EngageNY curriculum was developed through the New York State Education Department (NYSED) in answer to the adoption of the Common Core Standards and requirements needed for college readiness. However, to begin to understand EngageNY’s ideals, it is important to understand its origins.
The NYSED, is part of the University of the State of New York (USNY), which is made up of seventeen unpaid State Legislatures and a commissioner of education who also services as the leader of the NYSED and president of the USNY. The USNY is an organized system that is committed to provide educational services such as or to: over 7,000 public and private K-12 schools, colleges and universities, libraries, museums, state archives, services for individuals with special needs, public broadcasting facilities, public educators, educational leaders, counselors, and licensed professionals. The NYSED (2015), states, “The challenge and the opportunity are for the sectors to work together as a whole bringing unmatched resources in people, information, facilities, technology, artifacts, and relationships to face educational issues of the twenty-first century.” With that in mind, EngageNY was created to provide an education that addresses the shifts in math and language arts that align to CCSS. They strategically created a PreK-12 system that exposes students to curriculum, instruction, and assessments based on knowledge and skills to guarantee students college and career readiness. They state, “These standards serve as a consistent set of expectations for what students should learn and be able to do, so that we can ensure that every student across New York State is on track for college and career readiness” (NYSED, 2015). In addition, the NYSED continues to provide resources as educators and students navigate through the curriculum. Story In LLCSD, the idea of using EngageNY as the curriculum for sixth grade was no easy task. …show more content…
As the district’s push to move forward and implement CCSS, grade levels were expected to find an ideal curriculum that addressed the instructional shifts, or create their own with full district support and funds for resources. First, sixth through eighth grade English Language Arts (ELA) teachers from both middle schools came together to review each standard and create a list of “essential standards,” standards that had a common thread throughout all three grades. Once essential standards were identified, teachers began to evaluate various curriculums and programs, create pros and cons lists, and find that almost all “Common Core Aligned” curriculum was nothing more than a label on the front cover of a teachers manual. To better tackle each grade levels needs and essential standards, grade levels began to meet separately with an end date in mind were each grade level would present their ideal curriculum to the assistant superintendent of educational services and final approval. During the first sixth grade meeting, the teachers came across the EngageNY website. Immediately, the teachers began to see a clear alignment to CCSS and its correlation to the literacy shifts. Yet, what teachers found most appealing was that all lessons, long and short term assessments, teacher and student resources, scope and sequence, objectives/learning targets, were all provided and free to download. Furthermore, the downloadable curriculum was available on Microsoft Word, allowing for modifications to be made as needs. However, some teacher had reservations about how scripted the lessons were designed, pacing of each module and lesson, amount of rigor, and limited suggestions for English learners and students with special needs. To address these reservations, the teachers came to the conclusion that the only way they could analyze evaluation their concerns would be to experience it in the classroom. They all agreed that if the curriculum was approved, they would teach the first module during …show more content…
Throughout the following school year, each site met with their principal during Data Reflection Sessions (DRS) to discuss progress and make any adjustments. Furthermore, to keep both schools aligned, teachers at both sites met every trimester to discuss growth, concerns, and make modifications. Yet, one of the biggest concerns that still remainds, is the pacing of the modules and lessons. Due to the fact that pacing has been a widely discussed and steered each topic of conversation when the sixth grade team meet, it has also caused for inconsistencies in school site alignment, accountability, and equal access to curriculum for students in the
The NYSED, is part of the University of the State of New York (USNY), which is made up of seventeen unpaid State Legislatures and a commissioner of education who also services as the leader of the NYSED and president of the USNY. The USNY is an organized system that is committed to provide educational services such as or to: over 7,000 public and private K-12 schools, colleges and universities, libraries, museums, state archives, services for individuals with special needs, public broadcasting facilities, public educators, educational leaders, counselors, and licensed professionals. The NYSED (2015), states, “The challenge and the opportunity are for the sectors to work together as a whole bringing unmatched resources in people, information, facilities, technology, artifacts, and relationships to face educational issues of the twenty-first century.” With that in mind, EngageNY was created to provide an education that addresses the shifts in math and language arts that align to CCSS. They strategically created a PreK-12 system that exposes students to curriculum, instruction, and assessments based on knowledge and skills to guarantee students college and career readiness. They state, “These standards serve as a consistent set of expectations for what students should learn and be able to do, so that we can ensure that every student across New York State is on track for college and career readiness” (NYSED, 2015). In addition, the NYSED continues to provide resources as educators and students navigate through the curriculum. Story In LLCSD, the idea of using EngageNY as the curriculum for sixth grade was no easy task. …show more content…
As the district’s push to move forward and implement CCSS, grade levels were expected to find an ideal curriculum that addressed the instructional shifts, or create their own with full district support and funds for resources. First, sixth through eighth grade English Language Arts (ELA) teachers from both middle schools came together to review each standard and create a list of “essential standards,” standards that had a common thread throughout all three grades. Once essential standards were identified, teachers began to evaluate various curriculums and programs, create pros and cons lists, and find that almost all “Common Core Aligned” curriculum was nothing more than a label on the front cover of a teachers manual. To better tackle each grade levels needs and essential standards, grade levels began to meet separately with an end date in mind were each grade level would present their ideal curriculum to the assistant superintendent of educational services and final approval. During the first sixth grade meeting, the teachers came across the EngageNY website. Immediately, the teachers began to see a clear alignment to CCSS and its correlation to the literacy shifts. Yet, what teachers found most appealing was that all lessons, long and short term assessments, teacher and student resources, scope and sequence, objectives/learning targets, were all provided and free to download. Furthermore, the downloadable curriculum was available on Microsoft Word, allowing for modifications to be made as needs. However, some teacher had reservations about how scripted the lessons were designed, pacing of each module and lesson, amount of rigor, and limited suggestions for English learners and students with special needs. To address these reservations, the teachers came to the conclusion that the only way they could analyze evaluation their concerns would be to experience it in the classroom. They all agreed that if the curriculum was approved, they would teach the first module during …show more content…
Throughout the following school year, each site met with their principal during Data Reflection Sessions (DRS) to discuss progress and make any adjustments. Furthermore, to keep both schools aligned, teachers at both sites met every trimester to discuss growth, concerns, and make modifications. Yet, one of the biggest concerns that still remainds, is the pacing of the modules and lessons. Due to the fact that pacing has been a widely discussed and steered each topic of conversation when the sixth grade team meet, it has also caused for inconsistencies in school site alignment, accountability, and equal access to curriculum for students in the