1. January 23, 2014

2. Find a seat; make yourself at home Take a moment to write your name, school, and the grade level/course you are representing on the name tent

3. Welcome Charge of the Task Force Who is in the room Norms Introduction to ELA CCSS A dip into the data Assignment for next time Exit Slip

4. Task Force Charge

5. INTRODUCTIONS

6. Be fully present. Cell phone on vibrate. Be open and honest-say what you think and feel in the room. Respect all opinions and views. Listen to understand other’s perspectives on issues. Practice suspending your opinion temporarily when you hear an idea you initially disagree with. Be aware of your level of participation. Allow equal airtime to each member so the discussion is fair share. Treat each person as an equal. Assist all group members to be productive. Be professional. Be on time with necessary materials. Be prepared. Be on task. Refrain from side-bar conversations. Effective two-way communication Look at the pros and cons of an issue.

7. Review the initial list. Discuss potential additions, deletions, and/or revisions. Come to the table agreement on any recommendations. Share out table recommendations to the group.

9. Initiated by the National Governors Association (NGA) and Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) with the following design principles: Result in College and Career Readiness Based on solid research and practice evidence Fewer, Higher and Clearer 9

10. 1. Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction 2. Reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence from text, both literary and informational 3. Regular practice with complex text and its academic language 10

11. 11 www.achievethecore.org 11

12. Content-Rich Nonfiction 50/50 balance K-5 45/65 in grades 6-8 70/30 in grades 9-12 Students learning to read should exercise their ability to comprehend complex text through read-aloud texts. In grades 2+, students begin reading more complex texts, consolidating the foundational skills with reading comprehension. Reading aloud texts that are well-above grade level should be done throughout K-5 and beyond. 12

13. Overall, students are required to read very little informational text in elementary and middle school. Non-fiction makes up the vast majority of required reading in college/workplace. Informational text is harder for students to comprehend than narrative text. Supports students learning how to read different types of informational text. 13

14. Sequencing Texts to Build Knowledge Not random reading Literacy in social studies/history, science, technical subjects, and the arts is embedded Resources Page 33 in the CCSS for ELA/Literacy – The Human Body example 14

15. 15 www.achievethecore.org 15

16. Most college and workplace writing requires evidence. Ability to cite evidence differentiates strong from weak student performance on NAEP Evidence is a major emphasis of the ELA Standards: Reading Standard 1, Writing Standard 9, Speaking and Listening standards 2, 3, and 4, all focus on the gathering, evaluating and presenting of evidence from text. Being able to locate and deploy evidence are hallmarks of strong readers and writers 16

17. 17 In “Casey at the Bat,” Casey strikes out. Describe a time when you failed at something. In “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” Dr. King discusses nonviolent protest. Discuss, in writing, a time when you wanted to fight against something that you felt was unfair. In “The Gettysburg Address” Lincoln says the nation is dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Why is equality an important value to promote? What makes Casey’s experiences at bat humorous? What can you infer from King’s letter about the letter that he received? “The Gettysburg Address” mentions the year 1776. According to Lincoln’s speech, why is this year significant to the events described in the speech? Not Text-DependentText-Dependent Text-Dependent Questions

18. High school students read an excerpt of James D. Watson’s The Double Helix and respond to the following: James Watson used time away from his laboratory and a set of models similar to preschool toys to help him solve the puzzle of DNA. In an essay, discuss how play and relaxation help promote clear thinking and problem solving. Sample Informational Text Assessment Question: Pre-Common Core Standards 18

19. From The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Have the students identify the different methods of removing warts that Tom and Huckleberry talk about. Discuss the charms that they say and the items (i.e. dead cats) they use. Ask students to devise their own charm to remove warts. Students could develop a method that would fit in the time of Tom Sawyer and a method that would incorporate items and words from current time. Boys played with dead cats and frogs, during Tom’s time. Are there cultural ideas or artifacts from the current time that could be used in the charm? Sample Literary Question: Pre-Common Core Standards 19

