Oxford Public Schools

Community Survey
Report
Oxford Public Schools
Community Forum
January 21, 2015

The Survey

Conducted Summer and Fall 2014

Parents, Residents, Teachers, Support Staff,

Administrators

223 Surveys Completed

Analysis Completed by Teams of Parents

and Teachers

The Questions

Why is the Success of the Oxford Public

Schools Important to You?

What are the strengths of the OXPS?

What are its challenges?

How should we fix them?

What else?

Success of the OXPS is

Important because

We need our children prepared for success

in life whether that means college or work

We want to be able to be proud of our

schools and our community

We want to know that we are getting a good

return on our investment in the OXPS

Success of the OXPS is

Important because

Quality schools support higher property

values

Quality schools attract new families that

grow our tax base

Quality schools are reflective of strong and

desirable communities

Strengths of the OXPS are

Far and away, the people; the teachers, the

staff, the students, the community

The courses and programs (e.g. NJROTC,

STEM, the Arts, Advanced Placement
Courses)

Challenges Facing OXPS

are

Inadequate Resources

Funding
Staffing
Technology
Curriculum
Materials

Challenges Facing OXPS

are

School Safety
Student Discipline
Bullying
Building Security

Challenges Facing OXPS

are

Academic Challenge/Expectations/Access
Lack of challenge/rigor
Lack of High Expectations for Student
Effort and Success
Lack of rigorous course offerings
Lack of enriching offerings such as Art and
Foreign Language at OMS

Challenges Facing OXPS

are

Communication
School to Home
School to Student
Between Administration and Teachers
I want to know how to help my student
succeed/with homework/apply to schools

Challenges Facing OXPS

are

OMS
Parents dont feel welcome/valued/supported
Parents feel OMS does not challenge students or
offer courses such as Art, Foreign Language or
advanced-level content

What OXPS should do is

Provide strong, clear, consistent leadership
Strengthen Communication Systems
Be competent and transparent with budget
Raise expectations for all

What OXPS should do is

Increase number and variety of advanced
content courses
Develop a more collaborative relationship
with Town leadership based on
transparency, trust, and mutual respect in
the best interests of the broad community

What OXPS should do is

Improve OHS to make it the School of Choice
Hire, Train & Retain the best possible
teachers and leaders
Support students and families applying to
colleges and trade schools
Be firm, fair consistent with student discipline

What OXPS should do is

Improve Communication Systems both
from and to the Schools
Promote the district in a positive light.
Celebrate all the great things happening in
Oxford.
Support Greater Parental and Community
Engagement and Shared Responsibility for
OXPS Success

What OXPS should do is

Carefully consider ALL positions and expenditures

so as to be as frugal and efficient as possible

Advocate for adequate funding from the State,

the Town and aggressively pursue grant
opportunities

Work to strengthen relations with the Town

And another thing

Thank you for allowing us to be heard

OXPS was once a premier district, it can be again

The schools and the Town both have unlimited

potential for greatness

Lets get the Pride back in Oxford!

Read the full report on the Oxford Public

Schools Facebook Page

Introducing the
Common Core State
Standards
Oxford Public Schools
Community Forum
January 21, 2015

Objectives
What are Standards
What about the Common Core State
Standards?
Why is important to have common
standards?
Who created them?
Where does Massachusetts stand?

What are educational

standards?
Educational standards are the learning goals for
what students should know and be able to do at
each grade level.
Educational standards help teachers ensure their
students have the skills and knowledge they need
to be successful, while also helping parents
understand what is expected of their children.

What are the

Common Core State
Standards?
Clear, consistent grade-by-grade
learning expectations in
mathematics and English Language
Arts for
ALL students in Kindergarten
through Grade 12.

Why are Common Standards important?

High standards consistent across states

provide teachers, parents, and students
with a set of clear expectations to
ensuring that all students have the skills
and knowledge necessary to succeed in
college, career, and life upon graduation
from high school.
These standards are aligned to the
expectations of colleges, workforce
training programs, and employers.

Why are Common Standards important?

