This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices. Some of the authors featured on this page include Holland W. Banse, Maritza Lozano, Garry Hayden, Lorrie Shepard, Marla A. Sole, Janet M. Zydney, Danielle Lillge, Frances B. Stancavage, Council of the Great City Schools, and Eileen G. Merritt.
(2016). 5 Strategies for Discourse Scaffolding ELLs, Teaching Children Mathematics. Facilitating productive discussions in the mathematics classroom is a challenge for many teachers. Discourse–student communication of mathematical ideas with teachers and peers–provides a platform on which students share their understanding, clarify misperceptions, and evaluate ideas. If students are unable to access and participate in discourse, their opportunities to learn mathematics may be diminished. The Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) (CCSSI 2010), as well as the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM's) (2000) Process Standards describe discourse as crucial to students' mathematical development. One potential barrier to accessing discourse is students' English language proficiency. Discourse can be difficult to implement, especially in classrooms with students who are learning English in addition to mathematics. Teachers need concrete suggestions for effective practices that can help them facilitate discourse in classrooms with English language learners (ELLs), so that discourse can advance ELLs' mathematical development. This article presents suggested instructional strategies to support ELLs in both understanding and participating in mathematical discourse. [More] Descriptors: Mathematics Instruction, Scaffolding (Teaching Technique), English Language Learners, Teaching Methods
(2013). Instructional Materials for English Language Learners in Urban Public Schools, 2012-2013. The purpose of this report, "Instructional Materials for English Language Learners in Urban Public Schools," is to examine how district- and school-level staff members acquire and use instructional materials for English Language Learners (ELLs). The report also answers questions regarding the preparedness of district and school staff members to ensure that ELLs attain the expectations embodied in the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), including factors that practitioners believe are most important in promoting high ELL achievement. The Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS) worked in partnership with McKinsey & Company to conduct a national survey of teacher and ELL characteristics, instructional practices, and perceived quality of instructional materials for ELLs. (All responses are for the 2012-13 school year.) The Council then extracted responses provided solely by members of the organization and analyzed them for this report. This work by the Council was done in support of common core's implementation and efforts by the group to improve instructional materials for ELLs. Key findings in four areas are discussed: (1) Teacher and Student Characteristics; (2) Classroom Instruction and the Common Core State Standards; (3) The Quality and Value of Instructional Material for ELLs; and (4) Summary of the Recommendations. The findings in this report make clear that there is much work to be done to improve the quality of ELL instructional materials and professional development for teachers. However, the findings also point to actionable solutions for addressing the shortcomings in the instruction of ELLs. (Contains 3 tables and 17 figures.) [The survey reported in this document was a collaboration between the Council of Great City Schools and McKinsey & Company.] [More] Descriptors: Student Characteristics, State Standards, Instructional Materials, Teaching Methods
(2013). Next Generation Science Standards: For States, by States. "Next Generation Science Standards" identifies the science all K-12 students should know. These new standards are based on the National Research Council's "A Framework for K-12 Science Education." The National Research Council, the National Science Teachers Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and Achieve have partnered to create standards through a collaborative state-led process. The standards are rich in content and practice and arranged in a coherent manner across disciplines and grades to provide all students an internationally benchmarked science education. The print version of "Next Generation Science Standards" complements the nextgenscience.org website and: (1) Provides an authoritative offline reference to the standards when creating lesson plans; (2) Arranged by grade level and by core discipline, making information quick and easy to find; (3) Printed in full color with a lay-flat spiral binding; and (4) Allows for bookmarking, highlighting, and annotating. The following are appended: (1) Conceptual Shifts in the Next Generation Science Standards; (2) Responses to the Public Drafts; (3) College And Career Readiness; (4) "All Standards, All Students": Making the Next Generation Science Standards Accessible to All Students; (5) Disciplinary Core Idea Progressions in the Next Generation Science Standards; (6) Science and Engineering Practices in the Next Generation Science Standards; (7) Crosscutting Concepts in the Next Generation Science Standards; (8) Understanding the Scientific Enterprise: The Nature of Science in the Next Generation Science Standards; (9) Engineering Design in the Next Generation Science Standards; (10) Science, Technology, Society, and the Environment; (11) Model Course Mapping in Middle and High School for the Next Generation Science Standards; (12) Connections to the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics; and (13) Connections to the Common Core State Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects. (Individual chapters contain references.) [The content of this document was prepared by NGSS Lead States.] [More] Descriptors: Academic Standards, Science Instruction, Elementary School Science, Secondary School Science
