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Adolescent Literacy

Who We Work With

To achieve our goal of disseminating scientifically based research about adolescent literacy to promote academic achievement for all students, the Adolescent Literacy team collaborates with a variety of stakeholders. Our recent activities with these collaborators are described below:

Center on Instruction

The Adolescent Literacy team collaborates with the Reading Strand of the Center on Instruction (COI) to offer materials and resources that help educators improve reading outcomes for students in grades K-12. In addition, these resources help prevent reading difficulties from developing in the early grades as a solution to the problem of struggling readers in middle and high school, and meet the instructional challenges of students with varied reading abilities.  The Adolescent Literacy team also assists COI as they create professional development and dissemination plans for their literacy documents, such as Academic Literacy Instruction for Adolescents: A Guidance Document from the Center on Instruction (Torgesen, et. al., 2007).

New York State Education Department & New York City Department of Education

Reading, Mathematics, Science, ESL and Special Leadership Institutes
The Adolescent Literacy team partners with the New York State Education Department (NYSED) and New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) on the Reading, Mathematics, Science, ESL and Special Leadership Institutes. These Institutes are coordinated by the NYSED Office of School Improvement and Community Services. Participants who attend the Institutes represent middle and high school leadership teams from Schools in Need of Improvement (SINI) and Schools under Registration Review (SURR). The Adolescent Literacy team plays an active role by presenting workshops at each Institute.

New York State Education Department

New York State Learning Standards Review Initiative
As part of NYCC's work with NYSED Learning Standards Review Initiative, the Adolescent Literacy Team is gathering information in order to prepare an overview of the format and organization of ELA Standards as they exist in other states. Each state's set of ELA standards are being reviewed in search of common formats that have been found to be of high quality, clarity and to be user friendly for educators, students and parents.

Information regarding the clarity, specificity and content of ELA Standards from other states are being gathered and synthesized to include a:

Visit the New York State Learning Standards Review website to learn more.

Statewide P-16 Literacy Initiative
The Adolescent Literacy team is collaborating with the P-16 Literacy Initiative Work Group, composed of staff from the Curriculum, Instruction, & Instructional Technology (CI&IT) team, the Office of Teacher Initiatives, and several other NYSED departments. The Group is developing a P-16 Statewide Literacy Plan that articulates what students need to know and be able to do in terms of literacy to be prepared to participate successfully in higher education, to function as good citizens, and to succeed in a global economy. The Plan is intended to develop a shared understanding of literacy and expectations across all departments of NYSED.

Professional Development
The Adolescent Literacy team works with NYSED to provide professional development connecting scientifically based research about adolescent literacy to state curriculum frameworks, classroom practice, and the teaching of diverse learners. Adolescent Literacy staff and NYSED Curriculum and Instruction staff are developing a comprehensive statewide literacy professional development plan to assist districts and schools in improving literacy outcomes for students.

Reading First
The Adolescent Literacy team plays an integral role in assisting the NYSED Reading First Office with professional development. Our staff leads workshops that inform educators and leaders about how to effectively use their resources, scientifically based research, and promising practices to build a school-wide culture of literacy. For example, in June 2007, the Adolescent Literacy Staff presented a series of workshops and delivered a keynote address at the Reading First and Adolescent Literacy Professional Development Summer Institute, a collaboration between the NYSED Reading First Office, the Long Island Regional School Support Center, and St. John’s University Staff.

United Federation of Teachers - Teacher Center

The Adolescent Literacy team also collaborates with the United Federation of Teachers – Teacher Center (UFTTC) to assist New York State in improving student academic outcomes on the state assessment in reading. This is accomplished by disseminating evidence-based literacy materials to targeted educators and leaders in professional development workshops. The workshops focus on subjects such as comprehension strategies, assessments, writing, and implementation of schoolwide literacy plans.