The standards promote equity by ensuring

all students are well prepared to
collaborate and compete with their peers
in the United States and abroad.
Unlike previous state standards, which
varied widely from
state to state, the Common Core enables
collaboration among states on a range of
tools and policies,
including the:

Development of textbooks, digital media, and

other teaching materials

Development and implementation of common

comprehensive assessment systems that replace
existing state testing systems in order to
measure student performance annually and
provide teachers with specific feedback to help
ensure students are on the path to success

Development of tools and other supports to help

educators and schools ensure all students are
able to learn the new standards

Why is it important to have

Common Standards?

http
://www.corestandards.org/what-parents-shoul
d-know/

Who created the Common Core

State Standards?
The nations governors and education
commissioners led the Common Core State
Standards initiative.
Teachers, parents, school administrators, and
experts from across the country provided
input into the development of the standards.

Where is Massachusetts in all

this?

Massachusetts is one of fortythree states, along with the

District of Columbia, four
territories and the Department of
Defense Education Activity that
have adopted the Common Core
State Standards.

CCSS for English Language

Arts
The Common Core State Standards for
ELA/Literacy are comprised of:
Anchor Standards
10 Reading
10 Writing
6 Speaking & Listening
6 Language
Grade-specific standards

What are Anchor Standards?

CCRA.1
Read closely to determine what the text says
explicitly and to make logical inferences from
it; cite specific textual evidence when writing
or speaking to support conclusions drawn
from the text.
CCRA.SL.3
Evaluate a speakers point of view, reasoning,
and use of evidence and rhetoric.

CCSS ELA/Literacy
Standards
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.7
Use information gained from illustrations and
words in a print or digital text to demonstrate
understanding of its characters, setting, and plot.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.7.1
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative
discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacherled) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics,
texts, and issues, building on others ideas and
expressing their own clearly.

Key ELA/Literacy Shifts

1.

Regular practice with complex text

and academic language

2.

Reading, writing, and speaking

grounded in evidence from the text,
both literary and informational

3.

Building knowledge through

content-rich nonfiction

Regular Practice With Complex Text

and its Academic Language: Why?

Gap between complexity of college and high school texts is

huge.

What students can read, in terms of complexity is the greatest

predictor of success in college (ACT study).

Too many students are reading at too low a level.

(<50% of graduates can read sufficiently complex texts).

Standards include a staircase of increasing text complexity

from elementary through high school.

Standards also focus on building general academic

vocabulary so critical to comprehension.

33

Reading, Writing and Speaking

Grounded in Evidence from Text: Why?

Most college and workplace writing requires evidence.

Evidence is a major emphasis of the ELA Standards:

Reading Standard 1, Writing Standard 9, Speaking and
Listening standards 2, 3, and 4, all focus on the
gathering, evaluating and presenting of evidence from
text.

Being able to locate and deploy evidence are hallmarks

of strong readers and writers

Ability to cite evidence differentiates strong from weak

student performance on NAEP

Building Knowledge Through

Content-Rich Nonfiction: Why?

Students are required to read very little

informational text in elementary and middle
school.

Non-fiction makes up the vast majority of

required reading in college/workplace.

Informational text is harder for students to

comprehend than narrative text.

Supports students learning how to read

different types of informational text.

Comparing Traditional Assessment

to CCSS Assessment An Overview
Shift 1: Regular practice with complex text and its academic language

From

To

Little emphasis on text

complexity

Strong emphasis on text

complexity

Vocabulary questions often

focused on prior knowledge
rather than context; little
emphasis on tier 2 words

Vocabulary questions focused

on meaning of words in
context; strong emphasis on
tier 2 words and words
important to central ideas

Figurative language questions

Figurative language questions
focused on meaning, not
focused on literary terms
terms

Comparing Traditional Assessment

to CCSS Assessment An Overview
Shift 2: Reading, writing and speaking grounded in evidence from text, both literary and informational

From

To

Focus on simple recall or

superficial analysis

Focus on careful reading and

analysis of texts

Little or no emphasis on
using textual evidence

Strong emphasis on using

textual evidence

Decontextualized writing
prompts

Writing to sources

Comparing Traditional Assessment

to CCSS Assessment An Overview
Shift 3: Building knowledge through content-rich text texttt textnonfiction

From

To

Equal representation of
informational and literary
texts; limited focus on the
quality of informational texts

More informational texts as

students move through the
grades; greater focus on
content-rich informational
texts at all grades

Sample ELA Text-Dependent

Questions (Grade 4)
What does paragraph 4 mostly show
about climbing?
A. You need to practice before using the rock
wall.
B. You can be nervous and excited at
the same time.
C. You need to watch and listen for danger at
all times.
D. You should always have a partner
when on the wall.

