1. English Language Arts Course of Study Overview 6-12
January 26, 2012

2. Outcomes for the Day Participants will gain an awareness of:
Appendix B: Text Exemplars
Appendix C: Samples of Student Writing
Implications for Special Education
This is what we hope to provide during this session--
That you will gain an awareness of: (read slide bullets)

3. Preparation for January 26 Webinar
Become familiar with the documents that are referenced in
Appendix B (p.100) Text Exemplars and Sample Performance Tasks
Appendix C (p. 101) Samples of Student Writing
Links to both documents are included on pages 100 and 101.
In the January 24 Webinar we ended by asking you to take a look at Appendices B and C.
The Appendix B document–Text Exemplars--will be helpful in identifying appropriate grade level reading materials that are essential to the increased rigor of the new standards.
The Appendix C document--Student Writing Samples--will give teachers and students high quality examples to help assess grade level writing proficiency across genres.
These are large documents but they will be extremely valuable to teachers who are committed to helping students reach proficiency in the new, more rigorous standards. You may want to print only portions of the documents that apply to your grade clusters (6-8 or 9-12).

4. Appendices Appendix A:
Research Supporting Key Elements of the Standards
Appendix B:
Text Exemplars and Sample Performance Tasks
Appendix C:
Samples of Student Writing
Appendix D:
Literacy Standards for Grades 6-12: History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects
Appendix E:
Alabama High School Graduation Requirements
Appendix F:
Guidelines and Suggestions for Local Time Requirements and Homework
These are the appendices that are available. Today we will concentrate on Appendix B and Appendix C. Remember these are available electronically. The links are found in your ELA COS on pages

5. Appendix B www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_B.pdf
Explain that text complexity is one of the foundational concepts in the new CCR standards.
The ability to read complex narrative and informational texts begins at the very earliest elementary grades and systematically develops over time with carefully selected texts that are matched to the students’ reading skills.
Appendix B (Common Core State Standards Document) will be a very helpful document to supplement the ELA COS.
You are probably very familiar with Appendix B in the 2007 COS that addresses local reading list development and provides a list of sample authors and titles.
Appendix B in the 2010 COS provides exemplars of selections guided by the following criteria: complexity, quality, and range.
They are suggestive of the breadth of texts that students should encounter in the text types required by the Standards. The choices should serve as useful guideposts in helping educators select texts of similar complexity, quality, and range for their own classrooms. They do not represent a partial or complete reading list.

6. Measuring Text Complexity
Levels of meaning
Structure
Language conventionality and clarity
Knowledge demands
Readability measures
Other scores of complexity
Qualitative
Quantitative
The triangle represents the 3 main considerations for determining the difficulty level of student text. (Found on page 31 in the CCSS document)
(Click for 3 text boxes)
1.Qualitative –
Levels of meaning such as literal, figurative, satirical, allegorical
Structure: simple such as a narrative text that is told in chronological order as opposed to a more complex text that makes frequent use of such techniques as flashbacks, flash forwards, and other manipulations of time and sequence.
Language conventionality and clarity: Texts that rely on literal, clear, conversational, and contemporary language tend to be easier to read than texts that rely on figurative, ironic, ambiguous, purposefully misleading, archaic or otherwise unfamiliar language.
Knowledge demands: Texts that make few assumptions about the extent of readers’ life experiences and the depth of their cultural/literary and content/discipline knowledge are generally less complex than are texts that make many assumptions in one or more of those areas.
Quantitative –
Readability measures such as Flesch-Kincaid, Dale-Chall Readability Formula, Accelerated Readers’ ATOS, Lexiles
Other scores of text complexity such as text cohesiveness (example: Coh-Metrix accounts for factors in addition to those measured by readability formulas. Coh-Metirx focuses on the cohesiveness of a text – basically, how tightly the text holds together.)
3.Matching reader to text and task
Reader variable (such as motivation, knowledge, and experiences)
Task variable (such as purpose and complexity generated by the task assigned and the questions posed)
Note: More detailed information on text complexity and how it is measured is contained in Appendix A Common Core State Standards.
Reader and Text
Reader variables such as motivation, knowledge, and experience
Task variables such as purpose and the complexity generated by the task assigned and the questions posed

