CI&IT

Curriculum, Instruction & Instructional Technology

News

News items are listed chronologically. To read a news item, click on the link to access the information.

National Council of Teachers of English resource--Learning Beyond the Classroom

The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and ReadWriteThink have developed a Learning Beyond the Classroom online resource, which includes resources and activities to help children and teens explore reading and writing after school, during vacation, or all summer long.
http://www.readwritethink.org/beyondtheclassroom/summer/External Link

Adjustments to High School Testing Procedures to Address Weather-Related School Closings on January 28, 2009

For an update on a new set of high school testing options for students who were impacted by recent weather-related school closings, please see the following statement released by Senior Deputy Commissioner Johanna Duncan-Poitier.
http://emsc.nysed.gov/sar/weather.pdf  (PDF 67.19 KB)

April is National Poetry Month!

National Poetry Month was inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996. Read-Write-Think offers classroom activities to celebrate National Poetry Month, including lesson plans, web links, and texts
http://www.readwritethink.org/calendar/calendar_day.asp?id=478External Link.

Please see the Academy of American Poets National Poetry Month website for additional information, including resources and programs http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/41External Link.

More Adults Read Literature According to NEA Study

According to Reading on the Rise, a new report from the National Endowment for the ArtsExternal Link, "For the first time in the history of the survey - conducted five times since 1982 - the overall rate at which adults read literature (novels and short stories, plays, or poems) rose by seven percent." To read more about this report, visit the NEA's site at http://arts.endow.gov/news/news09/ReadingonRise.htmlExternal Link.

National Day on Writing: October 20, 2009

To draw attention to the remarkable variety of writing we engage in and help make better writers from all walks of life aware of their craft, National Council of Teachers of English External Link(NCTE) is working to establish October 20, 2009, as the National Day on Writing. NCTE will build an archive of writing submissions throughout 2009 in the National Gallery of Writing. To learn more about how to participate in this event, please see the NCTE
website at http://www.ncte.org/action/dayonwritingExternal Link.

Developing Early Literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel

The National Early Literacy Panel'sExternal Link primary goal was to identify interventions, parenting activities, and instructional practices that promote the development of children’s early literacy skills. This report, which focuses on early literacy development, can be accessed athttp://nifl.gov/nifl/NELP/NELPreport.htmlExternal Link

Tips for Parents from the National Council of Teachers of English: Helping Your Teenager to Write Better
This "Tips for Parents" sheet from the National Council of Teachers of English includes examples of how parents can help their teenager write better. http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Positions/tips-parents.pdfExternal Link

New Center on Instruction Resource: Reviewing a Reading Program
The Center on Instruction has developed a two-day professional development module based on the Florida Center for Reading Research's "Guidelines for Reviewing a Reading Program." The training module is designed to guide reviewers of reading programs through the review process to determine if a program is consistent with the scientific research on reading. The Participant's Guide contains resources (charts, summaries, and the Guidelines themselves) that are discussed during the professional development session but it can also serve as a stand-alone tool for reviewing any reading program.
http://www.centeroninstruction.org/resources_searchresults.cfm?searchterms=reviewing+a+reading+program External Link


John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest
The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation invites U.S. high school students to write an original 1000 word essay on the political courage of a U. S. elected official since 1956. The essay should describe and analyze the political decisions, actions, and risks that elected public official has courageously addressed at local, state, national, or international levels. First-place winner will receive $5,000; second-place winner will receive $1,000; up to five finalists will receive $500 each. The first-place winner will receive recognition by Caroline Kennedy and Senator Edward M. Kennedy at the Profile in Courage Award ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, Massachusetts. Deadline for submission is January 10, 2009. For contest information, registration, and to submit your essay online, visit the Profile in Courage Award Program at www.jfklibrary.orgExternal Link.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Fine Arts and Essay Display

New York State schools are invited to submit student artwork based on Dr. King's Six Principles of Nonviolence and essays on celebrating his birthday throughout the year. The categories are writing, painting, drawing, sculpting and photography. All entries must be postmarked by December 5, 2008 and will be placed on display for viewing one week prior to the King Holiday January 19, 2009 in Albany, New York. Please encourage your students to take part in this historic celebration of Dr. King's life and ideals.

This event is co-sponsored by the New York State Education Department and the NYS Office of General Services.

The National Council of Teachers of English Releases "Writing Now"

NCTE's newest policy research brief "Writing Now" explores what writing means in our changing world. The brief defines key terms, debunks common myths about school-based writing, outlines our understanding of writing now, and shares research-based recommendations for effective writing instruction and assessment.
http://www.ncte.org/library/files/Publications/Newspaper/Chron0908Policy_Writing_Now.pdf External Link

New Center on Instruction Document on Struggling Learners

Meeting the Needs of Significantly Struggling Learners in High School: A Look at Approaches to Tiered Intervention [6-12].

This 2007 brief developed by the National High School Center describes issues related to the implementation of RTI at the high school level. It provides an overview of RTI, describes current research on RTI and secondary education, and provides an example, the Long Beach, CA school district, that implemented RTI so successfully at the high school level that they are applying it to their middle schools. The document is available for download at http://www.centeroninstruction.org/files/Meeting%20the%20Needs.pdf (pdf)

Center on Instruction: http://www.centeroninstruction.org/index.cfm

New Center on Instruction Resource: Effective Instruction for Adolescent Struggling Readers Professional Development Module

A new component of the "Effective Instruction for Adolescent Struggling Readers" is now available from the Center on Instruction's website. A professional development module consisting of a PowerPoint presentation with speaker notes and a Facilitator's Guide enhances the previously released meta-analysis and practice brief on the subject.

