Tracey Severns, Ed.D Chief Academic Officer NJDOE Obstacles and Opportunities: Addressing the Transition to the CcSS and PARCC Tracey Severns, Ed.D Chief Academic Officer NJDOE

Learning Objectives Understand how to use the model curriculum and unit assessments to maximize student achievement. Understand how a standards-aligned curriculum, effective instruction, and formative & summative assessments can provide data PLCs need to improve achievement Understand the relationship among the three reform initiatives – CCSS, PARCC and educator evaluation Understand how to use resources to guide school improvement efforts and elicit parental support Beginning course details and/or books/materials needed for a class/project.

Shifting Gears Using the CCSS, PARCC and Evaluation to Drive Student Achievement Educator Evaluation PARCC Common Core Student Achievement Student Achievement Common Core State Standards (CCSS) provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn to be college and career ready, PARCC Assessments measure student progress towards standards, AchieveNJ Evaluation System provides individual teachers with targeted feedback and nuanced data to improve practice

Why a “Model” Curriculum? Common Core State Standards Fewer, clearer, more rigorous Internationally benchmarked Commonness Leverage state and nation-wide expertise (45 States and DC) PARCC (22 States and DC) Continuous improvement Model 1.0 & 2.0 LO #!

The CCSS Difference: Grade 7 ELA Before: NJCCCS (2004) 1. Produce written work and oral work that demonstrate comprehension of informational materials. After: CCSS (2010) 2. Determine two or more central ideas in a text and analyze their development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text. LO #1

The CCSS Difference: Grade 8 Math 1. Understand and apply the Pythagorean Theorem. After: CCSS (2010) 1. Explain a proof of the Pythagorean Theorem and its converse. 2. Apply the Pythagorean Theorem to determine unknown side lengths in right triangles in real-world and mathematical problems in two and three dimensions. 3. Apply the Pythagorean Theorem to find the distance between two points in a coordinate system. LO #!

The CCSS Difference: Grade 3-5 ELA: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas Compare and contrast the most important points and key details presented in two texts on the same topic Integrate information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgably Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgably.

College Readiness : Grade 11 ELA Write arguments to support claim(s) in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence Introduce precise knowledgeable claims(s), establish the significance of the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that logically sequences claim(s), counterclaim(s), reasons and evidence. Develop claim(s) and counterclaim(s) fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases. LO #1

Limitations of Textbooks and Programs CCSS requires the re-evaluation of textbooks, materials and programs Rubrics for evaluating resources can be found at the NJDOE website under CCSS LO#1

Model Curriculum 1.0 & 2.0 Version 1.0 Version 2.0 WHAT Students need to Learn HOW We can best Instruct WHEN do we know students have Learned Standard Student Learning Objectives Instruction Formative Assessments Summative/Formative CCSS Standard 1 SLO #1 SLO #2 Model Lessons Model Tasks Engaging Instructional Strategies Effective checks for understanding Teacher designed formative assessments Unit Assessment SLOs 1-5 CCSS Standard 2 SLO #3 SLO #4 SLO #5 General Bank of Assessment Items 2.0 Student level learning reports - Professional development - Resource reviews LO #2

Why Unit-based Formative Assessments? Clarify the level of rigor for SLOs Create common expectations in common courses Provide data to effectively inform classroom instruction Provide data that can be combined with observation data to inform PD LO #1 & 3

Unit Assessment Grade 3 sample formative assessment items LO #1 and #3

Common Standards require Common Assessments Common Core State Standards: critical - but just the first step Common Assessments: state comparisons will increase pressure for performance Quality Implementation required for actual improvement in student achievement LO #1 and #3

Claims Driving Design: ELA/Literacy Students are on-track or ready for college and careers Students read and comprehend a range of sufficiently complex texts independently Reading Literature Reading Informational Text Vocabulary Interpretation and Use Students write effectively when using and/or analyzing sources. Written Expression Conventions and Knowledge of Language Students build and present knowledge through research and the integration, comparison, and synthesis of ideas. These are the areas emphasized on the assessment. Confidential - Not for Distribution

Claims Driving Design: Mathematics Students are on-track or ready for college and careers Solve problems involving the major content for their grade level with connections to practices Solve problems involving the additional and supporting content for their grade level with connections to practices Express mathematical reasoning by constructing mathematical arguments and critiques Use the modeling practice to solve real world problems Demonstrate fluency in areas set forth in the Standards for Content in grades 3-6

Mathematical Practices Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. Reason abstractly and quantitatively. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others. Model with mathematics. Use appropriate tools strategically. Attend to precision. Look for and make sense of structure. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

Assessment Transition Timeline Spring 2012 NJ ASK Aligned to NJCCCS Spring 2013 NJ ASK Aligned to the CCSS (except gr 6-8 Math) Spring 2014 SY 2014-15 Full administration of PARCC assessments “Transitional Assessments”

