This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices. Some of the authors featured on this page include Jacqueline F. Kearns, Debbie Sonu, Hyunyi Jung, Sam Choo, Vicki Caruana, Jonathon Grooms, Monica S. Yoo, Jessica Haxhi, Chancellor's Office California Community Colleges, and Ann Katherine Griffen.
(2014). The Common Core State Standards and Early Language Learning: Let's Do This!, Learning Languages. The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are here to stay–for awhile at least–and students will be tested on their ability to meet these standards. In order for students to succeed–in order for them to be College and Career Ready–they will need the support of educators working together to give them practice in meeting these standards. World language teachers have been working with shared, nationwide standards since 1996. They have already gone through instructional shifts such as unit planning, new definitions of standards, high expectations for student engagement, high quality assessment, and incorporating authentic materials. This article discusses how world language teachers might be uniquely equipped to help support English Language Arts (ELA) educators through the six instructional shifts needed to meet CCSS ELA standards. [More] Descriptors: Common Core State Standards, Language Arts, Language Teachers, Instructional Improvement
(2015). Coordinating Scientific Argumentation and the Next Generation Science Standards through Argument Driven Inquiry, Science Educator. Scientific argumentation is an essential activity for the development and refinement of scientific knowledge. Additionally, fostering argumentation related to scientific concepts can help students engage in a variety of essential scientific practices and enhance their science content knowledge. With the increasing prevalence and emphasis on argumentation skills within the current standards movement, i.e. Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards, teachers need access to productive approaches for engaging their students in this essential practice of science in order to promote students' development toward science proficiency. This article provides teachers with one possible instructional model, Argument-Driven Inquiry, that will allow them to structure their laboratory activities to support students' engagement in scientific argumentation while also emphasizing the disciplinary core ideas and cross cutting concepts of science. [More] [More] Descriptors: Science Instruction, Persuasive Discourse, Inquiry, Teaching Methods
(2015). Changing Classroom Instruction: One Teacher's Perspective, Mathematics Teacher. This article addresses the struggles teachers face when they attempt to change their teaching style in order to achieve an ideal mathematics classroom. With the implementation of the Common Core State Standards, many of the behaviors associated with an ideal mathematics classroom appear within the Standards for Mathematical Practice, on which students can be assessed and teachers will be held accountable. High school teacher Penelope Tolle uses six principles of quality mathematics instruction based on pre- and post-lesson discussions between Japanese pre-service teachers and their professors to explain how to take the focus off the teacher, and put it where it needs to be–on student engagement with the lesson. A bibliography is included. [More] Descriptors: Teaching Styles, Teaching Methods, Mathematics Instruction, State Standards
(2015). The Fragility of Ecological Pedagogy: Elementary Social Studies Standards and Possibilities of New Materialism, Journal of Curriculum and Pedagogy. The greatest challenge facing the field of environmentalism includes ontological questions over the human subject and its desensitization from landscapes of experience. In this article the authors draw from field experiences in New York City elementary schools (such as observations of teachers, NYS Scope and Sequence Standards for Social Studies, and the Common Core State Standards) to demonstrate how curricular engagements with nature and the environment are persistently caught within humanist traditions that place agency and action as sovereign to humanness. It uses new materialist ontologies to suggest how hybrid relations among humans, non-humans, and matter can be read by way of interactions among assemblages and entanglements that are alive, vibrant, and powerful. While much of environmentalism is bound to political action with nature as passive backdrops, the authors suggest that individual and everyday responses to ecological devastation may better reside in our capacity to act creatively, even horizontally, within political ecologies that disrupt theories of vertical domination and conquest. [More] Descriptors: Social Studies, Field Experience Programs, State Standards, Environmental Education
(2015). Strategies to Support Students' Mathematical Modeling, Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School. An important question for mathematics teachers is this: "How can we help students learn mathematics to solve everyday problems, rather than teaching them only to memorize rules and practice mathematical procedures?" Teaching students using modeling activities can help them learn mathematics in real-world problem-solving situations that are useful outside school. Modeling, described in the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM), is one of the eight Standards for Mathematical Practice: "Mathematically proficient students can apply the mathematics they know to solve problems arising in everyday life, society, and the workplace" (CCSSI 2010, p. 7). By including modeling as a mathematical practice, CCSSM invites teachers to strategize ways to develop students' mathematical modeling. This article describes the strategies that two middle school teachers and their students used while working on modeling activities with the author, a researcher, over a semester. [More] Descriptors: Mathematical Models, Problem Solving, Mathematics Instruction, Teaching Methods
