Creating Strong COE Tasks in Reading and Mathematics

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Creating Strong COE Tasks in Reading and
Mathematics

• Lesley Klenk
• Anton Jackson
• December 9, 2008

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What are the essential characteristics of a
strong mathematics or reading COE task?

• They are authentic to students interests. In
  reading, the tasks reflect texts from content
  area classes, culturally relevant texts and
  contexts, and/or career and technical education
  courses. In mathematics, the tasks reflect the
  mathematics students use in the world of work
  including academics and career and technical
  education.
• They are relevant to current events and issues
  and reflect learning essential to the future. In
  reading, texts might include voters pamphlets,
  newspaper articles, and literary texts that
  reverberate with social and political
  consequences. In mathematics, the tasks reflect
  important local, state, and/or national issues
  such as agriculture, natural resources, work
  projects, and planning.
• They are accurate in presenting text that will
  reflect how and where reading is used in everyday
  life and the need to understand and apply it in
  important contexts. In mathematics, the task
  reflects the way adults use mathematics in their
  work and everyday life.

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What are additional characteristics of a strong
COE task?

• They should demonstrate integrity reading tasks
  should ask questions that students want to
  answer. In mathematics, the tasks should ask
  important questions and present realistic
  situations for 10th grade students.
• They should be free from bias tasks should
  provide an opportunity for any student to show
  comprehension of a specific issue and not be
  penalized by a lack of prior knowledge. In
  mathematics, students should be familiar with the
  context of the task which may require
  frontloading of information.

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What are the additional essential characteristics
of a strong COE task?

• They should be valid tasks should ask for
  demonstration of skills that represent a breadth
  and depth of the reading and mathematics
  standards.
• They should be reliable if students can identify
  the main idea (for example) in one text, an
  additional task will allow students to
  demonstrate the same target in the new task. In
  mathematics, students should be able to
  demonstrate the ability to compute with powers
  and square roots (for example) in a variety of
  contexts and situations.

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Reading Tasks

• How to develop strong reading COE tasks
• Examples of reading tasks
• Use the Task and Term book for help with language
  and alignment with the targets
• The differences between a classroom assignment
  and a reading COE task
• What does the student need to know

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How do I create or change my classroom
assignments to meet the characteristics of strong
COE tasks?

• Create
• Modify
• Augment
• Extend
• Revisit

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What are some examples of strong reading COE
tasks?

• Create a COE reading task by using target
  language and sections of text that lend
  themselves to student interest. Always include
  the title and author of the text and how long you
  expect the response to be.
• Write a 3-4 paragraph reading response in which
  you identify the main theme of Philip Larkins
  poem, Mother, Summer, I. Make sure to use
  text-based evidence to support each portion of
  your response.
• (LC01)
• Analyze the mothers feelings about summer. Make
  sure to use text-based evidence to support each
  portion of your response. (LA05)
• Augment an existing assignment that asks for a
  summary by adding additional requirements that
  ask the student to analyze the cause of the
  outcome.
• Original Summarize the article about lizards.
• (LC02)
• Augmented
• Write a several paragraph reading response in
  which you summarize the main points in Marsha
  Smiths article A Vanishing Species. Make sure
  to use text-based evidence to support each
  portion of your response. (IC 12)
• Using the information in the article, analyze the
  causes of the lizards plight and explain the
  possible outcomes if recovery efforts are made or
  not made. Make sure to use text-based evidence to
  support each portion of your response. (IA17)

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What are some other examples of strong reading
COE tasks?

• Extend a current assignment by adding another
  text and asking students to compare and contrast
  the two authors purposes for writing each text.
  Then, compare and contrast two characters. This
  enlarges the task and adds the depth necessary to
  make it a strong COE tasks. This assignment will
  now address two strands.
• Original Explain the authors purpose for
  writing the story. (LT08)
• 1) Write a several paragraph reading response in
  which you analyze Kate Chopins purpose for
  writing The Story of an Hour and Sarah Orne
  Jewetts purpose for writing The White Heron.
  Make sure to use text-based evidence to support
  each portion of your response.
• 2) Compare and contrast the characters ideas of
  freedom in both stories. Make sure to use
  text-based evidence to support each portion of
  your response.
• Revisit an assignment that was not originally
  intended to be a task. Align the targets with the
  expected skills and change the format of the
  assessment to a written response which
  corresponds to the expectations of the COE
  guidelines.
• Original Prepare an oral presentation in which
  you talk about your favorite character in the
  book. Make sure to use text-based evidence to
  support each portion of your response.
• 1) Write a several paragraph reading response in
  which you describe the theme of a book from your
  reading journal.
• 2) Then, choose a character from a book. Analyze
  the character by including information about
  his/her relationships with other characters. Make
  sure to use text-based evidence to support each
  portion of your response.

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How do I use the Task Terms?

• Select a text from your class or another resource
• Read the text (no one can write thoughtful
  reading questions unless they have read the text)
• Go to the Task Term book and decide which strand
  best fits the content of the text
• Review all of the task terms in the strand and
  decide which term to use and which target it will
  address (study the definitions too)
• Model your question on the examples in the Task
  Term book
• If it doesnt sound right try another one

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Really important suggestions

• Do not write single questions that attempt to
  assess more than one strand/target. The skill
  you are trying to assess gets lost, and scorers
  are instructed to score only one target per
  question.
• Do not make a bunch of statements like in your
  best handwriting, using clear details, checking
  your spelling Those statements, while
  important, do not belong on COE reading tasks.
  You want to state the questions clearly and
  concisely.

