The Impact of the Common Core
Standards on Special Education
El Dorado County Special Education Local Plan Area
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El Dorado County SELPA
Raising Expectations
Every child deserves a high-quality education that will prepare them to compete in the global marketplace. No matter a student’s background, it is the responsibility of our schools to ensure that they are given the chance to succeed. In order to do so, we must set high expectations for all. Many states are using the Common Core State Standards as benchmarks to do just that.
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What Is the Common Core?
A set of internationally-benchmarked K-12 standards in English Language Arts and Mathematics that will provide a clear and consistent framework to prepare our students for college and the workplace.
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Why Do We Need Common Standards?
Low Levels of Rigor• Current standards feature large
amounts of knowledge and recall learning targets
• Under-developing critical thinking abilities
• Disadvantaged in college and the workplace
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El Dorado County Charter SELPA Value Statement
El Dorado County SELPA
Why Do We Need Common Standards?
Lack of Clarity• “Write for a variety of purposes.”
• “Respond to variety of literary and
informational texts”
• “Competently use money.”
Are these standards clear to teachers, students, and parents?
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El Dorado County Charter SELPA Value Statement
El Dorado County SELPA
Why Do We Need Common Standards?
Inconsistencies• Different states set different learning targets
• Different districts set different learning targets
• Different classrooms learning different topics
We must expect high achievement from all students in all classrooms.
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El Dorado County Charter SELPA Value Statement
El Dorado County SELPA
Results of Inconsistencies
• States requiring different content
• Cut scores for proficiency vary by state
• Students being taught and assessed at different levels of rigor based on location
• Students who move may be far ahead or far behind
• Large groups of students are disadvantaged in the national and global economies
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El Dorado County Charter SELPA Value Statement
El Dorado County SELPA
Why Do We Need Common Standards?
Barriers to Collaboration• Educators are not working from the same
blueprints
• Chilling effect on the sharing of best practices
• Curricular materials not applicable to all places
• This creates an insular education community where everyone is doing the same work over and over again
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El Dorado County Charter SELPA Value Statement
El Dorado County SELPA
How are Common Core Standards Better for Educators?
Increased collaboration amongst educators
Everyone working from
the same blueprint
Promote and simplify
sharing best practices
Unity of student
expectations amongst
educators and states
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El Dorado County Charter SELPA Value Statement
El Dorado County SELPA
How are Common Core Standards Better for Students?
Increased complexity of
texts
Focus on foundational
math skills and application in
real-world situations
A return to depth as
opposed to breadth
Increased focus on justifying and
presenting results and methods
Critical reading and writing
infused in all curricular areas
Re-ordering of math content to reflect research-
based path to college and
career readiness
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El Dorado County Charter SELPA Value Statement
El Dorado County SELPA
Common Core Standards Are Based on Depth of Knowledge
(DOK)• Recall and Reproduction
• Recall of fact, information, procedure
Level 1
• Skills and Concepts• Use information, conceptual knowledge,
procedures, two or more steps, etc.
Level 2
• Strategic Thinking• Requires reasoning, developing a plan or
sequence of steps; has complexity; more than one possible answer
Level 3
• Extended Thinking• Requires an investigation; time to think and
process multiple conditions of the problem or task
Level 4
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El Dorado County SELPA
Depth of KnowledgeWhich Level?
Explain, generalize, or connect ideas, using supporting evidence from the text or from other sources.
Predict a logical outcome based on information in a reading selection.
Identify or describe character, setting, or sequence of events.
Gather, analyze, organize, and interpret information from multiple (print and non-print) sources for the purpose of drafting a reasoned report.
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El Dorado County SELPA
Domains v. Strands
4 Domains1997 CA Standards
Reading(Includes vocabulary)
Writing
Written and Oral Language Conventions
Listening and Speaking
4 Strands2010 Common Core
Reading
Writing
Language(Includes vocabulary)
Speaking and Listening
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El Dorado County SELPA
Two Types of Math Standards
Standards for Mathematical Content:• Vary at each grade level• Skills and understandings students will
learn
Standards for Mathematical Practice (SMP)• Identified across all grade levels (K-12)• Processes and proficiencies that students
show when engaged in mathematics
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El Dorado County SELPA
Eight Standards for Mathematical Practice
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El Dorado County Charter SELPA Value Statement
El Dorado County SELPA
ELA Standards
• The CCR (Career and College Readiness) standards anchor the document and define general, cross-disciplinary literacy expectations that must be met for students to be prepared to enter college and workforce training programs ready to succeed.