(2016). High-Leverage Principles of Effective Instruction for English Learners. From College and Career Ready Standards to Teaching and Learning in the Classroom: A Series of Resources for Teachers, Center on Standards and Assessments Implementation. New college and career ready standards (CCRS) have established more rigorous expectations of learning for all learners, including English learner (EL) students, than what was expected in previous standards. A common feature in these new content-area standards, such as the Common Core State Standards in English language arts and mathematics and the Next Generation Science Standards, is their emphasis on students' use of language to articulate and convey understanding of the content. The heightened role that language plays in CCRS presents new challenges for EL students and their teachers by calling for improved instructional strategies that simultaneously address language and content-area learning. The purpose of this resource is to provide teachers of EL students with effective, high-leverage learning and teaching principles that can be incorporated into daily instructional plans and routines. Instruction that addresses EL students' needs should include four key considerations: (1) Understand and address the academic language demands of the lesson; (2) Build upon students' background knowledge; (3) Design and scaffold learning opportunities in every lesson that integrate listening, speaking, reading, and writing domains; and (4) Provide opportunities for student participation through meaningful discourse and structured collaboration. The high-leverage principles for EL instruction presented in this resource are based on relevant research and most up-to-date literature on effective instruction. Each principle is accompanied by examples that illustrate its use. The resource concludes with an annotated classroom vignette that highlights the principles in action. [More] Descriptors: English Language Learners, Career Readiness, College Readiness, Educational Principles
(2013). The Relevance of Learning Progressions for NAEP, American Institutes for Research. "Learning progressions" are one of the most important assessment design ideas to be introduced in the past decade. In the United States, several committees of the National Research Council (NRC) have argued for the use of learning progressions as a means to foster both deeper mastery of subject-matter content and higher level reasoning abilities. Consideration of learning progressions is especially important in the context of the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) that attend specifically to the sequencing of topics and skills across grades to ensure attainment of college and career expectations by the end of high school. In this paper we address the question: Should more formally developed learning progressions be considered for the future design of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)? After a brief overview of the research on learning progressions, we describe the idealized model whereby shared, instructionally grounded learning progressions–once developed–could be used to link classroom-level assessments with large-scale assessments such as NAEP. At the same time, we also consider potential problems. In particular, learning progressions–which require agreed-upon instructional sequences–could be problematic in the context of a national assessment program intended to be curriculum neutral (i.e., not favoring one state's or district's curriculum over another). Finally, we use a sample of NAEP and Balanced Assessment in Mathematics (BAM; Mathematics Assessment Resource Service, 2002, 2003) items to explore the possibility of constructing "quasi learning progressions" that could be used to illuminate the substantive meaning of the NAEP achievement results. An appendix presents: Items in Learning Progressions. [For the main report, "Examining the Content and Context of the Common Core State Standards: A First Look at Implications for the National Assessment of Educational Progress," see ED545237.] [More] Descriptors: National Competency Tests, Educational Assessment, State Standards, Academic Standards
(2013). Common Core Literacy Lesson Plans: Ready-to-Use Resources, K-5, Eye on Education. Schools nationwide are transitioning to the Common Core–our advice to you: Don't go it alone! Our new book, "Common Core Literacy Lesson Plans: Ready-to-Use Resources, K-5," shows you that teaching the Common Core State Standards in the elementary grades doesn't have to be intimidating! This easy-to-use guide provides model lesson plans for teaching the standards in reading, writing, speaking/listening, and language: (1) Get engaging lesson plans that are grade-appropriate, easy to implement and include ready-to-use reproducible handouts, assessments, resources, and ideas to help you modify the lesson for both struggling and advanced learners; (2) Our Common Core Literacy Lesson Plans are designed to fit seamlessly into your K-5 curriculum; (3) You get practical tips for revamping your existing lessons to meet the standards; (4) Students learn how to read informational texts, write opinion-based essays, and improve their speaking and listening skills; (5) Grammar mini-lessons and foundational skills mini-lessons will help you teach language conventions, phonics, fluency, and more! We take the guesswork out of Common Core lesson plans with this practical, easy-to-use guide. All lesson plans are grade-appropriate, and every lesson plan includes…: (1) Common Core State Standards covered in the lesson; (2) Overview of objectives and focus of the lesson; (3) Background knowledge required and time required; (4) A detailed, step-by-step agenda for the lesson, plus a materials list; (5) Differentiation ideas to adapt the lesson for different kinds of learners; (6) Assessment ideas, including rubrics and scoring guides; and (7) A place for your notes: what worked; what can improve. Bonus! We show you how to extend the lessons into longer units to suit your particular grade's curriculum, and even help you create more of your own lessons! [More] Descriptors: Elementary School Curriculum, Lesson Plans, Core Curriculum, Curriculum Guides
