traditional literacy assessment to ccss literacy assessment

Comparing Traditional Literacy Assessment to CCSS Literacy Assessment 2014

The CCSS bring three key shifts to literacy instruction and assessment.

1. Complexity: Regular practice with complex text and its academic language

2. Knowledge: Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction

3. Evidence: Reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence from text, both literary and informational

How Are The Standards Any Different?An Overview

http://www.achievethecore.org/

Comparing Traditional Assessment to CCSS Assessment – An Overview

Shift 1: Regular practice with complex text and its academic language

From To

Little emphasis on text complexity

Strong emphasis on text complexity

Vocabulary questions often focused on prior knowledge rather than context; little emphasis on tier 2 words

Vocabulary questions focused on meaning of words in context; strong emphasis on tier 2 words and words important to central ideas

Figurative language questions focused on literary terms

Figurative language questions focused on meaning, not terms



Shift 2: Reading, writing and speaking grounded in evidence from text, both literary and informational

From To

Focus on simple recall or superficial analysis

Focus on careful reading and analysis of texts

Little or no emphasis on using textual evidence

Strong emphasis on using textual evidence

Decontextualized writing prompts Writing to sources



Shift 3: Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction

From To

Equal representation of informational and literary texts; limited focus on the quality of informational texts

More informational texts as students move through the grades; greater focus on content-rich informational texts at all grades


Comparing Traditional Assessment to CCSS Assessment - Text Complexity (Shift 1)

In the next few slides, you will learn more about how the texts on assessments aligned to the Common Core State Standards differ from those used on past assessments.


Comparing Traditional Assessment to CCSS Assessment – Text Complexity (Shift 1)

CCSS reading and writing assessments are based on texts of appropriate complexity for the grade level, as determined by quantitative and qualitative analyses. Texts build a staircase of increasing complexity within each year and from grade to grade so that students are ready for college and careers.


Comparing Traditional Assessment to CCSS Assessment – Text Complexity

Traditional Science Text Complex Science Text – Grade 5

Have you ever noticed that bubbles have colors? Look closely, and you can see lots of pretty colors on bubbles. The colors happen when light falls on bubbles. Then the light goes from the bubble to your eyes. Next time you see bubbles, look to at what colors there are. Do you see green or blue? Purple or yellow? Sometimes you can see a rainbow!

Bubbles can also teach us about light. The light from the sun is made up of many different colors. Mixed together, they look white. However, it is possible to separate the different colors of light from each other with a prism. Small drops of water or ice crystals can work like a prism. You have seen this for yourself if you have ever seen a rainbow. From “Bubblology,” from an online site “Science for Kids”


Comparing Traditional Assessment to CCSS Assessment – Text Complexity

Traditional Social Studies TextComplex Social Studies Text –

Grade 9

Martha Graham was born in 1894 in the state of Pennsylvania. Later her family moved to California, where she saw a dance being performed and decided she wanted to be a dancer. However, her parents did not approve of her career choice. But soon after her father died in 1914, she enrolled in a dance school and stayed there until 1923, when she started her life as a solo dancer.

I think the reason dance has held such an ageless magic for the world is that it has been the symbol of the performance of living. Many times, I hear the phrase, “the dance of life.” It is close to me for a very simple and understandable reason. The instrument through which the dance speaks is also the instrument through which life is lived: the human body. From Martha Graham, “An Athlete of God” (radio interview 2009)


Comparing Traditional Assessment to CCSS Assessment of Vocabulary (Shift 1)

In the next few slides, you will learn more about how the Common Core State Standards measuring vocabulary differ from those used on past assessments.


Comparing Traditional Assessment to CCSS Assessment – Vocabulary (Shift 1)

CCSS vocabulary items focus on determining the meaning of words using context. Vocabulary items usually assess tier 2 words*, and the tested words must be important to the central ideas of the text.

* Words that have wide use in academic writing and are important to

student learning across many topics and all grade levels. They also:

• Are critical to reading comprehension

• Have power for students, in that they generally are members of word families and appear in many forms (e.g., secure, insecure, security)

• Can be used in a variety of ways and connect to other words and concepts

• Provide precision and specificity in describing a concept or event


Comparing Traditional Assessment to CCSS Assessment – Vocabulary

Traditional Item CCSS-Aligned Item

Read this sentence from paragraph 5.

Bubbles are pretty incredible, but who knew?

What do the words “but who knew?” mean in this sentence?

A. The ideas are surprising.*B. The ideas are familiar.C. The ideas are simple. D. The ideas are important.

What does “circulate” mean as used in paragraph 2?

