Parent Resources for Middle School
General Information about the Common Core
http://achievethecore.org/common-core-intro-for-parents
http://www.corestandards.org/
http://www.engageny.org/parent-and-family-resources
Common Core ELA Information
http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/
http://www.cgcs.org/Page/328
http://www.commoncoreworks.org/Page/330
Common Core Math Information
http://www.cgcs.org/site/Default.aspx?PageID=244
http://www.commoncoreconversation.com/mathresources.html#sthash.c0jREI7y.dpbs
http://www.commoncoreworks.org/Page/366
The Common Core State
Standards at Middle School
Preparation for College and
Career Readiness
March 31, 2014
Michelle Feyerabend – JC Director of Academic Coaching
EngageNY.org
What are the Common Core Standards?
• http://vimeo.com/51933492
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Tonight’s Objectives
• Provide families with an understanding of what
college and career readiness is and why it
matters.
• Introduce the Common Core standards and
provide an understanding of what to look for and
how to help children at home.
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What is college readiness?
Discussion:




What does college-readiness look like?
When is a student is ready for college?
What do children need to learn to be ready
for college?
How can parents help?
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College Readiness
• College readiness means that
graduates have the skills they need to
do well in college.
• “College” doesn’t just mean a four-year degree. It
can mean any program that leads to a degree or
certificate.
• Being “ready” means that students graduate from
high schools with key skills in English and
mathematics.
EngageNY.org
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Career Readiness
• Career readiness means that high
school graduates are qualified for and
able to do well in long-term careers.
• “Career” doesn’t just mean a job. It means a
profession that lets graduates succeed at a job
they enjoy and earn a competitive wage.
EngageNY.org
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Why does this matter? Because it’s
what our students need
For every 100 ninth graders…
65 graduate from high school
37 enter college
24 are still enrolled in sophomore year
12 graduate with a degree in six years
… and only 6 get a good job after
graduation
EngageNY.org
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What has changed?
•
•
•
•
•
ELA Regents Exam – 11th Grade
Algebra Regents Exam – 9th Grade
Geometry Regents Exam – 10th grade (2015)
Algebra 2 Exam – 11th grade (2016)
GED – now TASC (Test Assessing Secondary
Completion)
• CDOS – (Career Development and Occupational Studies
(CDOS) Commencement Credential) for students with
an Individualized Educational Program (IEP)
• 3rd – 8th grade Mathematics and ELA Assessments
EngageNY.org
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The new standards will…
• Prepare students to succeed in college and the
workforce
• Ensure that every child—regardless of race,
ethnicity or zip code—is held to the same high
standards and learns the same material
• Provide educators with a clear, focused
roadmap for what to teach and when
EngageNY.org
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What are the Common Core Standards?
• A single set of clear standards for English
language arts and mathematics
• A tool to help students and parents set clear
and realistic goals for success
• A first step in providing young people with
the high-quality education that will prepare
them for success in college and careers
EngageNY.org
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What’s different in the new standards?
English Language Arts/Literacy:
•
•
•
Focus on non-fiction, careful reading
Discuss reading and write using evidence
Increase academic vocabulary
Mathematics
• Learn more about fewer concepts
• Focus on skill building, speed and accuracy
• Use of real world examples to better
understand concepts
EngageNY.org
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ELA Test Question – Pre-Common Core
Multiple Choice
As the narrator looks at the magazine photograph, he experiences
feelings of
1)
2)
3)
4)
admiration
contentment
discomfort
Impatience
The purpose of the narrator’s use of the word “trees” in lines 14
through 17 is to
1)
2)
3)
4)
describe the beautiful environment
emphasize the variety of climbing jobs
reinforce the benefits of the outdoors
explain the close working partnerships
EngageNY.org
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ELA Test Question – Post Common Core
Multiple Choice
Based on events in the text, which quotation best reveals the irony of the statement
that Mr. Pontellier’s wife “was the sole object of his existence” (lines 11 and 12)
1)
2)
3)
4)
“From his trousers pockets he took a fistful of crumpled bank notes” (lines 6
and 7)
“Then he lit a cigar and went and sat near the open door to smoke it” (lines 22
and 23)
“He assured her the child was consuming at that moment in the next room”
(lines 27 and 28)
“He was eager to be gone, as he looked forward to a lively week in Carondelet
Street (lines 78 and 79)
The narrator’s use of the phrase “zealous pilgrimage” (line 6) emphasizes
1) an emotional attachment
2) a fatiguing journey
3) a religious conversion
4) an unpleasant memory
EngageNY.org
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ELA Test Question – Pre Common Core Writing
In both the Demosthenes biography and the Icarus and Daedalus
myth the main characters are given advice from other people. Do
you respond to advice from other people more like Demosthenes or
more like Icarus? Write an essay in which you explain who you are
more like when it comes to taking advice and why. Use details
from both articles to support your answer.
In your response, be sure to do the following:
•
•
•
tell whether you are more like Demosthenes or Icarus
explain why you are respond to advice similar to Demosthenes
or Icarus
use details from both passages in your response
EngageNY.org
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ELA Test Question – Post Common Core
In both the Demosthenes biography and the Icarus and Daedalus
myth the main characters exhibit determination in pursuit of their
goals. Did determination help both main characters reach their
goals, or did it lead them to tragedy? Write an argument for
whether you believe determination helped or hurt the two main
characters. In your response, be sure to do the following:
• describe how determination affected the outcome in
Demosthenes
• describe how determination affected the outcome in Icarus and
Daedalus
• explain the similarities or differences that exist in the ways
determination played into the outcome of both texts
• use details from both passages in your response
EngageNY.org
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Math Test Question: Pre-Common Core
7.G04
Determine the surface area of
prisms and cylinders, using a
calculator and a variety of
methods.
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Math Test Question: Post
Common Core
Katy is painting the walls of her bedroom. She will
not paint the ceiling, the floor or the door. Katy’s
door is 3 feet x 8 feet. If one quart of paint covers
100 square feet, how many quarts of paint will
Katy need to purchase?
Katy’s room is 10 feet tall x 8 feet long x 12 feet
wide.
EngageNY.org
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Math Test Question – PreCommon Core
• In a department store, a pair of pants that
regularly sell for $42 is marked, "Save 15%."
What is the sale price of the pants? Show your
work.
EngageNY.org
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Math Test Question: Post
Common Core
Julia’s service charge at a beauty salon was $72.60, before tax. The
sales tax rate was 8%. If she added 20% of the amount before tax as a
tip, how much did she pay for the service at the salon?
A $87.12
B $92.93
C $100.60
D $145.20
Measured CCLS: 7.RP.3
EngageNY.org
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So, what can families really do to help?
EngageNY.org
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Family support can help students
succeed
• By staying involved, informed and engaged,
parents can help students be successful
• There are many ways to help:





