Common Core Learning Standards – ELA, Literacy, and Math

(formerly known as the “Improving Literacy” initiative)

Because of the variety and complexity of issues that affect current levels of reading proficiency among adolescents, significant improvements will be achieved only through a comprehensive effort involving changes in state- and district-level policies, improved assessments, more efficient school organization, more involved and effective leadership, and extensive professional development for all leaders and teachers …

Torgesen, et. al. (2007), Academic literacy instruction for adolescents: A guidance document from the Center on Instruction

The promise of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 is that all students will be academically successful by 2014. Literacy is one of the major academic areas in which all students will demonstrate proficiency; students must be able to read, write, think, and communicate, both critically and creatively. Recently, New York State’s adoption of the Common Core Learning Standards has provided new and direct focus on the need to improve student literacy and numeracy in order to enhance secondary student outcomes across ELA, Mathematics and all other content areas. To that end, the Common Core Learning Standards-ELA, Literacy and Math team’s goal is to partner with the New York State Education Department (NYSED)’s planning and schedule for the introduction of Common Core Learning Standards statewide. Additionally, the team provides support by helping to disseminate scientifically based literacy research, thereby promoting academic achievement for all students.

Objectives

To achieve these goals, we:

• Partner with NYSED in its training, rollout and implementation of Common Core Learning Standards as participants in the Network Team Training initiatives
• Disseminate scientifically based research to key stakeholders
• Create research-based frameworks to guide policy on raising the quality of ELA, literacy and Mathematics instruction for students in New York
• Convene symposia to focus on research- and evidence-based promising practices in state- and district-wide initiatives to support literacy as defined and prescribed by the Common Core Learning Standards
• Provide ongoing professional development on research-based promising practices in ELA, literacy, and Math to NYSED and New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) specialists

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