MSAA STATES
SCHEMA FOR State content standards
State Content Standards:
Is a set of high-quality academic standards in mathematics and English language arts/literacy (ELA). These learning goals outline what a student should know and be able to do at the end of each grade. The standards were created to ensure that all students graduate from high school with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in college, career, and life, regardless of where they live. Forty-one states, the District of Columbia, four territories, and the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) have voluntarily adopted and are moving forward with the State Content Standards.
Core Content Connectors:
(CCCs) identify the most salient grade-level, core academic content in ELA and Mathematics found in both the State Content Standards and the Learning Progression Frameworks. CCCs illustrate the necessary knowledge and skills in order to reach the learning targets within the LPF and the CCSS, focus on the core content, knowledge and skills needed at each grade to promote success at the next, and identify priorities in each content area to guide the instruction for students in this population and for the alternate assessment.
Learning Progression Frameworks:
(LPFs) define research-based pathways for learning. Learning Progression Frameworks are developed and refined using available research and evidence and have clear binding threads that articulate the essential core concepts and processes of a discipline (sometimes called the ‘big ideas’ of the discipline). The LPFs articulate movement toward increased understanding (meaning deeper, broader, more sophisticated understanding).
Content Modules:
Content Modules provide explanations and examples of the concepts contained in the Common Core State Standards that may be difficult to teach or unfamiliar to special education teachers. These modules can be used by teachers at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. They promote an understanding of the concepts so that a teacher can begin to plan how to teach the concepts to students and they provide teachers with potential adaptations and modifications to consider when designing materials and instruction. There are sixteen Content Modules linked below, separated by content area.
Mathematics
English/Language Arts
Graduated Understanding:
The Graduated Understandings promote teacher understanding of the State Content Standards (SCS) and provide strategies for moving students toward a similar understanding. The Graduated Understandings are comprised of two pieces: the Instructional Families and the Element Cards. These two pieces used together will present educators with the progression of content across grades and with instructional strategies that include possible supports and scaffolds. They will assist educators in planning instruction for students with a wide range of abilities in multiple grades.
Instructional Families:
are a visual representation of the areas of curricular emphasis within and across grade bands, the graphics facilitate perception of related content. The Instructional Families are grouped into the Learning Progressions Framework strands and reference the related State Content Standards (SCS) for each Core Content Connector (CCC). The CCCs (grade-specific knowledge, skills and abilities) are organized into Instructional Families based on the content students are expected to learn.
The Instructional Families in Mathematics are presented in three different views:
1. By grade and Learning Progression targets: table of Learning Progression Framework targets for specific strands and grade bands, instructional families color-coded across the grade bands
2. By grade and CCCs: columnar presentation of CCCs by LPF learning targets, broken out into grade levels, CCCs cross-referenced to related CCSS
3. By Instructional Family and CCCs: columnar presentation of instructional families with references to the related CCSS domain. The CCCs are arranged within each Instructional Family in a vertical ascending progression across grades
Mathematics:
Reading:
Writing:
Is a set of high-quality academic standards in mathematics and English language arts/literacy (ELA). These learning goals outline what a student should know and be able to do at the end of each grade. The standards were created to ensure that all students graduate from high school with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in college, career, and life, regardless of where they live. Forty-one states, the District of Columbia, four territories, and the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) have voluntarily adopted and are moving forward with the State Content Standards.
Core Content Connectors:
(CCCs) identify the most salient grade-level, core academic content in ELA and Mathematics found in both the State Content Standards and the Learning Progression Frameworks. CCCs illustrate the necessary knowledge and skills in order to reach the learning targets within the LPF and the CCSS, focus on the core content, knowledge and skills needed at each grade to promote success at the next, and identify priorities in each content area to guide the instruction for students in this population and for the alternate assessment.
Learning Progression Frameworks:
(LPFs) define research-based pathways for learning. Learning Progression Frameworks are developed and refined using available research and evidence and have clear binding threads that articulate the essential core concepts and processes of a discipline (sometimes called the ‘big ideas’ of the discipline). The LPFs articulate movement toward increased understanding (meaning deeper, broader, more sophisticated understanding).
Content Modules:
Content Modules provide explanations and examples of the concepts contained in the Common Core State Standards that may be difficult to teach or unfamiliar to special education teachers. These modules can be used by teachers at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. They promote an understanding of the concepts so that a teacher can begin to plan how to teach the concepts to students and they provide teachers with potential adaptations and modifications to consider when designing materials and instruction. There are sixteen Content Modules linked below, separated by content area.
