Introduction to the California Common Core State
Standards, Next Generation Science Smarter
Balanced Assessments
Lang Ranch Elementary School
Conejo Valley Unified School District
“Students need to shift toward ‘sense-making’ rather than answer-getting. So what
about the rest of us? This is not an event, but a journey.”
Deb Sigman, Deputy Superintendent, CA Department of Education
21st Century Skills: Rigor and Relevance
+ Career & College Readiness
= enhanced Instructional Practices
 Reading, Writing (Literacy) & Math
 Critical Thinking
 Communication
 Creative Thinking
 Collaboration/Problem Solving
 Demonstration of Depth of
Knowledge and Ability to Apply to
New Situations
CVUSD Implementation Timeline for The
New Standards and Assessments
In all content areas, first come the standards, then come the frameworks,
followed by new instructional materials and assessments:
 Awareness Phase 2012-2014
•
First among district staff / leadership and second among students and parent
community
 Transition Phase 2013-2015
 Implementation Phase 2015-2017
 Continuous Improvement Phase 2016 - ongoing
CCSS Overarching Goals
Ensure that our students are:
 Meeting college and work expectations
 Provided with a vision of what it means to be a literate person in the 21st
Century
 Prepared to succeed in our global economy and society, and
 Provided with rigorous content and applications of higher knowledge
through higher order thinking skills.
Now 46 States, Washington DC and one
U.S. Territory* have adopted the
Common Core State Standards
* U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa Islands, Northern Mariana Islands are not shown above;
** Minnesota adopted the CCSS in ELA only having already implemented new math standards in prior year.
What the Standards DO NOT define:

Curriculum or teaching methods

All that can or should be taught

The nature of advanced work beyond the core

The interventions needed for students well below grade level

The full range of support for English language learners and students with
special needs

