A closer look at:

PREPARING FOR PARCC IN

THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
ARTS CLASSROOM

Instructional
shif ts in the
classroom
Evidence Tables
Test
Specifications
Per formance
Level
Descriptor s

Question
Analysis

WHAT DO YOU KNOW?

Value Line: What do you know about PARCC?

QUESTIONS WE SHOULD BE ASKING

1. What standards are assessed on the PARCC
assessment?
2. How well do teachers and administrators
understand what the CCSS for English
Language Arts require students to do? What is
the evidence that supports this?
3. What should students be able to do
independently and on demand to be prepared
for college and the workplace?
4. What resources might teachers need to begin
to understand what CCSS are assessed on the
PARCC assessment?

WHAT DO THE COMMON CORE STATE

STANDARDS DEMAND?
Shifts in Instruction
What students learn and can do on demand and
independently
Text based questions that rely on textual understanding
Text based responses that are grounded in evidence
Mathematical practices

PARCC will measure standards achievement

Think about what we should be seeing in the
classroom as evidence of the CCSS to prepare for
PARCC

IF STUDENTS ARE READING TEXT OR

TALKING ABOUT TEXT, THEY SHOULD BE
Determining what the text says explicitly
Drawing inferences
Determining the central idea or theme
Analyzing how and why individuals and ideas develop
over the course of the text
Interpreting words and phrases
Analyzing structure of the text
Assessing how point of view or purpose shapes a text
Integrating and evaluating content in diverse formats
Analyzing how tow or more text interact and build
knowledge
Reading and comprehending complex text

IF STUDENTS ARE WRITING,

THEY SHOULD BE
Writing arguments
Writing informative or explanatory tests
Writing narratives
Producing clear and coherent writing
Using technology to produce and publish
Conducting research to demonstrate
understanding
Gathering information from multiple sources
Writing routinely over extended time frames

WHEN STUDENTS ARE USING LANGUAGE,

THEY SHOULD BE APPLYING
THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF THE
Conventions of standard English grammar and
usage
Meanings of multiple meaning words
Word relationships and nuances in word
meanings
General academic (tier II) and domain specific
words (tier III)

THE CCSS SHIFTS BUILD TOWARD COLLEGE

AND CAREER READINESS FOR ALL STUDENTS

Engage with
Complex Text

Extract and
Employ
Evidence

Build
Knowledge

PARCC VOCABULARY PRIMER

PLD-Performance Level Descriptor
PBA- Performance Based Assessment
EOY- End of Year
Evidence Table-Claims, standards and evidences of what
students will be able to demonstrate, independently and on
demand, that will be assessed
PCR-Prose Constructed Response
EBSR-Evidence Based Selected Response

TECR-Technology -Enhanced Constructed Response

Drag and drop
Cut and paste
Shade text
Move items

PARCC ESSENTIALS

Evidence Tables

Preparing
for
PARCC

Test
Specifications

Performance Level
Descriptors

EVIDENCE TABLES
In all Evidence Tables for Grades K 11 Standard 1 is always
combined with the teaching of any of the other standards.
More than one evidence may be combined with Standard 1.
Texts need to be complex literary or informational text (s)that
students will use as a basis for their answers.
Effective text dependent questions require students to draw
evidence from a text to support their answers.
Careful and close reading is required in order to determine
meaning and answer questions.
Written tasks should require writing to sources rather than to
a de-contextualized or generalized prompt and should require
students to apply the knowledge of language and
conventions.
11

READING AN EVIDENCE TABLE

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
Grade
Claim

Standards:
RL Reading
Literary
RI Reading
Information

12

Evidences

TEST SPECIFICATIONS
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
Comprised
of three
tasks for
PBA

Linked to
Evidence
Tables

Task
Models

PLD-PERFORMANCE LEVEL DESCRIPTORS

For the reading claim, the performance levels at each grade level
are differentiated by three factors:
Text complexity
Range of accuracy in expressing reading comprehension demonstrated in
student responses
Quality of evidence cited from sources read.

Reflective of the Common Cores emphasis on a students ability

to find text-based evidence for generalizations, conclusions, or
inferences drawn.
For the writing claim, PLDs are written for the two sub -claims:
Written expression
Knowledge of language and conventions.

