This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices. Some of the authors featured on this page include Dana C. Cox, Kenji Hakuta, Sheila W. Valencia, D. Ray Reutzel, Julia Harris, Jim Gleason, Stephen Bismarck, Maria Santos, Nicole M. Martin, and Tom Bean.
(2013). Combating the Crisis in Adolescent Literacy: Exploring Literacy in the Secondary Classroom, American Secondary Education. Although literacy has become a multi-faceted aspect of education essential to students' future success, studies have found that many secondary students lack basic literacy skills. In the past, much of the blame for adolescents' literacy problems has been placed on elementary teachers, but recent research suggests that secondary teachers must share in the responsibility for teaching literacy. This paper explores the various characteristics and modalities of literacy and reviews current literature in the field including the Common Core State Standards initiative. Most importantly, this paper provides suggestions for integrating literacy learning in the general curriculum at the secondary level with particular attention to content area literacy and technology integration. [More] Descriptors: State Standards, Educational Technology, Literacy, Technology Integration
(2013). CCSS-ELA: Suggestions and Cautions for Implementing the Reading Standards, Reading Teacher. The purpose of this article is to provide guidance on the implementation of the Common Core State Standards for English language arts (CCSS-ELA). Toward this end, suggestions and cautions are provided that focus on understanding the vision, understanding the anchor and grade-level standards, and understanding the implications for instruction. In general, this article stresses the importance of attending to the various "parts" of the standards within the context of the larger vision as a means of avoiding missteps in implementation. [More] Descriptors: Academic Standards, State Standards, Core Curriculum, English Instruction
(2013). Challenges and Opportunities for Language Learning in the Context of the CCSS and the NGSS, Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. In this column, Kenji Hakuta and Mario Santos described the challenges and opportunities the Common Core State Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards present for language development in the context of English language arts/literacy, mathematics, and science. They heightened educators' awareness of the critical role language plays in literacy, learning, and assessment, suggesting that a focus on language is especially important for English Language Learners in their development of content area literacies. ["Challenges and Opportunities for Language Learning in the Context of the CCSS and the NGSS" was written with Zhihui Fang.] [More] Descriptors: State Standards, Academic Standards, English Language Learners, Second Language Learning
(2013). Educational Accountability and Policy Feedback, Educational Policy. Over the past 30 years, accountability policies have become more prominent in public K-12 education and have changed how teaching and learning are organized. It is less clear the extent to which these policies have altered the politics of education. This article begins to address that question through the lens of policy feedback. It identifies shifts in interest group coalitions and strategies as one of several elements of a new politics that has emerged in response to accountability policies, and it argues that the Common Core State Standards are a primary example of the feedback cycle influencing future policy. [More] Descriptors: Accountability, Educational Policy, Feedback (Response), State Standards
(2013). Building Better Lessons: Teachers Find Innovative Solutions to Improve Their Practice, Journal of Staff Development. It's no big revelation to say that the nationwide adoption of the Common Core standards has brought about a sea change in K-12 education. So far, according to the Common Core State Standards website, 45 states and three territories have adopted the standards, which were first launched in 2010, and implementation is taking different forms in each one. As teachers grapple with what that implementation looks like, they are finding innovative solutions–such as LearnZillion and the Literacy Design Collaborative, among others–to help them advance their own effectiveness through professional learning and build better lessons. [More] Descriptors: State Standards, Elementary Secondary Education, Educational Improvement, Educational Practices
(2013). Finding Inspiration in the Common Core: An Uncommon Opportunity to Refine the Role of the School Library and Technology Planning Committee, Knowledge Quest. The implementation of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts affords school librarians and their planning committees an opportunity to reinvigorate their roles in the school as curators of the school library collection, innovators in the use of instructional technology, and leaders in instructional planning. By focusing on these three key areas, which are discussed in this article, the school librarian and the members of the library and technology planning committee can continue to build a library program that is central to instruction in the school and focused on long-term goals. [More] Descriptors: Technology Planning, Planning Commissions, Library Role, State Standards
(2013). Developing and Validating a Reliable TPACK Instrument for Secondary Mathematics Preservice Teachers, Journal of Research on Technology in Education. Within the realm of teaching middle and high school mathematics, the ability to teach mathematics effectively using various forms of technology is now more important than ever, as expressed by the recent development of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematical Practice. This article presents the development process and the results from 15 institutions and more than 300 surveys completed by secondary mathematics preservice teachers. The results suggest that technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge; technology knowledge; content knowledge; and pedagogical knowledge constructs are valid and reliable, whereas pedagogical content knowledge, technological content knowledge, and technological pedagogical knowledge domains remain difficult for preservice teachers to separate and self-report. [More] Descriptors: Secondary School Mathematics, Preservice Teachers, Program Validation, Technological Literacy
