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English Language Arts Toolkit
Curriculum Guidance Materials & Resources

• Questions and Answers Document for Scoring the 2007 ELA Tests
  This document answers questions that were raised by Regional Information Centers (RIC) scoring trainers while viewing the DVDs. The grades 6-8 specific questions will be added to the document on January 26th. All other questions may be telephoned or emailed to CTB at the scoring helplines: 1-888-282-0059 or ny_scoring@ctb.com HTML  
   

• Scoring Site Operations Manual
  The scoring site operations manual provides guidelines, information, and procedures for Scoring Site Coordinators to facilitate scoring of the English Language Arts and Mathematics test. It details scoring operations from on-site delivery of students' testing materials to the conclusion of scoring. (January 25, 2006)
         Updates to page 26 (assigning scorer numbers) and Appendices D, E, F, W, and X. (Updated January 17, 2007)
         http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/3-8/scoringmanual-rev107.pdf 
   

• Important Dates for the 2007 Grades 3-8 English Language Arts Tests
  Included in this site are the dates for test booklet arrivals, test administration, help line for scoring availability, etc.
  http://emsc32.nysed.gov/3-8/sam/eladates-07.htm 
   

• 2007 Grades 3-8 English Language Arts Field Test Timing
  This site provides updated information on the timing of the Grades 3-8 field tests. http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/3-8/fieldtest/ft-timing07.htm 
   

• New York State Alternate Assessment Administration Manual
  The 2006-2007 New York State Alternate Assessment Administration Manual provides procedures for assessing the academic achievement of students with severe cognitive disabilities and for constructing a New York State Alternate Assessment (NYSAA) datafolio of student performance. In response to a 2005-06 review of the New York State Testing Program by the United States Department of Education, NYSAA has been restructured effective 2006-07.
  http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/alterassessment/manual/admin0607.pdf
   

• Important Information for scoring the 2007 English Language Arts Grades 3-8 Tests is available in the Scoring Leader Handbook.
   

• The School Administrator's Manual (SAM) for Public Schools for the 2007 Grades 3-8 English Language Arts Tests provides guidelines to ensure that these tests are valid and equitable for all students. Included in this manual is a series of instructions to organize the materials, the testing schedule, and the scoring process. http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/3-8/sam/home.htm
   

• Teachers’ Choices List of Titles
  Since 1989, the Teachers’ Choices project of the International Reading Association has developed an annual annotated reading list of new books that will encourage young people to read. These are books that kids will enjoy-and that contribute to learning across the curriculum.
  http://www.reading.org/resources/tools/choices_teachers.html
   
• Children’s Choices List of Titles
  This is a booklist with a twist: Children themselves evaluate the books, and provide reviews of their favorites. Since 1974, Children’s Choices have been a trusted source of book recommendations used by teachers, librarians, parents-and children themselves.
  http://www.reading.org/resources/tools/choices_childrens.html 
   
• NOVEL Databases
  NOVEL Databases is an electronic resource access project that enables libraries across New York State to give their
  communities online access to the full text of hundreds of journals, newspapers and other references. Participation is available to all member libraries of library systems in New York State. http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/library/novel/toolkit/noveldb.pdf 
   
• A Guide to Selecting Instructional Materials
  Teachers can find information to help them select instructional materials that meet the learning needs of all their students. Many lists of print and nonprint resources are available, including some that can be accessed via the Internet. The school library media specialist will have some of these selection tools available in the library media center; others can be borrowed through interlibrary loan from the School Library System of which the school is a member.

• The English Language Arts Core Curriculum May 2005
  This English Language Arts Core Curriculum (2005) is a standards-based document that provides an additional level of specificity to the learning standards for English language arts.

  • PDF / Microsoft Word / HTML

• NYS Education Department Virtual Learning System (VLS) 
  The purpose of the New York State Education Department's Virtual Learning System is to encourage the use of the Internet as a tool for teaching and learning and to assist classroom teachers in locating Internet resources for instruction. VLS offers the full text of New York State's learning standards with their key ideas and performance indicators, as well as alternate performance indicators for students with severe disabilities. It provides resources that classroom teachers can use to support preK-12 standards-based instruction.
   

• Call for Expertise
  The Education Department values teachers' expert opinion in guiding this important work and encourages increased involvement of them from all parts of the State. SED is issuing this Call for Expertise to solicit teacher interest in state-level work.
   

• Regulations of the Commissioner of Education
  for General Education and Diploma Requirements
   
• Features of Literacy Programs: A Decision-Making Matrix
  Guidelines for selection of materials in English Language Arts Programs have been approved by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Executive Committee.
  The matrix, found at the NCTE website listed here, is intended as a discussion and decision-making tool for teachers and curriculum developers working together to select instructional materials. Educators do this based on their understandings of the nature and uses of literacy and their beliefs about how literacy is developed.   No permissions are required to photocopy and distribute the guidelines.  http://www.ncte.org/library/files/About_NCTE/Overview/ReadingMatrixFinal.pdf
   
• Dates of Elementary- and Intermediate-Level State Assessments for the 2006-2007 School Year. Dates of High School Examinations.
   

• Introduction to the Grades 3-8 Testing Program in English Language Arts and Mathematics pdf
  Appendix A: Sample English Language Arts Questions and Rubrics
   

• School Administrator's Manual (SAM) for Public Schools for the 2006 Grades 3-8 English Language Arts Tests is now available online at  http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/3-8/sam/home.htm 
   
• Editing Passage Guidance: Grades 3-8 English Language Arts Tests  This question and answer guide provides additional information for scoring the editing paragraph of the English Language Arts Tests Grades 3, 5, and 7. HTML  PDF
   
• The Grades 3-8 Testing Program in English Language Arts and Mathematics - A Parent's Guide Translated versions, October 2005.  
  This comprehensive parent guide for the Grades 3-8 Testing Program includes Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), sample questions for ELA and Mathematics, and details on how parents can help their children prepare for the test.
  English and translations of the Grades 3-8 parent brochure are available in Chinese, Haitian Creole, Korean, Russian and Spanish.
   
• Test Specifications
  Test specifications for the federally mandated grades 3-8 assessments are found on page 4 of this guide.
   
• NCLB
  The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) includes the most significant changes in federally funded program expectations and requirements since the original Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

• SCAN Skills A high-performance workplace requires workers who have a solid foundation in the basic literacy and computational skills, the thinking skills, and in the personal qualities that make workers dedicated and trustworthy. High-performance workplaces also require competencies: the ability to manage resources, to work amicably and productively with others, to acquire and use information, to master complex systems, and to work with a variety of technologies. This, the SCANS final report, provides a blueprint for groups at the national, State, and local levels. Our nation's ability to lead in a global economy will depend on the outcome of those conversations. http://wdr.doleta.gov/SCANS

  The career development and occupational studies (CDOS) learning standards are intended to promote exploration and research into broad career areas of interest to individual students. Basic principles of career planning, such as the SCAN Skills of decision-making, self-evaluation, and goal setting, have been integrated within the sample tasks. http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/workforce/careerdevelopment/cdlearn.html
  
  A Taxonomy of Learning Levels can be found in career development and occupational studies document (page 9).
   

Coming Soon: Literacy Competencies for Grades 9-12