Addressing the Needs of All Learners in the Era of Changing Standards: Helping Our Most Vulnerable Students Succeed Through Teaching Flexibility, Innovation, and Creativity

The new standards were written to address the harsh realities for poor performance of American students across all grades levels, k-12. According to NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) data, more than 60% of our students in grades 4, 8, and 12 are not proficient readers and the United States is one of the lowest performing in mathematics. The statistics are even more staggering for our children who live in poverty, students with disabilities and English Language Learners. The new standards have sent a clear message: all students must be engaged deeper learning. This deeper level of understanding and comprehension is communicated through a more sophisticated and independent level of applied literacy skills. In this book, some of our leading educators envision the standards as a vehicle to provide more rigorous instruction and illustrate how teachers are uniquely qualified to determine the most effective methods for developing students’ skills and close the achievement gap.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1 Katherine McKnight – Introduction: How Does the Common Core Address the Needs of All Students? Chapter 2 LeAnn Nickleson – Empower Poverty-Stricken Students’ Brains for Common Core Mastery by Using the Best Strategies Chapter 3 Richard Cash – Self-Regulation and Student Achievement are Critical in Meeting CCSS Expectations Chapter 4 Melissa Dickson – Differentiated Instruction and Common Core Chapter 5 Katherine McKnight – Reading, the Foundation for ALL Learning Chapter 6 Eileen Murphy – Now I Understand: Argumentation and College and Career Readiness Chapter 7 Michael Troop – Now I Understand: Argumentation and College and Career Readiness Chapter 8 Nicole Lambson and Brenna Sherwood- What Does CCSS Mean for Students with Special Needs? Chapter 9 Diane Arrington – Higher Order Thinking Skills for English Language Learners Chapter 10 Seema Imam – With Common Core State Standards in Mind: Selecting and Integrating Educational Technologies for Student Success Chapter 11 Katherine McKnight – Formative Assessment Strategies: An Essential Element for Success in Common Core Classrooms Chapter 12 Elizabeth Knost and Elizabeth Perry – College and Career Readiness in the Classroom Chapter 13 Katherine McKnight – Fast Forward: College and Career Readiness for ALL Acknowledgements Bibliography

About the Author :
Katherine McKnight, PhD isa recognized expert and sought after speaker in adolescent literacy, inclusive classrooms, Common Core State Standards, and integrating technology in the 21st century classroom. She began her career in education as a high school teacher in Chicago over 25 years ago and is a professor of secondary education at National Louis University. Currently, her work brings her to schools and classrooms all over the United States where she shares proven, practical models and strategies that develop the literacy skills of all students. McKnight has published over 10 books that support teaching and learning strategies that engage all learners in reading and writing for the 21st century. Her titles include the best selling and award winning The Teacher’s Big Book of Graphic Organizers , The Second City Guide to Improve in the Classroom, Teaching the Classics in the Inclusive Classroom and Teaching Writing in the Inclusive Classroom. Katherine has also co-authored Methods of Teaching English in the Middle and Secondary Schools (Pearson), a best selling text in English Education and several titles addressing the Common Core State Standards.

Review :
Dr. McKnight has assembled an impressive group of experienced experts to address challenges and possible solutions to closing the achievement gap for ALL students in this era of new standards. The busy-teacher friendly format allows you to dip in and answer discipline specific questions with practical ideas for your classroom. If you read a chapter during your prep, you'll start thinking about how it will affect your next hour class. Addressing the Needs of All Learners in the Era of Changing Standards by Katherine McKnight, Editor, is a very important book to provide an effective education for all learners, especially those who have disabilities, English language learning needs or find themselves in situations of poverty. Rather than settling for watered-down, unengaging curriculum delivery with low expectations, the authors of this fine book think big to get big, heighten expectations and deliver excellent deeper learning strategies to meet common core standards. I highly recommend this book to all educators. The timely purpose and ideas in this book provide a valuable resource for today’s educators who are working with changing standards. In each chapter, a leading educator shows how the standards provide a challenging but valuable way for teachers to help all students achieve at higher levels. Their suggestions and ideas give us ways to change literacy instruction for the better and provide more thoughtful teaching for all students. Both teachers and administrators will benefit from the specific and actionable techniques that we can use immediately to create powerful learning environments that will help close the achievement gap in our schools. McKnight has assembled a ‘dream team’ of contributors dedicated to providing higher-quality instruction to all students – with particular emphasis placed on those most at risk. In a political era filled with ‘mandates without money,’ McKnight and her colleagues offer readers practical, research-based strategies that can be utilized in classrooms immediately. This book emphasizes the rigor without the rancor.