The School Counselor’s Role in the Implementation of Common Core Standards, Ensuring All K-12 Students Graduate Career &

College Ready

Bob BardwellMASCA Fall Conference

October 22, 2013

Who Is Here?

School counselorsGuidance directors Graduate students Administrators (principals,

superintendents)OtherExperts in Common Core StandardsCurriculum experts

Why Are You Here?

Professional developmentYour school made you comeNothing else to doDidn’t like the other sessions during this

time slot

What Can I Offer?

20 year School Counselor and K-12 Director of School Counseling

Leader – local, state, regional & nationalAdvocate for students, school counselors

and our professionNot an expert on Common Core but I know

enough that Common Core is my ticket to ensure that I have a job in the years to come

What are the Common Core State Standards (CCSS)?

Beginning in the spring of 2009, Governors and state commissioners of education from 46 states, 2 territories and the District of Columbia committed to the process of developing a common core of state K-12 English-language arts (ELA) and mathematics standards.

The Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI) is a state-led effort coordinated by the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO).

www.corestandards.org

How did we get here?

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) align U.S. K-12 education with a uniformly higher standard – college and career readiness

45 states and DC have adopted the CCSS for English language arts and mathematics.

ACT research on college and career readiness lies at the heart of the CCSS

Achieve and the College Board (SAT) were members of the CCSS Development Team

How did we get here? (continued)

CCSS were developed using a backward design model – start with the end goal and then figure out how to get there

Identified the college & career standards being sought and worked backwards through each grade resulting in grade level shifts in content throughout the grades

Economic pressure and the continuous decline of the United States regarding high school graduates and lackluster success of college bound students when compared to other nations was the driving force behind the creation of the CCSS

Race to the Top (RTTT) pushed states to voluntarily make the choice to join the CCSSI

Common Core State Standards Design

Building on the strength of current state standards, the Common Core State Standards are designed to be: Focused, coherent, clear and rigorous Internationally benchmarked Linked to college and career readiness* Evidence and research based * Ready for first-year credit-bearing, postsecondary

coursework without the need for remediation.

Common Core State Standards Evidence Base

Evidence was used to guide critical decisions in the following areas: Inclusion of particular content Timing of when content should be introduced and the progression of

content Ensuring focus and coherence Organizing and formatting the standards Determining emphasis on particular topics in standards

Evidence includes: Standards from high-performing countries, states, and nationally-

regarded frameworks Research on adolescent literacy, text complexity, mathematics

instruction, quantitative literacy Lists of works consulted and research base included in standards’

appendices

Higher Education and Employers Want Students Who

CanIdentify areas for research, evaluate and

synthesize resources and develop & draw conclusions

Conduct research and apply that research to solve problems

Apply skills and knowledge across the content areas to solve problems

Model real world situations and solving problems

Assessment of the CCSS

PARCC - Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (www.parcconline.org) Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Tennessee.

Smarter Balance (http://www.smarterbalanced.org)Alaska, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming

PARCC assessment details • Field tests begin in 2014; formal

assessments in 2014-15• Reading, writing & math only• Taken online• Diagnostic tests will be available anytime• Performance-based assessments (PBA) –

ELA/Literacy & Math• End-of-the-year (EOY) assessments –

ELA/Literacy & Math• Speaking & Listening assessment –

ELA/Literacy only• PARCC score will include results from both

PBA & EOY assessments

PARCC assessment details

• May take the place of the college placement test; not used in admission decision process

• Retakes will be available• States will decide if PARCC is used for

graduation purposes and if so, the cut-off scores

• Testing window of two four weeks in the spring

• Total testing time• Grade 3 – 8 hours• Grades 4 & 5 – 9 hours• Grades 6-12 – 9.5 hours

What does this mean for School Counselors?

We Must:1. Understand the Standards2. Support the Standards

implementation3. Act on the Standards

ELA Writing Standards

Expect students to compose arguments and opinions, informative-explanatory pieces, and narrative texts

Focus on the use of reason and evidence to substantiate an argument or claim

Emphasize ability to conduct research – short projects and sustained inquiry

Require students to incorporate technology as they create, refine, and collaborate on writing

The ELA Reading Standards

• Text Complexity• Range of Reading – not just text books and literary works• Exemplar Texts (Shakespeare, Hemmingway – U.S.

Constitution, MLK Letter from Birmingham Jail)• Reading Comprehension

• Standards for Reading Foundational Skills (K-5)• Reading Standards for Literature (K-12)• Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies

(6-12)• Reading Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical

Subjects (6-12) • Reading Standards for Informational Text (K-12)

The Math Standards

• Call on students to practice applying mathematical ways of thinking to real world issues and challenges

• Require students to develop a depth of understanding and ability to apply mathematics to novel situations, as college students and employees regularly are called on to do

• Emphasize mathematical modeling, using mathematics and statistics to analyze problems, understand them better, and improve decisions

• Identify the mathematics that all students should study in order to be college and career ready.

The Other Standards

Science: In a process managed by Achieve, with the help of the National Research Council, the National Science Teachers Association, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, states are developing the Next Generation Science Standards. http://www.nextgenscience.org/

World Languages: The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages published an alignment of the National Standards for Learning Languages with the ELA Common Core State Standards. http://www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/Aligning_CCSS_Language_Standards_v6.pdf

Arts: The National Coalition for Core Arts Standards is leading the revision of the National Standards for Arts Education. http://www.arteducators.org/research/national-coalition-for-core-arts-standards

Successful Implementation Requires

Leaders build a culture of successChanges in attitudesChanges in practiceEmbraced by all educators, including

counselorsInstructional and systemic leadershipAll staff buy-in and implementation

How can School Counselors Support the Implementation?

