Group items tagged

Course Outlines and Professional Learning Workshop Guides for a Selection of Classroom Challenges for Grades 6 Through Algebra 2 These course outlines are provided to help teachers place the Classroom Challenges in their math courses. The Course Outlines illustrate how the mathematics of the California Core State Standards (CCSS) flows from Grade 6 to Algebra 2 in rigorous, focused, and coherent units of study. Classroom Challenges are allocated to various units within a Course Outline. For more information on the Classroom Challenges, please see the Math Assessment Project's website. The workshop guides are developed as a resource for workshop facilitators preparing to rollout Professional Learning around the Classroom Challenges. Professional Learning workshop guides have been developed for a selection of the Classroom Challenges allocated to Grades 6 through Algebra 2. These guides link supplemental materials such as Student Work, Criteria for Feedback, Growth Analysis Spreadsheets, and videos (if videos are available).

“Ten Arguments Against Common Core Presidential Hopefuls Should Avoid” by Tim Shanahan in The Education Gadfly, March 18, 2015 (Vol. 15, #11), http://bit.ly/19fhf8J

The Common Core isn’t research-based. Standards are aspirational goals, says Shanahan. “Standards aren’t teaching methods; they aren’t approaches to instruction. When the critics say that some states should have tried these out first to find out if they’re any good, it’s like saying that some states should aim for 4 percent unemployment and others for 8 percent – so that we can know whether we want people to find jobs.”

What tests are available? High School Currently, 6 prototype tests are available aimed at College and Career Readiness at High School - typically suitable for grades 9-10. The test forms and scoring rubrics can be downloaded from the links on the left. We have provided 3 types of High School test forms: 40 minute forms are the easiest for teachers to use for periodic assessments without disrupting the timetable, but are limited in the amount of curriculum they can assess. 3 hour forms offer a model for more comprehensive end-of-grade or end-of-term assessments. 90 minute forms offer a compromise between time and breadth of content. Middle School We have produced six 80-minute forms, each divided into two 40-minute sections. These tests involve content from the Standards for grades 7 and 8. The Task Bank These are only examples of how balanced tests can be assembled. If you require more flexibility, the complete bank of tasks, individually cross-referenced to the standards, is available here.