| What Literacy Means | Literacy begins with relationships, play, and communication. Young children learn through interaction with caregivers, storytelling, songs, and exploration. | Literacy builds on oral language development with explicit and systematic instruction in foundational skills, reading, writing, comprehension, vocabulary, and background knowledge aligned to academic standards in a high-quality instructional material. In grades 6-12, reading, writing, speaking, and listening is mastered through disciplinary literacy. | Tribal language revitalization understands literacy as more than print-based reading and writing. Literacy includes oral language, listening, speaking, storytelling, song, place-based knowledge, cultural practice, identity, belonging, and community continuity. Often for Tribal communities, language is a living system of instruction, relationship, sovereignty, and self-determination. Early literacy and Tribal language learning may be integrated through Tribal language instruction, immersion, oral tradition, bilingual or multilingual materials, family learning, and community-based language use. |
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| Developmental Indicators / How Growth Is Observed | Development is observed through milestones in language, social-emotional growth, and early expression(e.g., scribbling, storytelling, vocabulary use). Emphasizes home language development, multilingualism, and cultural identity as central to literacy growth. | Progress is tracked on multiple occasions, using multiple methods, including formative and summative assessment on academic benchmarks that measure reading proficiency and writing skills. Assessments inform timely acceleration for all students to access grade-level instruction. Honors and develops multilingualism and biliteracy while advancing English language proficiency and academic literacy needed for grade-level success. | Growth is observed through Tribal-defined and community-appropriate measures. Evidence may include participation counts, frequency and duration of language instruction, student language use, oral storytelling, family engagement, classroom or community participation, portfolios, language materials developed, teacher or speaker capacity, and narrative reflection. Success is not limited to standardized assessment; it may also include strengthened identity, belonging, confidence, intergenerational transmission, and increased opportunities for students, families, and community members to hear, speak, read, write, and live the language. |
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| Learning Environments | Learning environments include homes, child care settings, and community programs that support literacy through everyday routines and culturally affirming practices | Learning environments include classroom-based instruction, as well as expanded and home-based learning opportunities, supported by structured curriculum and evidence-based instructional strategies, including culturally relevant instruction. | Learning environments may include early learning settings, K–12 classrooms, Tribal schools, public school partnerships when desired by Tribes, culture camps, language nests, immersion settings, after-school or summer programming, family literacy events, community gatherings, digital storytelling, and Tribal site-based instruction. Strong environments are culturally safe, language-rich, and grounded in Tribal priorities. They may include Elders, knowledge holders, language teachers, families, Native-authored or Tribally developed materials, place-based learning, and visible respect for Tribal identity, language, and sovereignty. |
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| Role of Families and Communities | Success is nurtured by families, caregivers, and communities through responsive interactions and support. | Success is supported through targeted instruction and intervention, with educators, families, and community partners working together to support student learning. | Families, Elders, knowledge holders, language teachers, Tribal education staff, cultural departments, caregivers, and community members are central to language revitalization and early literacy. Tribes determine which language or languages are taught, who is qualified to teach, how instruction is delivered, what materials are appropriate, and what outcomes or indicators of success should be used. ODE/OIE’s role is to provide funding, coordination, technical assistance, and systems alignment without prescribing curriculum, pedagogy, instructional models, proficiency definitions, or measures of success. |
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| Alignment and Transition | Early literacy efforts prepare children for kindergarten by building the social-emotional, language, and cognitive skills needed to thrive in school. DELC and ODE are working toward shared outcomes and smoother transitions between early learning and K–12. | Early grade instruction builds on the foundation laid in early learning through strong connections with families, intentional kindergarten transitions, and growing collaboration between early learning and K–12 systems. | Tribal language revitalization connects early learning, K–12, family learning, community-based programming, and lifelong language pathways. Tribal Early Literacy and Tribal Language investments may support, intergenerational, community-based, or language-first models when they support early literacy development, Tribal language revitalization, or both. Alignment may include early childhood language exposure, kindergarten transition, K–3 literacy, K–12 Tribal language instruction, American Indian Languages Teaching Licensure pathways, Seal of Biliteracy/Multiliteracy recognition, curriculum and materials development, and sustainable Tribal language systems across generations. |
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