www.earnperhit.com/essay => Professional academic writing www.lucky-bet.site => Bet on Sports - 50% Deposit Bonus www.lucky-bet.site/casino => Online Casino - 5000$ Welcome Bonus www.lucky-bet.site/lotto247 => Lotto247 - Win Big, Live Free www.lucky-bet.site/eurobet => Best European Bookmaker Connecting the Dots: CCSS, DI, NWEA, Help! Eileen Murphy Buckley, NCTE author and Consultant, Chicago Public Schools, IL Fusion 2012, the NWEA summer conference in Portland, Oregon Participants will learn about how adopting the practices of close reading and evidence based argumentation emphasized in the Common Core State Standards can work seamlessly within a differentiated literacy program called CERCA. Through centers that promote engagement, independence, and rigor, students develop critical thinking skills, academic language skills, and practice the strategies and skills found throughout Descartes Continuum of Learning. As students move through centers designed to promote accountability for one's own learning and growth, teachers can strategically address individual and small group support and enrichment needs on a daily basis. The session is especially relevant for literacy in grades 5-8. Learning outcome: - Participants will understand the role of close reading and argumentation in increasing rigor and growth. - Participants will understand the benefits of using a common language and shared practices for literacy in a system or school. - Participants will understand how centers-based instruction can help teachers differentiate instruction on a regular basis. Audience: -Experienced data user I have recently left Chicago Public Schools where I was the Director of Curriculum and Instruction for the AMPS Office (the office of Autonomous Schools.) The AMPS team brought the pilot of NWEA to CPS who has now adopted it system-wide. As part of the same team, we then led the Pershing Network within CPS. I helped schools evaluate, develop, and implement curriculum and instruction and professional development plans to help teachers help students meet growth targets and begin the implementation of CCSS through an evidence-based argumentation framework which 50 school grades 3-12 adopted.

1. Connecting the Dots
CCSS, NWEA, DI…Help!
An Overview of CERCA

2. Today
• Opportunities and Challenges of Supporting the
Common Core State Standards Implementation AND
Staying Focused Growth
• Understanding how a set of Common Core State
Standard-Aligned critical literacy practices can help
teachers Differentiate Instruction for Growth on NWEA

3. ―If you can’t see it the classroom, it’s not
there‖
―There are only three ways to improve student
learning at scale:
• You can raise the level of the content that
students are taught.
• You can increase the skill and knowledge
that teachers bring to the teaching of that
content.
• And you can increase the level of students’
active learning of the content.
That’s it. Everything else is instrumental.‖
—Richard Elmore ―The Instructional Core‖
Gregory R.Anrig Professor of Educational Leadership, Harvard Graduate School of Education

5. ―Ya Know‖ vs. Purposeful Academic Language Development

6. CCSS-Aligned
From Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in
History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects
Appendix A: Research Supporting Key Elements of the Standards
...the Standards put particular emphasis on students’ ability to write
sound arguments on substantive topics and issues, as this ability is
critical to college and career readiness. English and education
professor Gerald Graff (2003) writes that ―argument literacy‖is
fundamental to being educated.The university is largely an
―argument culture,‖ Graff contends....He claims that because
argument is not standard in most school curricula, only 20 percent
of those who enter college are prepared in this respect....When
teachers ask students to consider two or more perspectives on a
topic or issue, something far beyond surface knowledge is
required: students must think critically and deeply, assess the
validity of their own thinking, and anticipate counterclaims in
opposition to their own assertions.

7. Real-Life Social Activity
Test or No Test
Debate-oriented discussion is a
favorite, real-life social activity.
Do you ever go a day without one?

8. What is cerca?
• Education for Thinking
• A school-wide/district-wide common language and core
set of leveled and adaptable tools and practices for
developing critical literacy across all disciplines.
• A streamlined system for coordinating and differentiating
instruction, centered on exploring essential questions
through the common practices of academic discussion and
claim-making in traditional academic writing, as well as in
multimedia formats.
• An approach for debatifying content in service of
developing skills and improving rigor and engagement for
true cognitive growth and college & career readiness.

