If a "curriculum" -- a set of instructional materials intended as a comprehensive course of study for a particular subject and grade level -- is well-aligned with state standards, it can help teachers deliver instruction that leads to students' mastery of those standards. However, most research suggests that curricula, in themselves, are…

"Prentice Hall/Pearson Literature©" (2007-15) is an English language arts curriculum designed for students in grades 6-12 that focuses on building reading, vocabulary, literary analysis, and writing skills. It uses passages from fiction and nonfiction texts, poetry, and contemporary digital media. The curriculum is based on a textbook.…

As young people today are flooded with information from a multitude of sources, they must be prepared to perceive the potentially oppressive and nefarious nature of many texts. Critical literacy is a theory and strategy that allows young people, along with people of all ages, to achieve just this; however, teachers often experience difficulties…

This chapter describes how the authors are using data and professional learning to mobilize change in developmental English and mathematics curricula and pedagogy across multiple community colleges in California.

Data literate educators can generate questions about learning in their classes; collect and analyze classroom data to answer them; and develop inferences and explanations. Two elements may promote data literacy: (a) breadth of classroom-based data collection and (b) depth of analysis. We examined these in inquiries conducted by 80 preservice…

This practitioner packet is designed to help community college administrators implement reforms to developmental education at their colleges. It reviews common impediments to developmental reform and presents data that supports directions colleges can take to create a system of developmental education that might serve students more effectively.…

A growing chorus of state and federal policymakers, large foundations, and business leaders across the country are calling for states to adopt a common, rigorous body of college- and career-ready skills and knowledge in English and mathematics that all K-12 students will be expected to master by the time they graduate. This report looks at the…

The study aimed to examine teachers' and students' views on the impact of the Expository Reading and Writing Course (ERWC) on students' college readiness and on teaching practices. Literature in the areas of college readiness, critiques of the English curriculum at the secondary level, and a review of research on the effects of ERWC are…

The California State University (CSU) requires entering freshmen to be proficient in English reading and writing, as demonstrated on proficiency measures. Currently, approximately 46 percent of incoming college freshmen need remediation in English reading and writing. To assist these students, CSU instituted an Early Assessment Program (EAP),…

QUESTIONNAIRES WERE DISTRIBUTED TO DEPARTMENT CHAIRMEN, TEACHERS OF REMEDIAL ENGLISH, AND STUDENTS IN 12 JUNIOR COLLEGES. IN ADDITION, PERSONAL INTERVIEWS WERE CONDUCTED WITH THE REMEDIAL ENGLISH INSTRUCTORS. SPECIFIC LANGUAGE ART SKILLS WERE RANKED IN ORDER OF WEAKNESS. THE DATA REFLECT THAT REMEDIAL ENGLISH CLASSES ARE NOT VERY EFFECTIVE AND…

This catalog lists both recommended and non-recommended bibliographies of instructional materials for California kindergarten through eighth grade English/language arts teachers and explains the choices of the Curriculum Development and Supplemental Materials Commission. The California State Board of Education adopted the commission's…

Encourages California teachers to use "The Roberts English Series" as effectively as possible by implementing and modifying it to suit the needs of students; based on a speech given to California Reading Association (Fresno, California, November 2, 1968). (SW)

Opened in 1968 to meet the educational needs of San Mateo County, Canada College did not begin to attract Spanish-speaking students until 1971 when it created a program of courses to deal with English language problems and other courses taught bilingually or entirely in Spanish. The program is described briefly. (JT)

Describes the process several California high schools followed in converting traditional English programs to Selective English" ones. (SW)