(2015). The PEA Strategy: One Teacher's Approach to Integrating Writing in the Social Studies Classroom, Social Studies. With the adoption of the "Common Core State Standards" many social studies teachers are faced with the task of very intentionally integrating writing instruction into their content curriculum. While this task may be daunting, there are research-based instructional frameworks to help teachers implement strategies to support student writing. In this manuscript the Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD), a research-based instructional framework for teaching writing strategies, is described as a helpful framework for designing writing curricula in the social studies classroom. The following manuscript includes a description of one teacher's experience using SRSD to design and implement a strategy (the PEA Strategy) to support argument-based writing in the context of a social studies classroom. The PEA strategy as well as the six stages of SRSD are defined and supported with examples from the teacher's integrated writing curriculum. Suggestions for implementation of SRSD are also provided. [More] Descriptors: Social Studies, Guidelines, Writing Strategies, State Standards
(2015). Impact of Enhanced Anchored Instruction in Inclusive Math Classrooms, Exceptional Children. The Common Core State Standards for Mathematics will place more pressure on special education and math teachers to raise the skill levels of all students, especially those with disabilities in math (MD). The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of enhanced anchored instruction (EAI) on students with and without MD in co-taught general education classrooms. Results showed that students in the EAI condition improved their performance on math skills contained in several of the standards. Effect sizes were especially large for students with MD when the special education teacher more actively participated in the instructional activities with the math teacher. Classroom observations provided examples of how teachers can work together to benefit students in inclusive math settings. [More] Descriptors: Academic Standards, State Standards, Special Education Teachers, Mathematics Instruction
(2015). Ocean Acidification, Science Teacher. The curriculum module described in this article addresses the global issue of ocean acidification (OA) (Feely 2009; Figure 1). OA is a harmful consequence of excess carbon dioxide (CO[subscript 2]) in the atmosphere and poses a threat to marine life, both algae and animal. This module seeks to teach and help students master the cross-disciplinary content and skills needed to address such problems. Field testing with thousands of high school students has shown that this module, titled Ocean Acidification: A Systems Approach to a Global Problem, builds students' abilities to understand, research, experiment, and care about ocean acidification. In six lessons, the module teaches 21st-century skills (Partnership for 21st Century Skills 2002) and addresses standards from the" Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS Lead States 2013) and "Common Core State Standards" (NGAC and CCSSO 2010). [More] Descriptors: Science Education, Oceanography, Interdisciplinary Approach, High School Students
(2015). Analyzing Data and Asking Questions at Shell School, Sea County Florida, Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership. This case discusses early work to implement the Common Core State Standards at a fictitious school in Florida. The case is designed to support students' efforts to use school accountability data for inquiry and to conceptualize change in schools where previous leaders' efforts were not successful. Shell Elementary is an exurban school that serves a predominantly low income, Caucasian community. Accountability data show that Shell's students learn below the achievement levels specified by the state. The written text describes a dysfunctional school leadership system where data are not used in a collaborative process. The Teaching Questions ask students to imagine the initial steps in an inquiry that might surface the information necessary to set the direction and lead a beneficial process of change. [More] Descriptors: State Standards, Case Method (Teaching Technique), School Administration, Educational Change
(2015). Early Assessment Program. The California Community Colleges serves approximately 2.1 million students each year and is the largest system of higher education in the nation. The state's 112 community colleges are charged with providing workforce training, basic skills education and preparing students to transfer to four-year universities. Currently, 78 of our 112 community colleges accept an Early Assessment Program college-ready result in English and/or math in lieu of their own assessments for placement into transfer-level courses. This report is written in response to Education Code section 99301, which requires the California Community Colleges Board of Governors to make a one-time report to the governor and the Legislature on the implementation and results of the Early Assessment Program. The topics discussed in this report include: (1) Background of Early Assessment Program; (2) Legislative Changes; (3) Common Core State Standards; (4) Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium; and (5) Early Assessment Program Implementation Data. [More] Descriptors: Community Colleges, State Legislation, Educational Legislation, Educational Policy