Ensure your child has good attendance
Review and discuss their homework
Communicate with their teachers
Attend public meetings to learn more
Learn about the standards and how they affect your
child’s education and school
EngageNY.org
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After school routines
• Grab a partner and discuss your after-school
routines. Be specific!
• Ask each other questions:




How do you help your child with homework? How
closely do you review it?
How closely do you review their schoolwork?
How do you address strengths and areas of concerns
with your child’s teachers?
How do you balance busy schedules with
schoolwork?
EngageNY.org
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Backpacks: What you should see
Books that
are both
fiction and
non-fiction
Real-world examples
that makes what
they’re learning in
English and math
make more sense
Writing assignments
that require students
to use evidence
instead of opinion
Math homework
that asks students
to write out how
they got their
answer
Math homework
that ask students
to use different
methods to solve
the same problem
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What works best?
EngageNY.org
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A Closer Look: ELA/Literacy Shifts
•
•
•
•
•
•
Read as much non-fiction as
fiction
Learn about the world by
reading
Read more challenging
material closely
Discuss reading using
evidence
Write non-fiction using
evidence
Increase academic
vocabulary
EngageNY.org
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A Closer Look: Mathematics Shifts
•
Focus: learn more about
less
•
Build skills across grades
•
Develop speed and
accuracy
•
Really know it, Really do it
•
Use it in the real world
•
Think fast AND solve
problems
EngageNY.org
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Resources for parents
EngageNY.org
EngageNY
EngageNY.org
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Additional resources
• www.achievethecore.org
• www.pta.org/4446.htm
• http://www.cgcs.org/Domain/36
• http://parcconline.org/parcc-content-frameworks
Closing discussion
• What other information would be helpful to you?
• What other questions do you have?
EngageNY.org
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