February 14, 2012

 Sign in and pick up name tag  Mingle  Log in to Keystone Commons   Choose CLIU Middle Level Social Studies Networking Group  Returning members, please assist new participants in registering  Introductions

 Welcome and Overview  PDE Updates  Common Core Key Advances  Civics and Government Eligible Content  Common Core Literacy Standards  Writing Higher Level Questions  Lunch  Digging into Resources  Next Steps

 Focus on Reading  2012 – 2013 Focus on Writing

 PA Common Core Standards  Eligible Content rewritten to embrace CCSS  PA Academic Standards revised to reflect the content and rigor of the Common Core  Called “PA Common Core Standards”  SAS Portal

 PSSA  Aligned to revised Eligible Content  Grades 3 – 5  Field Test: 2013  Implement: Spring 2014  Grades 6 – 8  Field Test: 2014  Implement: Spring 2015

 Keystone Exams - December  Back in  Application to USDoE to be used for AYP  Algebra I, Literature, Composition, Biology  Anchors & EC available for Civics & Government

 Keystone Exams – Proposed Budget  Algebra I, Literature and Biology  Begin implementation  Full implementation 2017

 Districts should:  Continue with Common Core curriculum alignment  Determine Keystone Exam placement  Plan for Keystone Project Based Assessment option

 Keystone Exams: Civics and Government Anchors and Eligible Content  Discuss implications if this moves forward.

Reading Balance of literature and informational texts Text complexity Writing Emphasis on argument and informative / explanatory writing Writing about sources Speaking and Listening Inclusion of formal and informal talk Language Stress on general academic and domain-specific vocabulary

Standards 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 areas Alignment with college and career readiness expectations

 Access the ELA & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects Common Core Standards at  Review p. 61 in the Reading Standards for Literacy.  Focus on the 6-8 th grade band.

Key Points:  Why it matters:  An extensive body of research attests to the importance of text complexity in reading achievement.  While the reading demands of college, workforce, training programs, and citizenship have held steady or risen over the past fifty years or so, K-012 texts have become less demanding.  Too many students reading at too low a level.

Three Part Model for Text Complexity

 Qualitative dimensions of text complexity  Quantitative dimensions of text complexity  Reader and task Considerations

Authors: National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers Title: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects, Appendix A Publisher: National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers, Washington D.C. Copyright Date: 2010

Engaging Text for Middle School Complex, Wide Ranging Texts

 Review pp in Appendix B.  Table Talk:  What do the text exemplars reveal about the Common Core Standards?  How do the text exemplars compare to my current curriculum?  How can the text exemplars guide the use of texts in my classroom?

 DOK is NOT…  a taxonomy (Bloom’s)  the same as difficulty  about using “verbs”  Question Stems  Rest of time before lunch practice writing questions

“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.

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.”

Skills and Concepts/Basic Reasoning – Level Two  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.

Strategic Thinking/Complex Reasoning - Level Three  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.

Extended Thinking/Reasoning – Level Four  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 or constructed response assessment activities requiring significant thought will be Level 4.

 Level 1  Level 1 — Identify this utensil.  Level 2  Level 2 — Explain the function of the fork.  Level 3  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  Level 4 — Design an investigation to determine the optimal number and length of tines for a salad fork. Lois

 Level 1  Level 1 — Identify the tree.  Level 2  Level 2 — Explain the function of the leaves.  Level 3  Level 3 — Explain how a drought might affect the growth of the tree.  Level 4  Level 4 — Design an investigation of seedling growth to determine the best fertilizer for this type of tree.

 Identify patterns in events or behavior.  Conduct basic mathematical calculations.  Analyze and synthesize information from multiple sources.  Apply a concept in other contexts.

 Resources provided on handout  Your choice – really dig  Share at table  Share with whole group

 Regroup by District  Discuss:  What have we already accomplished in order to implement the Common Core Standards?  What is the first thing we need to share back at our district?  What will we recommend as our district’s next step?  What am I willing to try in my classroom in order to further implementation of the Common Core State Standards?

 Try something in your classroom, both short term and long term to share at our next session  Evaluation  Stay connected in Keystone Commons