This English Language Arts Core Curriculum is a standards-based document that provides an additional level of specificity to the learning standards for English language arts adopted by the New York State Board of Regents in 1996. It is designed to provide assistance, while allowing for creativity, in the development of local instructional materials. This revision of the core curriculum is in response to the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) mandate for specificity of performance indicators in grades 3?8. The level of specificity is delineated for each grade, prekindergarten?grade 12. The guide is organized into three grade configurations, each including core performance indicators, literacy competencies, and grade-specific performance indicators.