(2016). "Now" We Have an App for That, Teaching Children Mathematics. The best Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) design challenges are student centered, with students themselves making the key decisions. But with young children who are still learning basic academic and social skills, implementing projects where they truly take the lead can be quite challenging. To give students at one elementary school the opportunity to drive the process of a STEM design challenge, teachers created a project that paired first graders with third-grade leaders. The goal was for these students to work together to create apps that would be used by the school's kindergartners to learn mathematics concepts. This week-long project not only supported standards of using technology to foster collaboration and creativity (ISTE 2015) but also emphasized the importance of planning as part of the engineering process. Rather than having students passively play games to practice mathematics facts, the teachers empowered students to build their own mobile app games as a learning strategy. The project also advanced the idea of "coherence" related to the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM), in that students created apps to teach mathematics concepts that are common across grade levels (CCSSI 2010). The project is described in this article. [More] Descriptors: Computer Oriented Programs, STEM Education, Elementary School Students, Grade 1
(2014). Common Core State Standards in 2014: District Implementation of Consortia-Developed Assessments, Center on Education Policy. Later this school year, states that have adopted the voluntary Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are scheduled to begin testing students' progress in learning the content of the standards in mathematics and English language arts (ELA). Many of these states belong to one of two consortia–the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium and the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC)–that are developing online assessments aligned to the CCSS. Since the consortia assessments will be ready to administer in school year 2014-15, states, districts, and schools have just months to ensure that their teachers and students are fully prepared to teach and learn the content in the CCSS, and that systems are in place to facilitate the online administration of the consortia- developed assessments. The federal No Child Left Behind Act requires states to measure student mastery of state academic standards and use those test results, along with other information, to make school accountability decisions. Therefore, CCSSadopting states that administer the consortia-developed assessments will use the results on those tests for important accountability decisions in the coming year. In addition, some states may eventually use these assessments results as a factor in decisions about college course placement or granting of a high school diploma. What steps have districts taken to prepare for the new assessments, and what challenges do districts face in implementing them? This report addresses these and other questions using data from a comprehensive survey of school districts conducted by the Center on Education Policy (CEP) at the George Washington University. The survey was administered in the spring of 2014 to school superintendents or their designees in a nationally representative sample of districts in states that had adopted the CCSS at the time of the survey. Key findings included: (1) Impact of new assessments; (2) Impact on other local assessments; (3) Technology challenges; and (4) Plans for student remediation and support. The data in this report come from a subset of districts participating in the broader survey. The subset consists of districts that a) were located in CCSS-adopting states that belonged to either the Smarter Balanced or PARCC consortium at the time the survey was conducted; and b) reported that they intended to administer assessments developed by one of these consortia. [More] Descriptors: State Standards, Academic Standards, Educational Assessment, Mathematics Tests
(2016). Statistical Literacy: Data Tell a Story, Mathematics Teacher. Every day, students collect, organize, and analyze data to make decisions. In this data-driven world, people need to assess how much trust they can place in summary statistics. The results of every survey and the safety of every drug that undergoes a clinical trial depend on the correct application of appropriate statistics. Recognizing the importance of graduating statistically literate students who have the confidence to use data independently to solve problems and critique summary statistics, NCTM has recommended that the curriculum include more explorations with data (NCTM 2000). The American Statistical Association (ASA) has released guidelines for teaching statistics in a way that would make the concepts intuitive, relevant, and accessible. Mathematics educators and education organizations have provided similar guidelines for teaching statistics that focus on survey design and implementation, applications that use real-world relevant data, and building conceptual understanding. In the activity presented in this article, bivariate data were analyzed by students to investigate the ingredients in pasta sauce. Actively engaging students sustains their interest and builds their confidence. The lesson is aligned with NCTM's Principles and Standards for Data Analysis and Probability (NCTM 2000), the Common Core State Standards for Statistics and Probability (CCSSI 2010), and "GAISE K-12 and College Guidelines." The examples are appropriate for both high school and college courses. Before starting this lesson, students had some experience working with bivariate data and using Excel®. [More] Descriptors: Statistics, Mathematics Instruction, Data Collection, Teaching Methods