Factors differentiating the performance levels for writing include

how consistently and fully students develop ideas, including
when drawing evidence from one or more sources, how well they
organize their writing, and their command of grammar and
language usage.

PERFORMANCE LEVEL DESCRIPTORS

PARCC ESSENTIALS

Evidence Tables

Common Core and

PARCCa shared
vocabulary

Preparing
for
PARCC

Test
Specifications

Performance Level
Descriptors

WHY LEARN THE LANGUAGE OF COMMON

CORE AND PARCC?
Research has shown that students understanding
of just 55 critical words contributes to 85% of
success on standardized assessments that are
aligned with Common Core
M a r i l e e S p r e n g e r, a n o te d ex p e r t o n c h i l d l i te r a c y a n d b r a i n d ev e l o p me n t
( h t t p : / / w w w. m a r il e e s p r e n g e r.c o m / t h e - c r i t ic a l - wo r d s .h t m l ).

Your turn:
On the bottom of the grid paper at your tables,
number one to twenty -seven.
Work with a partner or small group to list words
you think are key to the process of your content
area and/or the CCSS.
From Bruce D. Taylor "Most Significant Common Core Key Terms," Chicago 2014

WHAT ARE THE KEY WORDS IN THE

COMMON CORE?

Compare (31)
Contrast (35)
Describe (34)
Identify (38)
Story (46)
Demonstrate (86)
Determine (89)
Explain (43)
Details (101)
Develop (116)
Narrative (29)

Theme (39)
Explicit (27)
Infer (22)
Summarize (12)
Structure (64)
Figurative language (24)
Context (58)
Cite (20)
Evaluate (40)
Assess (27)
Argument (43)

From Bruce D. Taylor "Most Significant Common Core Key Terms," Chicago 2014

CAN YOU TELL ME THE MOST USED

TERMS IN THE COMMON CORE?

Develop (116)
Evidence (121)
Support (140)
Analyze (146)
Central/Main Idea (188)

Turn and talk about a lesson next week where STUDENTS

develop a concept by using (textual) evidence, to support and
analyze the central or main idea of a text.

From Bruce D. Taylor "Most Significant Common Core Key Terms," Chicago 2014

WHAT ARE THE KEY TERMS ON THE PARCC

ASSESSMENT ?
WHAT ARE STUDENTS EXPECTED TO DO?

Analyze

Break down into parts

Identify

Recognize or establish as particular by noting

individual features

Describe

Tell or show

Summarize

State or express in concise form the essential

components of something usually in order

Support

Back up or justify with evidence

Compare and Contrast

Examine in order to note likeness or in

differences

Determine

Decide or conclude through reasoning or

observation

Infer

Deduce, conclude, to derive by reasoning; to guess, figure out

or surmise from evidence; the answer to, why is that there?

From Bruce D. Taylor "Most Significant Common Core Key Terms," Chicago 2014

SO THAT STUDENTS CAN

ESTABLISH AND DETERMINE

Main/Central
Idea

Key Details

Theme

Structure

Claims

Meaning

From Bruce D. Taylor "Most Significant Common Core Key Terms," Chicago 2014

DEFINING THE GOAL

Definition
Authors most important idea or the
cognitive catalyst for the work
Specifics explicitly written that
support or expand the main/central
idea
Unifying or dominant idea or motif
Relationship of comparative parts that
constitutes the whole
Assert as fact
Significance of something

Goal
Main/Central
Idea
Key Details
Theme
Structure
Claims
Meaning

From Bruce D. Taylor "Most Significant Common Core Key Terms," Chicago 2014

TAKING A CLOSER LOOK AT PARCC:

THE LANGUAGE IN ACTION
Directions: Go to www.PARCConline.org and
search sample test
Review the grade level sample questions and
consider the following:

What skills do students need to answer

questions?
How does this link to material, curriculum and
instruction?
What did you note about the language we
previously studied?

NOWWHAT DO YOU KNOW?

Value Line: What do you know about PARCC?

LINKS

CCSS and
PARCC
Vocabulary

Preparing for
PARCC

WORK TO BE DONE
WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

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