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Anne Schiano, Assistant Director
Office of Curriculum, Instruction and Instructional Technology

English Language Arts Toolkit
Curriculum Guidance Materials & Resources

• Teacher’s Directions for the New York State Testing Program for English Language Arts Tests are now available at:

  Grades 3,4, and 5
  http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/osa/elaei/gr3-5tdc08.pdf

  Grades 6,7, and 8
  http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/osa/elaei/gr6-8tdc08.pdf

• The English Language Arts Core Curriculum May 2005
  This English Language Arts Core Curriculum (2005) is a standards-based document that provides an additional level of specificity to the learning standards for English language arts.

  • PDF / Microsoft Word / HTML
    
    

• NYS Education Department Virtual Learning System (VLS) 
  The purpose of the New York State Education Department's Virtual Learning System is to encourage the use of the Internet as a tool for teaching and learning and to assist classroom teachers in locating Internet resources for instruction. VLS offers the full text of New York State's learning standards with their key ideas and performance indicators, as well as alternate performance indicators for students with severe disabilities. It provides resources that classroom teachers can use to support preK-12 standards-based instruction.
  
  

• Regulations of the Commissioner of Education
  for General Education and Diploma Requirements
  
  
  

• The National Institute for Literacy
  The National Institute for Literacy, a federal agency, provides leadership on literacy issues, including the improvement of reading instruction for children, youth, and adults. In consultation with the U.S. Departments of Education, Labor, and Health and Human Services, the Institute serves as a national resource on current, comprehensive literacy research, practice, and policy. This site includes information on publications, facts & statistics, grants & contracts, as well as other resources related to literacy. http://www.nifl.gov/   

• Directory of Public and Non-Public Schools and Administrators for The State of New York http://www.nysed.gov/admin/bedsdata.html 
   

• General Education & Diploma Requirements
  An updated chart highlighting the general education high school diploma requirements for students entering Grade 9 in 2002-2009 is now available at http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/gradreq/intro.html 
  It reflects changes in regulations that have been enacted within the recent past, such as the phasing out of some local diploma options and the phasing in of new mathematics examinations and courses. Each column of the chart is linked to a page that provides more detailed information in html format.
  For detailed information regarding curriculum, instruction, and instructional technology, please refer to http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/
   

• NOVELNY Databases
  NOVELNY gives New York State residents online access to the full text of thousands of journals, newspapers and other references. New York State residents who would like to use the NOVELNY Databases should contact their local public library, academic library, or school library. Remote access via the State Library web site is also available. http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/

• Progress Monitoring
  To meet the challenges of implementing effective progress monitoring, the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) has funded the National Center on Student Progress Monitoring.
  
  Progress monitoring is a scientifically based practice that is used to assess students academic performance and evaluate the effectiveness of instruction. Progress monitoring can be implemented with individual students or an entire class. http://www.studentprogress.org/default.asp

• FREE: Federal Resources for Educational Excellence
  This site provides free teaching and learning resources from federal agencies.
  http://www.free.ed.gov/subjects.cfm?subject_id=78 
   

• Learning Disabilities Resource Kit
  A new resource has just been added to the Center on Instruction website (www.CENTERONINSTRUCTION.ORG) : Learning Disabilities Resource Kit: Specific Learning Disabilities Determination Procedures and Responsiveness to Intervention.
  
  The National Resource Center on Learning Disabilities (NRCLD) has developed this kit to help schools and districts navigate changes related to specific learning disability (SLD) determination and responsiveness to intervention (RTI). Included in the kit is general information on SLD determination and RTI, tools for getting started, PowerPoint presentations, and resources for parents. The kit is available for download at: http://www.nrcld.org/resource_kit/
   

• Report Cards
  New York State School and District Report Cards for School Year 2005-2006 - These Report Cards are produced to inform the people of New York State about the performance of public schools and districts. We hope that these reports are used in constructive conversations which lead to improved education for all children in the State. https://www.nystart.gov/publicweb
   

• Guide to the 3-8 Testing Program in English Language Arts
  The Guide to the 3-8 Testing Program in English Language Arts and Mathematics is an updated version of the Introduction to the Grades 3-8 Testing Program in English Language Arts and Mathematics - September 2005.
  http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/3-8/intro07.pdf 
  

• Academic Literacy Instruction for Adolescents
  A Guidance Document from the Center on Instruction, 4-12
  This document developed by the Center on Instruction's Reading, Special Education and ELL Strands makes recommendations for improving literacy-related instruction in the content areas or across the entire school day, interventions for students reading below grade level, and recommendations for supporting literacy development in adolescent English language learners. Please visit http://www.centeroninstruction.org/files/Academic%20Literacy.pdf 
   

• What is Scientifically Based Research? A Guide for Teachers
  More than ever, educators are expected to make decisions that guarantee quality instruction. As knowledge emerges, so do philosophies, opinions, and rhetoric about definitions of instructional excellence. From policy makers to classroom teachers, educators need ways to separate misinformation from genuine knowledge and to distinguish scientific research from poorly supported claims. Effective teachers use scientific thinking in their classrooms all the time. This booklet, provides a brief introduction to understanding and using scientifically based research.
  http://www.centeroninstruction.org/files/ScientificallyBasedResearch.pdf 
   

• Center on Instruction / Resource Update
  The Center on Instruction (COI), a partnership of five organizations, provides resources and expertise to the Regional Comprehensive Centers in reading, mathematics, science, special education, and English language learners. COI has added a new resource, Adolescent Literacy Resources: An Annotated Bibliography, to its website: http://www.centeroninstruction.org/resources.cfm?category=reading&subcat 
  
  This array of research summaries and policy documents on reading and reading comprehension for students in grades 4-12, while not exhaustive, includes discussions of all the current important research issues in adolescent literacy and the development of state- and district-level policies to support improvements in adolescent literacy outcomes.
  
