unpacking the pa common core for specialists

Curriculum & Instruction/Educational Technologies Department

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Unpacking the PA Common Corefor Specialists

October 2012


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Welcome• Introductions• What do we already know about the Common Core?• What are our burning questions?


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Agenda• PA Common Core Timeline– Three-year plan– Thinking About the Change

• Overview of the Common Core– ELA– Math

• Rigor• Other Resources


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PA Common Core Proposed Timeline

Pending Federal Approval

Transition to PA Common Core2012-13

• Grades 3-8 Reading and Mathematics PSSA based on the current assessment anchor content standards (not the Common Core State Standards). Offered online and paper/pencil. No change

• Grades 5 and 8 Writing PSSA based on current standards and offered online and paper/pencil. No change

• Grades 3-5 Writing stand alone field test – offered paper/pencil only. New

• Science PSSA – no changes – offered online or paper/pencil.


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Transition to PA Common Core2013-14

• Grade 3-5 Math and ELA PSSAs assessment anchor content standards aligned to the Common Core State Standards. Available online and paper/pencil. Also, note that the ELA PSSA assesses writing at each grade level, including 3 and 4. New

• Grades 6-8 Reading and Math PSSA based on current anchors and eligible content. Available online and paper / pencil. No change

• Grade 8 Writing PSSA based on current assessment anchors. No change

• Grade 6-8 stand alone writing field test. Paper / Pencil only. New• No changes to Science PSSA.


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Transition to PA Common Core2014 - 15

• Grades 3-8 ELA and Math PSSA based on assessment anchor content standards aligned to Common Core State Standards. Offered online and paper / pencil. Note: First time writing is assessed in grades 6 and 7.

• Grades 4 and 8 Science PSSA offered online and paper / pencil. No change


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Transition to PA Common CoreKeystone Exams

• 2012 – 13– Three Keystones: Alg 1, Lit, Bio– All 11th graders; all others completing a Keystone

related course


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Thinking About the Change

• Article “Building on the Common Core”• Discussion


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Overview of ELA

• Video• Discussion

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/common-core-standards-ela?fd=1


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Key Advances - ELAReadingBalance of literature and informational textsText complexityWritingEmphasis on argument and informative / explanatory writing Writing about sourcesSpeaking and ListeningInclusion of formal and informal talkLanguageStress on general academic and domain-specific vocabulary

Key Advances - LiteracyStandards for reading and writing in history /

social studies, science, and technical subjects• Complement rather than replace content

standards in those subjects• Responsibility of teachers in those subject

areasAlignment with college and career readiness

expectations


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Where Should We Start? – ELA• “Balancing the reading of informational and literary texts so that students can access non-fiction and authentic texts as well as literature• Focusing on close and careful reading of text so that students are learning from the text” PA CCS ELA, draft, 2012

Balance of Informational and Literary Texts


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PA Common Core for ELA

• PA Standards• PA Anchors and Eligible Content• Appendices


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Questions


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Overview of Math

• Video• Discussion

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/common-core-state-standards-for-math


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Key Advances – Math • Focus and coherence– Focus on key topics at each grade level– Coherent progressions across grade levels

• Balance of concepts and skills– Content standards require both conceptual

understanding and procedural fluency


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Key Advances – Math • Mathematical Practices– Foster reasoning and sense-making in

mathematics• Application• Dual Intensity


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Standards for Mathematical Practice• Standards for Mathematical Practice– “The Standards for Mathematical Practice describe

varieties of expertise that mathematics educators at all levels should seek to develop in their students. These practices rest on important ‘processes and proficiencies’ with longstanding importance in mathematics education.” CCSS, 2010

– “…an understanding that all is framed around the Standards for Mathematical Practice.” PA CCSM, draft, 2012


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Standards for Mathematical Practice


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PA Common Core for Math

• PA Standards• PA Anchors and Eligible Content• Appendix


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Questions

RIGOR


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• What is rigor?• What does it look like in the classroom?

