Core Progress for Reading - Renaissance Learning

1 Integral components of Renaissance Star Early Literacy and Renaissance Star Reading core Progress for Reading Empirically validated Learning progressionsWHITE PAPER | JULY 2013 All logos, designs, and brand names for Renaissance Learning s products and services, including but not limited to 2 Know!, Accelerated Math, Accelerated Reader, AccelScan, AccelTest, AR, ATOS, core Progress , DEEP, English in a Flash, KeyWords, Learnalytics, MathFacts in a Flash, NEO, Renaissance Home Connect, Renaissance Learning , Renaissance Place Real Time, Renaissance School Excellence, Renaissance Training Center, STAR, STAR Early Literacy, STAR Math, STAR Reading , STAR Reading Spanish, Successful Reader, and Subtext are trademarks of Renaissance Learning , Inc.

2 , and its subsidiaries, registered, common law, or pending registration in the United States and other countries. All other product and company names should be considered the property of their respective companies and organizations. 2013 by Renaissance Learning , Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of publication is protected by and international copyright laws. It is unlawful to duplicate or reproduce any copyrighted material without authorization from the copyright holder. For more information, contact: Renaissance Box 8036 Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54495-8036(800) Summary ..iii Introduction ..1 What are Learning progressions? ..2 Stage One: The development of core Progress for Reading ..3 Stage Two: Early literacy skills added into core Progress for Reading .

3 8 Mapping core Progress for Reading to the Common core State Standards ..10 Stage Three: Building a new Learning progression specifically for the Common core State Standards ..12 core Progress : An integral component of STAR Reading Enterprise and STAR Early Literacy Enterprise ..14 Conclusion ..20 References ..35 AppendicesCore Progress for Reading Learning ProgressionAppendix A: Grade-Level Domain Expectations for Analyzing Literary Text ..21 Appendix B: Organization of Skill Areas within the Five Domains ..23 Appendix C: Progression of Skills for Identifying Author s Purpose ..25 Appendix D: Example of how skills serve as prerequisites for other skills ..26 Appendix E: Common core State Standard mapped to core Progress skills.

4 27 core Progress Learning Progression for Reading - Built for the Common core State StandardsAppendix F: Grade-Level Expectations for Informational Text: Craft and Structure ..28 Appendix G: Organization of Skill Areas within the Four Domains ..30 Appendix H: Progression of Skills and Mapping to CCSS for Inference and Evidence ..32 Appendix I: Example of how skills serve as prerequisites for other skills ..34 FiguresFigure 1: core Progress for Reading ..3 Figure 2: Progression of grade-level skill statements within a skill area ..4 Figure 3: Interrelationships between skills across domains ..5 Figure 4: Correlation of STAR Reading Enterprise to core Progress ..7 Figure 5: core Progress for Reading with the addition of early literacy skills.

5 9 Figure 6: Correlation of STAR Reading Enterprise to core Progress Reading built for CCSS ..13 Figure 7: STAR Enterprise provides a student s entry point into core Progress ..16 Figure 8: STAR Early Literacy links with core Progress for Reading to provide instructional planning resources ..17 Figure 9: STAR Record Book ..18 Figure 10: Kindergarten example of core Progress tool and instructional resources ..19iiTablesTable 1: Examples of how skills serve as a prerequisite for other skills ..5 Table 2: Common core State Standard maps to core Progress skills ..11 Table 3: Headings within the Domains of core Progress Learning Progression for Reading - Built for the Common core State Standards ..12 Table 4: STAR Reading Enterprise item mapped to a third-grade-level skill statement.

6 14 Table 5: STAR Early Literacy Enterprise item mapped to a Kindergarten-level skill statement ..15 iiiExecutive Summary Learning Progressions are descriptions of how students typically advance their Learning in a subject views of how Learning progressions can be developed have been set forth (for example, Alonzo and Steedle, 2008; Anderson, 2008a; Corcoran, Mosher, and Rogat, 2009; Confrey and Maloney, 2010; Pellegrino, 2011; Smith et al., 2006). Common to these perspectives is the idea that the development of Learning progressions is an iterative process. It begins with a hypothesis, informed by what we know about student Learning , which undergoes empirical testing and subsequent refinement based on the data. core Progress for Reading was developed according to this iterative model.

7 Renaissance Learning first developed the core Progress Reading Learning progression taking into account the Common core State Standards (CCSS), as well as other standards and research. In July, 2013, a second Learning progression built explicitly for the CCSS was released. The skills and understandings in the new core Progress Learning Progression for Reading - Built for the Common core State Standards provide the intermediate steps necessary to reach the levels of expertise identified through the standards. It progresses to the level of Reading competence required to be college and career ready. To reflect the organization of the standards, core Progress Reading built for CCSS has four domains, including 1) foundational skills, 2) language, 3) literature, and 4) informational text.

8 This paper describes the core Progress Learning progressions developed by Renaissance Learning . It begins with the explanation of what Learning progressions are, and then describes a new empirically validated approach used to develop the original core Progress Learning progression for Reading . Next, it demonstrates how Learning progressions support the intent of the Common core State Standards with its new core Progress Reading built for CCSS. Finally, it explains how Learning progressions support instruction and the last decade, much of the focus of educational reform in the United States has been on the creation and improvement of standards of Learning . In 2010, the Common core State Standards (CCSS) for Learning in math and English language arts were released.

9 As the CCSS mission statement explains, The Common core State Standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. At the same time, within the field of education, the idea of Learning progressions has received increasing attention (for example, Alonzo and Gearhart, 2006; Corcoran, Mosher, and Rogat 2009, 2011; Heritage, 2008, 2009; Leahy and Wiliam, 2011). One of the reasons for this interest is the desire to provide precise descriptions of the incremental steps of Learning than can be represented in any standards statements and that can be effectively used in guiding the design of instruction and assessment. While the Common core State Standards represent a clear step toward providing a more coherent pathway to meeting educational goals than many prior standards, by their nature, the CCSS do not describe a fully formed pathway along which students are expected to Progress .

10 The next step, clarified and largely made possible by the Common core State Standards, is the development of fully formed Learning progressions. The next step, clarified and largely made possible by the Common core State Standards, is the development of fully formed Learning are Learning progressions?Pellegrino (2011, 9) defines Learning progressions as descriptions of successively more sophisticated ways of thinking about key disciplinary concepts and practices across multiple grades which outline the intermediate steps toward expertise. Leahy and Wiliam (2011, 1) view Learning progressions as descriptions of what it is that gets better when someone gets better at something (2011, 1). They reflect what is known from research and experience to tell a reasonable and comprehensive story of how students move from na ve understanding to mastery in a domain (Anderson 2008b as cited in Heritage 2011).