Sample ELA Text-Dependent

Questions (Grade 4)
Reread paragraphs 5 and 6. Based on the
paragraphs, a mock rock is a rock that is
A. old.
B. fake.
C. dark.
D. smooth.

Sample ELA Text-Dependent

Questions (Grade 8)
Read the sentences from the excerpt below.
I imagine he was remembering his days at
Dartmouth College . . . . . . I knew he was
remembering himself as a boy on the same
pond . . .
Based on the sentences, what is the main
reason the son is an effective narrator for
the excerpt?

Sample ELA Text-Dependent

Questions
A. He understands his father well.
B. He has a strong sense of honesty.
C. He knows the history of the region.
D. He shares a love of literature with his
father.

Sample ELA Gr. 10 Writing

Prompt
Often in works of literature, a relationship
between two characters leads to problems.
From a work of literature you have read in or
out of school, select two characters whose
relationship leads to problems.
In a well-developed composition, describe the
characters relationship and how it leads to
problems, and explain how their experience
is important to the work as a whole.

Sample ELA Text-Dependent

Questions
What is the most likely reason the author uses
long sentences when describing the fathers
skating?
A. to suggest that the father has a lot on his mind
B. to emphasize the anxiety of the fathers family
C. to emphasize the fluidity of the fathers
movements
D. to suggest that the father has been outside for
a while

Mathematics
The Common Core State Standards
for Mathematics are comprised of:
Standards

of Mathematical
Practice (8)

Grade-specific

standards

Standards for Mathematical

Practice
CCSS Math Practice.MP4 Model with
Mathematics
Mathematically proficient students can apply
the mathematics they know to solve problems
arising in everyday life, society, and the
workplace.
CCSS Math Practice.MP6 Attend to
Precision
Mathematically proficient students try to
communicate precisely to others. They use
clear definitions in discussion and in their own
reasoning.

CCSS Mathematics
Standards
CCSS.Math.Content.1OAA.2
Solve word problems that call for addition of
three whole numbers whose sum is less than
or equal to 20, by using objects, drawings,
and equations with a symbol for the unknown
number to represent the problem.
CCSS.Math.Content.4.MDA.1
Within a system of measurement, express
measurement in a larger unit in terms of
smaller unit.

Key Shifts in Mathematics

1.

Greater focus on fewer topics

2.

Coherence: Linking topics and

thinking across grades

3.

Rigor: Pursue conceptual

understanding procedural skills and
fluency, and application with
intensity

How Are CCSS Assessments Different?

An Overview

Shift 1: Focus strongly where the Standards

focus
From

To

Cover content that is a milewide and an inch-deep

Assess fewer topics at each

grade (as required by the
Standards)

Give equal importance to all

content

Dedicate large majority of

score points to the major
work* of the grade

How Are CCSS Assessments Different?

An Overview

Shift 2: Coherence: think across grades,

and link to major topics within grades
From

To

Assessment as a checklist of
individual standards

Items that connect standards,

clusters, and domains (as is
natural in mathematics) as well
as items that assess individual
standards

Each topic in each year is

treated as an independent
event

Consistent representations are

used for mathematics across
the grades, and
Content connects to and builds
on previous knowledge

How Are CCSS Assessments Different?

Shift 3: Rigor: in major topics pursue conceptual
understanding, procedural skill and fluency, and

application with equal intensity

From

To

Unbalanced emphasis on procedure

or application

Assessment of all three aspects of rigor in

balance

A lack of items that require

conceptual understanding

Items that require students to

demonstrate conceptual
understanding of the mathematics, not
just the procedures

Fluency items that are only routine

and ordinary

Fluency items that are presented in new

ways, as well as some that are routine
and ordinary

Application of mathematics to routine

and contrived word problems

Application of mathematics to authentic

non-routine problems and real-world
situations

Sample Assessment Prompts

(Grade 3)
For example, knowing that 1 ft is 12 times as
long as 1 in. Express the length of a 4 ft
snake as 48 in.
Show your work using words or pictures.

Sample Assessment
Prompts

The National Football League requires that

all game balls are inflated to a minimum
of 12.5 and a maximum of 13.5 psi. If 11 of
12 balls tested 11 were determined to be
inflated to a psi. rating ranging from 9-11,
and one tested at 13.25 psi, what
percentage of the tested balls meet NFL
specifications?

Show in words, numbers or pictures how

you
solved this problem.