Comparing Two Math TasksMartha’s Carpeting

Martha was recarpeting her bedroom which was 15 feet long and 10 feet wide. How many square feet of carpeting will she need to purchase?

Both tasks:Stein, Smith, Hennigsen, and Silver, 2000

FencingMs. Brown’s class will raise rabbits for their spring

science fair. They have 24 feet of fencing with which to build a rectangular rabbit pen to keep the rabbits.

a. If Ms. Brown’s students want their rabbits to have a s much room as possible, how long would each of the sides of the pen be?

b. How long would each of the sides of the pen be if they had only 16 feet of fencing?

c. How would you go about determining the pen with the most room for any amount of fencing? Organize your work so that someone else who reads it will understand it.


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Webb’s Depth of Knowledge

• Norman L. Webb, University of Wisconsin• Began 1997• Complexity of both content and task required


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Depth of Knowledge• Classification of cognitive complexity– Nominative rather than taxonomy– Not about easy vs. difficult– Verb and it’s context

• Considers complexity of both content and task required– Content: simple vs. complex data displays– Task: solving routine vs. non-routine problems

using those data displaysCurriculum & Instruction/Educational Technologies Department

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Depth of Knowledge“The DOK level describes the kind of thinking

involved in the task, not whether it will be completed correctly. A greater DOK level requires greater conceptual understanding and cognitive processing by the students. Therefore, on average, students who reach greater DOK levels more regularly will have increased student achievement.”

Marconi, Smith, and Lombardi; “Depth of Knowledge: An Effective Tool for Education Students” in Shop Talk Vol. 4, No. 2 Spring 2009, The Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program.


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Why Depth of Knowledge?•To ensure that the intent of the standard and the level of student demonstration required by that standard matches the assessment items (required under NCLB)

•To assist in teaching to a level that will promote student achievement


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DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE - Level One

Recall and Reproduction requires recall of information, such as a fact, definition, term, or simple procedure, as well as performing a simple process or procedure. Level 1 problems involve only one step. A student answering a Level 1 item either knows the answer or does not: that is, the answer does not need to be “figured out” or “solved.”


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DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE - Level Two

Skills and Concepts/Basic Reasoning includes the engagement of some mental processing beyond recalling or reproducing a response. The content knowledge or process involved is more complex. These actions imply more than one step. Level 2 activities include making observations and collecting data.


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DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE - Level Three Strategic Thinking/Complex Reasoning

requires deep knowledge using reasoning, planning, using evidence, and a higher level of thinking than the previous two levels. The cognitive demands at Level 3 are complex and abstract. The multi-step task requires more demanding reasoning. In most instances, requiring students to explain their thinking is at Level 3. Other Level 3 activities include drawing conclusions from observations; citing evidence and developing a logical argument for concepts; explaining phenomena in terms of concepts; and using concepts to solve non-routine problems.


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DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE - Level FourExtended Thinking/Reasoning

requires high cognitive demand and is very complex. Students are required to make several connections – relate ideas within the content area or among content areas – and have to select or devise one approach among many alternatives on how the situation can be solved. Performance assessments and open-ended/constructed response assessment activities requiring significant thought will be Level 4.


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Depth of Knowledge• Level 1 — Identify this utensil. • Level 2 — Explain the function of

the fork.• Level 3 — Identify two examples of

when a fork would not be the best utensil for a type of food and explain why.

• Level 4 — Design an investigation to determine the optimal number and length of tines for a salad fork.

From: Lois BarnesSREB/HSTW


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• Level 1 — Identify the type of tree.• Level 2 — Explain the function of the

leaves.• Level 3 — Explain how a drought

might affect the growth of the tree.• Level 4 — Design an investigation of

seedling growth to determine the best fertilizer for this type of tree.

Depth of Knowledge


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Next Steps


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Not just about what to teach.Shifting how the learning occurs.

• Planning Template with Guiding Questions• Additional Resources


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Questions


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Thank You

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unpacking the pa common core for specialists

Documents

writing pssa

common core state standards

grade pssa

pa common core2012

pa common core2013

pa common core2014

math pssa

current standards