A Sneak Peek at the New ELA Standards

A Sneak Peek at the New ELA StandardsAnd Other Updates from NDETricia Parker-SiemersDirector of Language Arts Education

TimelineWhat’s happened so far?

When will they be finished?How long do we have to implement?

What’s happened so far?

0March – June 2013 Alignment study between the Common Core State Standards and the Nebraska Language Arts and Mathematics Standards conducted by MCREL

0 June – October 2013 Reviewed the results of the alignment study-- report for the State Board

0December 2013 Convened Higher Education representatives from all Nebraska universities, state colleges, and community colleges to review 2009 standards for college and career readiness & identify areas for improvement

0November 2013– January 2014 Convened writing groups to review all data collected to this point and revise standards as needed to for college and career readiness, including an examination of:0 Results of HE readiness study0 Results of the MCREL alignment study0 Standards for ACT, SAT and the NAEP frameworks for

changes that have been made since 2009 0 NeSA results to identify gaps in the current standards0 Standards from other states

When will they be finished?

0Spring 2014- Present 1st draft of College and Career Ready Language Arts Standards to the State Board.

030 day public input period0Revisions based upon public and board input0Vetted by higher education representatives0Final draft approved by the State Board of Education

How long do we have to implement?

0School districts have one year after the standards are approved to adopt the new standards or to create standards that are equal or greater in rigor to the newly adopted standards.

Let’s just go ahead and talk about it…

So, why not just adopt the Common Core?

0The Nebraska State Board of Education gave the Curriculum and Instruction Team the following charge: 0 Simply adopting the Common Core is not an option0 Begin with the existing Nebraska standards- revise as

needed for College and Career Readiness0 Guarantee Nebraska Students have the same

opportunity to learn0 Allow for ESEA Flexibility Waiver

Higher Education MeetingsNovember 19-20, 2013

0Representatives from: 0 University System0 State College System0 Community College System0 Private Post Secondary Institutions

0Participants were nominated by the heads of their institutions and submitted by the heads of their systems0 Expertise0 Authority to sign off for their system

Emphasis on College and Career Readiness (& are they different?)

0ACT Definition0 “The level of achievement a student needs to be ready to

enroll and succeed—without remediation—in credit-bearing first year postsecondary courses.” ‐

0Discussions surrounding the Nebraska Career Readiness Standards

0Envisioning the role of technology

Higher Ed Take-Aways

0More in-depth analysis of text is a must0 Need to move beyond main idea/supporting details only

model0A broader variety of writing types need to be

mastered0Technology must be integrated usefully, not as an

afterthought0Appropriate register in reading and writing must be

taught explicitly

Standards Revision Committee

025 member committee, with representation from:0 K-12 Schools (teachers and administrators)0 Nebraska’s Literacy Stakeholders, including:

0NSRA (State Reading Association)0NELAC (Nebraska English Language Arts Council)0NSLA (Nebraska School Librarians)0NSEA (Nebraska State Education Association)0NDE (Assessment, Early Childhood, Curriculum)0NE Chapter of the American Dyslexia Association0Higher Education0NCSA (Nebraska Council of School Administrators)

Requirements for Committee

0At least one, and in most cases, 2 representatives from each State Board District

0Multiple Lenses:0 English as a Second Language0 Special Education0 High-Ability Learners0 Cross-Curricular Areas0 Career & Technical Education Connections

So, what next?

Next Steps

0 Continue with revisions0 Looking at revisions across K-120 Integration of multiple literacy standards0 Matching language to Career Readiness Standards

0 January-March 2014: Revision committee to finish drafts0 April/May: Final Edits and Send to Higher Education

Representatives for sign-off0 Spring/Early Summer Final Draft to State Board0 Public Comment0 Final Edits and State Board Approval

Beyond RevisionSo, then what can we expect?

Support for the Standards

0Create cross-curricular frameworks0 Demonstrate integration within units for elementary to

make better use of time0 Middle and high school cross-curricular integration

0Build resources into Safari Montage and on state site0 Glossary0 Crosswalk to CTE0 Sample Lessons/Units

0Create model for others, based on CTE Integration

Questions?

Tricia Parker-SiemersDirector of Language Arts EducationNebraska Department of Education301 Centennial Mall SouthOR PO Box 94987Lincoln, NE 68509 @LiteracyLady89(402)471-4336http://www.education.ne.gov/read