Search Our Essay Database

Essay Instructions: Research the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Write a 1,000-1,250-word essay addressing the following:

1. Outline of the mission and purpose of these standards.

2. Discuss how the structure of the Common Core State Standards could be beneficial for gifted students.

3. Review (assistive technology in the classroom lesson). How do CCSS apply to make the lesson meaningful and challenging for gifted learners?

4. How does CCSS differ from other state/content standards?

Include five sources to support your essay.

Essay Instructions: In today's climate of educational reform, educators are confronted with many multifaceted issues about assessment. For this course, discussion prompts will focus on point-counterpoint situations to give you an opportunity to express your views on current trends and issues regarding this important educational topic.

Point: Adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) will introduce a shared national assessment system. Proponents of a national system assert that the “inconsistencies in tests between states do not provide an accurate picture of how schools are performing across the board. By allowing states to share educational experiences and practices, students will benefit in all areas of our country” (Public School Review, 2010).

Counterpoint: Opponents of a national assessment system believe that allowing the federal government to get involved with the process “will simply muddy the water with too much bureaucracy.” As William J. Mathis, managing director of the Education and Public Interest Center at the University of Colorado, Boulder, asserted, "There is very little evidence to prove that establishing national academic standards for K-12 schools will improve the quality of American public education" (Public School Review, 2010).

Are your views more closely aligned with the point or the counterpoint? Explain.
Consider the view that is in opposition to yours. Why do you think people hold this view?

Essay Instructions: 1. Consider the following Essential Questions as you read the script and complete the following assignment:
• What modes of communication do you most often use to express yourself?
• Generally, how do various modes of communication shape intended messages?
• How can literature provoke cultural insight beyond the text itself?
2. In preparing you to create your own ELA repertoire, consider that this assignment:
• is a large group/whole class response to reading/literature that you will share with the
class
• relates especially to NCTE/NCATE Standards for Initial Preparation of Teachers of Secondary English Language Arts Grades 7-12
o #2 professional attitudes needed by ELA teachers
o #3.2 knowledge of practices of oral, visual, and written literacy
o #3.3 knowledge of reading processes
o #3.4 knowledge of different composing processes
o #4 dispositions and skills needed to integrate knowledge of ELA, students, and teaching



3. Assignment
• Read the script for Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses.
• Attend the performance of Metamorphoses, Rider University
• Bring to our next class meeting on November 11 for a Socratic-seminar style discussion of Metamorphoses:
o Answer the EQ about literature in a 3-4-page paper, double-spaced.
o Select one cultural lens (graphic organizer) through which to consider your response to the EQ
? Research a contemporary issue and compare it to an issue from the play.
? Cite and indicate sources (APA style).
? Select one or 2 scenes from the play (ACT, Scene, p. #) that complement your response.
? Indicate especially relevant ELA standards from the NJ Core Content/Common Core Curriculum
o Title the paper with a metaphor of your own that captures the essence of your paper’s thesis/response to EQ.
• Using thinking behind your paper, participate in class during seminar discussion.

There are faxes for this order.

Essay Instructions: FOR WRITER JOHNFITZ44 ONLY!!!

Ashford University: MAED Capstone

Source 1: Online Course Textbook: https://content.ashford.edu/books/AUEDU695.14.1
Source 2:http://vizedhtmlcontent.next.ecollege.com/pub/content/e8e9ddd7-9ea3-470b-89e3-51cb4e0c19af/International_Society_for_Technology_in_Education._2014._ISTE_standard.pdf
Source 3: http://vizedhtmlcontent.next.ecollege.com/pub/content/68e8713c-5a29-470f-849f-e131ce43ed96/MAED_ProgramLearningOutcomes_2014.pdf
Source 4: http://www.corestandards.org/read-the-standards/
Source 5: http://www.p21.org/about-us/p21-framework/57
Source 6: http://www.p21.org/about-us/p21-framework/60
Source 7:http://www.p21.org/about-us/p21-framework/61
Source 8: http://www.p21.org/about-us/p21-framework/266


