Common Core State Standards Research Articles

UTILIZING MIND MAPPING TO ENHANCE WRITING SKILLS AND CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING THROUGH CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOPS

Abstract: This community service project is a collaboration between the Faculty of Language and Arts, Jakarta State University, and the Cisaat Village Government, initiated by the English Literature Program in collaboration with the Visual Arts Education Program of the Faculty of Language and Arts, Jakarta State University. This community service project was conducted in Cilimus Village with the aim of enhancing participants' writing skills and their understanding of their own culture through a cultural knowledge strategy via creative writing training based on local wisdom, employing the technique of mind mapping. The subjects of this community service project were 17 students from Junior High School and Senior High School. The mind mapping technique was applied as a tool to organize ideas from Cilimus Village into creative writing pieces. The evaluation of the writing was carried out using a narrative writing rubric based on the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) W.7.3, assessing students' abilities in effective and comprehensive narrative writing. The evaluation results showed an increase in the number of participants who achieved a minimum score of 20 points, totaling 80% of all participants. The outcome of this community service project is creative writing by the young generation of Cilimus Village that reflects the cultural values and uniqueness of Cilimus Village, contributing to the preservation and promotion of Cilimus Village's cultural heritage.

Fostering engaging online learning experiences: Investigating situational interest and mind-wandering as mediators through learning experience design

AbstractTraditionally, learning among young students has taken place within structured, physical classroom settings. However, the emergence of distance learning has introduced a diverse range of learning methods, including online, hybrid, and blended approaches. When the COVID-19 pandemic led to extended delays in in-person instruction, use of educational technologies such as asynchronous videos and online platforms were deployed to deliver mathematics curricula aligned with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), though best practices for teaching mathematics asynchronously are not well studied. This study focuses on exploring the effectiveness of a math course on proportional reasoning that was co-designed, developed, and deployed in 5th and 6th grade Orange County classrooms. Examining the learning experience design (LXD) paradigm, this research focuses on discerning its influence on (n = 303) children's engagement during their involvement in an online, video-based math course. LXD is implemented by combining evidence-based pedagogical instructional design with human-centered user experience (UX) design. The study utilized a structural equation model to analyze the relationships between learners' user experiences, situational interest, mind-wandering, and online engagement. The results demonstrated significant direct effects between students' situational interest, user experience, and their level of online engagement. Findings also indicate that students' situational interest and mind-wandering significantly mediate the relationship between their user experiences and online engagement. These results have important theoretical and practical implications for researchers, designers, and instructors. By combining evidenced-based pedagogical learning design with human-centered user experience design, LX designers can promote situational interest, reduce mind-wandering, and increase engagement in elementary mathematics courses conducted in asynchronous online settings.

Humanizing History: Using Historical Fiction Texts to Develop Disciplinary and Racial Literacies

AbstractHistorical fiction is a powerful genre for inviting children into meaningful conversations centered on the lived experiences of others. Historical inquiry immerses readers in interdisciplinary research experiences and complements language arts Common Core State Standards that call for a balance of fiction and non‐fiction text. Antiracist lenses enhance inquiry conversations and help students articulate nuanced understandings of the fictionalized historical events while developing disciplinary and racial literacy knowledge necessary for humanizing history. This article highlights how we, as teacher educators, use historical fiction to engage teacher candidates in inquiry‐based social studies lessons to develop their disciplinary and racial literacy skills and practices. Then, we offer an example of how to integrate the C3 inquiry approach using Finding Langston (Cline‐Ransome, 2018), a historical fiction text set during the Great Migration, to engage elementary‐aged readers in explorations of history, sparking children’s agency and engagement in their own learning.