(2015). Understanding and Implementing the Common Core Vocabulary Standards in Kindergarten, TEACHING Exceptional Children. Teachers may feel uncertain about how to ensure that all students, including students with identified disabilities, those at risk for learning disabilities, and English learners, achieve the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in vocabulary. At the same time, they are also searching for practical, concrete ideas for incorporating the CCSS in the classroom and for using parent volunteers or instructional assistants to provide additional support to these students. This article describes four activities that include language-rich interactions that can be implemented to support vocabulary acquisition. Across several studies, these types of activities resulted in improved outcomes of all students, including students with reading or language disabilities (Coyne, Capazzoli, Ware, & Loftus, 2010; Cuticcelli et al., 2014). A checklist is provided in Figure 6 that teachers can use to identify and address the vocabulary needs of students with identified disabilities, those at risk for learning disabilities, and English learners. [More] Descriptors: State Standards, Academic Standards, Vocabulary Development, Learning Disabilities
(2015). The Influence of Genre Understanding on Strategy Use and Comprehension, Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. This case study examines how Ashley, a ninth-grade student, uses and applies metacognitive strategies for comprehension as she reads three different texts: a literary narrative, a history text, and a newspaper article. Interviews and think-aloud protocols were administered to investigate how the student thought about and enacted a variety of strategies during reading. The study includes cognitive and sociocultural perspectives and applies genre theory to the literature on reading strategies and the reading process. Findings indicate that expectations regarding how to read in a genre and discipline may influence comprehension and the ways in which strategies are employed. Furthermore, implications suggest that it is important to consider how genre understandings impact key elements related to comprehension in the Common Core State Standards, such as the quantitative and qualitative components of text complexity and the reader–text fit, as students engage in reading in a variety of disciplines. [More] Descriptors: Literary Genres, Reading Strategies, Reading Comprehension, Metacognition
(2015). Accessing the Common Core Standards for Students with Learning Disabilities: Strategies for Writing Standards-Based IEP Goals, Preventing School Failure. Since the reauthorization of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 2004, standards-based individualized education plans (IEPs) have been an expectation for serving students with disabilities in the K-12 public school setting. Nearly a decade after the mandates calling for standards-based IEPs, special educators still struggle with how to develop standards-based IEPs and provide the required access to the general curriculum for their students. In 1997, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act requirement under IDEA called for the development of standards-based IEP goals. More than a decade later, only 37 states show evidence of implementing standards-based IEPs. Special educators need assistance to develop competence in the area of writing standards-based IEP goals according to the Common Core State Standards. The process outlined in this article offers educators and IEP teams strategies to build competence in this area. [More] Descriptors: Learning Disabilities, State Standards, Writing Strategies, Individualized Education Programs
(2015). Common Core Preparation in Special Education Teacher Education Programs: Beginning the Conversation, Teacher Education and Special Education. The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were developed to encourage a common focus of instruction and evaluation in the areas of mathematics, reading/language arts, writing, speaking, and listening. As of 2011, all but five states have adopted CCSS for math and English Language Arts (ELA), with another adopting only the standards for ELA. With these adoptions comes a new emphasis in teacher training; the field is calling for a collective effort, on the part of Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs), to work collaboratively to prepare future teachers. This study is a preliminary exploration of current CCSS preparation in IHEs. Focus groups were conducted with pre-service teachers and professors in general and special education programs at five colleges across two southeastern states. Findings address the perceptions of both groups related to knowledge, ability, contributions, and barriers to application of CCSS. In addition, implications for future research are discussed. [More] Descriptors: Special Education Teachers, Teacher Education Programs, State Standards, Focus Groups
(2015). Alternate Assessments as One Measure of Teacher Effectiveness, Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities. Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) flexibility requires states to develop and implement teacher effectiveness measures that consider student assessment results, including assessment results for students with disabilities participating in general and alternate assessments. We describe how alternate assessment results for students with significant cognitive disabilities could appropriately be used in teacher effectiveness measures. In addition, we discuss the unique parameters faced by teachers serving students with significant cognitive disabilities that may warrant a multiple measures approach to evaluating teacher effectiveness. Using one of the two national initiatives presently developing alternate assessments based on the Common Core State Standards as an example, we describe how these new assessments might be applied in measuring teacher effectiveness. Finally, we offer implications for both policy makers and practitioners in measuring teacher effectiveness for teachers serving students with significant cognitive disabilities participating in alternate assessments. [More] Descriptors: Federal Legislation, Educational Legislation, Elementary Secondary Education, Teacher Effectiveness