The “Core” of the Common Core State Standards

With the adoption of the Common Core State Standards, how do educators provide effective interventions to help students with identified disabilities, learning challenges, who are at risk, or on IEPs to meet grade level standards?

• Provide oral language development interventions
• Support interrelationships between reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language
• Collaborate with SLPs, teachers, specialists families and administrators

At the “core” of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) is oral language development because oral language provides the foundation for literacy. The CCSS were designed to prepare students for success in college & careers and ultimately to be able to compete in a global, technology-driven economy. In order to ensure this success, students must be literate – or, competent in speaking, listening, reading, writing and thinking. The link between literacy and language development is the “discourse” level of language which is made up of narration, conversation and exposition. It is within discourse that the Story Grammar Marker® (narratives), Six-Second-Stories® (conversation) and ThemeMaker® (expository text) can provide the most effective intervention to bridge the gap for those students with identified disabilities or for those at risk of not meeting grade level standards. The CCSS call for students to develop “Communicative Competence” which is putting together words, phrases, and sentences to create conversations, speeches, email messages, articles and books. Students are required throughout ALL standards to (using academic language) interpret, argue, analyze, organize, conclude and persuade through conversation, discussion, writing and debate. There is also a strong emphasis on critical thinking, problem solving and collaboration with peers. In order for students to meet these requirements, oral language development – particularly at the discourse level is essential.

Speech/Language Pathologists are uniquely prepared to provide intervention in the area of language development. However, it is in their collaboration with teachers and specialists that will impact student progress and academic & social success the most!

The goal is for ALL students (including those with identified disabilities, those who are English Learners, those who are “at risk” and those children with Autism) to receive the most effective interventions to help them to develop the communicative competence necessary to meet grade level standards, achieve academic & social success and be prepared for college and/or career. Through collaboration among SLPs, teachers and specialists all using Story Grammar Marker®, Six-Second-Stories® and ThemeMaker® methodologies to provide intervention in oral language development; this goal can be attained.

Click here for Boston area summer workshop information:

The “Core” of the Core: Using Story Grammar Marker® to Support Learning Challenged & “At Risk” Students in Meeting Grade-Level Common Core State Standards
Tuesday, July 17th 2012
Natick, MA