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The Literate High School Student:The Common Core State Standards

for ELA and Literacy

Theresa Craig, Susan Wheltle, and Paul ZinniCONNECT Conference

April 13,2011

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Topics

New ELA and Literacy

Curriculum Framework

Incorporating the Common Core

State Standards

• Intent• College and

Career Readiness Standards

• Literacy as a Shared Responsibility

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Primary Intent

The New ELA/Literacy Curriculum Framework, comprised primarily of the Common Core State Standards, was written explicitly to define the knowledge and skills that students must master to be college and career ready by the end of high school.

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What is the College and Career Ready Threshold In ELA/Literacy?

• There is a set of broad, College and Career Ready Standards for each of the areas of reading, writing, speaking/listening, and language. They anchor grade-specific standards in each of those areas.

• The CCR Standards, working in tandem with the high school (9-12) standards, define the CCR threshold.

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Links between Reading and Writing

CCR Reading Standard 10:Read and comprehend complex literary and informational text independently and proficiently.

CCR Reading Standard 6:Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

CCR Writing Standard 9:Draw evidence from literary and informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

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Distinct Purposes for Writing

CCR Writing Standard 1:Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts.

CCR Reading Standard 2:Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information.

CCR Writing Standard 3:Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events.

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Shared Responsibility for Literacy

• Literacy in History/Social StudiesGrades 11-12, #6: Evaluate authors’ differing points of view on the same historical event or issue by assessing the authors’ claims, reasoning, and evidence.

• Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects Grades 11-12, #6: Analyze the author’s

purpose in providing an explanation, describing a procedure, or discussing an experiment in a text, identifying important issues that remain unresolved.

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Links Between Research and Discourse

CCR Writing Standard 8: Gather information from multiple print and

digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.

CCR Speaking and Listening Standard 4: Present information, evidence, and a line

of reasoning appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

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Looking Ahead

• Districts will make changes from 2011 to 2013 and should have curriculum and instruction fully aligned to the new frameworks by the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year

• Pending its successful development, Massachusetts will transition from MCAS to the Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC) for ELA and math in 2014-2015

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We’re Not Alone: States that have adopted the Common Core

Standards Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado,

Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota (ELA/Literacy only), Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, U.S. Virgin Islands, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

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Continuing Updates

• The 2011 ELA and Literacy Framework and presentations on the standards are available at http://www.doe.mass.edu/candi/commoncore

• Please check this site regularly for additional resources and updates on professional development.

Susan WheltleDirector of Literacy and Humanities 781-338-6239swheltle@doe.mass.edu