College and Career Readiness
from NCTE INBOX 8-23-11
This week saw the release of the ACT Condition of College and Career Readiness 2011 report, which may have served to renew some ongoing conversations about student literacy, the Common Core State Standards, and teacher decision making. The following resources from NCTE support teachers and teacher teams in crafting their own approaches to advancing student literacy and making innovative plans accessible to all.
How are young children and their literacy practices represented in the Common Core Standards, and how are those constructs addressed by research and expert practice in our field? By what process and with what kinds of evidence were those constructs developed? What, if anything, might teachers keep in mind about the limitations of these standards? This column from Language Arts (E) takes a look at what is new and different about these standards from what has typically come before.
As "Inventing Your Way into High-Quality Student Discussions" (M-S) from Voices from the Middle reminds us, because "the new, common core standards place more emphasis on oral language development and discussion as part of 21st century literacy skills, we have the opportunity to influence what unfolds in our classrooms, schools, and districts around both teaching and assessment of these areas."
A veteran teacher educator reflects on the ethical dimensions of teaching English in the context of the Common Core State Standards in the English Journal article “A Literacy Education for Our Times” (S).
"Writing in High School/Writing in College: Research Trends and Future Directions" (C) from College Composition and Communication synthesizes and extends data from some of the most prominent and promising large-scale research projects in writing studies while also presenting results from the authors' own research. The authors also offer a complex understanding of writing practices at the high school and college levels.
The Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing describes the rhetorical and 21st century skills as well as habits of mind and experiences that are critical for college success. Based in current research in writing and writing pedagogy, the Framework was written and reviewed by two- and four-year college and high school writing faculty nationwide and is endorsed by the Council of Writing Program Administrators, the National Writing Project, and NCTE. A one-page synthesis is also available.
NCTE's College Credit for Writing in High School: The "Taking Care of" Business explores various options that students have for "taking care of" the first-year college writing requirement, including AP tests, concurrent enrollment/dual-credit courses, the International Baccalaureate diploma, and early college high schools.
See also What Is College-Level Writing? and What Is College-Level Writing? Volume 2: Assignments, Readings, and Student Writing Samples.
Attending the Centennial NCTE Annual Convention in Chicago in November? Don't miss the sessions on College and Career Readiness.
Breaking News: "5.8-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes East Coast": The New York Times, August 23, 2011 August 23, 2011
See these lesson plans and resources on earthquakes and tsunamis from Thinkfinity.
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