"The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) have the po
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tential to ensure that every child in the United States is
prepared for college and careers. It is a worthy goal and
one that we must work together to achieve. However, infor
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mation, policies, and products aimed at helping educators to
implement the ELA Common Core State Standards are be
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ing produced rapidly, sometimes with conf licting messages
about literacy practices. This can be a confusing situation for
school leaders and classroom teachers as they seek to under
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stand the Standards and the best practices for literacy instruc
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tion and assessment. It is state and local leaders and teachers
themselves who, ultimately, must make the Standards into an
effective instructional reality-what happens day to day in
classrooms determines student ELA learning."