Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
Q&A
Discussion on high school literacy program and intervention strategies
1:11:12
ยท
118 sec
Council Member Dinowitz inquires about a high school literacy pilot program in Queens South, focusing on credit issues and the need for literacy instruction at the high school level. Chancellor Aviles-Ramos responds by explaining the DOE's approach to literacy interventions and credit allocation.
- Dinowitz raises concerns about schools being disincentivized from teaching literacy to high schoolers due to credit issues
- The Chancellor explains that credit can be given for intervention courses aligned with high school standards
- Aviles-Ramos emphasizes the importance of embedding literacy support within regular ELA classes rather than isolating interventions
Eric Dinowitz
1:11:12
You mentioned in your opening about literacy, including at the high school level.
1:11:15
I know you're focused on elementary literacy.
1:11:18
At a hearing on January 30, though, we did discuss literacy at the high school level.
1:11:24
This was something that I taught, and a frustration I had was that schools are disincentivized from teaching literacy to high schoolers even if they need it because they don't get credit for it, and the school's kind of dinged for for the kids not getting credit.
1:11:39
And then it was testified that there's a pilot program in Queens South, that the Queens South Superintendent is doing to have, phonics and literacy for high school students.
1:11:52
At the hearing, I was promised some metrics and data.
1:11:55
I did not receive it, so I'm asking today what metrics, is the DOE using to measure the success of this program, and how successful is this program?
1:12:05
Program?
Melissa Aviles-Ramos
1:12:06
Thank you so much, council members.
1:12:07
So before I ask our chief academic officer, Doctor.
1:12:11
Pate, to join us, I wanted to say that the credit piece is an interesting one, because it's not that we don't give credit for the literacy support and intervention, it's that we can't give credit for an intervention course because it's not necessarily aligned to high school standards.
1:12:28
That doesn't mean that there isn't a way to deliver the interventions within the actual ELA class or that a support class cannot be launched in a school that aligns with high school standards and still offers remediation.
1:12:42
So for example, when I was a principal, I had my regular ELA nine, ten, 11, 12, but then we also had these electives that were still aligned with high school standards, and we were able to embed extra supports that would help young people further develop those literacy skills.
1:12:59
What we know doesn't work is when we live in remediation and we isolate these interventions because then the students do not get access to accelerated learning and standards aligned curriculum.
Eric Dinowitz
1:13:10
Well, I'm just gonna I'm gonna respectfully disagree because I did intervention classes, and the students excelled in all their other classes, these are ninth, tenth graders, once they learned how to read on their own.