Northern Humboldt Union High School DistrictOctober 14, 2013

Common Core Activity

Common Core Standard Video

http://vimeo.com/51933492

Susan Pimentel, Co-Lead Author of Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts

Matt Copeland, Kris Shaw, and Jackie Lakin, Kansas Department of Education

Whitney Whealdon, Louisiana Department of Education

Adapted from: The Common Core State Standards:

Supporting Districts and Teachers with Text Complexity

If you remember one thing from this PPT.

Text Complexity DOES NOT mean a textbook.

In fact, there are limited CCSS and NGSS aligned textbooks available at this time.

But vendors are dying to sell us Common Core curricular materials.

The Crisis of Text Complexity Complexity of texts students are expected to read is

below what is required to achieve college and career readiness: High school textbooks have declined in all subject areas

over several decades Average length of sentences in K-8 textbooks has declined

from 20 to 14 words Vocabulary demands have declined, e.g., 8th grade

textbooks = former 5th grade texts; 12th grade anthologies = former 7th grade texts

Complexity of college and careers texts has remained steady or increased, resulting in a huge gap (350L = 350 Lexile points)

What is a Lexile????

It’s a unit of measure of reading complexity.

A Lexile measure is defined as "the numeric representation of an individual’s reading ability or a text’s readability (or difficulty), followed by an “L” (Lexile).”

Lexile Scale by Grade Range

Band Level Text Difficulty Ranges of Current School Texts and Readings 

Gr. 2-3 420-820

   

Gr. 4-5 740-1010

   

Gr. 6-8 925-1185

   

Gr. 9-10 1050-1335

   

Gr. 11-Career, College Ready 1185-1385

Lexile Framework® for Reading Study Summary of Text Lexile Measures

600

800

1000

1400

1600

1200

Text

Lex

ile M

easu

re (L

)

HighSchool

Literature

CollegeLiterature

HighSchool

Textbooks

CollegeTextbooks

Military PersonalUse

Entry-LevelOccupations

SAT 1,ACT,AP*

* Source of National Test Data: MetaMetrics

Interquartile Ranges Shown (25% - 75%)

OUR MISSION

Should we worry about this gap?

<50% of HS graduates can read sufficiently complex texts

So why does that matter?

According to the ACT study (and subsequent follow-up studies) students who reached the benchmark score (21 out of 36 or better) in the reading section of the ACT test had:

a 75% chance of earning a C or better in an introductory U.S. history or psychology course (two common reading-intensive courses taken by first-year college students) and,

a 50% chance of earning a B or better in such a course.

Why does this matter?

The complexity of what students can read is greatest predictor of success in college (ACT study)

A challenge for us as teachers

High School vs. College Teaching Practices

High School: teachers scaffold and support students. Teachers typically assess what has been taught—not just

assigned to read.

College and University: students read complex texts with substantially greater independence (i.e., much less scaffolding) than in typical K–12 classes. College instructors assign readings, not necessarily explicated in

class, for which students might be held accountable

But what do we need to do in our classes?

According to the ACT study the clearest differentiator between success and failure in college was students’ ability to answer questions associated with complex texts.

Two surprises: pedagogy focused only on “higher-order” or “critical”

thinking was insufficient to ensure that students were ready for college and careers

Question level (higher order vs. lower order; literal vs. inferential) is NOT the chief differentiator either

If you remember a 2nd thing from this PPT!

“What students could read, in terms of its complexity, was at least as important as what they could do with what they read.”

From the CCSS Appendix A

But what do we need to do in our classes?

Have your kids read complex texts. Often.

Measures of Text Complexity

Quantitative measures: Word difficulty (frequency, length) Sentence length and syntax Some newer measures also measure text cohesion

and other features of vocabulary

Qualitative measures: Purpose Language conventionality and clarity Text structures Knowledge demands

Quantitative Measures Resources

Lexile Analyzer:www.lexile.com/findabook/

AR BookFinder:www.arbookfind.com

Lexile????

How do we measure reading Lexile levels?Go to: www.lexile.com

FYI: There are six valid measuring tools--but we’re focusing on Lexile.com

What can’t the six measuring tools accurately measure? No measure can yet rate drama and poetry.

Activity: Sorting Texts by Reading Level

Please glance at the four texts on your table:

That’s One Impressive Moth-er Faker

Are marijuana gardens destroying history?

David Freese adds to postseason heroics as Cardinals top Pirates in Game 5

U.S. Fringe Festival

Please sort them from highest to lowest Lexile level.

Title and Source Lexile Measure Word Count

U.S. Fringe FestivalNY Times, October 8, 2013

1500 L 876

Europe and England in the Sixteenth CenturyTextbook

1380L N/A

Are marijuana gardens destroying history?Times-Standard, October 10, 2013

1290 L 817

David Freese adds to postseason heroics as Cardinals top Pirates in Game 5Sports Illustrated, October 9, 2013

1190 L 686

Grapes of Wrath, Ch. 19 excerpt 1130 L 940

That’s One Impressive Moth-er FakerSlate, October 9, 2013

1060 L 627

Text Complexity Model

Text complexity is defined by:

Qual

itativ

e2. Qualitative measures – levels of meaning, structure, language conventionality and clarity, and knowledge demands often best measured by an attentive human reader.

Quantitative

1. Quantitative measures – readability and other scores of text complexity often best measured by computer software.

Reader and Task3. Reader and Task considerations –

background knowledge of reader, motivation, interests, and complexity generated by tasks assigned often best made by educators employing their professional judgment.

Implications for Educators

General Rule: For decisions about whether to place a text at the

upper, lower, or middle of a band, use qualitative analysis. i.e. www.lexile.com

For drama and poetry, use qualitative measures.

Video: “I Choose C”

Reading Anchor Standards Activity

1. What you are already doing. 2. What you could integrate.

! 3. What surprises you?

? 4. What standards might you need help with?

COMMON CORE SPENDING PLAN

Professional Development - $60,400

CCSS funds will be used to support the professional development for teachers, administrators, and other paraprofessional educators involved in the direct instruction of pupils that is aligned to the academic content standards.

Funds will be allocated to each respective school site based on 2013 Student Population data as reported in the district CBED report. A per student amount will be determined and allocated to sites accordingly. Sites are encouraged to formalize request for professional development activities by using School Site Council as method for review and approval. All activities must be directly related to implementation of CCSS and will encompass activities for both 2013-14 and 2014-15 school years.

Instructional Materials- $120,800

Funds may be used to purchase instructional materials aligned to the academic content standards, including but not limited to, supplemental instructional materials. All activities must be directly related to implementation of CCSS and will encompass activities for both 2013-14 and 2014-15 school years. Will also support integration of CTE and anchor standards via appropriate CTE curriculum and materials. Funds will be allocated to each respective school site based on 2013 Student Population data as reported in the district CBED report.

Technology, Equipment, and Infrastructure - $120,800

Funds may be used for the integration of the CCSS academic content standards through technology-based instruction for purposes of improving the academic performance of pupils, including but not necessarily limited to, expenditures necessary to support the administration of computer-based assessments and provide high-speed high-band with internet connectivity for the purpose of administration of computer-based assessments.

Year 1(2013-14): $42,000Purchase total of four computer labs with 35 computers in each. Two of the labs will be for permanent use at Arcata High and McKinleyville High School respectively. The other two labs will be housed in the library and available as portable check-out.

 Year 2 (2014-15): $78,800Based on effectiveness of devices purchased in Year 1, additional devices will be purchased for full implementation of instructional and testing support.