A. Get strongerB. Gather togetherC. Break downD. Travel around*

(Grade 5 items based on an article titled “Bubblology,” from an online site “Science for Kids”)

RI.5.4: Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area.

RI.5.1: Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.


Comparing Traditional Assessment to CCSS Assessment – Vocabulary (Shift 1)

CCSS items assessing figurative language ask for analysis of the meaning or intended effect of figurative language, rather than asking for literary terms for figurative language.


Comparing Traditional Assessment to CCSS Assessment – Vocabulary


What kind of figurative language is the phrase “tiny human insects” in paragraph 3?A. personificationB. metaphor*C. simile D. onomatopoeia

Why does the author use the phrase “tiny human insects” in paragraph 3?A. To suggest that the lives of

individuals are not considered important in Winesburg

B. To suggest the vast contrast in size between the farmland and the farmers*

C. To suggest that George’s decision to leave Winesburg will not affect his life in a significant way

D. To suggest the relative insignificance of farming as an occupation

(Grade 9 items based on a short story from Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson)

RL.9.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).RL.9.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.


Comparing Traditional Assessment to CCSS Assessment – Textual Analysis (Shift 2)

In the next few slides, you will learn more about CCSS reading test questions. Even the multiple-choice questions, ask students to read closely and engage in analysis of the text—they do not ask for simple recall or superficial analysis.


Comparing Traditional Assessment to CCSS Assessment – Textual Analysis


Which character in the story does not like the swamp?

A. Uncle Hamp B. Jack’s mother* C. JackD. Mattie Lou

What is the main reason that Jack wants the canoe to be a success?

A. He wants to feel that he is independent of his father.

B. He thinks the canoe will impress his father.*

C. He wants to be able to travel deep into the swamp without his father.

D. He wants to show his father that he can paddle a canoe as well as a grown-up.

(Grade 3 items based on an excerpt from Tree Castle Island by Jean Craighead George)

RL.3.3: Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.RL.3.1: Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.


Comparing Traditional Assessment to CCSS Assessment– Textual Analysis


What is inside a bubble?

A. soap B. air* C. detergentD. membrane

According to information in the article, which of the following bubbles would last the longest?

A. A small bubble before the air inside passes to a larger bubble

B. A small bubble with thin, tightly curved walls

C. A large bubble made with soap or detergent and sugar*

D. A large bubble with walls that bend in the wind and change colors

(Grade 5 items based on an article titled “Bubblology,” from an online site “Science for Kids” )

RI.5.3: Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text.





Which quotation from the article includes an opinion? A. “On the industrial farm, it takes

about ten calories of fossil fuel energy to produce one calorie of food energy.”

B. “That means the industrial farm is using up more energy than it is producing.”

C. “This is the opposite of what happened before chemical fertilizers.”

D. “It’s too bad we can’t simply drink the petroleum directly—it would be more efficient.”*

Which statement best describes the structure of paragraphs 9 – 11?A. The paragraphs use chronological order

to show that farming methods are constantly being invented to increase crop yields.

B. The paragraphs identify a problem farmers faced and then explains how the government came up with a solution to that problem.

C. The paragraphs describe cause and effect to show how chemical fertilizers led to corn becoming the main U.S. crop.*

D. The paragraphs use comparison and contrast to explain differences between a family farm and the new kind of farm.

(Grade 7 items based on an excerpt from The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan. )

RI.7.5: Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to the development of the ideas.RI.7.1: Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.




Which sentence describes how the setting helps develop the theme of “Departure”?A. The setting is important to the

theme at the beginning of the passage.

B. The setting contributes little to the theme of the passage.

C. The setting helps build the theme throughout the passage.*

D. The setting presents a significant contrast to the theme of the passage.

In the first three paragraphs of the story, what is a theme that is developed by details about the setting? A. The townspeople’s desires are

very different from George’s. B. It is a time of new beginnings.*C. The town is not likely ever to

change.D. It is hard to survive in a rural

environment.

(Grade 9 items based on a short story from Sherwood Anderson’s novel Winesburg, Ohio.)

RL.9.2: Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.RL.9.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.




Which document does Anthony quote to emphasize the idea that women already have the right to vote?

A. The ConstitutionB. A transcript of her trialC. The Declaration of

Independence*D. A law of one of the states

Which statement best describes Anthony’s viewpoint about the proper role of government?A. A government should define and

establish basic human rights. B. A government should be preserved

even when citizens are dissatisfied.

C. A government should be structured to define different roles for different groups of people.

D. A government should ensure that human rights are not infringed upon.*

(Grade 10 items based on “Is It a Crime for a Citizen of the United States to Vote?” by Susan B. Anthony)

RI.10.6: Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose.RI.10.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.