This suite of resources is designed to guide instruction for adolescent struggling readers, particularly secondary interventions within the general education context. Its purpose is to advance the knowledge of technical assistance providers working with state departments of education and local education agencies concerning reading-related issues for students with reading difficulties and learning disabilities. The collection enhances understanding of selected research-based instructional practices associated with positive effects for adolescent struggling readers and provides a professional development tool to train facilitators on how to implement these research-based practices.

http://www.centeroninstruction.org/resources.cfm?category=reading&subcategory=&grade_start=&grade_end=External Link

2007 NAEP Writing Results

Results of the 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) writing assessment are now available. It was administered to a nationally representative sample of more than 165,000 eighth- and twelfth-graders from public and private schools. In addition to national results, the report includes state and urban district results for grade 8 public school students. Forty-five states, the Department of Defense schools, and 10 urban districts voluntarily participated. http://nces.ed.gov/naep3

Identifying and Implementing Key Components of Effective Writing Instruction

The Center on Instruction Special Education Strand hosted a WebEx on February 20, 2008, focused on writing as a critical aspect of literacy and one in which effective instructional techniques and models for intervention are needed. Presenter Dr. Steve Graham, co-author of Writing Next: Effective Strategies to Improve Writing of Adolescents in Middle & High Schools, described the results and the implications for selecting and implementing effective instructional methods for adolescent writing, especially for students who are struggling or have learning disabilities. The PowerPoint presentation and the synopsis of the Writing Next document are available for download below.

For details and to access these professional development events/ materials from the Center on Instruction, please refer to www.CENTERONINSTRUCTION.ORGExternal Link

The Grades 3-8 English Language Arts Tests 2008 School Administrator's Manual

The Grades 3-8 English Language Arts Tests 2008 School Administrator's Manual for Public and Nonpublic Schools and the English Language Arts Tests Teacher's Directions are available on the Office of State Assessment website. http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/osa/elintela.html

Improving Literacy Instruction in Middle and High Schools: A Guide for Principals [6-12]

This "quick start" guide for principals of both middle and high schools identifies three goals for secondary school literacy initiatives and provides elements of instruction required to meet these goals. It then outlines the critical elements of a school-level literacy action plan.
http://www.centeroninstruction.org/files/Principal%20s%20Guide%20Secondary.pdfExternal Link

High School Examination Schedules

The Office of State Assessment has posted the following information regarding high school examination schedules at http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/osa/sched.html
* Memorandum Regarding the June 2008 Regents Examination Schedule
* June 2008 Regents Examination Schedule
* January 2008 Examination Schedule
* Regents Examination Dates for January and June, 2007-2009

2007 American Stars of Teaching award winners

The U.S. Department of Education is pleased to announce the names of the 2007 American Stars of Teaching award winners. Parents, students, colleagues, school administrators, and others nominated these exemplary teachers believed to have the qualities to be an American Star of Teaching. New York's 2007 winner is Nick Timpone, Harlem Village Academy, New York.
View a complete list of all American Stars of Teaching @ https://www.t2tweb.us/AmStar/Prior.aspExternal Link

Nominations for 2008 American Stars of Teaching will open in January at
www.ed.gov/teacherinitiativeExternal Link
http://www.ed.gov/teachers/how/tools/initiative/index.htmlExternal Link

Teacher's Directions for the New York State Testing Program for English Language Arts Tests are now available

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

Teaching All Students to Read in Elementary School: A Guide for Principals

Teaching All Students to Read in Elementary School: A Guide for Principals [K-5] This "quick start" guide for elementary school-level instructional leaders is based on scientific research on reading and reading instruction as well as on studies of successful schools and interviews with successful principals. It includes critical elements of an effective reading program in elementary school, critical tasks for principals as literacy leaders, and special considerations for reading instruction after third grade.
http://www.centeroninstruction.org/files/Principals%20Guide%20Elementary.pdfExternal Link

The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress

The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, in partnership with Target Stores and in cooperation with affiliate state centers for the book, invites readers in grades 4 through 12 to enter Letters About Literature, a national reading-writing contest. To enter, readers write a personal letter to an author, living or dead, from any genre-- fiction or nonfiction, contemporary or classic, explaining how that author's work changed the student's way of thinking about the world or themselves. There are three competition levels: Level I for children in grades 4 through 6; Level II for grades 7 and 8, and Level III, grades 9 - 12. Winners, announced in the spring of each year, receive cash awards at the national and state levels. For information contact the LAL Project Director at lal@epix.net. Deadline: December 14, 2007.

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES)

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES)/What Works Clearinghouse publishes practice guides in education to bring the best available evidence and expertise to bear on the types of challenges that cannot currently be addressed by single interventions or programs. The What Works Clearinghouse was established in 2002 by the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences to provide educators, policymakers, researchers, and the public with a central and trusted source of scientific evidence of what works in education.

IES practice guides consist of a list of discrete recommendations for educators that are intended to be actionable, are written by panels of nationally recognized experts, and are subjected to rigorous external peer review and include such titles as Encouraging Girls in Math and Science, Organizing Instruction and Study to Improve Student Learning, and Effective Literacy and English Language Instruction for English Learners in the Elementary Grades. http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/practiceguidesExternal Link

Find your Public Library in New York State

This resource, as well as online public access catalog, is available from the New York State Library. http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/libs/publibs

National Education Association's Books Across America

The NEA Foundation will make $1,000 awards to public schools serving economically disadvantaged students to purchase books for school libraries. The NEA Foundation makes these awards in collaboration with the National Education Association. The 2008 NEA's Books Across America Library Books Awards are made possible with support from individuals who donated to NEA's Books Across America fund to bring the gift of reading to students. Deadline: November 12, 2007 Contact: http://www.neafoundation.org/programs/BAA_2007.htmExternal Link

Last Updated: November 2, 2009