(2013). Primary Sources: America's Teachers on Teaching in an Era of Change. Third Edition. This third edition of "Primary Sources" represents a joint project of Scholastic and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. It reports the views of more than 20,000 public school teachers on important issues related to their profession. Fielded in July 2013, the survey asks teachers about their motivation, new learning standards, teacher evaluations, how they collaborate within and beyond school walls and how they are using technology. The goal of "Primary Sources" is to place teachers' voices at the center of the conversation on education by sharing their thoughts and opinions with policymakers, the media, the field of education and the public. This year's report seeks to: (1) Showcase the daily work and challenges of teachers in an era of change and provide insights into their perspectives on their work, craft and students; (2) Explore teachers' views on the Common Core State Standards; (3) Identify how teacher evaluations can be most helpful to teachers' growth and practice as evaluation systems evolve; and (4) Display how teachers seek to connect with peers, parents and communities to ensure student success. As was the case with the previous two editions of "Primary Sources" (2009, 2011), the results of this survey demonstrate teachers' commitment to student success. A key finding from this research is the strong correlation between teachers' job satisfaction and feeling that their voices are heard. This report is offered as a resource to bring teachers' voices directly to administrators, district leaders, union leaders, legislators, parents and education advocates. Two appendices are included: (1) Full Survey Results; and (2) Common Core State Standards Data By Total in CCSS Adoption States, Grade Level and Subjects Taught. [For a 2014 update to this report, see ED562670.] [More] Descriptors: Public School Teachers, Teacher Surveys, Teacher Attitudes, Educational Change
(2013). Common Core Literacy Lesson Plans: Ready-to-Use Resources, 9-12, Eye on Education. Schools nationwide are transitioning to the Common Core–our advice to you: Be prepared, but don't go it alone! Our new book, "Common Core Literacy Lesson Plans: Ready-to-Use Resources, 9-12," shows you that teaching the Common Core State Standards in high school doesn't have to be intimidating! This easy-to-use guide meets the particular needs of high school teachers. It provides model lesson plans for teaching the standards in reading, writing, speaking/listening, and language: (1) Get engaging lesson plans that are grade-appropriate for teens, easy to implement, and include ready-to-use reproducible handouts, assessments, resources, and ideas to help you modify the lesson for both struggling and advanced learners; (2) Our Common Core Literacy Lesson Plans are equally effective for both English and content-area teachers–the plans are designed to fit seamlessly into your high school curriculum; (3) You get practical tips for revamping your existing lessons to meet the standards; and (4) High school students learn how to answer text-based questions, read informational texts, conduct research, write arguments, and improve their speaking and listening skills. We take the guesswork out of Common Core lesson plans with this practical, easy-to-use guide. All lesson plans are grade-appropriate, but every lesson plan includes…: (1) Common Core State Standards covered in the lesson; (2) Overview of objectives and focus of the lesson; (3) Background knowledge required and time required; (4) A detailed, step-by-step agenda for the lesson, plus a materials list; (5) Differentiation ideas to adapt the lesson for different kinds of learners; (6) Assessment ideas, including rubrics and scoring guides; and (7) A place for your notes: what worked; what can improve. Bonus! We show you how to extend the lessons into longer units to suit your particular grade's curriculum, and even help you create more of your own lessons! [More] Descriptors: Secondary School Curriculum, Lesson Plans, Core Curriculum, Curriculum Guides
(2016). Using Artwork to Explore Proportional Reasoning, Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School. Having an answer to "When are we ever going to use this in real life?" is important to middle school mathematics teachers. The activity described in this article awakened sixth graders' understanding of how artists use mathematics. By exploring ratio and proportionality in different paintings, students realized the use of proportional reasoning in artistic compositions. In this article, they share a lesson created for middle-grades students using a new game app called Keys to the Collection, developed by the Barnes Foundation in partnership with Drexel University's School of Education. This lesson was implemented in an urban sixth-grade class as well as during a sixth-grade field trip to the Barnes Foundation. The catalyst for this activity was an ongoing partnership formed between mathematics educators and art educators at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This partnership began with an email in which the authors asked the Barnes Foundation for access to diagrams used when the Barnes Foundation relocated from a suburban home to a large building in Philadelphia. Since that time, they have collaborated with art educators to develop field trip lessons and conduct workshops integrating mathematics with art in ways that align to the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) (CCSSI 2010). [More] Descriptors: Middle School Students, Middle School Teachers, Mathematics Teachers, Grade 6
