ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

CORE ACADEMIC STANDARDS

Missouri Department of Elementaryand Secondary EducationOctober, 2012

An alignment analysis was conducted in February of 2011.

All Show-Me Standards for Communication Arts were represented in the CCSS.

Alignment Between Show-Me Standards and the CCSS

Taking a Closer LookIdentifying Shifts in Teaching and Learning - READING

Reading: Text Complexity Rationale

“…while reading demands in college, workforce training programs, and life in general have held steady or increased over the last half century, K-12 texts have actually declined in sophistication…” (CCSS Appendix A, p.2 )

School Improvement

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Reading Study Summary

600

800

1000

1400

1600

1200

Text

Lex

ile M

easu

re (L

)

HighSchool

Literature

CollegeLiterature

HighSchool

Textbooks

CollegeTextbooks

Military PersonalUse

Entry-LevelOccupations

SAT 1,ACT,AP*

* Source of National Test Data: MetaMetrics

Interquartile Ranges Shown (25% - 75%)

Reading Shift

Text Complexity Grade

Bands in the Standards

Old Lexile Ranges Lexile Ranges AlignedTo CCR

Expectations

K-1 N/A N/A2-3 450-725 420-8204-5 645-845 740-10106-8 860-1010 925-1185

9-10 960-1115 1050-133511-12 1070-1220 1185-1385

Reading: Text Complexity(CCSS 6-12, p. 57; Appendix A, p. 5-7) Levels of meaning

StructureLanguage conventions and

clarityKnowledge demands

Readability measuresOther scores of

complexity

Variations: motivation, knowledge, experienceVariables: purpose/complexity of task; questions posed

(Figure 2, Appendix A, p.6)

Lexiles, Accelerated Reader, Coh-Matrix

(Figure 4, Appendix A, p. 10-12)

Reading: Text Complexity Rationale

Elementary and secondary students are not required to read enough informational text independently even though expository text makes up the vast majority of the required reading in college and the workplace.(CCSS Appendix A, p.2)

Text Exemplars Appendix B

Nonfiction

NAEP Assessment Writing Framework 2011

Taking a Closer LookIdentifying Shifts in Teaching and Learning - WRITING

Writing Shifts 15

Expect students to compose arguments and opinions, informative/explanatory pieces, and narrative texts

Focus on the use of reason and evidence to substantiate an argument or claim

Emphasize ability to conduct research – short projects and sustained inquiry

Incorporate process with writing types (Standards 1-3)

Grade Level Progression - WritingWRITING

Grade 1: With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.

Grade 4: Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; take notes and categorize information, and provide a list of sources.

Grade 7: Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

Grades 11-12: Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation

Writing samples

Appendix C

Taking a Closer LookIdentifying Shifts in Teaching and Learning – Speaking and Listening

Speaking and Listening Shifts22

Focus on collaborative discussions formal and informal academic, small-group, whole-class

discussions Emphasize effective communication

practices Require interpretation and analysis of

message Oral Visual Multimodal formats

Taking a Closer LookIdentifying Shifts in Teaching and Learning – Language

Language Shifts 24

Include conventions for writing and speaking Highlight vocabulary acquisition

conversation direct instruction reading

Are integrated in context of reading writing speaking listening

1

2

3General

academic words found more in

text than speech

Everyday speech

Domain-specific3 Tiers of Words

Taking a Closer LookIdentifying Shifts in Teaching and Learning – CONTENT LITERACY

plot

expression

levy

Vocabulary

I walked slowly to my friend’s house. I slowly walked to my friend’s house.

H20≠02Ha + b = b + a

Sentence Structure

History/Social Studies - GRAPHICS

• Include photographs and artwork superfluous to text – may not be referenced in text

• Often require students to integrate new information – graphs, charts, timelines, et.al.

• Requires reader to determine if information is descriptive sequential relational/hierarchical causal

Science Reading - GRAPHICS Represent alternate forms of the same information

Read recursively – from diagram to text, and back

Beg reader to transform information from one form to another* (ability to do this is evidence of full understanding)

Presents close connections among prose, graphs, charts, formulas

Media/Technology Integration

What Can Districts Do Right Now? http://www.dese.mo.gov/divimprove/

curriculum/documents/ccr-ccss-ela-implementation-plan-2011.pdf

Examine the text complexity of currently used materials against the text exemplars provided in Appendix B of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) document.

Begin discussions concerning how to increase students’ ability to read text of increasing complexity at all levels.

Emphasize nonfiction text.

Teach “close” reading. “Close” reading means reading for the purpose of uncovering layers of meaning and allowing for deep comprehension.

Emphasize writing instruction, particularly argumentative/opinion and information/explanatory writing at all levels.

Examine the writing samples provided in Appendix C to become familiar with the expected proficiency levels at each grade level.

Intentionally teach vocabulary in context, particularly general academic and domain-specific vocabulary.

Emphasize student collaboration and peer feedback for presentations and projects.

Incorporate technology into instruction, student learning, and assessment.

Begin discussion among teachers of all content areas to determine how to help students meet the particular challenges of reading, writing, listening, speaking, and language in their respective fields.

Director of English Language ArtsMissouri Department of Educationdiane.audsley@dese.mo.gov

Diane Audsley