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What does the student need to know and be able to
do to create a strong work sample?

• Explain to students the components of work sample
  questions. Be sure that they
• Know the language and the expectations of the
  question
• Clearly state a position and include one or more
  answers directly responding to the question
• Use text-based evidence to support their
  position/answer

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Ideas

• Teach the definitions to the task terms. It will
  help students be successful in other classes too.
• Work with a team from your building or your
  district using the Task Terms book to write
  assessments for grade-level courses or district
  assessments.
• Use some exotic terms you have not used before.
  It will stretch your instruction to explain what
  differentiate, conjecture, or categorize tasks
  are.

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Mathematics Tasks

• How to develop strong mathematics COE tasks
• Examples of mathematics tasks
• Use the Strands and Targets for help with
  language and alignment with the targets
• The differences between a classroom assignment
  and a mathematics COE task
• What does the student need to know

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How do I create or change my classroom
assignments to meet the characteristics of strong
COE tasks?

• Create
• Modify
• Augment
• Extend
• Revisit

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What are some examples of strong mathematics COE
tasks?

• Create a COE mathematics task by using target
  language that lends itself to student interest.
  Be specific about what you want the student to
  include in their response
• Given a chart with the numbers of adult and
  juvenile deer in several regions, Create a
  scatterplot of the data in the chart. Be sure to
  include an informative title, labels for the
  axes, appropriate and consistent scales and all
  the data. (CU02)
• Draw a line of best fit for the data in the
  scatterplot.
• Write an equation for the line of best fit you
  drew. Be sure to define any variables you use.
  (AS01)
• Augment an existing assignment that asks for a
  specific skill by adding a familiar context and
  asking the student to show their work and/or
  explain their reasoning.
• Original Solve and
  . (AS03)
• Augmented
• Describe a scenario that matches the equations
  and then present the equations within that
  context Two students are comparing the
  temperatures in two cities. They know that the
  temperature in the first city is five degrees
  warmer than three times the temperature in the
  second city. They also know that two times the
  temperature in the first city plus five times the
  temperature in the second city is twelve degrees
  below zero. Let f the temperature in the first
  city and s the temperature in the second city.
  Equations that represent this situation are
  and .
• Be specific about what work you want students to
  do and what work you want them to show Use the
  equations to determine the temperature in the
  first city and the temperature in the second
  city. Show your work using words, numbers,
  and/or diagrams. (AS03)

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What are some other examples of strong
mathematics COE tasks?

• Extend a current assignment by adding another
  opportunity to demonstrate understanding of a
  skill without asking the student to do the same
  thing multiple times. This enlarges the task and
  adds the depth necessary to make it a strong COE
  tasks.
• Original When sharing an amount of money, each
  persons equal share is inversely proportional to
  the number of people in the group. Each person
  in a group of 6 people gets 2.42 when an amount
  of money is shared equally. Determine the equal
  share for groups of 3, 4, 9, 12, and 20 people
  using the same amount of money.
• 1) When sharing an amount of money, each persons
  equal share is inversely proportional to the
  number of people. Each person in a group of 6
  people gets 2.42 when an amount of money is
  shared equally. What would be the equal share
  for a group of 4 people using the same amount of
  money?
• 2) Describe the impact increasing the number of
  people in the group has on the amount of money
  each person gets. How do you know this impact
  will always happen? Include an example to
  support your thinking.
• 3) Describe a different situation or scenario
  where two variables are inversely proportional.
  Be sure to provide an example to show that the
  two variables are inversely proportional.

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How do I use the Strands and Target language?

• Investigate/describe a scenario that involves
  authentic use of mathematics
• Describe/list the big ideas and reasons for doing
  mathematics within the scenario
• List the mathematics skills needed in the
  scenario
• Go to the Strands and Targets document and decide
  which strand best fits the big ideas
• Review all of the vocabulary in the strand and
  targets and decide which terms to use and which
  target the task will address
• Model your questions on existing tasks
• If it doesnt sound right try another one

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Really important suggestions

• Write tasks to assess two or three
  strands/targets. When more strands/targets are
  assessed, students have difficulty showing their
  best work due to the length of the task and
  scorers have difficulty identifying which
  questions match with which strands/targets.
• State the questions clearly and concisely.
  Students will have a better understanding of what
  is expected in their work and scorers will be
  better able to determine if the student has
  appropriately demonstrated a given skill.

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What does the student need to know and be able to
do to create a strong work sample?

• Explain to students the components of work sample
  questions. Be sure that they
• Know the language and the expectations of the
  question
• Read and understand the question and then respond
  to the question asked
• Use words, numbers, and/or diagrams to show
  supporting work or as evidence of mathematical
  thinking

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Ideas

• Teach the definitions of vocabulary related to
  the skill. It will help students be successful in
  other classes too.
• Work with a team from your building or your
  district using the Strands and Targets document
  to write assessments for grade-level courses or
  district assessments.
• Provide multiple, varied opportunities for
  students to develop and practice a particular
  concept, skill, or process.