Comparing Traditional Assessment to CCSS Assessment – Use of Textual Evidence (Shift 2)

CCSS reading items ask students to use specific textual evidence to justify and support claims about the text.


A New MC Format for CCSS-Aligned Assessment – Calling for Use of Textual Evidence CCSS-Aligned Item - EBSR

Part A: What is the main reason that Jack wants the canoe to be a success?A. He wants to feel that he is independent of his father. B. He thinks the canoe will impress his father.* C. He wants to be able to travel deep into the swamp without his father.D. He wants to show his father that he can paddle a canoe as well as a grown-

up.

Part B: Which detail from the passage best supports the answer to Part A?E. “And I wasn’t in just any old canoe, but one I made myself.”F. “It was tough paddling, but L’tle Possum was amazing. She turned on a nickel

and answered every haul and draw of my paddle.”G. “She rocked to the right and came back. I stood up and rocked her again. She

did not dump.”H. “I’m not good at technical things like Dad is, but after I tested L’tle Possum, I

felt that he might think I had done a four-star job—maybe even five.”*(Grade 3 item based on an excerpt from Tree Castle Island by Jean Craighead George)

RL.3.3: Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.RL.3.1: Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.


A New MC Format for CCSS-Aligned Assessment – Calling for Use of Textual Evidence

CCSS-Aligned Item - EBSR

Part A: In the first three paragraphs of the story, what is a theme that is developed by details about the setting? A. The townspeople’s desires are very different from George’s. B. It is a time of new beginnings.*C. The town is not likely ever to change.D. It is hard to survive in a rural environment.

Part B: Which two details from the passage support the theme in Part A? E. “It was April and the young tree leaves were just coming out of their

buds.”*F. “The boy who slept in the hotel office lay on a cot by the door. His mouth

was open and he snored lustily.”G. “The east was pink with the dawn and long streaks of light climbed into

the sky where a few stars still shone.”* D., E., & F. [The remaining distractors are not shown.]

(Grade 9 item based on a short story from Sherwood Anderson’s novel Winesburg, Ohio.)

RL.9.2: Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.RL.9.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.


A New MC Format for CCSS-Aligned Assessment – Calling for Use of Textual EvidenceCCSS-Aligned Item- EBSR

Part A: What is Anthony’s viewpoint about the proper role of government?A. Government should define and establish human rights. B. Government should be preserved even when citizens are dissatisfied. C. Government should be structured to define different roles for different

people. D. Government should ensure that human rights are not infringed upon.*

Part B: Which two details from the speech show Anthony persuading her listeners to agree with her viewpoint about government? A. “We assert the province of government to be to secure the people in the enjoyment of their unalienable rights.”*B. “And when 100 or 1,000,000 people enter into a free government, they do not barter away their natural rights; they simply pledge themselves to protect each other in the enjoyment of them…”*[additional options not shown]

(Grade 10 item based on “Is It a Crime for a Citizen of the United States to Vote?” by Susan B. Anthony)

RI.10.6: Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose.RI.10.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.


A New MC Format for CCSS-Aligned Assessment – Calling for Use of Textual Evidence

CCSS-Aligned Item

Part A: What does “circulate” mean as used in paragraph 2? A. Get strongerB. Gather togetherC. Break downD. Travel around*

Part B: Which words from the passage best help the reader understand the meaning of “circulate”?

E. “must first be digested”F. “through your arteries to your muscles”*G. “another set of membranes”H. “look for a cluster of them, and watch closely”

(Grade 5 item based on an article titled “Bubblology,” from an online site “Science for Kids”)

RI.5.4: Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area.



Comparing Traditional Assessment to CCSS Assessment – Writing to Sources (Shift 2)

Using textual evidence is also important when assessing writing. CCSS-aligned writing prompts ask students to make claims or inferences about text(s), or to integrate information in texts, and to refer specifically to the text(s) in their response.


Comparing Traditional Assessment to CCSS Assessment – Writing to Sources

Traditional, De-contextualized Writing Prompt CCSS-Aligned Writing Prompt

Write a letter to your school principal in which you argue for or against the idea of increasing the budget of the school football team.

In his inaugural address, Thomas Jefferson directly or indirectly refers to several freedoms that Americans enjoy. Explain which freedoms Jefferson sees as most important for the success of the new nation and explain why they are important. Support your response with evidence from the address.

(Grade 11 aligned item based on an excerpt from Jefferson’s Inaugural Address, 1801)

W.11.1: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

W.11.9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.


