Enhance Common Core Instruction with Focused instruction programs

Our Focused Instruction programs help students:

• make real-world connections
• become college and career ready, and
• work collaboratively

See below to learn how Focused Instruction materials fill the gaps. To learn more about how you can get a jump start on Common Core Standards mastery, visit Our Products, and choose the program name that fits your needs.

Study: Most Students Fail to Meet Common-Standards Bar

By Catherine Gewertz, Education Week

Published online:  December 6, 2010

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/12/06/15standards.h30.html?qs=Common+Standards+Bar

Excerpts:

“The resulting profile is one of a student body largely unprepared for the common standards.”

“The study defines clear areas of instructional deficiency”

Fill the Gaps with Keep on Reading! Comprehension Across the Curriculum

“They showed more strength in reading literature, and in grappling with informational texts and social studies material, though proficiency levels in those areas still ranged only between 37 percent and 41 percent.”

“And David Coleman, who co-led the writing of the English/language arts section, said the study confirms much of what the standards are meant to address: among other things, students’ struggles with such college-necessary skills as handling complex texts and mastering reading materialin subjects like social studies and science.”

Fill the Gaps with Keep on Reading Science! Comprehension for Content-Area Literacy

“Not even one-quarter of the students showed college-ready levels of skill in understanding scientific reading material.”

Fill the Gaps with Critical Reading: Differentiated Instruction Across Genres

“Only three in 10 proved themselves well-versed enough in conquering progressively more complex texts, and only a shade more demonstrated enough strength in their knowledge of language and vocabulary.”

“Accordingly, the study’s authors offered detailed instructional recommendations to address the weaknesses pinpointed in the report. They suggested, for instance, that states funnel more energy into making sure students read progressively more complex texts as they go through school and that they develop stronger cross-disciplinary literacy skills.”

“And David Coleman, who co-led the writing of the English/language arts section, said the study confirms much of what the standards are meant to address: among other things, students’ struggles with such college-necessary skills as handling complex texts and mastering reading materialin subjects like social studies and science.”

Fill the Gaps with Word Explorer: Developing a Rich Vocabulary

“Only three in 10 proved themselves well-versed enough in conquering progressively more complex texts, and only a shade more demonstrated enough strength in their knowledge of language and vocabulary.”

Fill the Gaps with Turbo Math: Boosting Basic Math Skills

“The weakest math area was number and quantity, where only 34 percent showed proficiency in

skills considered foundational to later math study.”

“In math, schools should pay greater attention to building a strong foundation in early-grades number-and-quantity skills and beefing up students’ understanding of mathematical processes and practices, the report urges.”

“Jason Zimba, one of the lead authors of the math section of the common standards, said he welcomed the study’s recommendation to focus on early-grades foundational math which is typically ‘beneath the radar of state testing.’”

Fill the Gaps with Count On It! Mathematics Problem-Solving

“ACT officials were troubled by students’ weaknesses on a set of items that reflect their prowess with ‘mathematical practices,’ such as reasoning abstractly, modeling with math, and making sense of problems and persevering to solve them. Only one-third of students showed proficiency in those skills.”

Fill the Gaps with Reading and Math Intervention Tool Kits

“The authors advised states, as well, to ensure that teachers have sound professional development so they are prepared for the new standards and that they are provided with model lessons, good formative assessment strategies, and other tools for guiding instruction.”