New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter announced, on July 8, their academic recovery vision for New York City’s public schools and students in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, describing the new “Academic Recovery Plan” as a bold, rigorous framework that will guide school communities and support students during the 2021-22 school year and beyond.

 

According to the New York City Department of Education (DOE), there are six critical areas of focus under the new framework: early literacy for all, developing students as digital citizens, preparing students to be college and career-ready, investing in special education services, building a rigorous and inclusive universal curriculum, and investing in social, emotional supports for every student. The mayor and chancellor said each focus area includes dedicated supports for multilingual learners and immigrant students to address their unique needs and support their academic progress and language acquisition.

 

Today we announced our Universal Academic Recovery Plan for @NYCschools in the wake of the pandemic. The bold, rigorous framework will guide school communities and support students during the 2021-22 school year and beyond. https://t.co/x8rqddYI5g

— Chancellor Meisha Porter (@DOEChancellor) July 8, 2021

“Our kids deserve the best that New York City has to offer. That’s why we’re rolling out the NYC Universal Academic Recovery Plan when schools open their doors this September,” said the mayor. “It’s not enough to only get our kids back in the classroom. We have got to close the COVID achievement gap. And we will do that by reaching every child and supporting them academically, emotionally, and socially, every step of the way.”

 

Details of the new Academic Recovery Plan are outlined below, as confirmed by the DOE.

 

Early Literacy for All – $49 million in Financial Year 2022 

The administration will redouble its commitment to early literacy by investing in screening and intervention for students in kindergarten through 2nd grade, with a singular goal of all students reading on grade level by the end of 2nd grade. To accomplish this, schools will use a universal literacy screener for all K-2 students. The screeners will identify risk of dyslexia, as well as other challenges and print-based disabilities, and schools will implement intervention plans based on the results.

DOE will support schools through the literacy intervention process by:

• targeted class size reduction achieved through hiring approximately 140 teachers in 72 higher need elementary schools;
• bringing the number of Universal Literacy reading coaches to approximately 500 to provide all early childhood and K-2 classrooms with a literacy coach, and training K-2 educators to provide literacy supports to students in need;
• and training ENL, bilingual and content area teachers to track student progress and provide targeted supports for multilingual learners.
• In addition to the $49 million investment, the DOE will also provide funds to all schools to use for targeted supports for students, such as tutoring, extended day, and enrichment activities.

Devices for Digital Citizens – $122 million in Financial Year 2022

The pandemic led to an unprecedented investment in technology, with over 800,000 devices purchased by DOE and schools. The Academic Recovery Plan leaves remote learning behind, but builds on this technological advancement by guaranteeing all students have access to a digital device and ensuring all students become fully fluent digital citizens for the new economy. As part of this commitment, the DOE will:

• guarantee a device available for every K-12 student by delivering 175,000 more devices;
• expand access to the City’s rigorous Computer Science 4 All initiative to 400,000 students by 2024;
• train over 5,000 educators in advanced computer science;
• launch a technology capstone project for all 8th grade students to demonstrate digital literacy skills.

Preparing Students to be College and Career-Ready – $10 million in Financial Year 2022 

The Academic Recovery Plan will ensure every student, whether heading to college or a career, is best prepared for the next step in life. It makes multiple investments that benefit every high school student, including:

• free, after-school, personalized college counseling for every junior and senior;
• universal College Financial Aid guidance to help navigate the application process, available in multiple languages;
• 48 new remote AP college-prep courses;
• College Now restoration to serve 22,000 students from all high schools in dual enrollment, college-credit courses across 18 CUNY campuses;
• Immigrant Ambassador programs across 30 high schools that match immigrant DOE students with college students to foster mentorship and early college awareness;
• Student Success Centers for 34 high schools to ensure post-grad plans for all students, and the expansion of postsecondary readiness for ELLs Program (PREP), to be facilitated by a select group of school counselors and educators.

Special Education Investments – $251 million in Financial Year 2022 

Because the pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on students with disabilities, the Academic Recovery Plan will make every resource available to better support students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). This extends from the DOE’s youngest learners to students preparing for graduation by:

• launching after-school and Saturday programs for all students with IEPs to receive additional instruction and related services;
• adding 800 preschool special education seats by fall 2022;
• expanding Committees on Preschool Special Education to expedite evaluations and IEP meetings;
• providing eligible students ages 21+ with continued instruction toward receiving their diploma or other exit credential, or to receive consultation to facilitate post-secondary plans for college and career readiness;
• expanding family workshops and information sessions through our Beyond Access Series, which supports families of students with disabilities.

Universal Mosaic Curriculum – $202 million in Financial Year 2022

A new rigorous, inclusive, and affirming curriculum will be developed by fall 2023 – the universal mosaic curriculum. Currently, there is no single, off-the-shelf curriculum that is academically rigorous and inclusive enough for the City’s 1,600 schools and one million students. The new curriculum will be built on the concept of “Literacy for All,” accelerate student learning, and free teachers from time-consuming curriculum development.

The DOE will create a comprehensive ELA and Math curriculum that engages all students and prepares them for success in school and life by:

• providing an unprecedented infusion of books into every classroom for the next school year that reflect the variety of histories, languages and experiences that make up the City;
• providing schools with dedicated funding to purchase texts in home languages and build home language libraries to support multilingual learners;
• developing brand new training and support materials for the Arts, ELA, Math, Arts, and more, in partnership with New York City educators, beginning next year;
• launching new targeted professional development lessons for teachers.

Social Emotional Supports for Every Student (Funding Previously Announced) 

Children in every community are carrying trauma caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and a successful academic recovery can only happen when the emotional and mental health needs of students are taken care of. The DOE will significantly invest in every student by:

• hiring over 500 social workers and other mental health support staff to guarantee that every school has resources to support students who may be in crisis;
• adding over 130 new community schools to provide expanded social, emotional, academic, and extracurricular services to students in the highest need communities;
• conducting wellness checks and social-emotional learning support to identify multilingual learners and their needs, particularly in transitioning to full time in-person learning;
• using a social emotional screening tool to help identify students in need and quickly match them with services.

The chancellor said the new framework was a historic, high-impact investment in the academic growth and success of New York City’s students. “This fall, we will welcome our students back to schools that are prepared to support them academically and emotionally after all they have been through,” she said. “That’s what the universal Academic Recovery Plan is all about.”

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