2 Optional Assessments/Flexible Administration PARCC Assessment Design English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics, Grades 3-11 Performance-Based Assessment (PBA) Extended tasks Applications of concepts and skills Required End-of-Year Assessment Innovative, computer-based items Required 2 Optional Assessments/Flexible Administration Diagnostic Assessment Early indicator of student knowledge and skills to inform instruction, supports, and PD Non-summative Mid-Year Assessment Performance-based Emphasis on hard-to-measure standards Potentially summative UNIVERSAL DESIGN To address the priority purposes, PARCC states are developing an assessment system comprised of four components. Each component will be computer-delivered and will leverage technology to incorporate innovations. Two summative, required assessment components designed to Make “college- and career-readiness” and “on-track” determinations Measure the full range of standards and full performance continuum Provide data for accountability uses, including measures of growth Two interim, optional assessment components designed to Generate timely information for informing instruction, interventions, and professional development during the school year In English language arts/literacy, an additional required, non-summative component will assess students’ speaking and listening skills TALKING POINTS Graphic depiction of the assessment system. The system includes a suite of assessments and tools that, taken together, provide a more complete picture of student mastery of standards and progress throughout the year than is currently available on state assessments. Considerations Leading to 2 optional assessments: The cost of the assessments Flexibility on when to administer the optional assessments Possible disruption to school schedules caused by through-course assessment preparation and administration The amount of testing time needed to administer the assessments Constraints the distributed design might have on the flexibility of state and local educators to sequence instruction of the CCSS and to implement their own benchmark and formative assessment initiatives The PARCC assessment system will: Include a mix of item types (e.g., short answer, richer multiple choice, longer open response, performance-based) Reflect the sophisticated knowledge and skills found in the English and math Common Core State Standards Make significant use of technology Include testing at key points throughout the year to give teachers, parents and students better information about whether students are on track or need additional support in particular areas Diagnostic Assessments One element of the reading diagnostic assessment is a text complexity tool, which will provide a diagnostic of a student’s ability to read texts independently in order to provide useful guidance to educators, parents, and students about appropriate texts for students when reading independently. These assessments will be useful for the implementation of the ELA/Literacy CCSS in the classroom, as they will help educators meet the demands of the ELA/Literacy standards to teach appropriately complex texts by helping teachers understand what “appropriately complex” really means. The diagnostic assessment in math will help educators understand the extent to which students have mastered the key ideas in mathematics ("highlighted domains") in order to pinpoint areas needing improvement or identify areas in which students are excelling. In addition, it will provide greater detail about students who are above and below grade level so teachers can individualize instruction Timeline: Expected Summer/Fall 2014 HS Assessments Taken together, the PARCC assessment components comprise a comprehensive system of assessments that will provide timely information to teachers throughout the year, and provide students with meaningful information about their progress toward college and career readiness Speaking And Listening Assessment Locally scored Non-summative, required

PARCC: Evidence-Centered Design Claims Design begins with the inferences (claims) we want to make about students Evidence In order to support claims, we must gather evidence Tasks Tasks are designed to elicit specific evidence from students in support of claims PARCC utilizes Evidence-Centered Design to inform the development of the summative assessments. ECD is a deliberate and systematic approach to assessment development that will help to establish the validity of the assessments, increase the comparability of year-to year results, and increase efficiencies/reduce costs. The Design begins with the inferences (claims) we want to make about students. In order to support claims, we must gather evidence. Tasks are then designed to elicit the specific evidence from students that supports the claims. ECD is a deliberate and systematic approach to assessment development that will help to establish the validity of the assessments, increase the comparability of year-to year results, and increase efficiencies/reduce costs. Confidential - Not for Distribution

PARCC’s Core Commitments to ELA/Literacy Assessment Quality Texts Worth Reading: Authentic texts worthy of study instead of artificially produced or commissioned passages.  Questions Worth Answering: Sequences of questions that draw students into deeper encounters with texts rather than sets of random questions of varying quality. Better Standards Demand Better Questions: Custom items written to the Standards instead of reusing existing items. Fidelity to the Standards: PARCC evidences are rooted in the language of the Standards so that expectations remain the same in both instructional and assessment settings.

PARCC Design for ELA Complexity: Regular practice with complex text and its academic language. Evidence: Reading and writing grounded in evidence from text, literary and informational. Knowledge: Building knowledge through content rich nonfiction.

Grade 7 Analytical Prose Constructed-Response Item Based on the information in the text “Biography of Amelia Earhart,” write an essay that summarizes and explains the challenges Earhart faced throughout her life. Remember to use textual evidence to support your ideas.

Grade 7 Prose Constructed-Response Item You have read three texts describing Amelia Earhart. All three include the claim that Earhart was a brave, courageous person. The three texts are: “Biography of Amelia Earhart” “Earhart's Final Resting Place Believed Found” “Amelia Earhart’s Life and Disappearance” Consider the argument each author uses to demonstrate Earhart’s bravery. Write an essay that analyzes the strength of the arguments about Earhart’s bravery in at least two of the texts. Remember to use textual evidence to support your ideas.

