Characteristics of a Quality Language Arts Curriculum
- Curriculum, instruction and assessments focus on student development of deep conceptual understandings.
- Provides a continuum for learning that systematically spirals literacy competencies, concepts and understandings beginning in kindergarten and continuing through grade 12 (graduation).
- Aligns with the Common Core/PA Common Core Academic Standards for English Language Arts.
- Employs a comprehensive literacy approach for teaching and learning, helping learners construct meaning through reading, writing, listening, viewing, and/or speaking, to access and communicate information effectively.
- Utilizes technology to promote active student engagement and acquisition of 21st century literacy skills (think critically & make judgments, communication skills, solve complex problems, creative thinking, initiative & self-direction, collaboration skills, cultural literacy, information literacy, media literacy, technology literacy, leadership & responsibility, productivity & accountability).
- Addresses the needs of diverse learners by providing effective direct and indirect instruction and opportunities for varied and multiple practice with frequent, meaningful feedback.
- Promotes the transfer of reading, writing, research, speaking, viewing and listening skills to the content areas and real life situations.
- Provides opportunities for students to make personal and world connections to text when reading, discussing text, and when writing.
- Engages learners in meaningful, rigorous, authentic, and relevant literacy instruction in comprehension, vocabulary, text discussion, and writing.
- Emphasizes the reading, discussion, and writing of informational text.
- Engages close reading of text.
- Provides opportunities for students to develop and utilize metacognitive and self-assessment strategies for monitoring their own literacy learning and progress.
- Provides varied and ongoing assessment data as a foundation for informing instruction.
- Includes explicit teaching of reading and writing competencies using evidence-based instructional methods, including the explicit teaching of vocabulary using multiple strategies/evidence-based instructional methods within the context of reading, writing, and speaking.
- Writing occurs routinely and frequently for varied purposes, including process writing.
- Conventions of standard English are taught within the context of reading, writing, and speaking instruction.
- Guarantees high quality literacy learning through evidence-based programming, effective instruction, and formative assessments, in every classroom, every day, for every student.