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Four Myths About the ELA Common-Core Standards

From Teacher Leaders Network, two teachers attempt to set the record straight on the instructional shifts required by the common standards. Middle school English teacher Dina Strasser and teacher education instructor and consultant Cheryl Dobbertin tackled some of the critical aspects of implementing the ELA standards that have been obscured by polarizing debates.

Strasser and Dobbertin have identified four myths that often appear to be accepted as fact (and are sometimes delivered to teachers that way) but are not actually aligned with the spirit and intention of the ELA common-core standards.

Myth #1: Text complexity is a fixed number.

Myth #2: All prereading activities are inappropriate.

Myth #3 Answering text-dependent questions is what teaches students to be analytical readers.

Myth #4: The common core abandons fiction.

They conclude that it's important for educators to embrace the common-core standards, but to do so in a way that honors students' needs and the wisdom of great teachers. “We must keep "mythbusting" our own practices and what we are hearing so that the common-core standards can live up to their full potential. After all, the intention behind these rigorous standards—to prepare all students for careers and college—is at the heart of our work.”

To read the complete article at Education Week, go to http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2012/07/10/tln_strasserdobbertin.html?tkn=SRWF0kZ%2FhojAvTz6K2vS5iUIQ5hoSPvvblWB&cmp=ENL-TU-NEWS1

Common Core Assessment FAQs

1. How well aligned are your books with the SAT and Common Core? Mirrors & Windows covers 100% of the SAT Literature skills and recommended preparation, and is 100% aligned with The Common Core State Standards (covering 100% of the required range of text types for grades 6-12 in the student edition in every level).
2. Do you provide any form of data analysis? All selection tests and unit tests in ExamView are correlated to the Common Core. In addition, the Formative Assessments provided in the Assessment Guide (and on the Teacher’s Resource CD) are correlated to the Common Core and aligned with remediation rubrics that teachers can use to gather and analyze data to prescribe intervention activities found within the program.
3. Other assessment resources for teachers, etc.? Reading Assessment questions provided after the selections in the student text provide test practice modeled after the ACT and SAT test questions. Test Practice workshops in each unit provide test practice in SAT and ACT formats. Exceeding the Standards: Test Practice provides timed, unit-based practice tests in SAT and ACT formats. The Assessment Guide also provides oral Reading Fluency assessments.

Common Core State Standards FAQ #3: Range of Text Types

Q. Do the Common Core State Standards include a required reading list?

A. Here’s what the CCSS has to say:

“Through reading a diverse array of classic and contemporary literature as well as challenging informational texts in a range of subjects, students are expected to build knowledge, gain insights, explore possibilities, and broaden their perspective. Because the standards are building blocks for successful classrooms, but recognize that teachers, school districts and states need to decide on appropriate curriculum, they intentionally do not offer a reading list. Instead, they offer numerous sample texts to help teachers prepare for the school year and allow parents and students to know what to expect at the beginning of the year.”

Mirrors & Windows offers high-quality literary works that were carefully chosen to enrich and enhance students’ understanding of themselves and their world. Each unit in the program presents a diverse body of rich and relevant selections related to a particular theme or topic. The correlations in each teacher’s edition list texts illustrating the complexity, quality, and range of student reading required by the CCSS.

In addition, Mirrors & Windows includes 100% of the range of text type subgenres recommended by the CCSS for grades 6–12 in every grade level!

Choose Mirrors & Windows to help your students

master the Common Core State Standards!

Common Core State Standards FAQs--Academic Vocabulary

I'd like to start a series of FAQs to respond to questions we've received regarding Mirrors and Windows' alignment to the new Common Core State Standards for English/Language Arts. The first one deals with the academic vocabulary standards in the CCSS.

Q. 1. What steps have you taken to align academic vocabulary in your instructional materials with the academic vocabulary used in the common core state standards?

A. The common core state standards break vocabulary acquisition into three tiers of words:
• Tier 1 words (everyday speech used in conversation)
• Tier 2 words (general academic words found across the curriculum)
• Tier 3 words (domain-specific academic words specific to a content area)

Mirrors & Windows offers the following features throughout the program to align with the common core state standards and to support vocabulary acquisition of all three tiers of words:

• Teacher’s Edition includes before each unit a Building Vocabulary list of words from the unit divided into three types: Words in Use (Tier 1: vocabulary defined within the selection in the side margins or at the bottoms of pages); Selection Words (Tier 1: words that may be challenging but are not defined in the selection); and Teaching Words (Tiers 2 & 3: general and domain-specific academic words used in instruction).

• Unit Introductions in the student text define Tier 3 academic words specific to the content instruction in the unit. For example, in the fiction unit words such as plot, exposition, point of view, characterization, setting, and theme are defined and examples are provided. These words are reinforced in before, during, and after reading features.

• Reading Models (in grades 6-10) and How to Read the Genre (in grades 11-12) features provide definitions of Tier 2 academic words that can be applied across the curriculum to aid in reading strategy application, such as context, purpose, analyze, predict, clarify, sequence, and evaluate.

• In the Before Reading pages before each selection, Analyze Literature defines Tier 3 domain-specific academic vocabulary words; Use Reading Skills defines Tier 2 general academic words; and Preview Vocabulary provides a list of Tier 1 vocabulary words defined within the selection in the margins or at the bottoms of pages.

• After Reading questions following the selections define Tier 2 academic words aligned with Bloom’s Taxonomy, such as refer, reason, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create, to help students apply critical thinking skills.

• Vocabulary & Spelling workshops in each unit in the textbook and in the Exceeding the Standards: Vocabulary & Spelling supplement develop vocabulary skills such as understanding context clues, denotation and connotation, word origins and word parts, and using a dictionary or thesaurus, so that students can independently apply these skills to learn new words from all three tiers.

Common Core State Standards Correlations Now Available

Correlations to the English/language arts Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for grades 6-12 Mirrors and Windows: Connecting with Literature are now available on EMC's website at the following link:
http://www.emcp.com/product_catalog/resourcelist.php?GroupID=2903


The Common Core Initiative, consisting of the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), released this set of state-led education standards in June of this year. The English-language arts and mathematics standards for grades K-12 were developed in collaboration with content experts, states, teachers, school administrators and parents.

To date over 30 states have already adopted CCSS, which the 2010 Common Core Initiative states "provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them." For more information go to
http://www.corestandards.org/

Common State Academic Standards Launched

On June 2, 2010, the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) released a set of state-led education standards, the Common Core State Standards, at Peachtree Ridge High School in Suwanee, GA. The English-language arts and mathematics standards for grades K-12 were developed in collaboration with content experts, states, teachers, school administrators and parents. The standards seek to establish clear and consistent goals for learning that will prepare America’s children for success in college and work.

According to the Common Core State Standards Initiative, these standards define the knowledge and skills students should have within their K-12 education careers so that they will graduate high school fully prepared for college and careers. The standards are:
• Aligned with college and work expectations;
• Clear, understandable and consistent;
• Include rigorous content and application of knowledge through high-order skills;
• Build upon strengths and lessons of current state standards;
• Informed by other top performing countries, so that all students are prepared to succeed in our global economy and society; and
• Evidence- and research-based.

The mission statement of the Common Core Standards Initiative is as follows: The Common Core State Standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers. With American students fully prepared for the future, our communities will be best positioned to compete successfully in the global economy.

You can watch a video of the release of the common standards and download the complete set of standards at http://www.corestandards.org/.