Adoption of the Alignment to the

PA Common Core Standards

Moon Area School District

Content standards: describe what students should know and be able to do throughout the pre-kindergarten – 12 continuum

Targets for instructional mastery, essential for success in all academic areas

A “staircase of complexity” to enable students to graduate “college and career ready”

1) Foundational Skills (Pre K – 5)2) Reading Informational Text3) Reading Literature4) Writing5) Speaking and Listening

*The full set of PA Common Core Standards may be reviewed on the MASD Curriculum Portal.

• Professional Development• Curriculum review and analysis by grade level• Identify transition needs by grade level• Determine proposed solutions to address needs

at all grade levels• Public review & Board adoption

PDE requires districts to implement PA Common Core standards by July 1, 2013.

• Curriculum Writing (Summer 2013)• Implementation (Fall 2013)• Review & Revise as necessary (Summer 2014)

• Building awareness: Pre K standards included in 2012-2013 Child Find publication

• Forming Partnerships: Pre K Summits & Fair (Received $800 grant to cover costs)

• Encouraging Early Learning: Distribution of Lexia® accounts to Moon Area Pre-K students• Through Moon Area preschool

programs• Through Kindergarten Round-Up• On request

“Children who are particularly likely to have difficulty with learning to read in the primary grades are those who begin school with less prior knowledge and skill in relevant domains.”

–Snow, C. E. et al. (1998) Preventing reading difficulties in young children. National Academy Press. Washington, DC.

Early Intervention for struggling readers

Increase reading of informational text (non-fiction)

Increase writing with robust vocabulary

Increase emphasis on grammar

Increase use of differentiated instruction strategies

Moon Area School District’s Goal

All students will read on or above grade level by the end of

3rd grade so they may successfully make the transition

from “learning to read” to “reading to learn.”

“Children who will probably need additional support for early language and literacy development should receive it as early as possible.”

– Snow, C. E. et al. (1998), p. 9.

There were discussions with administration and Title I teachers

about the types of reading programs available for MASD learners.

Early Intervention for Struggling Readers

Continuation of current Title I reading program strategies which included leveled intervention with targeted students per diagnostic analysis

Revising the current Title I reading program model to determine what researched-based intervention would be compatible with the MASD student population

Aligning the decision to the design of the Common Core for Language Arts

Early Intervention for Struggling Readers

A Pro and Con list was developed to further determine what programs looked like in the school districts that were visited

The Pro and Con list was shared with administration and Title I staff to make a determination on the type of program to implement

School visits were conducted to allow Title I teachers and administration to see the reading programs in action

Early Intervention for Struggling Readers

Wilson Fundations® by Wilson Language Corporation

Site visit was conducted at Chartiers Valley School District on 2-28-13

Leveled Literacy Intervention by Fountas and Pinnell

Site visit was conducted at Quaker Valley School District on 2-22-13

Early Intervention for Struggling Readers

ProsPhonics-based and builds on literacy objectives as outlined in the Common Core State StandardsClear progress monitoring establishes goal successMulti-sensory lesson deliveryTargets specific areas of needThere is a writing journal encouraging a connection between reading and writingTraining is appropriate and meets the needs of teachersCan be implemented by the special education staff

ConsConsumables are needed

yearly in order to implement the program successfully

Early Intervention for Struggling Readers

ProsEngaging lessons utilizing the leveled readers which encourages students to attend to the textWriting booklet- encouraging a connection between reading and writingSpecial education teachers can also use the program with their students

ConsNot strong in the phonics

development areaThe teacher will need to

supplement their phonetic instruction

Early Intervention for Struggling Readers

Wilson Fundations® best supports the learners in the MASD for the following

reasons:

Phonics developmentConnections established between

phonetics and writingStructure provides consistency across the

District and optimizes student growthMulti-sensory presentation and practice of

information Early Intervention for Struggling Readers

*Reoccurring cost of consumable materials: est. $2800/yr.

Early Intervention for Struggling Readers

• Reading a-z.com: Subscription to Common Core Aligned Resource Portal• Grades K-5• Regular, special, and gifted

education

• Cost: $5000/year for 80 teachers impacting about 1,800 students!• Multi-year licensing agreements

offered at discounted rates.

If the link to pay the video above does not work , please visit www.readinga-z.com , and click the “Take a Tour” video located in the upper right section of the webpage.

• Kindergarten: My Word Book • ($50.40 /set of 25)

• 1st & 2nd: Words I Use When I Write • ($53.63/set of 25)

• 3rd & 4th: More Words I Use When I Write• ($61.95/set of 25)

“Primary-grade children should be expected to spell previously studied words and spelling patterns correctly in their final writing products. Writing should take place regularly and frequently to encourage children to become more comfortable and familiar with it.”

-Snow, C. E. et al. (1998), p. 8.

Utilize free online toolso FunEnglishGames.co

mo Funbrain.como Chompchomp.com

Consistent use of consumable grammar workbook

Strengthen degree of mastery Analyzing information from multiple sources on the same topic Supporting claims with credible evidence, with consideration

to opposing viewpoints Linking digital publications to sources Analyzing the impact of multimedia information on a verbal or

written message Updated Teacher’s edition online – for

supplemental PA CC resources (6-year subscription provided free of charge)

Winter Keystone Literature Exam Designed to align to a 10th grade PA CC curriculum as an “end

of course” exam All juniors participated in December Over 90% earned proficient scores

All K-12 English Language Arts courses will be aligned to the PA Common Core State Standards.o On Hands Schools will import the new PACC standards into our

documents according to the PA Standards Crosswalk, saving us $5000 in curriculum revision costs.

o Cost of curriculum writing for new courses and nonfiction units: $3352.

K-3 Reading Intervention – Wilson Fundationso Materials: $24,000o Professional Development: $10,400o Curriculum writing – accounted for in above total

Nonfiction units for grades 3 & 4: $6728 Writing/Vocabulary Journals: $2157 PACC resources for Differentiated Instructional

strategieso Reading A-Z.com subscription: $5000/year

Total Costs for PA Common Core Transition: $51,637