Standards-based teaching refers to an approach to curriculum and instruction that is centered on learning standards. The learning standards used for ABE in Massachusetts are the College and Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education (Pimentel, 2013). You will often see these standards referred to as the CCRSAE.
This page is a portal to tools and resources related to the CCRSAE for ELA/Literacy. It has grown out of our work with the Standards in Action project, in which we delved into the instructional and institutional implications of CCR standards and adapted K-12 tools to effectively implement the standards in adult education classrooms.
The Standards
- The complete and original CCRSAE (the ELA standards begin on p.13 but the preliminary information is important to read)
- New! Estándares de Preparación Universitaria y Profesional para la Educación de Adultos
- ELA Anchor Standards (see all the anchor standards on one page!)
- ELA standards by Level
Professional Development
While all ELA PD incorporates the CCRSAE, The Recipe for Success: The CCRSAE and Instructional Shifts for ELA is a strong foundation and refresher. Online, asynchronous, and self-paced, it is offered at least three times a year. Check upcoming ELA PD to see when you can next participate.
Helpful Information
- CCRSAE-ELA video (a great way to introduce yourself to or refresh your knowledge of the CCRSAE for ELA)
- What Does a Standards-Aligned Classroom Look Like?
- A Teacher’s Guide to the CCRSAE for Level A and Level B Adult Learners
- Three Key Shifts for ELA: Focus on the Text
- Build Knowledge by Promoting Volume of Reading
- "The Role of Fiction in the High School English Language Arts Classroom" by Susan Pimentel (12/11/12, updated 2/10/13)
Tools & Resources
- Notating the ELA Standards (MS Word or PDF)
- ELA Instructional Practice Guide for Standards Alignment
- Checklist for Evaluating Text-Dependent Question Quality
- ELA Resource Alignment Tool
- ELA Lesson Revision Template
- Text Complexity & Selection
- Text sets relate to the instructional shift of Building Knowledge. This page contains text sets created by Massachusetts adult education practitioners, based on the Expert Pack Text Set model at Achieve the Core, with guidance and support from College and Career Readiness Standards-in-Action mentors; and other Text Set resources.
- Standards-Based ELA Curricula developed by MA ABE practitioners
- See more at the ELA Curriculum Hub
CCRSAE resources from other states (most relate to the K-12 Common Core State Standards and must be adapted for Adult Education)
- Achieve the Core ("Free, ready-to-use classroom resources from Student Achievement Partners, designed to help educators understand and implement the Common Core and other college and career ready standards"; NOTE that most Standards in Action tools are ABE-friendly adaptations of Achieve the Core materials.)
- Achievement Network ("By internalizing the standards through study, reflection, and doing the work we’re asking our students to do, we get better at translating goals into powerful classroom teaching.")
- Engage NY High School Equivalency Curriculum Framework ("Integrates the CCRSAE and provides guidance for teaching content and skills to HSE students in ELA/Social Studies, Science and Math")
- Teaching the Core ("Classroom videos and associated lesson materials from Student Achievement Partners, to help K-12 educators implement the instructional shifts required by the Common Core State Standards")
![]() |
SABES ELA Curriculum Hub |
SABES ELA Home Page |