Think & work across the K-12 grade spanDevelop comprehensive school counseling plans

utilizing the ASCA national standardsCreate standards based college and career focused

classroom lessons and programsDesign clearer processes for course sequencing

and credit articulation

How can School Counselors Support the Implementation?

(continued)

Familiarize yourself with the standardsBecome part of the leadership team which is charged

with overseeing the CCSSI implementationEnsure that your school counseling program

statement of philosophy aligns with the school and district’s vision and mission statements

Formulate and distribute an agreed upon set of beliefs and expectations that every student achieve at high levels

Turn to a neighbor

Have you begun to have conversation in your school counseling program about how to get on the Common Core bandwagon?

If so, what is your role with the CCSSI movement? (in other words, how do you do it?

Action Steps: Literacy instruction

Gather & analyze relevant literacy standardized test data to share with colleagues and invested constituents

Gather & analyze relevant Response to Intervention (RTI) Tier 2 & 3 data with colleagues and invested constituents

Monitor and share student literacy related progress reports

Identify students with literacy needs and plan with staff appropriate interventions

Integrate literacy standards into your lesson plans

Action Steps: Mathematics instruction

Gather & analyze relevant math standardized test data to share with colleagues and invested constituents

Gather & analyze relevant RTI Tier 2 & 3 data with colleagues and invested constituents

Monitor and share student math related progress reports

Identify students with math needs and plan with staff appropriate interventions

Advocate for four years of high school math requirement if it is not already in place

Action Steps: Mathematics instruction (continued)

Analyze data regarding Students who are not on track for early math grade

level achievement (elementary level data analysis) Number of students repeating math courses – what

grade do they begin to fall behind and with which teacher(s)

Students who do not minimally complete the college prep math track – Algebra I, Geometry & Algebra II or integrated math levels I-III

Student achievement on state or national standardized tests (I.e.: Accuplacer, SAT/ACT, AP, IB)

Action Steps: Mathematics instruction (continued)

Provide math faculty the opportunity to collaborate with college math faculty to review scope and sequence of course syllabi

Review (and change if necessary) the school’s policy regarding course selection, offerings & sequencing to ensure all students have access to higher level math courses

Action Steps: Systemic Approaches

Participate in discussions about rigor in your school

Assist in the gathering of data on the # of students on target to be career/college ready Explore, Plan, ACT, PSAT, SAT, Accuplacer, AP,

IBProvide data analysis regarding the # of

students taking rigorous courses of study

Action Steps: Systemic Approaches

(continued)

Provide data analysis about the # of students who attain the ACT/SAT college readiness benchmarks

Explore & provide dual/concurrent enrollment opportunities with local colleges

Explore & provide early college programs and opportunities for students who show potential and ability to participate in such activities

Action Steps: Instructional Time

Help identify ways to extend learning time for students, including those in Tier 2 interventions

Monitor participation and progress of students involved with Tier 2 and 3 interventions

Share results & impact of such interventionsIdentify students and interventions for

accelerated/ enriched extended learning opportunities

Action Steps: Instructional Practices

Determine impact of the CCSS on the development and implementation of educational plans for all students

Develop & annually update 6 year individual learning plans which contain necessary career & college readiness elements

Develop career & college readiness lesson plans aligned with CCSS standards

Develop school counselor classroom lesson calendar and distribute to all staff

Action Steps: Professional Learning

Be part of the discussions with school leadership team, data team and/or literacy council based on assessed needs of students and observed needs of staff as they relate to CCSS implementation

Be an active participant in school wide PD activities

Include PD goals in your Comprehensive School Counseling program and your individual evaluation

Reference ASCA’s tools when creating PD plans

Action Steps: Assessment

Ensure that students understand how to interpret current standardized assessments and the implications of the results relating to their level of career and college readiness

Begin learning about and communicating about upcoming common assessments

Use data to identify student needs and monitor progress

Action Steps: Visuals

Display college poster and pennantsPost college information, scholarships and

student acceptances*Post achievement and accomplishments of

students – I.e.: NMSQT Semi-finalists & finalists, AP scholars, Honor Roll, NHS

Action Steps: Visuals (continued)

Proudly display pennants or articles of clothing from their alma mater(s)

Provide relevant and current information on your counseling office website

Create bulletin boards/special displays with important career/college information or data

Action Steps: Auditory

Make frequent announcements about student accomplishments, deadlines, reminders, programs, field trips

Engage in routine conversations with students and parents about career and college research, selection and the application process

Have counselors, teachers and other educators engage in frequent discussions with all students about careers and college

Bring in alumni (high school or college) and business people to speak to students about colleges and careers

Action Steps: Practices/Rituals

School wide celebrations for academic achievement (Honor roll breakfast, National Honor Society induction)

Incentives for academic achievement (I.e.: Renaissance program, special privileges for honors students; scholarship recognitions)

Community activities that highlight academic successes (I.e.: newspaper articles, bulletin boards in local businesses)

Advisory – incorporate career/college activities within the small group advisory curriculum (if applicable)

Questions & Conversations

What is not clear?What more do you need?How can we help each other?Who wants to share a success with CCSS

Implementation?

My contact information

Bob BardwellSchool Counselor & Director of School CounselingMonson Innovation High School55 Margaret StreetMonson, MA 01057413.267.4589x1109www.bobbardwell.com bardwellr@monsonschools.com