Mathematics
- Coordinate Plane Content Module
- Expressions Content Module
- Fractions and Decimals Content Module
- Functions Content Module
- Linear Equations Content Module
- Perimeter, Area and Volume Content Module
- Radicals and Exponents Content Module
- Ratios and Proportions Content Module
English/Language Arts
- Author's Purpose and Point of View Content Module
- Informational Writing Content Module
- Main Idea, Theme, and Details Content Module
- Narrative Writing Content Module
- Persuasive Writing Content Module
- Summarizing and Inferencing Content Module
- Text Structure Content Module
- Vocabulary and Acquisition Content Module
Graduated Understanding:
The Graduated Understandings promote teacher understanding of the State Content Standards (SCS) and provide strategies for moving students toward a similar understanding. The Graduated Understandings are comprised of two pieces: the Instructional Families and the Element Cards. These two pieces used together will present educators with the progression of content across grades and with instructional strategies that include possible supports and scaffolds. They will assist educators in planning instruction for students with a wide range of abilities in multiple grades.
Instructional Families:
are a visual representation of the areas of curricular emphasis within and across grade bands, the graphics facilitate perception of related content. The Instructional Families are grouped into the Learning Progressions Framework strands and reference the related State Content Standards (SCS) for each Core Content Connector (CCC). The CCCs (grade-specific knowledge, skills and abilities) are organized into Instructional Families based on the content students are expected to learn.
The Instructional Families in Mathematics are presented in three different views:
1. By grade and Learning Progression targets: table of Learning Progression Framework targets for specific strands and grade bands, instructional families color-coded across the grade bands
2. By grade and CCCs: columnar presentation of CCCs by LPF learning targets, broken out into grade levels, CCCs cross-referenced to related CCSS
3. By Instructional Family and CCCs: columnar presentation of instructional families with references to the related CCSS domain. The CCCs are arranged within each Instructional Family in a vertical ascending progression across grades
Mathematics:
- Data Analysis, Probability, and Statistics
- Geometry
- Measurement
- Number Operations
- Patterns
Reading:
- Literary Text Distribution Chart
- Foundational Text Distribution Chart
- Informational Text Distribution Chart
- Vocabulary Acquisition Distribution Chart
Writing:
- Writing Across Text Types Distribution Chart
- Writing Informational Text Distribution Chart
- Writing Persuasive Tet Distribution Chart
- Writing Literary Text Distribution Chart
HOW TO TEACH
Curriculum Resource Guides:
The Curriculum Resource Guides provide guidance for teaching the Common Core State Standards to students with the most significant cognitive disabilities, provide examples for differentiating instruction for a wide range of students in multiple grade levels, and identify the necessary skills and knowledge students need to acquire/master the content.
The Curriculum Resource Guides were developed and validated by content experts and special educators with extensive experience in adapting general curriculum for students with significant cognitive disabilities. The Curriculum Resource Guides describe how to teach the content to students with the most significant cognitive disabilities, whereas the Content Modules describe the content (what is being taught) in general education. Together, the Content Modules and the Curriculum Resource Guides provide teachers with the necessary background knowledge to prepare students for the NCSC alternate assessment and offer examples of how the content is taught in general education, ideas for real life use, examples of universal design for learning, and ways to promote college and career readiness.
Purpose of the Curriculum Resources Guides:
Curricular Emphasis of the Curriculum Resources Guides:
Mathematics:
The Curriculum Resource Guides provide guidance for teaching the Common Core State Standards to students with the most significant cognitive disabilities, provide examples for differentiating instruction for a wide range of students in multiple grade levels, and identify the necessary skills and knowledge students need to acquire/master the content.
The Curriculum Resource Guides were developed and validated by content experts and special educators with extensive experience in adapting general curriculum for students with significant cognitive disabilities. The Curriculum Resource Guides describe how to teach the content to students with the most significant cognitive disabilities, whereas the Content Modules describe the content (what is being taught) in general education. Together, the Content Modules and the Curriculum Resource Guides provide teachers with the necessary background knowledge to prepare students for the NCSC alternate assessment and offer examples of how the content is taught in general education, ideas for real life use, examples of universal design for learning, and ways to promote college and career readiness.