The best pedagogical practices for teaching mathematics revisited: Using math manipulatives, children’s literature, and GeoGebra to produce math confident young people for a STEM world

Today math teachers can best reach their students and show them how math surrounds us by using manipulatives, children’s literature, and GeoGebra while teaching mathematics. These are some of the best pedagogical practices for teaching mathematics today. In our high-tech world, students need to be proficient in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. As endorsed by National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (2000) and stressed in common core state standards in mathematics, it is important that we teach with technology, address dispositions and math anxiety, and make the math that young people are learning pertinent and meaningful. Frequently, it may be best to start teaching young people geometry first as opposed to numbers, which are considered more abstract and difficult to learn. Geometry is one of the most tangible divisions of math and concentrating on this first can help students’ whole view of mathematics and their insolences towards learning the subject. Nowadays teachers also need to be cognizant and checking for attitudes and dispositions toward learning mathematics, as math anxiety is an issue in today’s classrooms. This paper will revisit the best pedagogical practices for teaching math the review of the use of math manipulatives, children’s books, and GeoGebra to help teachers create mathematically confident young people.

Interactive Homework: A Tool for Parent Engagement

Families have largely been excluded from the implementation of the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics (CCSSM), reducing their ability to extend their child’s mathematics learning. CCSSM emphasizes different instructional elements (e.g., pictorial representations, problem solving, multiple strategies for solving) that may differ greatly from how parents learned mathematics. In addition, many school officials have ineffectively engaged parents in the changes, further diminishing their capacity to participate in their child’s learning. This case study examined parent mathematics self-efficacy and parent mathematics knowledge for teaching, factors that influence the effectiveness of their engagement in their child’s mathematics learning. This study was also implemented to identify elements that the parent participant found helpful for their child’s mathematics learning. A thematic analysis was performed on the data sources, the interactive homework assignments, a survey, observations, a researcher’s journal, and an interview to conclude that the interactive homework assignments improved parent mathematics self-efficacy and parent mathematics knowledge for teaching. The parent participant also identified the assignments’ side-by-side examples, additional practice, and the easy access of the assignments as features of the intervention that enhanced her ability to support her child.

The relationship between English language proficiency and academic performance among English learners: A subgroup analysis by home language background

In U.S. K-12 public education, states' English language proficiency (ELP) standards and assessments have undergone changes in their content to correspond to the language demands of new academic content-area standards (e.g., Common Core State Standards). However, empirical investigations about how English learner (EL) students perform on the new assessments are limited despite the continued use of ELP assessments for making various decisions about students' academic paths. Addressing this gap, this study focused on criterion-related validity evidence by examining the relationship between ELP and content assessment performances of fifth-grade EL students in one state. We examined all EL students and EL home language subgroups. The results suggest that the ELP Reading subdomain was a significant predictor of content assessment scores in English language arts and mathematics; however, the patterns and magnitude of ELP and content relationship differed across different home language groups. Implications for practice, policy, and research are discussed. Educational relevance statementStates' standards-based ELP assessments play a vital role in making decisions about individual EL students' academic paths as well as in school planning for resources and instruction for EL students. The findings of the present study provide important validity evidence to support the intended use of ELP assessments. The study also underscores the importance of investigating within group variations, as the EL group is tremendously heterogenous in terms of their cultural and linguistic backgrounds, socioeconomic status, length of U.S. residence, and formal schooling experience. The results of the study shed light on a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between ELP and the academic performance of EL students from different home language backgrounds.

The Journey Continues: Mathematics Curriculum Analysis from the Official Curriculum to the Intended Curriculum

In this paper, we share major lessons we have learned in our curriculum analysis explorations and provide suggestions for future mathematics curriculum research. Specifically, we will discuss the successes and challenges of using comparative methods and developing analytical frameworks. Using an old Chinese saying, follow the vine to get the melon (顺藤摸瓜), our journey starts with getting a holistic picture of standards and moves to identifying a specific topic in the textbooks. We first conducted a study to compare the geometry standards of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) and the Chinese Compulsory Education Mathematics Curriculum Standards (CMCS); then we analyzed the presentation of a specific topic, triangle congruence, in multiple geometry textbooks. For each comparative study we conducted, developing the analytical framework that can be used to guide future investigations constituted a critical step in the research methodology. We have learned lessons from adapting the well-known van Hiele model, which was created for the development of geometric reasoning, into a lens for a detailed curriculum analysis. We have also learned lessons from elaborating on the key constructs from the “Mathematics Curriculum as Story” framework for coding and analysis. These lessons as well as our future directions serve as the primary focus of this paper.

