Roberta L. Wohle, Ed.D., Assistant Professor

Fairleigh Dickinson Universityroberta1@fdu.edu

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Despite the increased enrollment of individuals with disabilities in postsecondary programs, many students struggle to complete their college education.

Insufficient "academic college readiness" appears to be one factor contributing to poor retention rates.

This workshop will introduce participants to the potential impact of the recently adopted Common Core State Standards on preparing "all" students for the academic demands of college.

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Participants will become familiar with:

the knowledge, skills, and dispositions included in the Common Core State Standards;

strategies for incorporating standards-based curriculum and instruction into the transition planning process; and

a process for selecting accommodations that provide full access to standards-based instruction, while promoting a high level of student independence.

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When students graduate/exit high school, what do you believe they should know and be able to do?◦Academically ??◦Socially ??◦Behaviorally ??

What does “college readiness” mean to you?

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The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) released the Common Core Standards (“the Standards”) in June 2010.

The Standards initiative represents a first time shift from individual state standards to a national set of expected educational outcomes.

Through the Standards initiative, a shared set of K-12 grade level benchmarks for English language arts and mathematics has been established.

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The purpose of the Standards is to ensure that all students across the United States are prepared for success in postsecondary education and the workforce.

The Standards were developed in response to data indicating that too many students (nondisabled and students with disabilities) graduate from high school, entering postsecondary educational settings, in need of remediation in English language arts and mathematics.

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A fundamental goal of the Standards is “to promote a culture of high expectations for all students.”

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English Language Arts

an integrated approach to literacy, setting requirements not only for English language arts (i.e., reading, writing, speaking, and listening), but also for literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects);

increased attention to literary nonfiction than has been traditionally emphasized;

a grade-by-grade “staircase” of increasing text complexity;

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emphasis on three mutually reinforcing writing capacities: writing to persuade, to explain, and to convey real or imagined experience, with an increasingly strong focus on writing arguments/opinions and informative/explanatory texts;

attention to language “vocabulary” (i.e., understanding words and phrases, their relationships and nuances, and acquisition of general academic and domain specific words and phrases)

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Mathematicsstrong math foundation in whole numbers, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions and decimals;emphasis on application of math concepts and procedures, with an end view of robust applications;concentration on geometry, Algebra, probability and statistics in middle school; andemphasis in high school on the application of mathematics to novel situations.

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“Students with disabilities must be challenged to excel within the general curriculum and be prepared for success in their post-school lives, including college and/or careers. These common standards provide an historic opportunity to improve access to rigorous academic content standards for students with disabilities.”

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In order for students with disabilities to meet high academic standards and to fully demonstrate their conceptual and procedural knowledge and skills in mathematics and English language arts, their instruction must incorporate supports and accommodations, including:

supports and related services designed to meet the unique needs of these students and to enable their access to the general education curriculum;

an Individualized Education Program (IEP) which includes annual goals aligned with and chosen to facilitate their attainment of grade-level academic standards;

high-quality, evidence-based, individualized instruction and support services;

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instructional supports for learning―based on the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL)―which foster student engagement by presenting information in multiple ways and allowing for diverse avenues of action and expression;

instructional accommodations ―changes in materials or procedures― which do not change the standards, but allow students to learn within the framework of the Common Core; and

assistive technology devices and services.

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Students with disabilities have the potential to learn and demonstrate the knowledge and skills included in the Common Core Standards

The Common Core Standards (CCS) will be the primary focus of instruction for students with disabilities

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There are appropriate instructional strategies, techniques, materials, supports and accommodations that will be responsive to the individualized learning needs of students with disabilities, that will enable them to: Access the standardsParticipate in and benefit from CCS related learning experiences and activitiesDemonstrate understanding and application of the standards;

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Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) will reflect standards-based instructional content and appropriate instructional supports and accommodations; and  

  The intent of the Standards is consistent with

federally mandated transition requirements for transition planning, i.e., preparation for postsecondary education and employment.

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Instructional Priorities:

Foundational Skills for Literacy and Math

Knowledge and Application of Processes, Procedures, Routines

Automatic, Fluent Performance of Skills and Processes

Higher Order Thinking, Problem Solving, Executive Functions (Habits of Mind)

Learning Dispositions (e.g. Sustained Attention, Persistence, Reflectivity, Cognitive Flexibility, Accuracy and Precision)

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Scaffold instruction low enough to create access and high enough to reach common core standards (Reference: Jan Sheinker, June 21, 2010)

Scaffold instruction low enough to ensure access and high enough to promote independent performance

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Entry: Target behavior is performed at a low rate or not at all.

Acquisition: Through instruction, target behavior is performed with high accuracy.

Proficiency: Target behavior is performed with high accuracy and fluency.

Maintenance: Rate and accuracy of target behavior is maintained.

Generalization: Rate and accuracy of target behavior is generalized to other settings, persons, or materials.

Application: Target behavior is extended.

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Aligning Key Policies for College Readiness

Development of K–12 Assessments and Alignment with College Placement Policies

Teacher Preparation and In-Service Professional Development

Collaboration regarding the Impact of Supports and Accommodations

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