(2013). Characteristics of Children Who Struggle with Reading: Teachers and Speech-Language Pathologists Collaborate to Support Young Learners, Early Childhood Education Journal. Speech language pathologists (SLPs) have developed specialized knowledge about oral language and its relationship to early literacy development that can be particularly useful to early childhood educators. The purpose of this article is to highlight ways in which an SLP can support early childhood teachers in a Response to Intervention role by assessing and facilitating young students' early literacy acquisition. In this article, we observe students who are struggling to attain one of the Common Core State Standards, discuss factors that may inhibit their typical development of early literacy, and illustrate several evidenced-based instructional practices to assist young students who struggle with reading to achieve success. [More] Descriptors: Speech Language Pathology, Preschool Teachers, Response to Intervention, Emergent Literacy
(2013). Organized Interests and the Common Core, Educational Researcher. Among the notable aspects of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) is the diverse array of interest groups supporting them. These organizations must now apply the strategies they used so effectively in advancing the Common Core to stem mounting opposition to it. This article draws on theories of political and policy learning and interviews with major participants to examine the role that CCSS supporters have played in developing and implementing the standards, supporters' reasons for mobilizing, and the counterarguments and strategies of recently emerging opposition groups. [More] Descriptors: State Standards, Academic Standards, Case Studies, Educational Policy
(2013). Past and Future Directions in Content Area Literacies, Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. In this column, content area literacy scholars Tom Bean and David O'Brien challenge the older "infusion" model of content area literacy with its emphasis on generic strategies. Rather, they argue for and provide examples of projects that draw on the unique dimensions of various disciplines like history, science, and English, particularly in light of the Common Core State Standards. They offer alternative approaches that capitalize on students' interests in multimedia and the arts. Acknowledging the increasingly diverse dimensions of our classrooms and students' transnational experiences, Bean and O'Brien call for creative lesson and unit planning that engages students in preparation for global citizenship. [More] Descriptors: State Standards, Citizenship, Content Area Reading, Core Curriculum
(2013). Questions Arise about Algebra 2 for All Students, Education Week. Should all students take Algebra 2? Florida seemed to say "no" this spring with the passage of a law striking it from graduation requirements. Texas said much the same in legislation Republican Gov. Rick Perry signed this week that also backs away from Algebra 2 for all. Those steps come as the Common Core State Standards for math set the expectation that all students should meet learning objectives at what's generally considered the Algebra 2 level. Success in Algebra 2 is often touted as a critical gateway to college and career readiness, but some question that view. [More] Descriptors: Graduation Requirements, State Standards, Experiential Learning, Algebra
(2013). Got It Wrong? Think Again. And Again, Phi Delta Kappan. Although the human mind resists confusion, this feeling of disequilibrium nurtures learning. Newkirk, the author quotes, says intelligence is not a matter of being smart–it is the capacity to view difficulty as an opportunity to stop, reassess, and employ strategies for making sense of problems. These same habits of mind define reflection, a critical component in learning. Embracing cognitive dissonance and developing a growth mindset will be especially critical with the implementation of the Common Core State Standards. The standards require students to take intellectual risks and to locate themselves in uncertainty and ambiguity. Growth will not occur without error. [More] Descriptors: Cognitive Processes, Problem Solving, Reflection, Attitudes
(2013). Diagrams, Timelines, and Tables–Oh, My! Fostering Graphical Literacy, Reading Teacher. The Common Core State Standards place unprecedented emphasis on visual text–appropriately so, as visual components are increasingly ubiquitous in many kinds of text. This shift in emphasis requires substantial changes in our teaching. Concepts of print need to be expanded to include concepts of graphics, and specific graphical devices, such as diagrams, timelines, and tables, need to become the focus of systematic instruction. This article shares research-based instructional practices that may support children's development in this increasingly important area. [More] Descriptors: Reading Instruction, Reading Skills, Visual Perception, Printed Materials
(2013). Engaging Children in Close Reading: Multimodal Commentaries and Illustration Remix, Reading Teacher. Understanding relies on the reader's ability to "read between the lines" and connect textual evidence with their own experience, knowledge and beliefs. The Common Core State Standards highlight the importance of using text-based evidence to develop arguments and support interpretations, including analysis and appreciation of author's craft. In this article, Dalton suggests a multimodal strategy for engaging students' in close reading. Using an original text as the base, students compose a multimodal hypertext version with hyperlinks from selected pieces of text to their multimodal commentary. Illustrations are remixed with the addition of speech and thought balloons. An example hypertext is presented, along with suggestions for teaching. [More] Descriptors: Reading Skills, State Standards, Hypermedia, Reading Instruction
(2013). Beyond the Bubble in History/Social Studies Assessments, Phi Delta Kappan. Teachers need tools and assessments that will prepare students to meet the ambitious goals laid out by the Common Core State Standards. The multiple-choice tests that dominate in history will not prepare students to analyze primary and secondary sources, cite textual evidence to support arguments, consider the influence of an author's perspective, corroborate different sources, or develop written historical arguments. The Stanford History Education Group has created a series of assessments, History Assessments of Thinking, known as HATs, that address this issue and are freely available on a new website (beyondthebubble.stanford.edu). [More] Descriptors: State Standards, Academic Standards, History Instruction, Social Studies