Please include APA 6th edition in-text citations such as (Kafferly, 2014) and do not directly quote authors or add page numbers of authors, please include a title for the paper and use that title, centered, as the title of the introduction. Make proper subtitles for each part of the assignment (2 to 4 paragraphs) - flushed left of the paper. Include the textbook material that I indicated as it is required, and be sure there is a strong introduction with thesis statement, and a strong conclusion with a restated thesis - which should be subtitled "Discussion" flushed left as well. References on reference page need to be alphabetical and the second line should be hanging, and single spaced. Please do not use any contractions. Look at the grading rubric for "Distinguished" marks which give full points. Thank you for your hard work on this assignment, I am appreciative. Your service is very valuable and I thank you.

21st-Century Skills and Standards

In this assignment, you need to think about 21st century support systems, the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), and International Society for Technology in Education Student (ISTE-S) standards and their relationship with quality instructional planning, delivery, and learner achievement. Using the Framework for 21st century learning as a resource, you will redesign or modify a prior activity, such as a lesson plan or curriculum project, that you created in a prior course. The redesigned coursework need to be a representation of your mastery of the MAED program learning outcomes 5 and 7. This assignment will be uploaded to the course for evaluation and to your ePortfolio (Pathbrite). If you do not have previous projects to use in this assignment, please contact your instructor for guidelines on how to proceed. As needed, refer to the MAED program learning outcomes (PLOs) list.


Create your assignment to meet the content and written communication expectations below.

Content Expectations
The Redesign expectations explain what you are required to do with the prior coursework you choose to redesign. The Summary expectations are for the separate written portion of this assignment.
Redesign ? ISTE-S Standard (1 Point): Redesign a lesson plan or curriculum project that reflects a minimum of one ISTE-S standard labeled with number, title, and objective(s). For example:
Creativity and Innovation
Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products and processes.
Redesign ? Grade Level / CCSS Alignment (1 Point): Redesign a lesson plan or curriculum project that clearly labels a grade level and content specific CCSS (Math or English Language Arts) which is aligned with a minimum of one Core Subject and 21st Century Themes and a minimum of one Learning and Innovation Skill, one Information, Media, & Technology Skill, and evidence of at least one Life and Career Skill.

Summary ? Introduction/Conclusion (1 Point): In one paragraph, provide an introductory summary that concisely presents the scope and organization of the summary writing and a one-paragraph conclusion that summarizes the key points of your summary.

Summary ? Modification (1 Point): In one paragraph, summarize the changes you made to address ISTE-S, CCSS, and 21st Century Skills and how your activity addresses each. Explicitly state how your redesign assignment provides evidence of master of PLO?s 5 and 7.

Summary ? Evaluation (1 Point): In one paragraph, evaluate the appropriate 21st century support system components that align with your redesigned activity and, using examples, evaluate how each influences learner-centered instruction and the creation of a technology-enriched learning environment promoting learner achievement and innovations. 21st century support systems include: 21st century standards, assessment for 21st century skills, 21st century curriculum and instruction, and 21st century learning environments.

Summary ? Reflection (1 Point): In one paragraph, summarize your experience with the redesign in terms of challenges you encountered and how you overcame those challenges.

Written Communication Expectations
Page Requirement (.5 points): Two to four pages, not including title and references pages.

APA Formatting (.5 points): Use APA formatting consistently throughout the assignment.

Syntax and Mechanics (.5 points): Display meticulous comprehension and organization of syntax and mechanics such as spelling and grammar.

Source Requirement (.5 points): Reference three scholarly sources in addition to the course textbook. All sources on the references page need to be used and cited correctly within the body of the assignment.

*****Here is a sample from the professor for this week's assignment:

Remember to include a copy of the lesson before revision in order for a clearer comparison.