Everything needed to be college and career ready
CCSS  Diving Deeper
across Content Disciplines
 Critical Analysis/Use of Evidence
 Increased Student Collaboration
 Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
 Increased Use of Multimedia and Technology
 Work in reading and writing (as well as speaking and listening) centers on the text
 Developing students’ prowess at drawing knowledge from the text itself is the
point of teaching
CCSS foster Best Practices* for Instruction
and Differentiated Learning
Driving Questions: Who’s doing the talking & who’s doing the thinking?
 Direct Instruction
 The Socratic Method & Paideia Seminars
 The Inquiry Model or Problem-based Learning (PBL)
 Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
* For clear definitions of each method, please see appendix.
The CCSS Requires Three Shifts
in English Language Arts and Literacy
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
Mindset for ELA CCSS
Shift to:
In order to:
Information/Literacy Balance
Greater emphasis on informational text
Knowledge in Disciplines
Emphasis on language literacy outside of
English classrooms
Complexity Staircase
Time for close and careful reading and
scaffolding for those with reading levels
below grade level
Text-based Answers
Students make evidentiary arguments in
both conversation and writing
Writing from Sources
Writing that emphasizes the use of ideas,
events, facts and arguments
Academic Vocabulary
Building vocabulary by focusing on pivotal
and commonly found words
Will there be a true shift from
Fiction to Non-Fiction/
Informational Text
Fiction
Non-fiction
Elementary*:
50%
50%
Middle Grades*:
45%
55%
High School*:
30%
70%
* Mimics current percentages for the school day across content areas
CCR Anchor Standard Reading 3:
RL.CCR.3
=
Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the
course of a text.
Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story
RL.11-12.3
or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters/archetypes are
Grade 11-12 students:
introduced and developed).
+
RL.9-10.3
Grade 9-10 students:
Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the
+
course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
RL.8.3
Grade 8 students:
Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal
aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.
RL.7.3
Grade 7 students:
Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the characters
+
or plot).
RL.6.3
Grade 6 students:
Describe how a particular story’s or drama’s plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the
characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.
+
RL.5.3
Grade 5 students:
Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama,
drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).
+
RL.4.3
Grade 4 students:
Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific
details in the text (e.g., a character’s thoughts, words, or actions).
+
RL.3.3
Grade 3 students:
Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how
their actions contribute to the sequence of events.
+
RL.2.3
Grade 2 students:
Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.
+
RL.1.3
Grade 1 students:
Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.
+
RL.K.3
Kindergarten
students:
With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.
+
+
Mindset for Math CCSS
Shift to:
In order to:
Focus
Focus on strong foundational knowledge and deep
conceptual understanding
Coherence
Each standard is connected to previous learning
Fluency
Expectation of speed and accuracy with simple calculations
Deep Understanding
Access concepts by being able to apply them to new
situations
Application
Opportunities to apply math in “real world” situations at all
grade levels
Dual Intensity
Both practice and understanding are emphasized
Standards for Mathematical Practice
1.
Make sense of complex problems and persevere in solving them.
2.
Reason abstractly and quantitatively
3.
Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
4.
Model with mathematics.
5.
Use appropriate tools strategically.
6.
Attend to precision
7.
8.
Look for and make use of structure
Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.
College and Career Readiness Standards for Mathematics
Thinking & Literacy through
Primary and Secondary Resources
 Science and Social Science: Thinking Like a Historian… Investigating Like a
Scientist…
 Supporting Literacy in the Common Core:
The Goal of 21st Century Literacy Learning:
Students applying questions to develop and
demonstrate new learning.
 Using visual images for students to comprehend science/social science
concepts—require students to find evidence in the image using primary
and secondary sources
 Allow students to demonstrate their knowledge using visual
representations
 Inspiring new levels of inquiry and investigations
CCSS Student Performance Tasks
 Measure complex assessment targets
 Demonstrate ability to think and reason
 Higher-order skills
 Produce fully developed writing or speeches
 Provide evidence of college and career readiness
Sample Performance Tasks
8th grade or higher:
Were the achievements and growth of the Industrial Revolution Era worth the
cost to society? After reading secondary and primary sources pertaining to the
British Industrial Revolution, write an argumentation essay that addresses the
question and support your position with evidence from the texts. Be sure to
acknowledge competing views.
4th grade or higher:
Should animals be kept in zoos? After reading the information texts provided,
write an essay that addresses the question and support your position
with evidence from the texts. Be sure to acknowledge competing views.
Literacy in Science…
Hurricane Galveston
Of all the catastrophic natural disasters
that the United States has faced,
Hurricane Galveston holds the highest
death toll in American history thus far.
The hurricane struck the town of
Galveston like a hammer in the early
morning hours of September 8th, 1900.
Without a seawall to protect the town
fifteen foot waves crashed ashore
unchecked. Along with the 135 miles per
hour winds the entire town was
decimated by the afternoon and an
estimated eight thousand lives were lost.
Sample for Grades 4-11
Literacy in History…
DULCE ET DECORUM EST(1)
Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares(2) we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest(3) began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots(4)
Of tired, outstripped(5) Five-Nines(6) that dropped behind.
Gas!(7) Gas! Quick, boys! – An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets(8) just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling,
And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime(9) . . .
Dim, through the misty panes(10) and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering,(11) choking, drowning.
If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud(12)
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest(13)
To children ardent(14) for some desperate glory,
The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est
Pro patria mori.(15)
Wilfred Owen 1917
Sample for grades 10-12
In Math…
Sample for 3rd Grade
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
 The NGSS are based on the idea that K-12 science education should reflect
real-world interconnections in science.
 STEM teacher preparation programs are already training teacher-candidates
using NGSS standards and methods.
 Implementation likely to occur in 2016-2017 in California
http://vimeo.com/64246763
 Copy link into you browser for viewing as Vimeo.com does not permit this to be embedded.
Key Dimensions of the K-12 NGSS
 Scientific and Engineering STEM Practices*:
•
from asking questions to planning and carrying out investigations, building
models, providing evidence-based argumentation, using computational
thinking, and communicating thinking.
 Four (4) Disciplinary Core Ideas Higher-order skills:
•
Life Science, Earth and Space Science, Physical Science (chemistry & physics),
Engineering* (technology and the application of science) Seven (7)
Crosscutting Concepts
 Seven (7) Crosscutting Concepts:
•
Includes patterns, scale, cause & effect, energy & matter to structure and
function
 NGSS and the CCSS in Math and English/Language Arts are closely
aligned.*
 Student Performance Expectations (PEs) represent the product which
defines what students should know and be able to do.
* Key shifts
Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium
25 member states educating over 19 million public K–
12 students
What about a shift in testing?
 From paper and pencil  Technology Integration with expedited results
•
•
•
Computer-based
Computer-enhanced
Computer adaptive *
 The College Entrance SAT and Advanced Placement exams are already
shifting to the CCSS formats and SBAC assessment models.
 Rigor and Depth of Knowledge
* Similar to K-8 SuccessMaker, ACT, and numerous post baccalaureate & professional
exams including: GRE, LSAT, MCAT, GMAT, CAST (CPA), ASVAB, NCLEX, & USMSLE
Webb's
Depth of
Knowledge
What’s the Difference, Anyway?
Depth of
Knowledge
Level
Approximate % of CST
or Other Typical
Standardized Testing, K-12
Approximate % of
SMARTER Balanced
Assessment
Level 1
55-60%
15-20%
Level 2
25%
40%
Level 3
15-20%
30%
Level 4
0%
10-15%
Math then…
(Gr. 5)
Math Now…
(Gr. 5)
Webb's
Depth of
Knowledge
Math Now…
(Gr. 5)
Math Now…
(Gr. 3)
Webb's
Depth of
Knowledge
Math Now…
(Gr. 3)
Math Now…
(Gr. 3)
Webb's
Depth of
Knowledge
Math Now…
(Gr. 3)
Math Now…
(Gr. 4)
Webb's
Depth of
Knowledge
Math Now…
(Gr. 4)
Math Now…
(Gr. 5)
Webb's
Depth of
Knowledge
Math Now…
(Gr. 5)
More about the shift in testing
From multiple choice and essay* primarily focusing on recall level questions to:
Selective Response

