College and Career Readiness Standards English Language Arts/Literacy Advanced Units 1 – 3

SW designed ELA/Literacy Advanced Units 1-3 specifically for adult educators.   The advanced-level units build on and extend the learning from the foundational-level training materials. These trainings delve into the instructional implications of level-specific standards to shape the approach instructors and program leaders take to implement standards. They teach participants how to develop and refine CCR-aligned curriculum resources, lessons, and student assignments; they help instructors organize, pace, and sequence instruction aligned with level-specific CCR standards. 

Unit 1: Aligning Curriculum Resources with Standards addresses two crucial questions:

• Are the curriculum resources we are using tightly aligned with CCR standards? 
• How can we modify curriculum resources currently in use to more tightly align with CCR standards? 

Unit 2: Focusing on Assignments and Student Work has four purposes:

• To confirm the alignment of assignments with CCR standards;
• To examine student responses to assignments as evidence of how well the lessons support student learning;
• To provide evidence-based suggestions for improving the assignments and related instructional materials; and
• To provide instructors with the opportunity to engage in structured and thoughtful conversations with colleagues about standards-based education.

Unit 3: Observing CCR Standards-in-Action addresses three basic questions: 

• How well are lessons aligned with the demands of CCR standards, based onthe aggregate findings acrossclassrooms?
• How can lessons—and the instructional practices used in presenting them—be improved to promote higher and deeper levels of student learning, and to bemore relevant to adultlearners?
• Based on feedback from observations, what do staff members identify as prioritiesfor professional development to strengthen CCR standards-based instruction?

The video lessons and the tools included in the accompanying Video Resource Pak are designed to be used in conjunction with Advanced Unit 3.  They provide additional guidance and concrete, visible evidence of CCR standards-aligned lessons to help adult educators learn how to use the CCR SIA Observation Tool. 

In addition to the significance and usefulness of the training content (methods and materials), the unit materials are well-organized. For example, each facilitator’s guide includes a similar set of features:

• Background and Purpose: presents the origin and rationale for each activity.
• Overview: reviews what each unit covers, the basic steps and the expected outcomes.
• Materials: lists the resources needed to implement the activity.
• Time Frame: suggests the approximate amount of time needed to prepare for and implement each activity.
• Preparation: describes steps that need to be completed before the workshop.
• Implementation Directions: provides directions and details the steps needed to implement each activity.
• Final Reflections: frames questions to reflect on and discuss the unit’s activities.

Participant materials include the directions, charts, worksheets, answer keys and other resource materials that guide the use of each unit. The PowerPoint presentations are a digital aid for presenters/facilitators who lead the CCR ELA/Literacy training activities. Notes are provided within the PowerPoint presentations to help you prepare for each session; the notes accompany the information offered in the facilitator guides.