This document summarizes a professional development session for teachers at Northern Vance High School on February 8, 2012. The purpose of the session was to explore the vertical alignment of instruction and assessments to ensure course expectations are appropriately aligned to Common Core and NC Essential state standards. Teachers participated in activities to build maps of how standards progress across grade levels and to reflect on their courses. They also identified power standards and completed tables correlating their course concepts to the new state standards.

1. Vertical Alignment
Professional Development
February 8, 2012
Northern Vance High School
*Please sit with teachers of the same
content area as you.*

2. Where We’ve Been
 Introduction to Common Core/NC Essential Standards
 Changes in specific course objectives
 Develop Instructional Units

3. What’s Next
Today’s Purpose
To explore the vertical alignment of
instruction and assessments to ensure that
course expectations (2012-2013) are
appropriately aligned to Common Core/NC
Essential state standards.

4. Activity: Building a Map
• In two separate groups,
remove the content of the
envelope and place them
on the table so that all
members can read its statements
• Discuss what statements should be learned
and/or mastered at each grade band (K-2,
3-5, 6-8 and 9-12) in regards to the Reading
Standards for Informational Text

5. Activity: Building a Map
• Have one group member keep notes of the
conversations and/or questions that arise
• Once a group consensus has been made,
arrange them on the table under the
appropriate grade band
• Make note of how one statement may
contribute to the understanding of another

6. Activity: Building a Map
• Have a group member share out the group’s
progression map and discussions with the
whole group

7. Compare your maps to the Common Core
State Standards for English/Language Arts
2
K Identify the main
1 topic of a multi-
Identify the front
Ask and answer paragraph text
cover, back
questions about as well as the
cover, and title
key details in a focus of specific
page of a book. text. paragraphs
within the text.

8. 3 4 5
Compare and Explain how an Analyze multiple
contrast the author uses accounts of the
most important reasons and same event or
points and key evidence to topic, noting
details support important
presented in two particular points similarities and
texts on the in a text. differences in
same topic. the point of view
they represent.

9. 7 8
Analyze how Delineate and
6 two or more evaluate the
Determine the argument and
authors writing
meaning of words specific
about
and phrases claims in a
the same topic text, assessing
as they are used
shape their whether the
in a text, including
figurative, presentations of reasoning is
connotative, and key information sound and the
technical by emphasizing evidence is
meanings. different relevant and
evidence or sufficient;
recognize when
advancing
irrelevant
different
evidence is
interpretations introduced.
of facts.

10. 11/12
Determine the
11/12
9/10 meaning of words Cite strong and thorough
Analyze seminal and phrases as textual evidence to
U.S. documents of they are used in a support analysis of what
historical and text, including the text
literary says explicitly as well as
figurative, inferences drawn from
significance connotative, and the text, including
technical determining
meanings; analyze where the text leaves
matters uncertain.
how an author
uses and refines
the meaning of a
key term or terms
over the course of
a text

11. HOW DID YOUR GROUP DO?
Discuss your reactions and any
misconceptions that you/your
group may have had.

12. The Current Dilemma
Inch-deep Lengthy
coverage review
Re-teaching Definition
at next level of insanity

13. The Solution
VERTICAL ALIGNMENT
Establishing and/or recognizing the scope and sequence of
course content to ensure…
DAILY instructional An appropriate Unnecessary
activities/lessons amount of time is repetitions are
are aligned to state devoted to removed
standards instruction
Gaps are Assessments are
indentified appropriate
(Cohen, 1987; English & Steffy, 2001; Moss-Mitchell, 1998; Neidermeyer & Yelon, 1981; Porter et al., 1994;
Porter & Smithson, 2001; Price-Braugh, 1997; Wishnick, 1989)

14. Activity: Course Reflection
• Independently answer the four reflection
questions on the front side of the handout
provided
• Share your responses with members of your
content area

15. Common Core/NC Essential Standards
Correlation
• On the back side of the handout provided, complete
the first three columns based on your input on the front
side
• For the Common Core/NC Essential Standards
Correlation column, search your new standards for
those major concepts/skills; provide the objective
number and a brief description of all occurrences
Instructions on Locating YOUR Standards
PLEASE PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE DETAILS
AND VOCABULARY OF THE STANDARDS; not
intended to be new wording for old ways of doing

16. Common Core/NC Essential Standards
Correlation cont.
• Share your table with members of your content area
• Have one member compile an electronic group response;
upload it to the Moodle forum Major Course Concepts
(click here for instructions)
• Have a whole-group discussion on the common/major
ideas
Things to Discuss (should include but not limited to):
 Concepts/Skills learned at lower levels that should lend
themselves to major concepts in upper levels
Any repetition of course concepts/skills
 The amount of time spent on concepts/skills identified as
strengths and weaknesses
 What topics/skills are nice to know as opposed to what is

17. Power Standards
Refer back to the fourth question on
Course Reflection sheet – “What do you
wish you could give your students more
of?”
Your response to that prompt were
probably items considered as “power
standards”

18. Not intended
to undermine
CCSS/NCES
Power Standards
Emphasis on are… “those
standards that, once Idealism
enduring
vs. Realism
understanding mastered, give a
student the ability to
use reasoning and
thinking skills to
learn and
understand other
Marzano’s Prioritization
Instructional curriculum NOT
Strategies objectives Elimination

19. Power Standards Criteria
Power Standards help teachers focus and prioritize what is
most important for students to know and be able to do in
the time available for teaching and learning. Three
criteria of PS:
 Readiness for Further Study: Students should have an
opportunity to master skills, concepts and processes that
will provide the necessary foundation for being
successful in their studies.
 Leverage: Students should study skills, concepts and
processes that have wide applicability to other areas of
study.
 Endurance: Students should study skills, concepts and
processes that they will likely draw on throughout their

20. What are YOUR Power Standards?
 What will you provide your students with to ensure
success – in your class, in their next level class and
so on (leverage, readiness for next levels of
learning), in life (endurance), and on your final/state
exam
under the new curriculum?
Post your response on the Moodle discussion
forum Power Standards; we will refer to
these standards along with our major concepts
in our next session

21. Where We’re Going
 On next/last early release session will be on
Wednesday, March 21 at Northern
 We will begin Unit/Assessment Planning and
Locating Resources
 There will be two days of Common Core/NC
Essential Standards training for core teachers
this summer – Dates TBA

22. Before you GO…
To submit an evaluation on today’s
professional development session:
•Return to the 1:1 Professional
Development VCS Moodle
http://moodle.vcs.k12.nc/moodle
•Under the EVALUATION topic,
select
“Professional Development *Hard copies are available
for those without
(Feb. 8, 2012) EVALUATION” laptops/internet
connection

23. Instructions
 Go to the VCS Moodle site
 Click on Instructional Technology from the Course
Categories
 Click on 1:1 Professional Development VCS
 Under today’s section, open the Word document Major
Course Concept
 Complete the table based on the input provided by your
group members; SAVE the document
 Return to the Moodle and attach the file to the forum Major
Course Concept
Return to Activity

24. Locating YOUR Standards
 Go to the VCS Moodle site
 Click on Instructional Technology from the Course
Categories
Click on Common
Core & NC Essential
Standards
 Locate your
content area
 Select
the
document that
you wish to view
Return to Activity Part 2