• The K–12 grade-specific standards define end-of-year expectations and a cumulative progression designed to enable students to meet college and career readiness expectations no later than the end of high school.
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El Dorado County SELPA
Sample Standards: Comparison for ELA: 3rd grade reading – Standards
for Literature
1997 California Standard3.3 Determine
what characters are like by what they say or do and by how the
author or illustrator
portrays them.
Common Core Standard
3. Describe characters in a story (e.g. their
traits, motivations, or feelings) and
explain how their actions contribute to the sequence
of events
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El Dorado County SELPA
Sample Standards Comparison for ELA: 7th grade reading
1997 California Standard3.4 Identify and
analyze recurring themes across works ( e.g. the
value of bravery, loyalty, and
friendship; the effects of
loneliness).
Common Core Standard2. Determine a
theme or central idea of a text and
analyze its development over the course of the text; provide an
objective summary of the
text.
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El Dorado County Charter SELPA Value Statement
El Dorado County SELPA
Students with Disabilities: Current Practices
• Many IEP team discussions center on identifying a child’s current skills as well as the next developmental skills
• The developmental skills are often not related to the academic, behavior or functional learning expectation for other students of the same grade level
• This results in two parallel curricula for the child - one in special education and one in regular education
• End result is a parallel curricula for the child: one in special education and one in general education
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El Dorado County SELPA
The Paradigm Shift
Changing the focal point of the IEP
• Identifying the standards ALL students at a specific grade or age level should “know and be able to do.”
• Assessing where the student is functioning with regard to the above standards
• Determining disability related needs that prevent the student from being proficient on the standards
• Developing annual goals to address these needs
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El Dorado County Charter SELPA Value Statement
El Dorado County SELPA
The Common Core and Students with Disabilities
Special Educators need to be involved in developing curriculum and benchmarks.
• Special Educators should attend general education professional development
• General Education colleagues should receive professional development on:• Curricular adaptations• Universal design for learning • Grade level materials
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El Dorado County Charter SELPA
Five Key Elements to Support Students with Disabilities
Ownership High Expectations
Intervention Systems
Inclusion and/or
Collaborative Teaching
Organization and
Professional Development
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Where Is Special Education Going?
El Dorado County SELPA
Moving away from Compliance
Results-Driven
Accountability
Moving away from
Compliant-only IEP
IEP that can produce Results
General Education
Special Education
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El Dorado County Charter SELPA Value Statement
Common Core State Standards specify K-12 expectations for college and career readiness
All students leave high
school college and career
ready
El Dorado County SELPA
The Challenge for Students with
DisabilitiesHow do we get from here? To here?
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Knowing Our Areas of Expertise
Standards are the “What”Standards are the overall goal we want our students
achieve
Curriculum is the “How”Curriculum is the individual teaching methodology
used in the classroom
General educators are content experts.Special educators are experts at
adapting the curriculum.
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• Removes or minimizes barriers to educational access for all students
•Meets the needs of the greatest number of students, sometimes making adaptations for individuals unnecessary
• Takes into account individual learning differences
Universal Design for Learning (UDL)From the California Accommodations Guide (draft) 2010
El Dorado County SELPA
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El Dorado County Charter SELPA Value Statement
The UDL framework is grounded in 3 principles:
• Multiple means of representation – using a variety of methods to present information, provide a range of means to support
• Multiple means of action and expression – providing learners with alternative ways to act skillfully and demonstrate what they know
• Multiple means of engagement – tapping into learners’ interests by offering choices of content and tools; motivating learners by offering adjustable levels of challenge
El Dorado County SELPA
Universal Design for Learning
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El Dorado County Charter SELPA Value Statement
El Dorado County SELPA
How Can Students Benefit from UDL?
Emphasis on flexible
curriculum
Variety of instructional
practices, materials, and
learning activities
All students benefit from the
multifaceted ways content is
presented, including options for demonstrating what they know
UDL helps educators meet the challenge of
serving those with special needs while enhancing
learning for all
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El Dorado County Charter SELPA Value Statement
Use a variety of materials Provide cognitive supports Teach to a variety of learning styles
Provide flexible opportunities
(Rose & Meyer, 2002):
El Dorado County SELPA
How Can Educators Incorporate UDL?
