Accessing the Common Core

State Standards for Students

with Severe Disabilities and

Autism

Tracie-Lynn Zakas, PhD

October 25, 2012

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Session Overview

• Rationale

• Process for the Creation of the Guides

• Curriculum Guides

• Additional Information and Resources

Charlotte-Mecklenburg

Schools

Strategic Plan 2014

Teaching

Our Way to the Top

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Areas of Focus

• Effective Teaching and Leadership

• Performance Management

• Increasing the Graduation Rate

• Teaching and Learning Through

Technology

• Environment Stewardship

• Parent and Community Connections

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Effective Teaching and

Leadership

• Clearly define and measure teacher

effectiveness

• Provide access to training

tailored to student and teacher

learning needs

• Provide resources needed to

promote excellence in our

classrooms

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Linking Student Progress to

the State Curriculum and

Assessments

• Student progress on state assessments

factor into the formula to measure

teacher performance

– This is one component of the algorithm that

calculates student performance and growth

– The state and district recognize that student

growth occurs because there is good

instruction

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CMS Initiative for the

Common Core State

Standards

“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.”

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For Students with Significant

Disabilities and Severe

Autism

“Students with significant cognitive

disabilities participate in the Extensions

of the Common Core State Standards.

This curriculum teaches the essential

elements of the traditional course of

study while also emphasizing the

acquisition of personally-relevant life

skills.”

Informing the Teachers

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Identifying the Components

and Deciphering the Core

During the past 10 months, over the

course of six days of training, we

covered:

– What

– Who

– Why

And most importantly

– HOW

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A Riddle

How do you eat an

elephant?

12

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What is the Common Core? In training the teachers, we:

• Narrowed the focus

• Taught the language and vocabulary of

the Core

• Emphasized age and grade level

standards

• Took baby steps to thinking

conceptually

– This includes learning to think abstractly

when teaching concrete learners

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Why are we teaching the

Common Core? Shifting the paradigm of thinking…

I have to… OK, I’ll try

it…

Hey, this is not so bad…

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All Teachers: All Classrooms:

All Students

This initiative applies to teachers of

students with severe disabilities…

…and includes every student who will

access the Extensions of the

Common Core Standards

…for all four content core subject

areas.

How Extensions of the Common Core

Standards

Curriculum Guides

(ECCSS)

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The Big Idea

General Education Initiative:

– Curriculum and Instructional leaders

were charged with the task of creating

curriculum guides for each of their

specific core areas and their grade

levels.

Special Education Initiative:

– We opted to create guides for all areas

of the ECCSS at all grade levels.

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The Process

• We hired 10 teachers

– 3 years to 38 years of experience

• Summer Employment

– Six weeks

– Four days a week

– Eight hours a day

• Setting

– Large private workspace with computers

and tables designated for the project

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The Journey

Initially, the teachers were given a

template…

…and the freedom to evolve the

project.

They created a series of documents

that are both teacher friendly AND

salient.

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Overview • The curriculum guides were designed

to help teachers navigate the new

Extended Common Core State

Standards.

• These curriculum guides include:

– R1/ R10, W1, and W2 standards

– Course descriptions

– Sample vocabulary

– Examples of essential questions

– Sample activities based on ECCSS

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K – 5th

R1/R10

W1

W2

R1-

Answer questions to

demonstrate recall of details

from text.

R10-

Demonstrate understanding of

text while actively engaging in

group reading of stories,

dramas, and poetry for a

clearly stated purpose (e.g.,

Read or listen to identify how

the characters are feeling).

Write* an opinion of a familiar

topic or text, supporting a

point of view with reasons.

a. Select a topic or book to

write about and state an

opinion.

b. List reasons to support the

opinion.

Write* to convey information

clearly.

a. Select a topic and

illustrations or visual/ tactile

supports related it.

b. List words related to the

topic.

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6th-8th grade

R1/R10

W1

W2

6th Grade

R1

Analyze a text to determine events or

actions that are stated explicitly and

those that must be inferred. (e.g., the

text reads, the boy jumped out of bed

and ran to school. Explicit= boy jumping

and running. Inferred = got dressed, ate

breakfast).

R10

Demonstrate understanding of text while

actively engaging in reading and listening

to stories, dramas, and poetry for clearly

stated purposes (e.g., Read or listen to

the poem to compare it with the poem we

read yesterday. Read or listen to the

text to identify words that describe what

the narrator is thinking).