A problem-based learning activity to learn about sustainable development

A problem-based learning activity focusing on the human impact on the environment and the importance of sustainable development is presented. The activity revolves around a mysterious island where the civilization is on the blink of extinction, prompting students to investigate how human behavior, ecosystems, resources, and natural balance contributed to this predicament. Designed for middle school grades, the activity aligns with the Common Core State Standards and the NGSS. It covers 10 chapters, corresponding to 10 lessons. Students collaborate in groups, assuming the roles of scientist, to gather and share information, and interpret scientific data and graphs. Teachers can utilize this presented activity in their classroom to introduce core ideas of Earth and Human Activity while simultaneously enhancing students’ engagement, awareness, and problem solving skills regarding sustainability and environmental concerns. The implementation of the activity and suggestions for improvement were also discussed, ensuring its effectiveness in fostering critical thinking and environmental literacy among students.

Characterizing Secondary Teachers’ Structural Reasoning

The Common Core State Standards for Mathematical Practice asks students to look for and make use of structure. Hence, mathematics teacher educators need to prepare teachers to support students’ structural reasoning. In this article, we present tasks and rubrics designed and validated to characterize teachers’ structural reasoning for the purposes of professional development. Initially, tasks were designed and improved using interviews and small pilot studies. Next, we gave written structure tasks to over 600 teachers in two countries and developed and validated rubrics to categorize responses. Our work contributes to the preparation and support of mathematics teachers as they develop their own structural reasoning and their ability to help students develop structural reasoning.

Local success in the standards era

The Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards were adopted in the early 2010s in most U.S. states with high hopes of improving educational achievement and equity. Almost a decade later, there is little evidence of the hoped-for improvements at the state and national level. However, state and national averages obscure gains that occurred in particular schools and districts. Elaine Allensworth, Laura M. Desimone, and Latrice Marianno share findings from studies of successes in multiple states and in Chicago. Their research shows that improvement was most likely when teachers engage in professional learning that is both flexible and specific, incorporates collaboration, focuses on practice, and offers guidance in using resources.

Scaffolding Learning Via Multimodal STEM Text Sets for Students With Learning Disabilities

The importance of text complexity has gained recognition since the Common Core State Standards (CCSS-ELA) were developed. The Linking Science and Literacy for All Learners (LS&L4AL) program uses multimodal STEM text sets to link reading grade-band complex texts with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) sense-making. We define a multimodal STEM text set as a coherent collection of resources pertaining to an anchor phenomenon and line of inquiry that support learners’ acquiring the disciplinary literacy skills and sense-making called for by the NGSS and CCSS-ELA shared practices. The anchor phenomenon and line of inquiry are determined by the anchor text—a rich, complex grade-band level text about natural phenomena with research-generated data from recent STEM primary literature. In this study, we report on a qualitative analysis of how English language arts, special education, and science middle school teachers ( N=11) scaffolded instruction to support students, including students with learning disabilities, in reading complex STEM texts to develop sense-making of scientific phenomena.

