Literacy/English language arts

Overview

The Connecticut State Board of Education affirms that a high-quality, comprehensive prekindergarten–12 English language arts program is essential to ensuring all students develop the skills needed to comprehend and communicate effectively. Language development—the foundation of all learning—plays a critical role in building strong literacy skills, including reading, writing, listening, speaking, viewing, and presenting.

Effective literacy instruction requires explicit attention to oral language development, which underpins students’ ability to understand text and express ideas clearly. Educators play a central role in fostering these skills by delivering rigorous, standards-aligned instruction and maintaining high expectations for all learners. Connecticut’s English language arts curriculum documents provide the framework to support this work and promote equitable access to high-quality literacy instruction across all classrooms. (Connecticut State Board of Education Position Statement on English Language Arts Education, 2008)