.

6th Grade

W1

Write* a claim and support it with two or

more reasons or other relevant evidence.

7th Grade

W1

Write* a claim and support it with two or

more reasons or other relevant evidence.

6th Grade

W2

Write* an informative or explanatory text.

a. Write * the topic.

b. Develop the topic with two or more

facts or concrete details.

c. Provide a closing.

7th Grade

W2

Write* an informative or explanatory text.

a. Write* the topic.

b. Develop the topic with two or more

facts or concrete details.

c. Use Domain specific vocabulary.

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9th-10th grade

R1/R10

W1

W2

R1.

Determine which quotes best

demonstrate the meaning of the text or

an inference drawn from a text (e.g.,

teacher provides an inference drawn

from the text and student determines one

or more quotes that support it).

R10.

Demonstrate understanding of text while

actively engaged in reading or listening

to stories, dramas, and poems for clearly

stated purposes (e.g., Read or listen to

this text to determine how the main

character changes over time. Read or

listen to this text to determine how the

author has drawn upon the text we read

last week).

W1.

Write* a claim

a. Support claim with two or more

reasons or other relevant evidence.

b. State one opposing or counterclaim.

W2.

Write* an informative or explanatory text.

a. Write* the topic

b. Use graphics (e.g., photos, drawings)

and multimedia when useful to aiding

comprehension.

c. Develop the topic with two or more

facts or concrete details.

d. Use domain specific vocabulary.

e. Provide a closing.

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Unpacking the Curriculum

Guides

• Course Descriptions

• Essential Questions

• Vocabulary

• Objectives

– Including sample lesson starters

• Example Activities

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Course Description

• Course descriptions are the main

ideas that are covered throughout

the unit.

• Instead of students rotely repeating

“the big idea,” students are given

the opportunity to interact with the

ideas on a conceptual level.

http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/acre/stand

ards/extended/

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Essential Questions

• The essential questions are examples

of how to integrate reading and writing

into all subject areas.

• These are based from the R1/ R10,

W1, and W2 standards.

• The questions provided are examples

of the types of questions that should be

used.

– Teachers are encouraged to adapt the

questions for their class/lesson.

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Vocabulary

• The vocabulary lists include up to

40 key words that students need to

learn throughout the unit.

• The vocabulary was compiled from

the objectives throughout the units.

• This is a SUGGESTED vocabulary

list.

• Not every student is expected to

learn all of the vocabulary in each

guide.

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Objectives and Example

Activities

• Each guide outlines the state-derived

standards and objectives.

• Examples of activities are listed for

each objective.

• The suggested activities are used as

springboards for teachers to generate

ideas and should be adapted to meet

the needs of students.

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General Information

• Curriculum guides are written for grade

bands (K-2, 3-5, Middle School, and

High School)

• The guides cover:

– English/Language Arts

– Math

– Science

– Social Studies

• Website links are embedded to support

the subject areas.

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Additional Information

• Teachers are encouraged to:

– Take advantage of naturally occurring

learning situations, especially using

the ELA standards

– Use a total communication approach

to present and assess all areas of

academics

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Professional Collaboration

• Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools are in

the process of collaborating with

Discovery Education to create

Alignment Guides to offer additional

depth and richness to the standards.

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Sample Alignment Guide for

Force and Motion

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Making it work

• Top down initiative

• High level of buy-in

• Ties into high stakes measure of

teacher and student performance

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Dissemination of the

Curriculum Guides

• Paper copies given to

– Every teacher for students with severe

disabilities

– Every principal of a school that houses

self-contained programs

– Every academic facilitator

– Every special education administrator

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Environmental Stewardship

• Guides are also posted

– On our EC Website

• Teachers can view and print

– In our EC Sharepoint site

• Teachers can “write” on the documents to

create and share relevant lesson plans

– As a link on our CMS EC Edmodo site

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Next Steps

• Continued collaboration with

– Curriculum and Instruction Department

– North Carolina Department of Public

Instruction

• Additional professional development

– Administration

– Teachers

– Teacher assistants

• Teacher-created Professional

Learning Communities

Any Questions?

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Contact Information

• Tracie-Lynn Zakas

– Tracie.zakas@cms.k12.nc.us

– 980-343-2776

– 700 East Stonewall Street

Charlotte, North Carolina

28202