21st Century Skills & Standards

Introduction
Technology is an integral part of the skills that students need to develop in order to be competitive in today?s world. The Framework for 21st Century Learning addresses this issue with its standards and supports. Still, there are other organizations that recognize the need to incorporate technology into content instruction. Not only do they recognize this need, they advocate the incorporation of technology in meaningful ways. In fact, the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has developed a set of standards for administrators, teachers, and students for the incorporation of technology in instruction (International Society for Technology, 2014).

Modification
The modifications made to this lesson incorporated several elements of 21st century learning while simultaneously addressing Ashford University?s Master of Arts in Education program learner outcomes. The first modification made was to align the lesson plan with a Common Core State Standards Initiative standard, an International Society for Technology in Education standard, and several components of the Framework for 21st Century Learning. Incorporating these elements demonstrates the mastery of program learner outcomes (PLOs) 5 and 7 stated as follows: PLO 5-The MAED graduate designs learner-centered instruction aligned with Common Core State Standards, digital age standards (NETS-S), and 21st Century skills to promote learner achievement and growth. PLO 7-The MAED graduate uses knowledge of subject matter and central concepts of the discipline(s) to create technology-enriched learning environments that promote learner achievement and innovation (Ashford University, 2014, p. 297). This is due to the fact that aligning the lesson with the standards and frameworks listed require the integration of technology with specific student learning needs to create instruction that was built on a foundation of solid subject and central concept knowledge. The second modification was to incorporate the missing elements that addressed the Framework for 21st Century Learning by adding collaborative learning activities to accompany the use of technology. The final modification was to incorporate smarter forms of assessment and evaluation. Assessment was added via journaling, and evaluation via a collaborative project to be graded according to a rubric.

21st Century Support Components
The 21st Century support systems that align with this modified lesson are 21st century standards, curriculum and instruction, and learning environments. Each of these is evident in the modified lesson plan. For example, 21st century standards are addressed via the CCSS as well as some of the standards from the Framework for 21st Century Learning that were incorporated in the lesson plan. 21st century curriculum and instruction support is seen throughout the lesson plan with attention to diverse learners and the use of technology to convey content. Finally, the presence of technology as both a resource and tool in the lesson demonstrate the support of a 21st century learning environment.

Reflection
In reflection, the modification of this lesson was a formidable challenge. Modifying a lesson that was very basic was a very time consuming task. In addition to that demand, there was the difficulty associated with covering so many different sets of standards and frameworks in a single lesson as well. However, some clever strategy reduced the distress of meeting these challenges. At first glance, these different standards, frameworks, and outcomes seem to be a jumble of different demands. Some of them are very different. However, many of them overlap upon closer examination. Therefore, the key to overcoming these challenges lay in planning with elements that multi-tasked in the address of various elements. For instance, the incorporation of technology into the lesson allowed the teacher to address multiple standards simultaneously with a single change. This made the task much less daunting.

Conclusion
In concluding the modification of the lesson, it became even more apparent that technology is an integral part of the skills that students need to develop in order to be competitive in today?s world. The Framework for 21st Century learning, Common Core State Standards, and International Society for Technology in Education all recognize this fact. They each provide clear guides as to how schools and teachers can incorporate technology and align instructional standards with the use of technology in order to maximize the effectiveness content instruction. Often, these guides overlap and can be addressed simultaneously. With prudent planning and smart instructional strategizing, it is possible to provide the modern student body with comprehensive instruction that meets a variety of learning needs and prepares them to be competitive on the global stage without alienating diversity.



References
Ashford University. (2014). 2013-2014 academic catalog. Retrieved from https://student.ashford.edu/CMCPortalFileShare/AU-AC%20Forms/Catalogs/2013-2014%20Academic%20Catalog.pdf

International Society for Technology in Education. (2014). ISTE standards. Retrieved from https://www.iste.org/standards