(2014). Common Core State Standards in 2014: Curriculum and Professional Development at the District Level, Center on Education Policy. The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in mathematics and English language arts (ELA) outline the knowledge and skills that students are expected to learn throughout their K-12 education in order to be prepared for college and careers when they graduate. As of October 2014, 42 states and the District of Columbia have adopted the standards in both subjects, and one state has adopted the ELA standards only. Districts and schools in CCSS-adopting states have a limited window of time in which to develop or adopt curricular materials, prepare teachers to teach to the CCSS, and prepare principals to provide leadership on CCSS implementation. This school year, many CCSS-adopting states will begin administering new assessments that measure students' progress in learning the content of the new standards. Eventually, many states will use the results of these assessments to meet federal accountability requirements and determine which schools are lowest-performing and must undergo interventions. Teachers and principals will also be directly affected; many states are developing educator evaluation systems that hold these professionals accountable for their students' mastery of the CCSS. The standards will have an impact on students as well. Not only will they be expected to learn and pass tests on more rigorous content, but some states may eventually use student performance on CCSS-aligned assessments as a factor in decisions about college course placement or granting of a high school diploma. To learn more about districts' strategies, policies, and challenges in implementing the CCSS, the Center on Education Policy (CEP) at The George Washington University conducted a comprehensive survey of a nationally representative sample of school districts in states that had adopted the Common Core at the time of the survey in the spring of 2014. CEP previously surveyed school districts about the Common Core in 2011 and surveyed state education officials several times about state implementation of the CCSS, most recently in 2013. This report, one of three based on the 2014 survey, discusses districts' efforts to develop and put in place CCSS-aligned curricular materials and to provide professional development to teachers and principals to prepare them for the standards. [More] Descriptors: State Standards, Academic Standards, Curriculum Design, Faculty Development
(2012). Illuminating Possibilities: Secondary Writing across the Curriculum as a Resource for Navigating Common Core State Standards, Across the Disciplines. Widespread adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in the United States has resulted in an unprecedented set of national secondary school writing standards that shift responsibility for writing instruction across content areas. As secondary school teachers grapple with these new demands, this article proposes that WAC can serve as a key resource in helping content area teachers implement and adjust CCSS-driven writing instruction. If secondary WAC advocates are to be successful in responding, however, they must first address the roadblocks that present challenges for secondary school content area teachers. By drawing on WAC's long history as well as those existing but limited examples of secondary school-wide WAC initiatives that offer concrete illustrations of what is possible, secondary WAC advocates can seize the opportunity of this unique historic moment to help teachers and students by offering models for future secondary school WAC growth and understanding. [More] Descriptors: Writing Across the Curriculum, Common Core State Standards, Writing Instruction, Secondary School Students
(2013). Common Core Literacy Lesson Plans: Ready-to-Use Resources, 6-8, Eye on Education. Schools nationwide are transitioning to the Common Core–our advice to you: Don't go it alone! Our new book, "Common Core Literacy Lesson Plans: Ready-to-Use Resources, 6-8," shows you that teaching the Common Core State Standards in the middle grades doesn't have to be intimidating! This easy-to-use guide meets the particular needs of middle school teachers. It provides model lesson plans for teaching the standards in reading, writing, speaking/listening, and language: (1) Get engaging lesson plans that are grade-appropriate, easy to implement and include ready-to-use reproducible handouts, assessments, resources, and ideas to help you modify the lesson for both struggling and advanced learners; (2) Our Common Core Literacy Lesson Plans are equally effective for both English and content-area teachers–the plans are designed to fit seamlessly into your middle school curriculum; (3) You get practical tips for revamping your existing lessons to meet the standards; and (4) Middle school students learn how to answer text-based questions, read informational texts, conduct research, write arguments, and improve their speaking and listening skills. We take the guesswork out of Common Core lesson plans with this practical, easy-to-use guide. All lesson plans are grade-appropriate, and every lesson plan includes…: (1) Common Core State Standards covered in the lesson; (2) Overview of objectives and focus of the lesson; (3) Background knowledge required and time required; (4) A detailed, step-by-step agenda for the lesson, plus a materials list; (5) Differentiation ideas to adapt the lesson for different kinds of learners; (6) Assessment ideas, including rubrics and scoring guides; and (7) A place for your notes: what worked; what can improve. Bonus! We show you how to extend the lessons into longer units to suit your particular grade's curriculum, and even help you create more of your own lessons! [More] Descriptors: Middle Schools, Lesson Plans, Core Curriculum, Curriculum Guides