14343 • Teaching English II: Enrich the Mind and the Scores Will Follow-Cullowhee

Designed for high school ELA teachers and those who coach them.

A false dilemma offered by critics of standardized testing is that they force teachers to focus on low-level skills if their students are to perform well on end-of-course exams. This is simply untrue. The NC English II End of Course tests (EOC) requires that students analyze written text in the service of extracting meaning, recognizing the effect of particular words, and identifying an author’s stance on an issue, among other valuable skills. In this program, teachers will consider the “big picture” issues that English II should address. They will also engage in a variety of activities intended to enhance students’ reading, writing, and thinking skills.