Purpose of the Curriculum Resources Guides:
- To provide guidance for teaching the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) to students with significant cognitive disabilities (SWSCD) that both aligns with these standards and provides differentiation for individual student needs
- To serve as a companion document to the Progress Indicators for the CCSS found in the Learning Progressions Frameworks
- To help educators build knowledge of the essential content of the CCSS reflected in these Progress Indicators
- To delineate the necessary skills and knowledge students need to acquire to master these indicators
- To provide examples for differentiating instruction for a wide range of SWSCD. These examples can be used in planning specific lessons, formative assessment items, and professional development
Curricular Emphasis of the Curriculum Resources Guides:
Mathematics:
- Data Analysis
- Equations
- Measurement and Geometry
- Fractions and Decimals
- Ratio and Proportions
- Reading Informational Texts
- Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
- Reading Literary Texts
- Writing
Element Cards:
Teachers often have the challenge of teaching students who may all be at different levels of understanding on a specific topic, especially when teaching multiple students with significant cognitive disabilities. The Element Cards are available to assist educators with instruction in multiple settings. These cards promote understanding of how students move toward the Common Core State Standards. They contain one or more Core Content Connectors from a specific instructional family, include the related progress indicator from the Learning Progression Frameworks, provide essential understandings that include measurable and observable content that is challenging, yet attainable, provide suggested instructional strategies, and suggested supports for students so that they can demonstrate what they know. The Element Cards are intended to assist teachers in developing instructional lessons that will include all students and promote Universal Design for Learning. Each Element Card presents Essential Understanding(s), which define a range of skills based on a grade-specific Core Content Connector.
Mathematics Element Cards:
Reading Informational Text
Teachers often have the challenge of teaching students who may all be at different levels of understanding on a specific topic, especially when teaching multiple students with significant cognitive disabilities. The Element Cards are available to assist educators with instruction in multiple settings. These cards promote understanding of how students move toward the Common Core State Standards. They contain one or more Core Content Connectors from a specific instructional family, include the related progress indicator from the Learning Progression Frameworks, provide essential understandings that include measurable and observable content that is challenging, yet attainable, provide suggested instructional strategies, and suggested supports for students so that they can demonstrate what they know. The Element Cards are intended to assist teachers in developing instructional lessons that will include all students and promote Universal Design for Learning. Each Element Card presents Essential Understanding(s), which define a range of skills based on a grade-specific Core Content Connector.
Mathematics Element Cards:
- Data Probability and Statistics
- Geometry
- Patterns, Relations, and Functions
- Measurement
- Real Number Operations
- Number Operations Fractions
- Symbolic Expression
Reading Informational Text
- Grades K-2
- Grades 3-5
- Grades 6-8
- Grades 9-12
- Grades K-2
- Grades 3-5
- Grades 6-8
- Grades 9-12
Instructional Resource Cards:
The Instructional Resource Guide serves as a source of information about evidence-based best practice in instruction for students with significant cognitive disabilities. The guide thoroughly reviews instructional strategies that are based on theories of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA).
These evidence-based practices in instruction include strategies such as: prompting, systematic instruction, and use of feedback and data. The guide further explains the use of these practices in the Mathematics Activities for Scripted Systematic Instruction (MASSIs) and the LASSIs.
The purpose of the Instructional Resource Guide:
The Instructional Resource Guide serves as a source of information about evidence-based best practice in instruction for students with significant cognitive disabilities. The guide thoroughly reviews instructional strategies that are based on theories of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA).
These evidence-based practices in instruction include strategies such as: prompting, systematic instruction, and use of feedback and data. The guide further explains the use of these practices in the Mathematics Activities for Scripted Systematic Instruction (MASSIs) and the LASSIs.
The purpose of the Instructional Resource Guide:
- To provide guidance for teachers regarding evidence-based prompting and instructional strategies to be used to teach students with significant disabilities
- To serve as a companion document to the MASSIs (Math Activities with Scripted Systematic Instruction) and LASSIs (Language Arts Scripted Systematic Instruction)
- To help educators build knowledge of the essential systematic instructional methods and prompting strategies that are used in the MASSIs and LASSIs to teach students targeted skills
The contents of this website were developed as part of the National Center and State Collaborative under a grant from the US Department of Education. The contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education and no assumption of endorsement by the Federal government should be made.