Department of Education
Teaching and Learning Division
Literacy - Frequently Asked Questions
For Educators:
Q. What is meant by using a Balanced Literacy approach to teaching?
A. The comprehensive approach to balanced literacy rests on three pillars: Reading, Writing, and Word Work. Balanced Literacy includes five essential components of a strong reading program. These components or parts are: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency and expressiveness, vocabulary and comprehension. Research and years of successful classroom experience tell us that there are effective teaching practices that help all students become capable readers, writers and speakers. This means that students will be receiving instruction that incorporates read aloud, shared reading, guided reading, and independent reading. In writing instruction, the children will learn a process writing approach that starts in the early grades with shared writing and interactive writing, and continues throughout the years with independent writing in a variety of genres. For more information on balanced literacy, please see:
http://schools.nyc.gov/Offices/TeachLearn/OfficeCurriculumProfessionalDevelopment/DepartmentofLiteracy/BalancedLiteracy/default.htm
Q. What are the NYS ELA Standards?
A. Students will read, write, listen, and speak for Information and Understanding, Literary Response and Expression, Critical Analysis and Evaluation, and for Social Interaction. For more information on understanding and implementing New York State Learning Standards into the curriculum, visit the following two New York State Education Department websites:
http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/ela/elaqa.html
Q. Where is the latest information about the State ELA tests located?
A. The New York State Education Department offers the latest information for teachers to prepare for and administer the ELA examinations in grades 3-8. Through this website, you will find a Guide to the Grades 3-8 Testing Program in English Language Arts and Mathematics which provides general information about the testing program, as well as sample test booklets, scoring guides and rubrics, question formats, and testing accommodations:
http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/3-8/intro07.pdf
Q. What are the new Periodic Assessments?
A. For the 2007-2008 school year, the New York City Department of Education is requiring that a minimum of five periodic assessments in ELA be administered in grades 3-8, and a minimum of three periodic assessments be administered in grades 9-12. For more specific information regarding these assessments, visit the following website:
http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/BB96C46C-D05E-44F4-A24A-62118C266FC0/23081/FAQ6507.pdf
Q. Where do teachers go for information about New York State Certification?
A. The New York State Education Department – Office of Teaching Initiatives - provides information for obtaining New York State Certification, including understanding the certification process, obtaining information about the requirements and available pathways to certification, registering for teacher tests, and maintaining the validity of your certificate. Through the following website, teachers have online access to the certification process:
http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/
Q. What professional development opportunities for English Language Arts teachers and literacy coaches will NYCDOE offer this year?
A. The Department of English Language Arts is offering many professional development opportunities for elementary, middle and high school ELA teachers and literacy coaches on topics around New York State Standards, Best Practices for Coaches, and Reading and Writing in Social Studies. In consultation with your principal, visit the following website to register for professional development courses:
https://www.protraxx.com/scripts/ezcatalogny/Login.aspx?CustomerID=77
Q. Are there any websites that will help teachers find books to encourage reluctant readers to read?
A. Through the International Reading Association, teachers participate in the annual Teachers’ Choice project. As a result of this yearly project, a list of new books is created, encouraging young people to read. For a complete list of these book lists, visit:
http://www.reading.org/resources/tools/choices_teachers.html
Q. How do teachers know if an instructional program is research-based?
A. As a result of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, classroom instructional materials and methods must be based upon scientific research. In order to better understand what this entails, the National Institute for Literacy has created two booklets, Using Research and Reason in Education, and What is Scientifically Based Research? Not only do teachers make important decisions about how and what they teach, but they also assess the value of various instructional programs and their impact on students:
http://www.centeroninstruction.org/files/ScientificallyBasedResearch.pdf
Q. Where can teachers find reliable instructional resources?
A. When teachers select instructional resources for instructional purposes, it is important that specific criteria be adhered to. Are they published by a recognized authority? Do the materials include a variety of formats, such as print, non-print, and electronic media? The New York State Education Department has created an English Language Arts Resource Guide, K-12. Using this guide, teachers have access to education-related internet sites, educational journals, suggested fiction and nonfiction book titles, as well as select magazine titles.
http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/ela/pub/elaim.pdf