All StudySync® lesson plans are correlated to the Common Core standards. In addition, StudySync® was developed in full recognition of the NCTE's (National Council of Teachers of English) Position Statement on 21st Century Literacies.

Below, Dr. Lawrence Baines of the University of Oklahoma outlines the multiple ways StudySync® reflects the standards set by both the Common Core and NCTE.

The Common Core and So Much More
Dr. Lawrence Baines, Chair, Instructional Leadership & Academic Curriculum, University of Oklahoma, Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education

In the sciences, new discoveries are paramount. After it was scientifically established that the earth revolves around the sun and not the other way around, the old theorems that had placed the earth at the center of the universe were discarded. Unlike the sciences, in the language arts, the "old curriculum" never goes away. Harry Potter does not supplant Hamlet, but merges into the ever-expanding database of iconic characters in literature where Hamlet, Scrooge, Jane Eyre, and Bartleby the Scrivener all reside.

In The Western Canon, literary critic Harold Bloom lists over 800 books that he suggests constitute the new canon. By reading one book a week, a teacher could make his/her way through Bloom's list in approximately 16 years. During this time period, in the United States, approximately eight million new books, including e-books, would have been distributed. Of course, these figures do not take into consideration the thousands of websites, blogs, electronic journals, and wikis that come online every day.

The great challenge in creating standards for the twenty-first century is insuring that they remain relevant beyond the date of their initial publication. To insure relevancy, both the Common Core and NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) standards require students to become familiar with a range of literature, from celebrated novels by famous writers to edgy, contemporary narratives created by emerging literary stars.

In days of yore, literature was considered one of three "legs" of the English curriculum; the other two legs were composition and language. Both the Common Core standards and NCTE standards establish expectations well beyond the traditional tripod of literature, composition, and language. According to both sets of standards, today's English curriculum should include study of speaking, listening, media, and technology.

StudySync® is a twenty-first century, multimedia platform that provides a way for teachers to not only meet the standards, but to exceed them. StudySync® highlights seminal literary works by legendary authors such as Mark Twain, Robert Frost, and William Shakespeare, and also features selections from new writers such as novelist Isabel Allende, futurist Ray Kurzweil and geographer Jared Diamond.

StudySync® brings literature to life through sound (the voices of professional actors), image (photos and film), and a unique, always-on social network of peers, friends and virtual helpers. Writing, too, gets a fresh makeover, as students build essays through a series of lively, intriguing video, audio, and text-based prompts. With StudySync®, students do not just read a text, they experience it.