9. Research-Based
• The new Common Core State Standards focus on close
reading and evidence-based argumentation as the key to
academic literacy, career readiness, and rigorous thought.
• Using the cerca lens challenges students to read closely
and critically with authentic motivation to move beyond
comprehension into critical analysis, making instruction more
rigorous so all students grow.
• Debate-centered, cerca is naturally social and
participatory.
• Whole faculties can collaborate strategically around skill
development, providing individualized support, regardless of
teaching styles.
*See ―Additional Resources‖ on page 25.

10. claim
• Answers a specific question given in a prompt or asserts an
independent claim generated by the student.
• Claim statement often suggests/addresses an audience.
• Tells readers why the issue is significant*. Providing key
words as part of an essential question unit often helps
students express this significance and their reasoning. For
example, in discussions of Facebook and teens, ―privacy,‖
―freedom,‖ and ―safety‖ are key terms students will need.
*CCSS

11. evidence
• Quotations from the text (Word for Word).
• Summary of text.
• Paraphrased information.
• Facts & statistics.
• Anyone engaged in the argument can find this and use it.

12. reasoning
• The source of the greatest language and cognitive
demands.
• This is thinking spelled out.
• Answers this question: ―How does that evidence help
prove the claim?‖
• Where rigor and learning reside.

13. counter-claim
• Bring it on! The counter-claim challenges students to
consider other viewpoints by asking them to state an
opponent’s argument and to develop a rebuttal from a
shared value.
• A natural and serious game, debate is animated by
counter- argument. Responsiveness to another argument
makes the counter-claim in writing, play, discussion, or
creation the most engaging aspect of cerca.
• Exploring opposing viewpoints is a strong thread
throughout all academic standards, from the College
Readiness Standards to the Common Core Standards. It is
also a skill featured prominently in Advanced Placement
assessments across disciplines.

14. audience-appropriate language
• Academic Language Learners (ALLs) and English Language
Learners (ELLs) struggle with the power of their own ideas because
they often lack the language or the confidence to express the
abstract concepts and complex ideas that are the basis of reason-
giving in all forms of argumentation.
• Academic terms, discipline-specific sentence frames, and
arguespeak can be provided to scaffold these challenges.
• In reading, students can begin to see arguments with a kind of X-
ray vision when they are given this support, providing more support
and practice for challenging reading.
• Students can be taught about correct usage, punctuation, or
even the aptness of a word choice, when we pay regular
attention to these details within a systematic program.

15. Skill Development
• Standards and Skills-Aligned Task Templates and
Rubrics
• Color-Coding System and Sentence Template-
supported, systematic academic skill and language
development for ALLs and ELLs
• Authentically Differentiated and Growth-Focused

16. Personalized Learning Delivered

17. Multi-Modal, Multi-Media Text/Tasks

18. Personalized & Collaborative
Differentiation made simple. 4 levels of texts. 4 levels of tasks.

19. Pre-K Practice Example
• Bashi the Baby Elephant image
• Pre-K Read-aloud: What evidence
from the picture might make people
think that elephants are like people?
Who is the big elephant? Who might
the little elephants be?

20. 2nd Grade: What evidence does the author give us that help us
understand her claim that elephants are social? Use exact words from
the text?
Locates information in short passages (1 to 3 sentences) of
informational text containing simple sentence construction (RiT 171-180)

21. Assessing Descartes
CERCA Prompt: What evidence and reasoning does
the author provide to support his claim that elephants
are smart? Do you agree or disagree with this
position?
• ―Identifies the supporting details in short (3 to 8
sentences) passages of informational text.‖
containing one or more compound sentences ‖
• ―Paraphrases information found in complex
informational text.‖
• ―Locates and paraphrases information in
informational text (5-6 paragraphs)‖
(Norm: Rit199.8 BOY 4th grade 2011)

22. Descartes as CCSS
Grade 4, Standard 2: Determine the main idea of a text
and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize
the text.
• CERCA Prompt Level 1: What is the main idea of
________, and how does the author support this main idea
with key details?
• CERCA Prompt Level 4: What evidence and reasoning
does the author provide to support his argument that
________? Do you agree or disagree with this position?
• CERCA Sentence Starter Stem:
The main idea of _______ by _____ is ____. The author
supports this claim with key details such as _____, ____,
and _____ in order to prove that _____.