20. From The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Why does Tom hesitate to allow Ben to paint the fence? How does Twain construct his sentences to reflect that hesitation? What effect do Tom’s hesitations have on Ben? 20

21. 21

22. Gap between complexity of college and high school texts is huge. What students can read, in terms of complexity is the greatest predictor of success in college (ACT study). Too many students are reading at too low a level. (<50% of graduates can read sufficiently complex texts). Standards include a staircase of increasing text complexity from elementary through high school. Standards also focus on building general academic vocabulary so critical to comprehension. 22

23. Subtle and/or frequent transitions Multiple and/or subtle themes and purposes Density of information Unfamiliar settings, topics or events Lack of repetition, overlap or similarity in words and sentences Complex sentences Uncommon vocabulary Lack of words, sentences or paragraphs that review or pull things together for the student Longer paragraphs Any text structure which is less narrative and/or mixes structures 23

24. The standards require that students read appropriately complex text at each grade level – independently (Standard 10). However, there are many ways to scaffold student learning as they meet the standard: Multiple readings Read Aloud Chunking text (a little at a time) Provide support while reading, rather than before. 24

25. Requires prompting students with questions to unpack unique complexity of any text so students learn to read complex text independently and proficiently. Not teacher "think aloud“. Virtually every standard is activated during the course of every close analytic reading exemplar through the use of text dependent questions. Text dependent questions require text-based answers – evidence. 25

26. www.achievethecore.org 26

27. Four Strands: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, Language There are Reading and Writing Strands for History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects Text complexity standards are listed by grade “bands”: K-1, 2-3, 4-5, 6-8, 9-10, 11-12, CCR – College and Career Ready) Strand Anchor Standard Grade- Specific Standard 27

28. RI. 4. 2 StrandGrade Standard Number 28

29. W. 11-12. 1b StrandGrades Standard Number 29

31. Difference in percent meeting standards, 2012 to 2013 ReadingMathWritingScience StateDistrictStateDistrictStateDistrictStateDistrict Grade 3 +4.3+4.9-.1+.8 Grade 4 +1.0+1.1+3.2+1.1+.8-1.1 Grade 5 +1.6+.4-1.1+1.1+.4+4.4 Grade 6 +.8+.3-2.1+2.4 Grade 7 -2.5+.5+4.5+3.80+7.7 Grade 8 +8.4-2.2-6.8-1.4+4.6 Grade 10 +2.4+5.1-.6-.3+9.1

32. StateDistrict 3 rd 7377.7 4.7 4 th 72.479.3 6.9 5 th 72.680.4 7.8 6 th 71.477.5 6.1 Above State Scores Below State Scoreswithin 0-3%

33. StateDistrict 7 th 68.770.3 +1.6 8th 66.265.3 -.9 10 th 83.588.3 +1.8 Above State Scores Below State Scores Within 0-3% of State Data includes: CH, JS, MW, SKHS, Discovery & Explorer

34. Reading State District Math State District Grade 3 37.334.63543 Grade 4 42.141.926.734.2 Grade 5 38.844.224.231.4 Grade 6 30.941.817.535.7 Grade 7 29.832.918.110.5 Grade 8 22.930.212.413.5 Grade 10 50.242.129.2 EOC1 36.2 59.2 EOC2 48.4

35. Reading State District Math State District Grade 3 61.370.352.271 Grade 4 60.973.849.764.4 Grade 5 60.175.649.367.6 Grade 6 58.967.744.461.6 Grade 7 55.461.449.451.3 Grade 8 52.955.138.839 Grade 10 74.477.562.8 EOC1 66.2 72.9 EOC2 71.2

36. ReadingMathematics StateDistrict MaleDistrict FemaleStateDistrict MaleDistrict Female 3 rd 7374.781.065.279.277.1 4 th 72.473.18662.570.975.6 5 th 72.677.783.462.674.275.8 6 th 71.473.781.359.368.973.9 7 th 70.363.777.263.759.962.7 8 th 66.257.674.053.250.153 10th83.58288.876.1 EOC1 76.374.6 83.5 EOC2 80.378.6

40. Debrief of Reading, A deeper dip into the data