• Literacy Resources and Tools

     

    • Publications
       
      Supporting Excellence: A Framework for Developing, Implementing, and Sustaining a High-Quality District Curriculum
       
      A framework that provides instructional leaders and staff with a core set of criteria for what a high-quality curriculum entails. This guide includes annotated samples and exemplars from districts around the country. It also provides actionable recommendations for developing, implementing, and continuously improving upon a district curriculum, ensuring that it reflects shared instructional beliefs and common, high expectations for all students.
      72 pages
      July 2017
       
       
       
      Indicators of Success: A Guide for Assessing District Level Implementation of College and Career-Readiness Standards
       
      A set of indicators districts might use to track their progress on implementation of college- and career-readiness standards.
      55 pages
      Spring 2016
       
       
      Calendar of Questions 2013-2014
       
      A Common Core State Standards Implementation Tool for School Board Members, Superintendents, District Staff, Principals, Teachers, Counselors, Parents, and Students
      14 pages
      September 2013
       
       
       

     

    • Parent Roadmaps to the Common Core Standards-English Language Arts

      The Council of the Great City Schools' parent roadmaps in English language arts/literacy provide guidance to parents about what their children will be learning and how they can support that learning in grades K-8. These parent roadmaps for each grade level also provide three-year snapshots showing how selected standards progress from year to year so that students will be college and career ready upon their graduation from high school.

    • ELA/Literacy Grade-Level Instructional Materials Evaluation Tool

      Textbooks and their digital counterparts are not only vital classroom tools but also a major expense, and it is worth taking time to find the best quality materials for students and teachers. While there is no perfect set of materials or textbooks, this Grade-Level Instructional Materials Evaluation Tool-Quality Review (GIMET-QR) is designed for use by professionals as a framework for evaluating the quality of instructional materials and choosing materials that are best suited to provide a coherent learning experience for students.

    • Video: Classroom Example of Teaching Complex Text: Butterfly

      This video features a New York City kindergarten class of English language learners demonstrating Lily Wong-Fillmore's guidance in how teachers can support students in acquiring and using academic language and working successfully with complex text.

    • Common Core State Standards and Diverse Students: Using Multi-Tiered Systems of Support

      This paper outlines the key components of an integrated, multi-tiered system of instruction, interventions, and academic and behavioral supports needed by school districts in the implementation of the Common Core State Standards.


    • Supporting Excellence: Real Support for Teachers Starts with the District's Curriculum
      A blog post by Ricki Price-Baugh, the director of Academic Achievement for the Council of the Great City Schools, discussing a new framework for developing and implementing clear district-wide support for teaching and learning A new framework for developing and implementing clear district-wide support for teaching and learning