23. Descartes as College Readiness
Standards (Assessed on EPAS)
What evidence and reasoning does the
author provide to support his argument
that ________? Do you agree or disagree
with this position?
• Locate important details in
uncomplicated passages
• Make simple inferences about how
details are used in passages

24. NWEA-EXPLORE Correlation
NWEA-EXPLORE Correlation: Reading Total 8th Graders in Pershing:
RIT Score Percentile % Probability of Meeting # Pershing 1400
(Spring) (Spring) College Readiness Benchmark Students
Minimum 225 57% 45% 217
Minimum 230 70% 64% 191
Minimum 235 80% 82% 102
Minimum 240 88% 96% 67
Minimum 245 93% 100% 30
*College readiness EXPLORE Benchmark in Reading: 15
*RIT Scores: NWEA-ACT Linking Study
*Percentile: 2011 Norm Study
NWEA-EXPLORE Correlation: MATH
RIT Score Percentile % Probability of Meeting # Pershing
(Spring) (Spring) College Readiness Benchmark Students
Minimum 240 62% 53% 196
Minimum 245 72% 70% 139
Minimum 250 81% 85% 96
Minimum 255 88% 93% 61
Minimum 260 92% 99% 53
Minimum 265 95% 100% 45
*College readiness EXPLORE Benchmark in Math: 17
*RIT Scores: NWEA-ACT Linking Study
*Percentile: 2011 Norm Study

25. Discussion around data movement
School A
Principals demand for
grade & classroom data School B
by Spring 12!

26. Ambitious Instruction in English

27. Sample (Before)
Grade 4 Reading/ELA Sample: What is the main idea of “Elephants
Cooperate, Proving How Smart They Really Are” by Charles Q. Choi and
what key details does he use to support it?
The main idea of Elephants Cooperate, Proving How Smart They
Really Are is elephants may be smarter than we think.
First off an elephant can see itself in a mirrors, only some animals
can do tis (humans apes and dolphins).
Elephants also will help each other for example, the elephants
work together to get a bucket of corn.
Finally an elephant will stay with their mate, unlike crows, hyenas.
After that I think that elephants are very intelligent.

28. Sample (After)
Grade 4 Reading/ELA Sample: “Elephants Cooperate, Proving How Smart
They Really Are” by Charles Q. Choi.
The main idea of ―Elephants Cooperate, Proving How Smart They Really
Are,‖ by Charles Q. Choi is that elephants are pretty smart. The author
supports this claim with key details such as the fact that they can see
themselves in mirrors, work together, the help each other. That only goes
for a couple of other animals, which are dolphins, apes, and humans.
Choi begins the summary of his research telling us that people used to
think that elephants were not as smart as them. He starts giving us
reasons. He gives the test results to persuade us. The elephants would
work together to get corn. ―They had to coordinate their efforts so that
each could get a tasty bucket of corn.‖ This shows that the elephants will
cooperate to get the corn. Most animals such as lions will fight each
other to get the food, but elephants will work together to make sure they
both get the food.

29. After Continued
Some people might argue that other animals work
together too, but an elephant will keep going for a very
long time, but others don’t. ―Elephant behavior is flexible.‖
If they grew up learning how to do something they will do
it, but other animals don’t change. Elephants are smart
enough. They can start a community. Some animals can
build a structure like a nest. It is a structure. It is built by a
living thing. When you build something, it is not like you are
just taking over something that is built for you. Choi proves
to us that elephants are smart by telling us about the test
results, which show that the elephants are not evolved or
smart enough to build a structure but they will work
together to help themselves. That’s pretty smart because
they can learn and change.