Curricular Adaptations
Curricular adaptations are changes permissible in educational environments which allow the student equal opportunity to obtain access, results, benefits, and levels of achievement. These adaptations consist of both accommodations and modifications
. (Diana Browning Wright, Teaching & Learning 2003)El Dorado County Charter SELPA
Adaptations Accommodations Modifications
Do fundamentally alter or lower expectations or
standards in instructional level,
content orperformance criteria.
Changes are made to provide student meaningful and
productive learning experiences based on individual needs and
abilities.
Grading is different.
Do not fundamentally alter or lower expectations or
standards in instructional level, content or
performance criteria.
Changes are made in order to
provide equalaccess to learning
and equal opportunity to
demonstrate what is known.
Grading is the same.
El Dorado County Charter SELPA
Nine Types of AdaptationsQuantity* Time* Level of Support*
Input*
Alternate Goals
Difficulty
Participation*
Output*
Substitute Curriculum
Adapt the way instruction is delivered to the learner.
For example:Use different visual aids, enlarge text, plan more concrete examples, provide hands-on activities, place students in cooperative groups, pre-teach key concepts or terms before the lesson
Adapt the number of items that the learner is expected to learn or complete.
For example:Reduce the number of social studies terms a learner must learn at any one time. Add more activities or worksheets.
Adapt the time allotted and allowed for learning, task completion, or testing.
For example:Individualize a timeline for completing a task; pace learning differently (increase or decrease) for some learners.
Increase the amount of personal assistance to keep the student on task or to reinforce or prompt use of specific skills. Enhance adult-student relationships; use physical space and environmental structure.
For example:Assign peer buddies, teaching assistants, peer tutors, or cross age tutors.
Adapt the skill level, problem type, or the rules on how the learner may approach the work.
For example:Allow the use of a calculator to figure math problems; simplify task directions; change rules to accommodate learner needs.
Adapt how the student can respond to instruction.
For example:Instead of answering questions in writing, allow a verbal response, use a communication book for some students, allow students to show knowledge with hands on materials.
Adapt the extent to which a learner is actively involved in the task.
For example:A student who has difficulty presenting in front of a class could be given the option of presenting to just the teacher.
Adapt the goals or outcome expectations while using the same materials. When routinely utilized, this is only for students with moderate to severe disabilities.
For example:In social studies, expect a student to be able to locate the colors of the states on a map, while other students learn to locate each state and name each capital.
Provide different instruction and materials to meet a learner’s individual goals. When routinely utilized, this is only for students with moderate to severe disabilities.
For example:During a math test, a student is working on an eye-hand coordination activity.
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As you watch the video, think about:• What Standards for Mathematical
practice do you observe• Challenges for students with disabilities• Adaptations that might allow students
with disabilities to better access the lesson
• Advantages for students with disabilities
El Dorado County Charter SELPA
Math Video
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El Dorado County SELPA
Eight Standards for Mathematical Practice
Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of
others.
Model with mathematics.
Use appropriate tools strategically.
Attend to precision.
Look for and make use of structure.
Look for and express regularity in repeated
reasoning.
Working Towards Grade-level Standards
Determine which areas of need will have the greatest impact on the student’s ability to access grade level standards.
What levels of understanding are expected at the next grade level standards as compared to the current?
Which standards are still barriers to the student’s progress toward age-appropriate grade-level standards?
El Dorado County Charter SELPA
“Trellis” or “Scaffold” Grade Level Standards
Trellising or scaffolding refers to a process designed to support students who are functioning below grade-level standards. This process cannot be accomplished
without comprehensive assessment.Consider the student’s current grade-level
standard first. If that standard is too high based on assessment, then trellis or scaffold down one grade level.
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Tools for Scaffolding Common Core Math Standards
• Corestandards.org/math – Standards by Domain
• http://myboe.org/portal/default/Content/Viewer/Content?action=2&scId=306589&sciId=10352- Interactive Standards Chart
• http://ime.math.arizona.edu/progressions/ - University of Arizona progression documents
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Tools for Scaffolding Common Core ELA Standards
Standards themselves are scaffolded:
Reading Standards for Informational Text: Key Ideas and Details
Grade 5: Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly ad when drawing inferences from the text.
Grade 4: Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
Grade 3: Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
Grade 2: Ask and answer questions such as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
Grade 1: Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
Kindergarten: With prompting, ask and answer questions about key details in a text. El Dorado County Charter SELPA
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El Dorado County SELPA
What About Students with Moderate to Severe Disabilities?