Comparing Traditional Assessment to CCSS Assessment – Writing to Sources

Traditional Brief Constructed-Response Question

CCSS-AlignedBrief Constructed-Response Question

Based on your knowledge of modern dance, do you agree that dance is a symbol of the performance of living? Explain why or why not.

In her interview, how does Graham introduce and develop the argument that dance is the symbol of the performance of living?

(Grade 9 aligned item based on “An Athlete of God,” a radio interview with Martha Graham.)

RL.9.3: Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them.RL.91: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.W.9.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.W.9.9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.


Comparing Traditional Assessment to CCSS Assessment – Informational Text (Shift 3)

As students progress through the grades, they need to become more skillful at reading high-quality complex informational text, so that they are ready for the demands of college and careers. Literature is also important and does not go away! But assessments should present an increasing proportion of high-quality informational texts—texts that are worth reading.


Comparing Traditional Assessment to CCSS Assessment – Informational Text

How do we evaluate whether or not an informational text is content-rich? Here are some guidelines:

• Most texts should be previously published because published texts have been accepted and edited by professional publication editors.

• Whether previously published or not, a text must reflect a professional editing process and represent excellence in the author’s craft, e.g., – Its content must be tightly and clearly structured

– Its content must be comprehensive and error free

– History/social studies or science/technical content, specifically, must reflect the kind of writing that is produced by authorities in the particular academic discipline.


Comparing Traditional Assessment to CCSS Assessment – Informational Text

How to evaluate informational texts, continued

• Many of the informational texts on assessments should use informational text structures rather than a narrative structure, so that students are challenged with text structures similar to what they will encounter in college and careers. (Informational texts with narrative structures will usually be history or literary nonfiction rather than science and technical subjects.)

• Whether previously published or not, a text must enable students to develop rich content knowledge.


Comparing Traditional Assessment to CCSS Assessment – Informational TextTraditional Assessment Text Content-Rich Assessment Text

. . . Lake Baikal is not only the deepest lake in the world; it is unusual in many other ways. It has a lot of biodiversity; more than 1500 species of animals and plants live in the lake, many of which cannot be found living anywhere else in the world. There are especially a lot of snails and shrimp-like animals everywhere in the lake, enjoying its cool temperatures and clean, deep water. Scientists travel from all over the world to study the many life forms living in Lake Baikal.

. . . Scientists have also discovered that Lake Baikal contains a large variety of living things. For example, there are 147 species of snails and 255 species of shrimp-like animals. Many of the plant and animal species in the lake are found nowhere else. A comparison to Lake Tahoe, in Nevada, shows how unusual such biodiversity is: Like Baikal, Tahoe was formed by movement of tectonic plates, but it is a much younger lake and has only 2 native species. Baikal has as many as 1500. Many of the species in Baikal have survived from prehistoric times, giving scientists important insights into early life forms.


Comparing Traditional Assessment to CCSS Assessment – Summary

Shift 1: Regular practice with complex text and its academic language

From To

Little emphasis on text complexity

Strong emphasis on text complexity

Vocabulary questions often focused on prior knowledge rather than context; little emphasis on tier 2 words

Vocabulary questions focused on meaning of words in context; strong emphasis on tier 2 words and words important to central ideas

Figurative language questions focused on literary terms

Figurative language questions focused on meaning, not terms


Comparing Traditional Assessment to CCSS Assessment - Summary

Shift 2: Reading, writing and speaking grounded in evidence from text, both literary and informational

From To

Focus on simple recall or superficial analysis

Focus on careful reading and analysis of texts

Little or no emphasis on using textual evidence

Strong emphasis on using textual evidence

Decontextualized writing prompts Writing to sources


Comparing Traditional Assessment to CCSS Assessment - Summary

Shift 3: Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction

From To

Equal representation of informational and literary texts; limited focus on the quality of informational texts

More informational texts as students move through the grades; greater focus on content-rich informational texts at all grades


Additional Resources:

• There are several sites that provide more CCSS-aligned items.

1. For PARCC sample items and practice tests, grades 3-11, go to www.parcconline.org.

2. For SBAC practice tests, grades 3 – high school, go to www.smarterbalanced.org.

3. For mini-assessments that can be used in the classroom, go to www.achievethecore.org and click on the “Assessment Questions” tab.

• Information about the Shifts can be found at:http://achievethecore.org/content/upload/122113_Shifts.pdf

http://www.parcconline.org/

http://www.smarterbalanced.org/


http://achievethecore.org/content/upload/122113_Shifts.pdf

http://achievethecore.org/content/upload/122113_Shifts.pdf


Thank you for taking the time to learn more about CCSS-aligned assessments!

comparing traditional literacy assessment to ccss literacy assessment

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