•
Selected response assessment items include options such as multiple choice, matching,
and true/false questions.
Constructed Response

•
With constructed response assessments the answer is not visible -- the student must recall
or construct it. Constructed response assessments are conducive to higher level thinking
skills.
Performance Tasks

•
Performance tasks challenge students to apply their knowledge and skills to respond to
real-world problems.
(*grades 4, 7, and 11)
Visit smarterbalanced.org for examples of each by grade level and content areas
Smarter Balanced Assessment System:
The Relationship of CCSS to Teaching,
Learning and Assessment
 CCSESA 2013
Smarter Balanced 2014 Field Test
 Each participating student (95%) will take both the ELA and math field test.
The remaining 5% will take one or the other (ELA or Math) and constitute a
strategic scientific sample.
 All CVUSD participants in grades 3-8 and 11 will take on performance task in
ELA or Math
 Total test time will be approximately 3.5 hours long.
 No paper-and-pencil version will be available.
 No student, school, or district score reports will be produced.
 Results will not be factored into any state or federal accountability
calculations.
Appendices
 CC Instructional Best Practices Defined
 Performance Tasks Defined
 Recommended Websites
Best Practices for Instruction and
Differentiated Learning
 Direct Instruction is an essential skills-oriented approach, and the instructional practices it
implies are teacher-directed.
 The Socratic style is probably the oldest method of teaching, and it aims at fostering
critical thinking among students. Students are trained to inquire, probe, and seek more
questions in the answers they receive. Paideia seminars – a refinement of the Socratic
seminar – requires students to focus on evidence, speaking and listening as core skills, and
the need for students to engage texts actively and independently.
 The Inquiry Model, or Problem-based Learning (PBL), starts with a big idea or overarching
concept. It is guided by a teacher, but learning is mediated, student – centered with
questions generated by the students themselves of the teacher and each other,
engaging students by investigating real world questions that they choose within a broad
thematic framework.
 Universal Design for Learning (UDL) makes instruction and assessment accessible for all
learners utilizing multiple means of presentation and allows the learner to work and
respond in a format that meets their needs for learning and expression.
Performance Tasks defined:
 Performance tasks challenge students to apply their knowledge and skills to
respond to real-world problems. They can best be described as collections
of questions and activities that are coherently connected to a single theme
or scenario. These activities are meant to measure capacities such as
depth of understanding, research skills, and complex analysis, which
cannot be adequately assessed with selected- or constructed-response
items.
 Performance tasks in reading, writing, and mathematics will be part of the
Smarter Balanced summative, year-end assessment. Performance tasks
can also be administered as part of the optional interim assessments
throughout the year. The performance tasks will be delivered by computer
(but will not be computer adaptive) and will take one to two class periods
to complete.
Recommended Websites:
 http://www.cde.ca.gov/re/cc/
 http://www.smarterbalanced.org/
 http://www.nextgenscience.org/
 http://www.cde.ca.gov/pd/ca/sc/ngssstandards.asp
 http://www.conejousd.org/instruction/CurriculumAssessment/
CommonCoreStateStandards.aspx