Resources are being developed that will support teachers and IEP teams to design and implement
instruction that addresses content and skill expectations aligned to
the CCSS, as well as to help prepare these students for
postsecondary life.
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Instructional Resource Guide
Provides quick reference and guidance for teachers regarding evidence-based prompting and instructional strategies to be used to teach students with significant disabilities
• Serves as a companion document to the MASSIs (Math Activities with Scripted Systematic Instruction) and LASSIs (Language Arts Scripted Systematic Instruction)
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Common Content Connectors (CCCs)
• Identify the most salient grade-level, core academic content in ELA and mathematics found in both the CCSS;
• Illustrate the necessary knowledge and skills in order to reach the learning targets within the CCSS;
• Focus on the core content, knowledge and skills needed at each grade to promote success at the next; and
• Identify priorities in each content area to guide the instruction for students in this population and for the alternate assessment.
Common Core State Standards
MACC.8.G.A.1-4(Math Common Core, 8th grade Geometry standards 1-4)
Understand that a two-dimensional figure is similar to another if the second can be obtained from the first by a sequence of rotations, reflections, translations, and dilations; given two similar two dimensional figures, describe a sequence that exhibits the similarity between them.
Recognize congruent and similar figures.
Describe the changes in surface area, area, and volume when the figure is changed in some way (e.g., scale drawings).
Compare area and volume of similar figures.
Core Content Connectors
(CCC)
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Element Cards
• Help educators target instruction in multiple settings by promoting teacher understanding of and student movement towards the Common Core State Standards Contain one (or more) CCCs from a specific Instructional Family;
• Include the related Progress Indicator from the Learning Progressions Framework (LPF);
• Provide essential understandings that include challenging and attainable content that is measureable and observable for use in instruction and in assessment;
• Provide suggested instructional strategies to teach the specific concepts and skills of the CCC; and
• Provide suggested supports and scaffolds for students to be able to demonstrate what they know and can do.
El Dorado County Charter SELPA
Element Cards Nomenclature used to identify the CCC and statement of the grade-
specific CCC
CCSS Topic
Specific skills and concepts related to
the Learning Targets in the LPF
The Common Core Standard to which the CCC is based Concepts and skills
essential to entering the
content described in the CCC at grade level.
Suggested evidenced-based
strategies supporting
instruction are varying levels of
challenge
Suggested tools and materials to
promote understanding of and engagement with the concepts
Necessary to engage
successfully with the content
identified in the CCC
Representational-based learning of
concepts and skills using symbols
Big ideas and related
instructional concepts denoting
a curricular emphasis
El Dorado County Charter SELPA
• Provides guidance for teaching the CCSS to students with the most significant cognitive disabilities;
• Provides examples for differentiating instruction for a wide range of students in multiple grade levels; and
• Delineates the necessary skills and knowledge students need to acquire/mastery the content.
Curriculum Resource Guide
El Dorado County Charter SELPA
Curriculum Resource Guide
Offers examples of how the content is taught in general education, ideas for real life use, examples of universal design for learning, and ways to promote college and career readiness.
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How Do We Know It’s Working?
Elements of Smarter Balanced Assessment:
• Computer-based
• Computer-adaptive testing (CAT)
• Researched-based
• Access by Design (consideration of accessibility needs during item and task development)
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Conceptual Model
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Smarter Balanced Assessment
Digital Accessibility:
• Design and development of items ensuring access for all students (items presented in different forms: Braille, print, auditory)
• Changes in presentation (font, magnification, color contrasts)
• Array of options for student responses (standard mouse, alternative mouse, switch, eye gaze device, etc)
El Dorado County SELPA
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El Dorado County Charter SELPA Value Statement
An Alternate Assessment is Being DevelopedBroad dissemination will occur in 2015The assessment will be linked to clear learning
outcomes and defensible assessment resultsThe assessment will complement the Common Core
State AssessmentsThe assessment will be appropriate for
approximately 1% of students
El Dorado County Charter SELPA
How Do We Assess Our Students with Significant
Cognitive Disabilities?
The National Center and State Collaborative (NCSC) is developing alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards
(AA‐AAS) to develop a multi‐state comprehensive assessment system for students with significant cognitive disabilities. California is a
member of this. http://www.ncscpartners.org/about
Conclusion
El Dorado County Charter SELPA
All of us do not have equal talent, but all of us should have an equal opportunity
to develop our talent.
-John F. Kennedy