  Center on Instruction at http://www.centeroninstruction.org/index.cfm 
   

• 2007-2009 - Elementary and Intermediate Level Field Test Information 
  Schools can determine what test and grade level they will be field testing by accessing the five-year (2004-2009) field test matrix at http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/3-8/fieldtest.htm  Scroll to Titles for the links: #5 and #6.
   

• New York State Alternate Assessment Administration Manual
  The 2006-2007 New York State Alternate Assessment Administration Manual provides procedures for assessing the academic achievement of students with severe cognitive disabilities and for constructing a New York State Alternate Assessment (NYSAA) datafolio of student performance. In response to a 2005-06 review of the New York State Testing Program by the United States Department of Education, NYSAA has been restructured effective 2006-07.
  http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/alterassessment/manual/admin0607.pdf
   

• The School Administrator's Manual (SAM) for Public Schools for the 2007 Grades 3-8 English Language Arts Tests provides guidelines to ensure that these tests are valid and equitable for all students. Included in this manual is a series of instructions to organize the materials, the testing schedule, and the scoring process. http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/3-8/sam/home.htm
   

• Teachers’ Choices List of Titles
  Since 1989, the Teachers’ Choices project of the International Reading Association has developed an annual annotated reading list of new books that will encourage young people to read. These are books that kids will enjoy-and that contribute to learning across the curriculum.
  http://www.reading.org/resources/tools/choices_teachers.html
   
• Children’s Choices List of Titles
  This is a booklist with a twist: Children themselves evaluate the books, and provide reviews of their favorites. Since 1974, Children’s Choices have been a trusted source of book recommendations used by teachers, librarians, parents-and children themselves.
  http://www.reading.org/resources/tools/choices_childrens.html 
   
   
• A Guide to Selecting Instructional Materials
  Teachers can find information to help them select instructional materials that meet the learning needs of all their students. Many lists of print and nonprint resources are available, including some that can be accessed via the Internet. The school library media specialist will have some of these selection tools available in the library media center; others can be borrowed through interlibrary loan from the School Library System of which the school is a member.  
  
  
  

• Call for Expertise
  The Education Department values teachers' expert opinion in guiding this important work and encourages increased involvement of them from all parts of the State. SED is issuing this Call for Expertise to solicit teacher interest in state-level work.  
  
  

• Features of Literacy Programs: A Decision-Making Matrix
  Guidelines for selection of materials in English Language Arts Programs have been approved by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Executive Committee.
  The matrix, found at the NCTE website listed here, is intended as a discussion and decision-making tool for teachers and curriculum developers working together to select instructional materials. Educators do this based on their understandings of the nature and uses of literacy and their beliefs about how literacy is developed.   No permissions are required to photocopy and distribute the guidelines.  http://www.ncte.org/library/files/About_NCTE/Overview/ReadingMatrixFinal.pdf
    
• The Grades 3-8 Testing Program in English Language Arts and Mathematics - A Parent's Guide Translated versions, October 2005.  
  This comprehensive parent guide for the Grades 3-8 Testing Program includes Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), sample questions for ELA and Mathematics, and details on how parents can help their children prepare for the test.
  English and translations of the Grades 3-8 parent brochure are available in Chinese, Haitian Creole, Korean, Russian and Spanish.
   
• Test Specifications
  Test specifications for the federally mandated grades 3-8 assessments are found on page 4 of this guide.
   
• NCLB
  The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) includes the most significant changes in federally funded program expectations and requirements since the original Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

• SCAN Skills A high-performance workplace requires workers who have a solid foundation in the basic literacy and computational skills, the thinking skills, and in the personal qualities that make workers dedicated and trustworthy. High-performance workplaces also require competencies: the ability to manage resources, to work amicably and productively with others, to acquire and use information, to master complex systems, and to work with a variety of technologies. This, the SCANS final report, provides a blueprint for groups at the national, State, and local levels. Our nation's ability to lead in a global economy will depend on the outcome of those conversations. http://wdr.doleta.gov/SCANS

  The career development and occupational studies (CDOS) learning standards are intended to promote exploration and research into broad career areas of interest to individual students. Basic principles of career planning, such as the SCAN Skills of decision-making, self-evaluation, and goal setting, have been integrated within the sample tasks. http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/workforce/careerdevelopment/cdlearn.html
  
  A Taxonomy of Learning Levels can be found in career development and occupational studies document (page 9).