How does the CCSS apply to

students with IEPs?
Students with disabilities under the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)- must be
challenged to excel within the general curriculum
and be prepared for success in their post-school
lives, including college and/or careers.
Research-based instructional practices will help
improve access to mathematics and English
language arts (ELA) standards for all students,
including those with disabilities.
Instruction must incorporate supports and
accommodations, including:

How does the CCSS apply to

students with IEPs?
Supports and related services designed to meet the
unique needs of these students and to enable their access
to the general education curriculum (IDEA 34 CFR
300.34, 2004).
An Individualized Education Program (IEP) which
includes annual goals aligned with and chosen to facilitate
their attainment of grade-level academic standards.
Teachers and specialized instructional support personnel
who are prepared and qualified to deliver high-quality,
evidence-based, individualized instruction and support
services.

How does the CCSS apply to

students with IEPs?
Some students with the most significant cognitive
disabilities will require substantial supports and
accommodations to have meaningful access to
certain standards in both instruction and
assessment, based on their communication and
academic needs.
These supports and accommodations should
ensure that students receive access to multiple
means of learning and opportunities to
demonstrate knowledge, but retain the rigor and
high expectations of the CCSS.

CCSS Myths & Facts

Myth: Adopting common standards means

bringing all states standards down to the
lowest common denominator.
Fact: The standards are designed to build upon the most advanced
current thinking about preparing all students for success in college,
career, and life.
Since this work began, there has been an explicit agreement that no
state would lower its standards.
The standards were informed by the best in the country, the highest
international standards, and evidence and expertise about
educational outcomes.
We need college- and career-ready standards because even in high
performing states, students are graduating and passing all the
required tests but still need remediation in their postsecondary
work.

Myth: The Common Core State Standards are not internationally benchmarked.

Fact: Standards from top-performing countries

played a significant role in the development of the
math and English language arts/literacy standards.
The standards provide an appendix listing the
evidence that was consulted in drafting the
standards, including the international standards
that were consulted in the development process.

Myth: The standards only include skills and do

not address the importance of content
knowledge.

Fact: The standards recognize that both content and skills are
important.
The English language arts standards require certain critical
content for all students, including classic myths and stories
from around the world, Americas founding documents,
foundational American literature, and Shakespeare.
Remaining decisions about what content should be taught
are made at the state and local levels.
Additionally, the standards require that students
systematically acquire knowledge in literature and other
disciplines through reading, writing, speaking, and
listening.

The mathematics standards lay a solid foundation in whole

numbers, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division,
fractions, and decimals.
The MS and HS standards call on students to practice
applying mathematical ways of thinking to real-world
issues and challenges. They prepare students to think and
reason.
The standards set a rigorous definition of college and
career readiness not by piling topic upon topic, but by
demanding that students develop a depth of understanding
and ability to apply mathematics to novel situations, as
college students and employees regularly do.

Myth: The standards tell teachers what

to teach.
Fact: Teachers know best about what works in the
classroom.
Standards establish what students need to learn
but do not dictate how teachers should teach.
Schools and teachers decide how best to help
students reach the standards.

Myth: The standards will be implemented through

No Child Left Behind (NCLB), signifying that the
federal government will be leading them.

Fact: The Common Core is a stateled effort.

The federal government played no role in the
development of the Common Core.
States began the work to create clear, consistent
standards before the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act, which provided funding for the
Race to the Top grant program.

Myth: These standards amount to a national curriculum

for our schools.

Fact: The Common Core isnota curriculum. It is a

clear set of shared goals and expectations for what
knowledge and skills will help our students
succeed.
Local teachers, principals, superintendents, and
others will decide how the standards are to be met.
Teachers will continue to devise lesson plans and
tailor instruction to the individual needs of the
students in their classrooms.

Myth: The standards do not prepare or

require students to learn algebra in the
8th grade, as many states current
standards do.
Fact: The standards do accommodate and
prepare students for Algebra 1 in 8th grade by
including the prerequisites for this course in
grades K7.
Students who master the K7 material will be
able to take Algebra 1 in 8th grade. At the
same time, grade 8 standards also include
rigorous algebra and will transition students
effectively into a full Algebra 1 course.

Myth: This is a CCSS Question

Fact:
This is a joke circulating on the internet, put
together by someone with way too much
time on their hands and far too little
understanding of what the standards really
are and how they are assessed.

Questions & Answers

Presentation
information found on the
following sites:
www.engageNY.org
www.achievethecore.com
www.corestandards.org