7. Range of Text Types for 6-12
Literature
Stories
Drama
Poetry
Adventure stories, historical fiction, mysteries, myths, science fiction, realistic fiction, allegories, parodies, satire, graphic novels
One-act and multi-act plays both in written form and on film
Narrative poems, lyrical poems, free verse poems, sonnets, odes, ballads, epics
Texts selected from a broad range of cultures and periods include stories, drama, poetry, and literary nonfiction (next slide).
(Share examples from the slide)

8. Range of Text Types for 6-12
Informational Text
Literary Nonfiction
Exposition, argument, and functional text in the form of personal essays, speeches, opinion pieces, essays about art or literature, biographies, memoirs, journalism, and historical, scientific, technical, or economic accounts
Texts selected from a broad range of cultures and periods include personal essays, biographies and other literary nonfiction.
(Share examples from the slide)

9. Appendix C www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_C.pdf
The increased rigor of the new ELA standards is dependent on clearly defined expectations for student reading and writing at each grade level. With examples like those in appendix C, teachers, students, and parents can know exactly what grade-level proficiency looks like.
Having access to the two Appendices – B for text samples and C for writing samples – will be necessary for teachers to effectively implement the new standards for reading and for writing.
They can be helpful as LEAs develop local curriculum alignment documents including pacing guides, lesson plans, and formative assessments.

10. Moving Writing Expectations to Earlier Grades Allows for Higher Expectations in Grades 6-12.
Appendix C has numerous examples of real writing that meets expectations such as these:
Grade 8, 20.a. Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
Grade 12, 20.b. Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.
Most writing modes are introduced at earlier grades in the 2010 standards and requirements in those modes are more specific and demanding. We realize that you have students who meet the new standards. The difference is the expectation that all students meet these standards in earlier grades. Let’s look at a couple of standards in the Writing strand.
(Read the two selected standards, along with the designated grade level.)
These standards provide more specificity than 2007 writing standards. Actual writing samples from the required grade level are provided in Appendix C. These samples meet the expectation. Few are perfect, but they meet the requirements. Examples also include writing done in technical subjects such as Career Tech courses.

11. Implications for Special Education
Promoting a culture of high expectations for all students is a fundamental goal of the Common Core State Standards.
In order to participate with success in the general curriculum, students with disabilities, as appropriate, may be provided additional supports and services.
Promoting a culture of high expectations for all students is a fundamental goal of the Common Core State Standards and therefore for Alabama’s 2010 COS.
In order to participate with success in the general curriculum, students with disabilities, as appropriate, may be provided additional supports and services.

12. Implications for Special Education
Supports and Services for Students with
Disabilities:
Instructional supports for learning
Instructional accommodations
Assistive technology devices and services
Curriculum Guides to the Alabama Courses of Study
Some of those support services are:
Instructional supports for learning that 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 2010 English Language Arts Course of Study.
Assistive technology devices and services to ensure access to the general education curriculum and the 2010 English Language Arts Course of Study
As in the past, Special Education Services, Alabama Department of Education will develop curriculum guides for the 2010 English Language Arts Course of Study. The curriculum guides provide a listing of prerequisite skills for the standards and offer scaffolding advice to teachers who teach students with disabilities.

13. http://alex.state.al.us/ccrs The Navigation links connect you to
I want to remind you of the College- and Career-Ready Website that provides links to the Standards, professional development resources and materials, FAQ’s, a calendar of events, contact information, and other information that is related to curriculum. It is currently in the process of being updated.(CLICK) It is not necessary to have a Username and Password to view or download files from this site.
The Navigation links connect you to
many different informational options.

14. Contact Information: Pam Higgins at or Steve McAliley at See you this summer!