Development and initial validation of a mathematics-specific spatial vocabulary scale

This study describes the development and initial validation of a mathematics-specific spatial vocabulary measure for upper elementary school students. Reviews of spatial vocabulary items, mathematics textbooks, and Mathematics Common Core State Standards identified 720 mathematical terms, 148 of which had spatial content (e.g., edge). In total, 29 of these items were appropriate for elementary students, and a pilot study (59 fourth graders) indicated that nine of them were too difficult (< 50% correct) or too easy (> 95% correct). The remaining 20 items were retained as a spatial vocabulary measure and administered to 181 (75 girls, mean age = 119.73 months, SD =4.01) fourth graders, along with measures of geometry, arithmetic, spatial abilities, verbal memory span, and mathematics attitudes and anxiety. A Rasch model indicated that all 20 items assessed an underlying spatial vocabulary latent construct. The convergent and discriminant validity of the vocabulary measure was supported by stronger correlations with theoretically related (i.e., geometry) than with more distantly related (i.e., arithmetic) mathematics content and stronger relations with spatial abilities than with verbal memory span or mathematics attitudes and anxiety. Simultaneous regression analyses and structural equation models, including all measures, confirmed this pattern, whereby spatial vocabulary was predicted by geometry knowledge and spatial abilities but not by verbal memory span, mathematics attitudes and anxiety. Thus, the measure developed in this study helps in assessing upper elementary students' mathematics-specific spatial vocabulary.

Teaching argument writing in math class: challenges and solutions to improve the performance of 4th and 5th graders with disabilities.

Incorporating argument writing as a learning activity has been found to increase students' mathematics performance. However, teachers report receiving little to no preservice or inservice preparation to use writing to support students' learning. This is especially concerning for special education teachers who provide highly specialized mathematics instruction (i.e., Tier 3) to students with mathematics disabilities (MLD). The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of teachers providing content-focused open-ended questioning strategies, which included both argument writing and foundational fraction content, using Practice-Based Professional Development (PBPD) and Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) for implementing a writing-to-learn strategy called FACT-R2C2. We report the relative number of higher-order mathematical content questions that teachers asked during instruction, from among three different-level question types: Level 1: yes/no questions focused on the mathematics content; Level 2: one-word responses focused on the mathematics content; and Level 3: higher-order open-ended responses centered around four mathematical practices from the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. Within a well-controlled single-case multiple-baseline design, seven special education teachers were randomly assigned to each PBPD + FACT-R2C2 intervention tier. Results indicated that: (1) teachers' relative use of Level 3 questions increased following the introduction of the FACT intervention; (2) this increase was apart from the professional development training that the teachers had initially received; and (3) students' writing quality improved to some extent with the increase in teachers' relative use of Level 3 questions. Implications and future directions are discussed.

Revisiting complex text instruction: A study of 11th‐grade history students

AbstractThe reading of complex text has become part of the reading curriculum since the introduction of the Common Core State Standards. However, little research has been conducted to determine the effect of complex text instruction on comprehension and fluency in secondary readers. This study randomly assigned 53 11th‐grade US history students to one of two classroom conditions. In one classroom, students were taught using a business‐as‐usual approach while the treatment classroom taught students to use text annotation and writing to improve their understanding of complex texts over a 24‐week period. Students were pre‐ and post‐tested using a standardized reading comprehension assessment and curriculum‐based measurement fluency measures. Results revealed statistically significant improvement favoring the treatment group for both reading comprehension and fluency. Results and implications for instruction are discussed.

디지털 문식성 교육을 위한 국어 수업 설계의 원리와 방향

Purpose: This study was conducted to suggest the principles and directions of Korean language classdesign for digital literacy education in order to develop core competencies of the Korean languagedepartment following the release the 2022 revision of the elementary Korean language curriculum. Methods: For this research, the contents system was analyzed, focusing on the 'media' area in the2022 revised elementary Korean language curriculum, and the 'Digital Literacy' of CCSS (CommonCore State Standards) according to the US grade level presented by Hutchison & Colwell (2015)‘Functional teaching and learning cases’, Australia's language curriculum digital literacy educationcontent element analysis, core values of Korean language classes and research on the Korean languageclass process review, and implications related to the 'class design' from previous domestic and foreignstudies related to digital literacy education field. Results: As a result, it was possible to present the basic direction for designing Korean languageclasses that digital literacy education should pursue under the principles of class design from amacroscopic and microscopic perspective for digital literacy education in elementary Korean classesand the core values of Korean classes. Conclusion: The main principles to be considered when designing and operating classes in whichlearners can actively respond to the new establishment of the ‘media’ area and the changes in themedia environment of digital transformation are discussed.

