English Language Arts Overview
In June 2019, the State Board of Education adopted the Oregon English Language Arts and Literacy Standards, which represent K-12 learning expectations for students in English Language Arts. The Standards are the foundation English Language Arts classes that prepare students for the Oregon Diploma. They reflect the same high academic expectations for all students, and have embedded in them the Essential Skills of reading, writing, language usage, and speaking and listening.
Comprehensive Distance Learning Instructional Resources (2020-2021)
Designing Learning for 2020-21: English Language Arts & Literacy
The purpose of this document is to provide subject-specific instructional resources for Oregon schools for the 2020-2021 school year. This document first addresses essential instructional content to help determine where to focus learning activities this school year. From there, considerations and resources are provided for navigating and managing instructional resources, practices, and assessment across delivery models.
CDL 2020-2021 Essential Instructional Content for English Language Arts/Literacy K-12 Overview
This document has been adapted for use by the Oregon Department of Education for Oregon educators. The following document contains information about essential English Language Arts and Literacy content for the 2020-2021 school year. This resource has been adapted based on Student Achievement Partner’s Priority Standards guidance.
ODE Condensed Priority Standards and Learning Progression Crosswalks
These resources are a condensed version of compiled guidance and recommendations from Student Achievement Partners, the Council of Great City Schools, and the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium.
ELA: Cycle of Learning
A description of a cycle of learning, or routine for effective instruction that supports quality instruction and unfinished learning, is provided in the following resources.
CDL Accelerated Learning Resources
The following resources provide national guidance and recommendations for accelerating learning during the 2020 – 2021 instructional year.
This resource provides guidance for what to do and what not to do when planning to address unfinished learning from the previous school year.
This resource describes adjustments teachers can make to their content and pedagogy to advance and preserve student learning during distance learning. Leaders can use this to guide teacher training, planning, and coaching.
The following guidance is to help school and district stakeholders responsible for planning instruction during the 2020 -21 instructional year.
This guide focuses on an instructional framework for addressing unfinished learning and a review of essential skills and content in English language arts and mathematics to support access to grade-level content. Additional resources and information on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is included to ensure that grade-level content is accessible for all students.
- This document, put together by Student Achievement Partners, highlights the best practices for teaching foundational reading skills (Print Concepts, Phonological Awareness, Phonics and Word Recognition, and Fluency) in kindergarten, first, and second grades. In it, you will find both best practice recommendations for teaching foundational reading skills, as well as instructional moves and recommendations for how to utilize instructional time.
The Oregon English Language Arts Teacher Update is an e-newsletter that provides information about promising practices, professional development opportunities, useful links and ELA assessment information.
Guidance to School Districts - Addressing Challenged Materials in K-12 Education
Guidance to School Districts - Addressing Challenged Materials in K-12 Education
The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) fosters excellence for every learner and recognizes that academic success depends on a safe school environment that protects the rights of all students. As an organization, we value the freedoms protected under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In a school setting, the freedom of speech and expression is applied to academic freedom, including the freedom to read a diverse set of materials that provide support and enrichment for the general educational and program goals.
Each year, teachers, librarians and schools across the country face challenges to books and other instructional materials for a variety of reasons: race, religion, sexuality, sexual orientation, gender identity, mental health, suicide, violence and others. It is important for districts to offer professional guidelines for the selection of reading materials.
This document provides guidance to school districts, administrators, educators, and parents when a challenge to instructional materials is presented.
For questions regarding the ODE English Language Arts program, email
Tina Roberts or call 503-947-5603.