Grade 7 Technology-Enhanced Constructed-Response Item Below are three claims that one could make based on the article “Earhart’s Final Resting Place Believed Found.” Part A Highlight the claim that is supported by the most relevant and sufficient facts within “Earhart’s Final Resting Place Believed Found.” Part B Click on two facts within the article that best provide evidence to support the claim selected in Part A.

PARCC’s Core Commitments to Mathematics Assessment Quality Focus: Items will focus on major, and additional and supporting content. Problems worth doing: Problems will include conceptual questions, applications, multi-step problems and substantial procedures. Better Standards Demand Better Questions: Custom items written to the Standards instead of reusing existing items. Fidelity to the Standards : PARCC evidences are rooted in the language of the Standards so that expectations remain the same in both instructional and assessment settings.

PARCC Design for Math Focus: The PARCC Assessment will focus strongly where the Standards focus Coherence: Think across grades and link to major topics within grades Rigor: In major topics, pursue conceptual understanding, procedural skill and fluency, and application.

Part A

Part B

Part C

Scoring Part A

Scoring Part B

Scoring Part C

Turnaround Principles Instructional leadership Climate & Culture Standards based curriculum, assessment and intervention system Effective instruction Use of Data Use of Time Family and Community involvement Effective Staffing Practices Focus LO #3

Summative Assessment Assessments of Learning (Stiggins) Primary users: policy makers, curriculum supervisors, principals, teachers, students, parents Documents individual or group mastery of standards Measures achievement status for purposes of reporting Accountability

Formative Assessment Assessments for Learning (Ainsworth) Primary users: principals, teachers, students, parents Measures progress toward intended outcomes Provides data on teacher and student performance

Informal and Formal Observations “What gets measured gets managed” Lesson plans Walkthroughs and evaluations: feedback on standards-aligned instruction Data reports: Unit assessment data, walkthrough data

Effective Instruction Clear learning objective aligned to the curriculum Engaging and aligned instructional strategies Engaging and rigorous standards-aligned student work Quality and timely checks for understanding Adjustment based on student understanding Effective assessment of the learning objective to inform next lesson

Effective PLCs A Staff members meet on a regular basis to discuss their work, work together to problem solve, reflect on their jobs, and take responsibility for what students learn. B Instructional leaders create time for teacher collaboration through scheduling and programming, and guide that collaboration.

Effective PLCs 1. Provide time to allow on-going collaboration. 2. Create agendas that focus on the “right work.” 3. Monitor progress by regularly attending meetings and providing feedback on their work. PLC agenda examples

Activities to Promote Understanding of the CCSS Review the 10 ELA anchor standards for a grade band Examine the K-12 development of a single anchor standard Review the Appendices Appendix B: Text Exemplars and Student Perf. Tasks Appendix C: Samples of Student Writing Analyze the Model Curriculum and Unit Assessments Study the CCSS math practices

Resources to Support Implementation of the CCSS Tri-State Quality Review Rubric www.engageny.org PARCC www.PARCConline.org CCSS www.achievethecore.org NJDOE Resources Model Curricula for K-12 Mathematics and ELA Unit Assessments Scaffolds for ELL and Special Education Model lessons, units, videos, materials and resources Assessment bank

NJDOE Professional Development on the CCSS Intensive training for Regional Achievement Centers (Priority and Focus Schools) Principals’ Instructional Leadership Series State-wide presentations for administrators, teachers, parents and school board members Creation of a state-wide network to support implementation of the CCSS in all districts. Common Core Implementation Team in each district Partnerships with each professional organization

Resources to Support Understanding and Mastery of the CCSS National Parent Teacher Association (PTA)- a grade-by-grade Parent Guide to students’ success on the CCSS (Available in English and Spanish) http://pta.org/parents/content.cfm?ItemNumber=2583 Council of the Great City Schools- Parent Roadmaps to the Common Core Standards (ELA and Math). Provides guidance to parents about what their children will be learning and how they can support that learning in grades K-8. http://cgcs.schoolwires.net/domain/36

Resources to Support Understanding and Mastery of the CCSS CCSSO’s Assessing the Common Core and Students with Disabilities - a PowerPoint on steps to take to ensure that students with disabilities benefit from the Common Core Standards http://ccsso.confex.com/ccsso/2010/webprogram/Presentatio n/Session1959/Assessing%20the%20Common%20Core%20a nd%20Students%20with%20Disabilities.pdf Common Core State Standards- document that discusses the application of the CCSS to students with disabilities http://www.corestandards.org/assets/application-to-students- with-disabilities.pdf

Obstacles and Opportunities Culture Capacity Coherence Courage

Shouldn’t all kids have this experience? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyDXdHVw-yM

This is our moment. What will you do?

Reflections and Questions Discuss an “aha” moment with a partner. How will you use what you learned to improve your school or district? What are you wondering?