Common Core State Standards: Opportunities, Challenges and a Way Forward

Common Core State Standards: Opportunities, Challenges and a Way Forward

Anchoring phenomena and summary writing working together to improve student learning

concepts, such as gravity, may provide the perfect opportunity to bring phenomena into the classroom. As a knowledge generation strategy, summarizing can foster that opportunity. Using phenomena and summary writing together might help student learning since it requires making connections between their ideas and words to explain the natural phenomena. This article describes how anchoring phenomena and summary writing were integrated into a cohesive unit by using five generative activities that include different language and epistemic practices. Five activities include 1) Asking, 2) Designing, 3) Negotiating, 4) Explaining, and 5) Summarizing. A series of lessons, aligning with the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and the NGSS, were designed with the Science Writing Heuristic (SWH) approach. After these lessons, students were asked to write a letter to their younger peers about what they learned related to the phenomenon. The teacher mentioned that class discussions and summary writing practice helped her to see connections in students’ ideas and how those connections changed throughout the unit. Many of the students also mentioned that they preferred completing a summary writing rather than a paper-pencil test because they were able to explain themselves in a more comfortable way.

The Potential for Common Core and Response to Intervention as Intersecting Initiatives: Supporting Readers Who Struggle with High-Level Standards

Educators have, to this point, largely viewed the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and Response to Intervention (RtI) as important but unrelated initiatives. This view is problematic because it fails to acknowledge the potential for RtI to support readers who struggle to meet sophisticated standards and because it fails to attend to ways in which a focus on CCSS enriches RtI programs that are typically characterized by isolated skills instruction. The purpose of this article is to explore opportunities for integrating these initiatives by incorporating the CCSS at each level of RtI. Curriculum based on grade-level CCSS serves as the foundation for Tier 1. Screening to determine which students need additional support also occurs at this level. These students attend targeted Tier 2 classes which focus on off-level CCSS within specific areas of reading such as multi-syllable decoding or retelling, and remain in the regular classroom when a class addresses an area of reading that is a strength for them. Finally, results of Tier 1 unit assessments, the screening measure, and Tier 2 progress monitoring assessments are employed to determine which children need the intense level of support offered by Tier 3 tutoring. I argue here that careful integration of CCSS and RtI levels allows for high levels of achievement for all students.

What Teachers Should Know About Teaching Culturally Relevant Books in Grades 11–12

This article presents popular misconceptions on teaching culturally relevant books and provides strategies that can inform the search, selection, and teaching of books in culturally responsive ways. Informed by relevant research and insights gained from collaboratively teaching a children's literature course at college level, I discuss how the teaching strategies suggested here can be adapted to suit the needs of high schoolers, especially in grades 11–12, in line with the ELA Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The recommendations offered represent a step forward to fight back against misinformation and fears of utilizing these books.

Teacher-made tests: why they matter and a framework for analysing mathematics exams

ABSTRACT Classroom assessment research in the United States has shifted away from the examination of teacher-made tests, but such tests are still widely used and have an enormous impact on students’ educational experiences. Given the major shifts in educational policy in the United States, including the widespread adoption of the Common Core State Standards, I argue that researchers should examine the tests and quizzes that teachers create and administer in order to determine whether those policies have had the intended impact of teachers’ assessment practices. Furthermore, these investigations should be grounded in discipline-specific conventions for developing and demonstrating knowledge. I then propose a research-based framework for analysing mathematics exams that focuses on alignment with learning goals, cognitive complexity, variety of task formats, attentiveness to culture and language, and clarity of expectation. This framework is meant to be used formatively, helping researchers, administrators, and teachers identify strengths and areas for growth.