30. Rubric
Component 1 2 3 4 5
Claim The writer clearly stated their claim, Writer states a claim but does not Writer states an unclear claim or
explaining the underlying develop the claim’s significance. does not state a claim at all.
significance of the issue.
Evidence Writer uses sufficient, valid, and Writer uses some valid or relevant Writer uses insufficient, invalid,
relevant evidence from another evidence from another source to and irrelevant evidence to
source to support claim through support claim through summary, support claim through summary,
direct quotation (word-for-word) paraphrase, or direct quotation paraphrase, or direct quotation
and summary and paraphrase as (word-for-word), but evidence is not (word-for- word).
necessary. sufficient to prove claim.
Reasoning Writer effectively explains exactly Writer explains how evidence from Writer fails to explain or fails to
how or why the evidence supports the text supports the claim of the explain clearly how evidence
the claim of the paragraph(s). paragraph but too much of the from the text supports the claim of
thinking behind the argument is left the paragraph.
unstated.
Conclusion Writing contains an effective Writing contains a concluding Writing contains an unclear
Claim concluding statement that follows statement that follows from and concluding statement, one that
from and supports the argument supports the argument presented, does not clearly follow from or
presented, making the significance but may be mechanical or simply support the argument presented,
of the issue and reasoning behind repetitious. or no concluding statement at all.
the argument clear.
Appropriate Writing demonstrates skillful use of Choice of words and/or Writing is difficult to understand
Language words and phrases that would development of sentences and and ineffective in communicating
appeal to the audience to make phrases make it difficult for the writer the reasoning or the relationships
an effective argument in which the to make an effective argument in that link the evidence to the
claim is explicitly supported by which the claim is explicitly claim.
evidence and sound reasoning. supported by evidence and sound
The paragraph flows like one piece reasoning.
of writing as opposed to separate
parts stitched together.
Conventions Writing contains no errors in X. Writing contains less than 3 errors in X Writing contains more than 4
of Usage and errors in X.
Punctuation

31. Sample Rubric
CCSS Score Earned Weight Revision Priority Level 1-5 Notes and Suggestions
RL.10, RI.10, W.1a 3
W.1 6
W.1 7
W.1 1
L.6,W.1 1
Additional Requirements
2

32. Why Debatify? Why Write?
• Real, timely, trackable, and actionable data.
• Valued across disciplines and pedagogical styles.
• Common & meaningfully repeatable tasks with
differentiated texts and skills focus helps teachers address
the practical challenges of differentiated
instruction/personalized learning.
• Given accessible texts and a good reason to argue,
students can and do get what it says, what it means, and
why it matters.
• Parents can finally understand our language.

33. What’s In It For Me?
• School Leaders
A complete set of tools to help the entire team strategically orchestrate
efforts around student skill development.
• Teachers
Students gain a better understanding of content, produce better writing,
and engage with each other productively.
Collaborative focus allows for shared practices among teachers, making
the whole team’s focus clear to students and mutually reinforcing.
• Students
Actually understand what we mean when we are talking about literacy
skills. Develop intellectual values and refine powerful thinking, reading,
writing, listening and speaking skills that apply to all areas of their lives. See
the explicit connections between real life and school life.
• Parents
Share a vocabulary that gives them a way to understand what students are
supposed to know and be able to do and how teachers are strategically
orchestrating efforts to help them achieve.

34. Additional Resources
Anderson, Lorin W., David R. Krathwohl, Benjamin Samuel Bloom, and Benjamin Samuel
Bloom. A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing: a Revision of Bloom’s
Taxonomy of Educational Objectives : Complete Edition. New York: Longman, 2001.
Print.
―Common Core State Standards Initiative | The Standards | English Language Arts
Standards.‖ Common Core State Standards Initiative | Home. Web. 02 July 2011.
<http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards/english-language-arts-standards>.
Graff, Gerald, and Cathy Birkenstein.―A Progressive Case for Educational Standardization.‖
Academe 94.3 (2008): 16–20.
Hillocks, George. Teaching Argument Writing, Grades 6-12: Supporting Claims with
Relevant Evidence and Clear Reasoning. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2011. Print
Kozulin, Alex. Vygotsky’s Educational Theory in Cultural Context. UK: Cambridge UP, 2003.
Print.
Kuhn, Deanna. Education for Thinking. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 2008. Print. Reeves,
Douglas B. ―The 90/90/90 Schools Study | The Leadership and Learning
Center.‖ http://www.leadandlearn.com/90-90-90
Wormeli, Rick. Fair Isn’t Always Equal: Assessing & Grading in the Differentiated
Classroom. Portland, Me.: Stenhouse, 2006. Print.

35. Connect With Us
• Register at www.thinkcerca.com to begin using online
cerca System for personalizing CCSS Literacy Instruction this
fall
• Contact Us for District Implementation Planning &
Professional Development!
www.thinkcerca.com

36. Eileen Murphy Buckley
773-255-1928
info@thinkcerca.com
@thinkcerca

37. Additional Research of Interest

38. ENGLISH READING
MATHEMATICS SCIENCE

43. Impact of Reading Achievement & Achievement in Other Areas