New York City’s public school system is loosening the requirements of its ambitious literacy push, providing schools with more discretion to tweak curriculum and move at the pace of their students.
Under a plan set in motion by the former schools head, David Banks, all districts had to pick between three reading curriculums for elementary schools, which emphasize phonics and other research-backed practices. His replacement, Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos, promised to continue requirements but had signaled she was open to changes.
The changes, outlined in a memo on Wednesday night, give teachers permission to modify instruction as needed “while still maintaining the curriculum’s integrity.” It also allows for up to two weeks of flexibility on pacing guides to adjust to the speed of a given class.
Other updates will limit the number of student assessments, while adding trainings for district superintendents, principals and teachers. Going forward, instructors will be spared manual data entry, which education officials described as “duplicative” of tools baked into the reading programs.
“These updates are designed to address challenges shared by educators and offer some reprieve while reinforcing our shared goal: to ensure all students graduate from NYCPS as proficient readers and learners,” read the memo, signed by Aviles-Ramos and the heads of the principals and teachers unions.
“The key to this effort is providing districts, leaders and educators with clarity as needed to enact this seismic change.”
By this fall, all elementary schools had to adopt one of the three programs: Into Reading from the company Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Wit & Wisdom and EL Education. The choices were grounded in a movement known as known as the “science of reading,” shifting away from lessons that encouraged students to use pictures and other context clues to guess words.
“We value the feedback of our educators on the ground as we continue into year two of NYC Reads implementation,” the New York City Department of Education said in a statement. “We are pleased we were able to collaborate with our partners in UFT and CSA on this letter clarifying policies and addressing the challenges that we’ve heard from teachers and leaders. We will continue to listen to educators in the field as we refine implementation of NYC Reads and NYC Solves,” said Nicole Brownstein, a spokeswoman for the public schools.
Just under half of third through eighth graders scored proficient in English last school year on state exams, a slight decrease from the year before. Schools that had already implemented the overhauled approach fared worse than those yet to make the change, which Banks chalked up to schools adjusting to new methods.
It was not clear how much of an impact the changes, first reported by Politico on Thursday, would have inside classrooms. A Manhattan elementary school principal predicted the flexibility would carry more weight with new administrators afraid of modifying the curriculum, or in districts that were strict about enforcement.
“Everything that is spelled out — that we now have permission to do — is just general good practice,” said the school leader, who was not authorized to speak to the press.
Martina Meijer, a Brooklyn elementary school teacher, said she was glad the school system was responding to teacher concerns but felt more needs to be done.
“My biggest concern is the nature of the mandate itself,” Meijer said. “We should be provided curriculum, of course. And we want it to be high quality. But ultimately we need to be trusted to do what is best for our students with a variety of resources and curricula (and) materials that respond to their needs and interests.”
Officials would not disclose if similar flexibility is coming soon for math curriculum requirements, which have also faced pushback from teachers. In an email to members, the United Federation of Teachers, which has been a vocal critic of the Algebra push, cheered the increased autonomy for teachers.
“This is a step in the right direction of the DOE’s respecting your time and expertise while providing you with the support you need,” wrote UFT President Michael Mulgrew.
Nicole Brownstein, a spokeswoman for the public schools, declared that “we value the feedback of our educators on the ground as we continue into year two of NYC Reads implementation,” adding: “We will continue to listen to educators in the field as we refine implementation of NYC Reads and NYC Solves.”
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